Gene-r

Hi JT, I'm afraid to say that irritating as it is, I think this is one of the "improvements" (sn*****!!) Ebay had proposed to the USA site. I noticed it yesterday, when my bookmark for R&B/Soul took me to their front page. From there, I had to search records firstly under the R&B genre, then Soul as a sub-heading. It is a pain in the jaxsy but, then again, I guess it's just a matter of adapting to change. Having said that, the "Northern Soul" search on the UK site remains unaffected (for what it's worth, if you don't mind the odd pressing or two!). Gene

Not absolutely sure to be honest Steve - never seen one on sale before!! What do you think it should go for? Gene

Thankfully, my wife understands me ("not bad for a fiver, eh luv"!!!!!) Gene

Andy, Just traced the Chuck Bernard 45 you were after; "Funny Changes" on Satellite. Anglo American (Tim Brown) has one on his website, listed as the B-side "Every Hurt Makes You Stronger" for £40: https://www.raresoulvinyl.co.uk/catalogues....95&StartsWith=B Click on the hyperlink and search under Bernard, Chuck - best of luck mate! Gene

Hello Supercorsa, Here's some '60s recommendations from me - all should cost you less than £20 each (some maybe even far less!): THE FIVE STAIRSTEPS: Change Of Pace (Windy City) THE BABIES: The Hand Of Fate (Dunhill) THE PROPHETS: My Kind Of Girl (Stephanye) THE PRECISIONS: Instant Heartbreak (Drew) LOUIS CURRY: I'll Try Again Tomorrow/A Toast To You (M-S) THE OCCASIONS: There's No You (Big Jim) MARY WELLS: Keep Me In Suspense (Atco) SUPERLATIVES: Lonely In A Crowd (Westbound) THE SHIRELLES: March (You'll Be Sorry) (Scepter) BOSS FOUR: Walkin' By (Rim) JIMMY INTERVAL: Somebody To Love (Columbia) Good luck.......... Gene

You know what......I just can't imagine the Rupert theme sung by the same guy who did "The Duck"!!! Any good?? Gene

Well, I like to think that I live in the real world - just that I've not been that lucky yet!! Gene

Thanks Mike! For a guy who's only 3 months away from the Big 4-0, I am flattered!!! BTW, are you at the next SITC on the 7th April? Hope to see you there mate! Gene

Does that mean you'll give me £18 + P&P to take it off your hands Mike??? (lol) Gene

I had my one until a few weeks ago Chalky - it's now in the hands of Nick Brown, for which he traded me £800 worth of rarities!! Gene

It went under the hammer??? Blimey, why would anyone want to spend that much on a fossil skeleton broken into a thousand pieces??!!!! Gene

Well done Grant - I'm pleased you got it, and I'm really happy to have been of help!! Gene

Grant, I believe Kevin Cox in Canada had a copy of "Don't Accuse Me" by the Squires for £90. Drop him a line, and good luck: arctic-soul@rogers.com Gene

Grant, I believe Kevin Cox in Canada had a copy of "Don't Accuse Me" by the Squires for £90. Drop him a line, and good luck: arctic-soul@rogers.com The Yum Yums was first booted in 1975. As a lookalike, it's so good, some people are still puzzled at a first glance!! It was done at the same time as another ABC lookalike, "Playin' Hide & Seek" by Eddie Regan. I believe an original Yum Yums demo goes for about £500, but a black issue is more likely to fetch around £1,000. Gene

On "Pressure" by Drizabone, how many people are aware that this was actually a UK Top 40 hit in 1994?? Gene

It's the light blue issue, Chalky. Gene

In addition, it's not worth doing a search for "Rock Candy" on Ebay, unless you want one of the many copies of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" always available! Gene

Actually, one sold on Ebay this morning for $93 - went to a collector in Japan! See the attached link: https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...e=STRK:MEBDW:IT Gene

Nice to see one of my personal faves "Alone With No Love" by Rock Candy being re-activated. But how many of you know the true story behind the record? Well, for those who don't, then the simple answer is Alone With No Love is NOT by Rock Candy!! Puzzled? Then read on........... Dontee 101 was released as "Alone With No Love" - The Contemplations/"Alone With No Love" - The Dontee Studio Band. According to the matrix, the tracks were cut on the 19th August 1969 - I assume it was released shortly after this date. Anyway, a year and a half down the line, along came funk/soul group Rock Candy, who cut just one track for Dontee, "I Don't Think I'll Ever Love Another". This became the A-side for Dontee 103, in February 1971. As Rock Candy had nothing to put on the B-side, a shrewd source from Dontee used "Alone With No Love" by the Contemplations, stuck it on the B-side, and credited it to Rock Candy!!! So there we have it; proof that Rock Candy's "Alone With No Love" is really The Contemplations cut from 1969. There are very, very few copies of the Contemplations in circulation, and none of them are anywhere near Mint. I've been told that if a Mint copy were to turn up, it would certainly sell for around £750. The biggest selling point of this issue is the stunning B-side which is, quite simply, the instrumental backing track with a lot of the reverb removed. When I bought my copy earlier this year, it was the first time I had heard it since Kev Draper played it at Peterborough in 1983!! (reaches for the box of tissues) I have no idea what the "Rock Candy" issue goes for these days, but I know it's much more than the £8 I sold my copy for 10 years ago!! By the way, when buying the Rock Candy issue, beware of thin vinyl lookalike bootlegs, pressed in the late '70s. They have a matt paper label (not gloss), and the matrix engravings are faint. The original, on the other hand, is pressed on thick vinyl, a semi-shiny label, and distinct engraved matrix. Hope this has made interesting reading. Here's a scan of Dontee 101 for the label enthusiasts. Gene

Janine, My sentiments echoed completely, and speaking from personal experience over the years, it's definitely a case of "it's not what you know, it's WHO you know" in some cliques (and I don't use that term lightly). I too have suffered at the hands of being blanked from odd playlists over the years, only to be replaced by a long-term friend of the promoter. There is nothing more depressing than for someone like me to spend all their money (and in some cases, money that I don't even have) on their collection, with the sole purpose of DJ work, and therefore long to provide a deserving club with a guest spot, in the know that I will make the promoter and their punters happy. Those who have booked me in the past will know full well what I mean - I don't need to further waste time justifying my point of not being taken seriously. What I will tell you for nothing is that I have been on the scene for 22 years with a passion; it's just such a damn shame it has to be marred by petulant politics. It just stinks............. Gene

Cheers Mick!!!

If you could post it on here BabyBoy, that would be ideal - I do like to hear the underplayed and semi-known, so that would be a treat. Best of luck in your venture to find one.............!! Gene

On UK Stax, I'd say about £6 for the light turquoise label, and about £8-£10 for the dark turquoise label. Gene

Well, how's this lot for a trip back to 1984, featured in these three lists: John Manship, Ian Clark and Dave Raistrick's (Vinyl Allsorts): BERNIE WILLIAMS: Ever Again (Bell) £45 TERRY CALLIER: Look At Me Now (Chess) £3 DEL LARKS: Job Opening (Queen City) in G+ nick; £50 THE ORACLES: I Ain't Got Time (OM) £20 RAY POLLARD: This Time (Shrine) £20 RITA & TIARAS: Gone With The Wind Is My Love (Dore) £30 YVONNE BAKER: You Didn't Say A Word (Parkway demo) £20 HANK JACOBS: Elijah Rockin' With Soul (Call Me) £3 ROSE BATISTE: Hit & Run (Revilot) £12 RAY AGEE: I'm Losing Again (Soultown) £90 TY KARIM: You Really Made It Good To Me (Senator) £25 JOANIE SOMMERS: Don't Pity Me (WB demo) £20 ........more Prozac, pleeeeeeeeease!!!! Gene

Right, time to put in my two shillings worth!! My first sighting of the Pages 45 dates back to 1982. The few copies that were around were yellow labels, usually of poor quality with surface bumps or slightly blurred red lettering. The single was originally a 1978 release, and I never ever saw this in quantity, or on re-issue lists, so I am led to believe that this was never bootlegged; just that all the originals are poor quality by sight. Even at that time, the going rate on them was about £5 - £8 each. Dunno what JM's bootleg guide says; is it included? Gene