Amsterdam Russ

(Okay, so Harvey Mandel is not 'soul', but I've included it here just for interest.)

It's amazing how in the commercial world anyone can be deemed a success or not based on simple monetary values. Yet, with talents like this, record sales, chart hits, or whatever measures you care to use in the short term are completely meaningless. Here, in this small corner of the internet, unlike the rest of the outside world, quality of talent is appreciated over the long term and, like the finest of wines we find it gets better with age. When the last of the fine vintage is gone though, it is indeed a sad day as we can now only savour the memories, remember the past. In this moment of sadness for a talent lost, let's all hear it.

The clear highlight for me has to be having an hour long chat on the telephone with Barry 'Barefoot' Beefus. An amazing man with involvement in the music industry that went way beyond his one 45 for Loma records in 1966, and whose career after leaving the music business took him to Hollywood where he remains today and is active still, even at the age of 76!

On the dance floor over the years I've ripped a hamstring once (splits @ 100 Club), sprained thumbs painfully on numerous occasions (badly timed floorwork), torn or overstretched untold tendons in my feet, damaged knees (no more backdrops), and pulled or strained every muscle in below my waist - all in the pursuit of those subliminal moments on the dance floor where the only thing that matters in the universe is the song on the turntable and the grooves that you lose yourself in for those couple of minutes at a time. Can't do floorwork anymore, backdrops seem to me now as a form of physical torture, and a spin or two is all I can manage on a good day. Even now, with such irregular dancefloor action, it can still take two or three days for leg muscles to recover from a night out, especially when the venue offers unpolished floors or even worse, concrete! Give me one of those beautifully polished and classically sprung ballrooms to dance in any day!

Ike and Tina's 'Somebody needs you' was released in May 1965. Larry Laster's 'Go for yourself' was a year later, in May 1966. Darrell Banks' 'Somebody (somewhere) needs you' hit the Billboard R&B Charts 22nd Oct 1966 and stayed there for four weeks, peaking at No 34. It also made it to 55 in the Pop Charts.

It's not just UK -> USA. I sent a 45 to the States nearly a month ago, via Registered Mail from the Netherlands, and it's still not arrived. Tracing shows it as being in the States but not at distribution. My first thought was that well, I can understand the USA being a bit cautious about packages coming out of Amsterdam, but why this long a delay? In some respects the increased security measures are reassuring - at least my package isn't just plain and simple 'lost in the post'. Vinyl aside, presuming these stringent checks are in place for inbound mail packages being sent from the four corners of the globe, this excessive zeal and apparent paranoia must be causing rather widespread disappointment domestically and internationally for the countless families that have sent Xmas packages to loved ones in the States and those in the 'homeland' still waiting to receive them.

You need to check your site Barrie, as the code on /index2.htm isn't validating.

Still no one can identify it?

In the very early 80s, I lived in Maidstone, Kent, and as a spotty and post-pubescent teenager (only just), I used to go to a local youth club in the centre of town. Not long after I first discovered Northern Soul and much to the annoyance of other members, a friend and I used to take over the dj decks whenever possible and play what few records we had. That included playing the Grapevine LPs from start to finish, with the two of us being the only ones dancing. At this stage we, or certainly I, had no real idea of what Northern Soul was about. One week that changed when in walked someone we'd never seen before. Our youth club had an upper age limit of 18 as I recall, yet this chap, obviously an adult, came in regardless. After a few subsequent visits we became friends. He had the long black leather trench coat that was so popular from the 70s, and a woolly cap rolled tight on his shaven head. He was short, possibly 5'4" and surely aged in his 30s. That didn't bother us as we thought he was cool, really cool. What set him apart for us, was the fact that he danced to Northern Soul in a way that we'd never seen before (had yet to go to a nighter at that point). Even to this day my memories mark his footwork as being unique: very light footed, very smooth; he moved in a line from left to right with foot and ankle movements that made him look as if his feet were sliding magically across the floor. At appropriate points he'd do a spin, go into a backdrop or the splits. We were seriously impressed and I have to say that his footwork became the immediate source of my inspiration, and in many respects still is. Although we were friends, we actually knew little or nothing about him. He was from up north, but I couldn't tell you from where. For reasons never mentioned had spent some time in HMP Maidstone. I knew that because I met him at what was obviously his 'halfway house'. A couple of months later, as mysteriously as he had arrived, he disappeared never to be seen again. He was my first real insight into 'Northern Soul' and what I saw opened up a whole new world to me, one that I'm still exploring. Every now and then, like tonight, I wonder who he was and what became of him. Any one ever come across him at all?

The site Beatles Interviews.Org has an interview from a Detroit press conference on 6th September 1964 that goes thus: The full transcript of the interview can be found HERE...

Thanks Mark, Benji and docfish! The scan combined with the information about Peter Shaeffers Music Publishing is excellent and confirms that this is a German acetate made to sell the song to a label for commercial release. Whether it did get a release though seems to be in doubt from what you guys are saying. Wow, I'll bet the company's archive was indeed real treasure chest! From what I've learned, Linda Cumbo changed her name after the first couple of releases and became Linda Clifford...

Thanks for the link, but not sure that helps. All it highlights to me is how poor Yahoo Music is as a resource.

No one know? I ask as I picked up a 7" acetate recently of 'Did you ever lose your mind'. The name on the label 'Peter Shaeffers Music Publishing' is a long established publishing company based in Germany. Also, it appears not to be an American-made acetate. Does this publishers name appear on the US release, can anyone tell me? (I did ask for a scan recently but no one was able to oblige). If not, did this get released in Germany or elsewhere in Europe? (If it is a European acetate rather than an American one, then it's interesting that the label is in English rather then German). Any info? Thanks

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I suppose it could be Denise Chandler, Paul, but it's certainly not 'Love is tears / I'm walking away', which has the catalogue numbers of Lock 752 1245 A/B Is there a Lock discography out there (haven't found one yet), or can anyone tell me if there is a Lock 752 1494. If so, what is it?

Oh, well. That's disappointing to learn. Still it'll save me a visit. Seems the guy could a rip-off merchant after all, in which case I stand very much corrected

Any ideas on who the artist might be and if it was released, what label it came out on? Apparently it's from Chicago, and the catalogue number on the two sides are 752 1494 A/B. The disc comes as a test pressing with both labels blank. The Lock label has been suggested as a possible point of origin as the numbering format is identical. Any suggestions? * Edited to add correct soundfile!

Excellent - thank you. The Belgians will be pleased...

You still don't get it? The guy runs a record shop & these ebay listings are intended to attract your attention to the fact that... the guy runs a record shop!

It's a future that already exists...

Good to hear it. That leaves all the more for us over here...

Excellent story. Did you hear anything more after sending the mp3?

If he sold one at those price I don't think the fees would be problem - and I doubt if the seller would care anyway!

Um, hate to tell you this, but I don't think that these are listed at silly prices with the expectation that someone's actually going to buy them - for goodness sake They're listed solely with the purpose of piquing your curiosity - to get you to click on them. It's so simple - and it's worked, hasn't it? Whether it's an effective method of marketing the shop or not is another matter.