Hello,

Recently I located a red vinyl copy of Verma Lewis and the Mustangs Five on the Anco Records label entitled You Do / It Was So Good Love.

The label shows a Compton, Los Angeles address. (Please see the attached scans.)

Verma Lewis also released a 45 record on Gold Token 103 entitled You Do / Somebody Help Me, a northern soul favorite.

Does anyone know anything about this red vinyl Anco release by Verma Lewis and the Mustangs Five?

Any information would be appreciated. Thanks !

This is especially interesting since the record offers a different side by this artist.

the Spinologist

Edited March 7, 201213 yr by spinologist

Hi Phil, I don't know this record, is it R&B-ish or more soulish? Is there a good harmony ballad side? Thanks.

Hey Boba,'

It is moe R&B-ish, guitar, bass, drums, and sax, Only Verma sings (no backup).

Guitar does a brief solo ... two chords, very simple. I am guessing this was her first release of You Do,

before Gold Token released it. I found the record in Compton, where it was pressed.

Sorry I'm confused which side you are talking about, so can I ask - Would you say the version of "You Do" on this 45 you've found is identical to the Gold Token one?

The reason I ask is that you say there's no backup singers, whereas on the Gold Token 45 that I have, the backing singers constantly echo "You Do" back to Verma throughout the song?

(do you need a sound file for the Gold Token version to answer this? p.m. me if so)

Neither side has any backup vocals. So, this is definitely an alternate take of You Do.

This is probably her first version, pressed on a small Compton label in red vinyl to commemorate her first release.

Edited March 8, 201213 yr by spinologist

That's a great find, L A soul continues to amaze. I'd love to hear both sides of this and know more about her.

Ady

Wow, Phil kindly sent me sound files of the record and it sounds like it was from about 2 years earlier than the Gold Token, totally different, and is given a much more R&B treatment. Sparser but very catchy and gets a good mood going. The Gold Token's pretty rare so I'd be interested to know what RB fans in particular might think of this if they ain't heard the later version. I think it's gonna get Ebayed soonish.

Ady

Having heard it via Ady last night, sounds good to me.

Edited March 9, 201213 yr by denbo