Gene-r

My last purchase, a week ago, was a stone Mint copy of "Haunted House" by Jackie Wilson on Brunswick for just $2.99!!! When I first registered with Ebay three years ago, here's a few of the bargains I was lucky enough to acquire: JERRY NAYLOR: City Lights (Tower) $25 MICHAEL & RAYMOND: Man Without A Woman (demo RCA) $2.26 RAY SCOTT: Love Piled On Top Of Love (demo Decca) $6; but "lost in post". RONNIE MILSAP: Total Disaster (Princess) $30 DONALD JENKINS: Somebody Help Me (Cortland) $25 VOLUMES: I Just Can't Help Myself (American Arts Black Demo) $20 ELIOT SMALL: I'm A Devil (ABS) $9 This was in the days before I invested in a PC at home, so I had to bid at work. Unfortunately, I bid $35 on "This Is A Groovy Generation" by Billy Kennedy on Thelma, only to come in next morning to find out that I was outbid and, worse still, it had been won for just $36!! Who was the lucky sunuva.......? Gene Robertson

Hi again, Here are some more details re; Johnny Hampton to help you identify whether yours is original or a boot. With due respect, I must correct John Manship's guide with the following information about the latter two boots, but I have to admit I've never seen an off-white label boot yet, though I'm sure they do exist: a) Styrene pressing, with "Dotty's from Detroit" in block letters/straight line. Same track both sides, but the credits are "Not My Girl BY John Hampton". Grooves tightly squeezed in, resulting in poor sound quality (note the mis-credit to JOHN Hampton). b) Vinyl lookalike pressing with Dotty's credit in a semi-circle. Backed with "Don't Lead Me On". A good lookalike in every detail, but no Nashville Matrix. Hope this helps you further in identifying your copy. However, from what you describe, it sounds like pressing (b) detailed in my list above. To add further, the best way to differentiate styrene from vinyl is the light weight, and (as you rightly state) hardly bendy at all. If flicked at the edge, will result in a hollow tap noise. Gene Robertson

In addition, here's an interesting piece of trivia. The Tony Galla bootlegs were pressed in 1990. At the same time, the following were all pressed: Johnny Hunicutt (Tri-Ode), The Four Tracks (Mandingo), Terri Goodnight (Phelectron), The Martells (A La Carte), Norma Jenkins & The Dolls (Maltese), Bobby Mac (Vended) and Jock Mitchell (Impact). They must have come from the same source, as they were all the first batch of boots with bevelled edges. The Tommy Navarro bootlegs on De Jac date from 1985, and were pressed along with "Angelina Oh Angelina" by Stewart Ames (J and V). These two boots are most distinctive, as they look like UK pressings with the four-pronged centre pushed out. Also, the Stewart Ames boots have "Angelina" on both sides, so you'd have been disappointed if you expected to hear "Queen For A Day" on the flip! The George Kirby boots on Cadet, I think, date back to the late '70s (possibly even 1980-81). Must admit, I wasn't aware of Doug Banks being booted but, hey, we live and learn......!! Gene Robertson

For some people, the early '70s bootlegs can be quite confusing, more so if they're pressed on US styrene. Some of them are so damn good, they're quite convincing to the naked eye!! A few good examples of such lookalike bootlegs are George Blackwell on Smoke, Lou Pride on Suemi, The Flirtations on Festival demo, Mel Britt on FIP, Joey Dee on Caneil......seems the list is endless!! Here's a good tip if you have a styrene boot from the '70s, and want to be able to tell the difference between that and the original, and this works most of the time. Hold the record up to the light. If the vinyl turns a see-through red, chances are it's a bootleg. A lot of styrene used from the early '70s onwards seem to have this feature. Obviously, if the record is a '60s recording and yet still goes red, then you've every good reason to be suspicious. However, original Dore, Beltone/Lescay and Diamond pressings from the early to mid-60s DO turn a mottled yellow when held up to the light. This is nothing to worry about, as these labels used this type of vinyl during the '60s. Hope this is all of help. Best, Gene

Sampling, or the cheap, despicable art of using other peoples' backing tracks to add a vocal chorus to (licensed or not), has been rife in rave clubs since the late '80s. But is there really place for it on the soul scene? And my point is?......Well, in the early '70s we had fabricated soul records like "These Heartaches" by Dena Barnes (backing track of "Crying Over You" by Duke Browner) or "Baby You're The Fire" by the Del-Satins (backing track of "Double Cookin'" by the Checkerboard Squares). This year, two tracks to grace the scene have also exploited backing tracks from two very rare soul 45s. How many of you are aware that "Breakway" by Frank Popp has sampled "Those Lonely Nights" by the Soul Communicators on Fee, and that "This Time I'm Loving You" by Venicia Wilson samples "Hey Girl" by the Peter Hamilton Generation on Jamie (also covered up as "Downtown Generation" by Mike Post)??? Sure, they make pretty listenable sounds on a first hearing, but how far will this all go? I guess this can be viewed in exactly the same context as bootlegs - what would the BPI say about it all? Worse still, no one likes being taken for a mug, and the wool has already been pulled over enough pairs of eyes - it's about time the facts behind these "supersounds" floated to the surface. I guess someome should start playing "The Rockefeller Skank" by Fatboy Slim: after all, he used "Sliced Tomatoes" by Just Brothers as a sampled track for it!! Gene Robertson

I am desperately after "For The Rest Of My Life" by the Out Of Sights on SARU (1161). Any help? Please reply via this thread - thanks!! Happy to pay cash or trades. Gene Robertson

Thanks for dropping me right in it Dave, the good mate that you are........lol!!! (only joking really, Dave!). Now, I've just played both tracks side by side, and true enough, Frank Poop has sampled "Those Lonely Nights" by the Soul Communicators on "Breakaway". Dave alerted me to this during a phone call yesterday night, after hearing "Breakaway" for the first time. Not only has a legendary title been plagiarised, but also the backing track of a lovely ultra-rarity has been stolen!!! Wonder if the BPI know about Frank P and his antics? Furthermore, I doubt very much that sampling would be welcome with open arms on the scene. So I guess these findings satisfactorily answer the title of the thread........apologies for any tears, disappointment or shattered dreams of it being the best new sound of 2003!!! Fake or Fab? Make up your own minds.....I know I have! Sincerely, Gene Robertson