Amsterdam Russ

My experience of the French postal system has been excellent. Items coming from there to where I am - the Netherlands - arrive very quickly indeed. In fact, regular post appears to travel faster than 'signed for' items. Bought two 45s on the same day a couple of weeks ago, both from different sellers in France. One was sent signed for, the other wasn't. The 45 that wasn't registered turned up in two days whilst the signed for item took a week. Now, post from the States, that's another thing. Normally very good indeed, I've currently got three items outstanding; the most overdue having been bought a month ago.

Paul, I take my hat off to you for the work, effort and dedication you've put into these and all the other releases. The value in making these tracks available to the public at large seems to have been forgotten, overlooked and/or disregarded by those who are blinkered by the narrow confines of the 'Northern Soul' genre. Soul collectors abound world-wide, and probably 95% of them have never attended an event in the UK. But then why should they?

On one of Richard Domar's lists c.84-86, he described a particular 45 as a being a "Catacombs secret sound". I'd only discovered Northern Soul a couple of years earlier and had no idea what that actually meant. But, it sounded exciting and so I bought it for probably £3 or £4, which was about my spending limit back then. The record was Harvey Averne Dozen - Never learned to dance.

Now, I heard about this 'other version' (my words) on here a few years ago and have tried to track it down ever since. Not one of the collectors in Germany I have contact with have heard of it. One did suggest that it could be found on the compilation "Soul Message". Having got hold of a copy of that LP recently, I'm disappointed to report that alI it contains is dodgy stereo remixes of the original 45 cuts. Please tell me that the hunt was not in vain and that this alternative version of Ben Aiken's classic still eludes us. Until found, I can't be satisfied...

I always thought that OVO was an inferior grade of OXO...

I really find it difficult to understand how the frequent calumny/slagging off that is allowed on this site goes on unabated. Slander: false and damaging statements made verbally or transiently about someone and/or their character. Libel: statements that are recorded with some degree of permanence. Includes statements made by email and on-line bulletin boards. It looks bad, feels bad, tastes bad, and by golly it smells bad...>

Really, no one can ID it? Wasn't expecting it to be a mystery...

Got an acetate through today. Any idea of singer, song and label? Thought I'd give Soundcloud a try and have posted up a sample (hope it works!). https://soundcloud.com/harveysoulfinger/split-personality

I agree with you completely about Loma and WB, Paul. Also, I cannot disagree with you that the Loma website is amazingly impressive, but then I would. It is mine (and ultimately how/why I have the UK WB/Loma items above). Thanks for the kind words - they're very much appreciated...

Before...

Thelma Houston - Mixed Up Girl (WB acetate). Not sure if this got a UK 45 release or not. Anyone? https://youtu.be/c848aE4Om5E

Presuming it to be the same guy, maybe he's just out of the country...

Don't know if it's much help to you, but there is someone on Facebook with that name in that part of the world: https://www.facebook.com/adam.a.bedawi If it is the same person, having a trawl through their friends list may prove useful. Who knows, there might be a name or two that you or others here recognise.

After winning an item, I often ask sellers to clarify costs if their rates are too high. It's amazing how many of them suddenly find that "the postage costs weren't as high as I thought they were now that I've checked. What I'll do is charge $xx instead." After winning an item the spectre of negative feedback looms large for sellers and I think many back down on postage costs when they know that they're deliberately overcharging. However, where someone states that postage will be something stupid like $29, then I always approach the seller nicely and ask them to clarify why the cost is so high, and if there are other options. If the seller doesn't want to discuss the matter then, well, you know they're looking to rip you off plain and simple.

There's one on eBay at the moment for 49 euros courtesy of a seller in the Netherlands. Pic sleeve is a bit tatty looking though. >>> 220938918260

I find it difficult to entirely accept it when people label 45s as being a Wigan/Mecca/Stafford/My Living Room sound. If records must be "Sound of...", make it Chicago, Detroit, Philly, etc, etc, and not the name of the disco it got played in. It's a very parochial perspective and give continued credence to the cult of the DJ (blah, blah played this one first) when the spotlight should instead be on artists and those associated with making the tune.

>>>onder 'n lamp kijken is ook niet alles<<< It is in Dutch and roughly says - just looking under a lamp is not enough. That seems pretty self explanatory...

I'm sure this got played here and there in the late 80s / early 90s. Possibly in East Anglia - Lowestoft nighters, perhaps?

Is there any significant coverage of the Loma label in there at all? A couple of years back I had an exchange of emails with Claude Nobs. He told me that one book about WB, a recent one, did indeed have material on Loma (Claude, of course, being responsible for the 7-LP anthology of the label put out by WEA UK in the late 70s). Unfortunately, I didn't find out which book he was referring to..!

The site is run by a chap named Andreas Vingaard. Very generously, he contacted me recently to share some info he'd gathered and which he felt might be of interest - and it was. Hats off and thumbs up to any and all who are so open and willing to share in such a way - and much respect for the great work he's done.

Sorry Paul, your days as a soul psychic are numbered. Stick to the day job John Fisher was the name, and promoting records was his game. Before posting here I had a trawl through the Billboard archives available through Google Books and found only the details I posted at the beginning of this thread. Looking a little deeper this morning, Billboard is providing much more information. Here are a few clippings... From the other clippings I've read, he seems like a very interesting guy indeed. It's clear now that he wasn't head of Atlantic at all, but in fact head of promotions the short lived Country division of the label that based itself in Nashville. One story in Billboard mentions him falling through the window at the same place Sonny met Cher. Whether all three of them were involved in the shenanigans isn't clear. What I'm particularly interested in determining is his connection to WB in the mid/late 60s. So if anyone could shed any light on that it would be very much appreciated. Possibly he was working as a gun for hire, but any info substantiating his connection to Warners would be of great interest to me. Meanwhile, feel free to chip in with a cry of: "Oh, you mean THAT John Fisher!"

I'm looking to find out more on record promotions exec, John Fisher. What I do know is that: * he worked for WB in the mid-60s * was a promotions man for Stax in 68, and * headed up the WEA-owned Atlantic in 1974. That's presuming that they are one and the same person! Anyone have additional info on the guy, please?

Any difference is, in my view, in the way that the seller has recorded it, which obviously isn't great! It sounds as if the seller ramped up the recording level and this is giving the distortion you hear. It may indicate that the volume of the recording on the disc is rather low. The seller may also have adjusted the EQ to reduce the noise from the grooves. Typically such noise is in the treble/high range. The recording posted up is very bassy and rather flat, a possible sign that high ranges have been reduced. It's a common trick sellers at record fairs/markets have been known to use when looking to shift crackly 45s to punters who have asked to hear them!

I knew what you meant - it was the names I was after. The Texas version is by the Royal Knights? What about the Spanish version? Hey, Paul - see you later tonight...