Amsterdam Russ

Likewise - when spring comes around there's always that high element of anticipation. Not only is it great to see them return, but you know that summer is not far behind.

Thanks for the clarification. I presumed that's what you meant unless the practice had suddenly become prevalent in the UK for some reason.

This is why I'm asking. The mass slaughter of birds across Europe during migration through shooting, netting and liming is well catalogued, of course. In fact, the first time I read about it was in an RSPB or Young Ornithologist Club magazine back in the 70s. That gives me the impression that little progress has been made in re-educating those who engage in it - sadly.

Do you mean what happens on migratory routes in continental Europe or in the UK?

Lovely birds, Bullfinches. As a kid I always thought of them as somehow exotic and was so excited the first time I ever saw one!

For what it's worth, when I spin a few records at the next Amsterdam Soul Club (Sept 20th for anyone interested!) I'll have Maxine Brown "Torture" & September Jones "Voo doo madamoiselle" in my box. Just two of so many amazing discoveries! Why would people not want to play them? Perhaps some people think they should only be playing their own discoveries and not somebody else's. Great music unearthed from wherever deserves to be heard - end of story. Keep them coming, Ady!

Yes it is annoying. I think it's also a deliberate ruse to get people to click through to the images and description. I suspect that sellers believe it's the equivalent of getting you through the shop door. Once you're over the threshold, so to speak, you're more likely to bid or buy after having been swayed by their wonderful sales pitch and the pretty colours on the label. Actually, I wonder if there is some basis in fact that getting people to view the item increases the chance of a sale. Even if it is true, the lack of a promised soundclip is an immediate turnoff for me, so it actually has a reverse psychological effect!

Cheers, Ray. PM'd you by return and amount now paid.

Let me tell you it's down right sinful!

On the subject of Roy Redmond, how about this clip from the 1968 psychedelic cult movie The Touchables? It uses Redmond's take of the Beatles song Good Day Sunshine. Redmond's song was originally released as Loma 2075 in July 1967. However, the song started to get plays in New York some months later and this local action prompted WB/Loma to put it out again in February of 1968 - hence why you can also find it on the green label Loma 2092. The film itself didn't come out until November 1968, so it's unclear whether word of the inclusion of the song in the original soundtrack was a factor in the interest it picked up six months after original release. Now, on with the groovy - and slightly kinky - 60s movie action!

To be fair, if looking only at monetary aspects then Loma isn't a particularly hard label to collect, so the aspiring DJ could get hold of most of the releases on original 45s without too much difficulty. Barring the yellow issue Soul Shakers "I'm getting weaker", the hardest one to find (based on my experience) is actually under the radar - or there's no interest in it. For me, THE hardest one is a green label variant of a 45 that is cheap as both a yellow stock copy and a white label demo. I'm still looking for one of those. Volume 3 is the R&B comp. Great tracks on that from the likes of James "Lucky" Carmichael, Smiley Lewis, Barry "Barefoot" Beefus and also including James Cotton's two fabulous sides - his cover of the St Louis Jimmy Oden song "Complete this order" and the mighty harmonica romp "Laying in the weeds". Poor sound quality on the clip, but hey... https://youtu.be/fkbetb99DXU

The guy behind it was the legendary Claude Nobs, who was a senior WB exec at that time. Claude founded the even more legendary Montreux Jazz Festival, of course, and is immortalised as "Funky Claude" in the Deep Purple song "Smoke on the water". I exchanged a few emails with him about five or six years ago and he said he'd call me on the phone and tell me about how he came to put the tremendously ambitious 7-LP Loma anthology together. To my eternal regret, that phone call didn't happen. Still, I'm honoured that he even bothered to reply to my enquiring email at all. Claude died in January 2013 from injuries sustained in a skiing accident. He was 76-years old.

Ever the optimist, I still hold out hope of finding Loma 2004 - Bob and Earl - Everybody Jerk!

Here you go... Manship did auction this almost exactly three years ago. Here's what he had to say about it... Link:

No, it's not due to wear: mine's pretty much a minty. Exactly as you say, it's a mastering problem. I've listened to numerous copies of this and they've all had the hiss to a lesser or greater degree. First time I heard this was on a Pat Brady tape from the early-mid 80s - it also had the hiss. I'm sure John Manship auctioned one a couple of years back, and it also had the hiss.

My understanding was that they all have the hiss - just some more than others. The one in the clip sounds remarkably clear compared to my copy which has an audible hiss all the way through on both sides..

Here in the Netherlands they have the same contempt for herons for exactly the name reason. But let's get real here. Magpies are not alone in feasting on eggs and young during the breeding season. A whole multitude of creatures survive on the contents of nests of just about every animal. Our feathered friends are not the only ones under attack; every wild creature with young is a target. It's nature's way - and it's deadly out there!

I use goofbid, which is a free sniper service. https://www.goofbid.com It also appears to have tied up with ebay in some way recently as I'm now getting an indication in my ebay invoices of how much I've "saved" relative to my highest snipe bid.

Also read his post about this. He says that he'd hoped to keep the news private, but had to confirm publicly to (my words) stop the gossip mongers once it had become widely known. I echo the sentiments wishing him a speedy recovery.

I thought Ragovoy (Philly born) was working out of NY during his tenure with Loma. Am I wrong?

Technically, a classic from the Loma label! "Mr Creator" was recorded in the same session as Loma 2053 - "Sorry Mama / My Soul Concerto" - but was given over to the parent Warner Bros because it had all the makings of a hit and as such would benefit from their marketing and promotions budgets. They were nearly right.

One of my absolute favourites from the label. Difficult to say why exactly. Not sure if it's about having some sort of empathy with the emotions of the record, or maybe the harmonies - there's certainly something about harmonies that resonates personally - or maybe it's just simply a sublime slice of that music we call "Soul". Whatever, it works for me - big time!

August 23rd 1964 marks the 50th anniversary of the Loma record label. The first ever release (Loma 2001) was Billy Storm - I never want to dream again (There in a garden) / baby don't look down. https://youtu.be/bLalYfXKoBo Happy birthday, Loma Records!

Actually, I could do with a couple. Shipping to Netherlands?

Pete's sold a few records for me in the past and exactly as he says, it's about avoiding all the hassle that goes with it. You read enough of the threads on here about people's bad experiences - buyer or seller - and you realise that as much as it sounds like some sort of dream job to be record dealer, the truth is anything but. Hats off to anyone who makes a living at it. If I were selling up my meagre collection, Pete would probably be my first port of call. He has (as do others like him) the contacts, the reputation and the knowledge to ensure that I would get the best out of whatever might be in my boxes. And paying a cut as commission is a very small price to pay for saving yourself all the hassle that can go with every… single… one… of… those... 45s. As for record sold on here specifically, while I've bought a few here and there - and had some great prices — I do think that with the exception of a few dealers, prices offered are high. Indeed, they're often at a premium. Ebay still works for me.