Valdons

All Day Long C/w Love Me Leave Me

You can understand why during the early seventies Philadelphia Sweet Soul harmony revolution. Avco, Roadshow & Wand went and plucked these guys from obscurity to try and catch some of the Delfonics, Stylistics success.

After this one single Valdons, updated their name to “The Philadelphia Story” a harmony vocal-group of renown. This before you today is their very first cut the vinyl and what a cut it is two.

Topside is a soaring St. Paul-Minneapolis, Minnesota vocal-group harmony Northern Soul dancer - that leeches rarity on every note; A pure D.I.Y. street-level bongo driven project, elevated by horns and the massively persuasive falsetto lead vocal. Killer horn break and the incessant bongo beating out a distilled Northern soul dance beat - A KILLER and oh so very, very rare!

Flip it over - and I can see why the more in-depth Japanese wants lists have teased me with this listing for decades.

Outrageously smooth sweet soul saturated in despair - that’s why this crisp gathering recorded for 3 national labels - but unfortunately success eluded them - it certainly wasn’t through a lack of skill.

This 45 is a treasure for both styles - and an impossible to find treasure at that.

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The winning bid was £ 713.00

Marty Thompson

Whirlpool

Label owner Ben Macks crafts an unspeakably atmospheric Northern Soul / Popcorn dance tine, evoking visions go-go dancers, spy movies and dancetastic smokey night-clubs.

I just adore this style of Northern Soul, off-the-wall and compelling music, this example spewed out by a guttural voice of mammoth proportions.

David Colman, Marty Thompson and the like are the spice of Northern Soul, the unusual records that add the extra-flavour to an evening of dance…BRILLIANT!

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The winning bid was £ 155.00

Tammi Terrell

Tears At The End Of A Love Affair - Diff Take - With Horns

On the 25th. of May 1966 Motown crafted one of the very finest dance tracks, a Hitsville lady ever sung!

Tammi Terrell’s “Tears At The End Of a Love Affair” bleeds with young girl emotion intricately woven into the most magnificent dance production you could ever wish to hear. Tammi’s young-girl pain is cradled by a wealth of sister-vocal-chorus, strings & horns crafting a mid-paced Motown experience with few equals.

Instead of the huge hit this surely would have become, it was only issued as an album track on Tammi’s “Irresistible”.

NOTE this is a “DIFFERENT” unique take “WITH HORNS”; presented here as the unique in-house 10” acetate complete with date, notes and an instruction to “recoat” with acetate lacquer. Thank God someone at Motown ignored that request, to leave a masterpiece alive and well for us to enjoy & treasure.

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The winning bid was £ 899.00

Frankie And The Classicals

What Shall I Do

No one reading these pages will need reminding they are viewing a British collectors “trophy-piece”.

Without question of of the most difficult UK release Northern Soul 45s ever released on these shores.

This copy is in blinding condition, It took a while me to grade it as I hovered between Mint - and Excellent + as the vinyl only reveal the merest sleeve brush or two under strong light.

As some of the “big boys” will undoubtedly want to upgrade, so I erred on the side of caution. But I can assure you this 45 is an absolutely spanking example of a British “Rarest Of The Rare”

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The winning bid was £ 386.00

Home Of The Blues # 4

Home Of The Blues # 4

Rare August 1966 issue # 4 in this highly sought after series that was the pioneering John Abbey project that laid the foundations for the world renown BLUES & SOUL magazine.

Beautiful in it primitiveness, groundbreaking with it’s editorial and relentless in te pursuit of bringing Black American Music to the awareness of the British record buyer.

This issue as the front cover highlights Walter Jackson, Bobby Bland, Orlons, Billy Stewart, Rufus Thomas some unique artist pics.

Fantastic bio of my favourite soul artist Walter Jackson - how at 17 he contracted polio but still managed to make his professional debut only a year later.

Utterly rare and groundbreaking fanzine, that was the stepping stone to the greatest Soul magazine ever produced.

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The winning bid was £ 156.00

Fantastic Johnny C.

Let's Do It Together

Like your funk? Want to collect those elusive first presses?

Check out this - Fantastic Johnny C. rarest 45 by far!

Local Philadelphia single sided press aborted release, thazt then emerged on Kama Sutra 511 in 1970.

Written & produced by the prolific Jesse James and arranged by Sax-God Mike Terry as you can hear his bari-tone sax prompting proceedings as Johnny Corley get down and dirty with this J. B. inspired session.

Wicked paino work, bold bass guitar, gritty vocal and side-chants, intricate lead-guitar - weld mike Mike Terry magical suck n’ blows.

Deep Funk and so very, very hard to find on it’s first label.

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The winning bid was £ 77.00

Sam & Kitty

I've Got Something Good

What did Sam & Kitty mean to you on first hearing?

The effect records of this calibre had on the trainee-soul-boys during the early 70s was profound. We have documented before, the happening when me and my mate “Kipper” were about to climb the rickety wooden-stairs to exit the cellar room of Select-A-Disc, Arkwright Street, Nottingham, as “Denny” dropped the stylus on his newly acquired Four Brothers original.

I would have given every purchase I made that day back to buy “Denny’s” copy of a record this Soul-Apprentice had never heard before. But nothing would have persuaded “The Brit” DJ to part.

Within weeks our local Youth Club at Kirby Lane, Melton Mowbray was proudly playing it off an EMI disc, a treat brought back from The Torch for a fraction of the Four Brothers value.

We were young, enthusiastic, naive, impetuous kids; electrified by the power of the music, as Sam & Kitty went a long way to galvanize our small-town camaraderie…

Today you are viewing 8 years on from the Select-A-Disc experience, this is a unique in-house British RCA 10” studio direct-cut acetate created in preparation for the Grapevine 132 release.

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The winning bid was £ 95.00

Betty Lloyd

I'm Catching On C/w You Say Things You Don't Mean

Back in the early 80s this was a ridiculously RARE 45. Then that intrepid vinyl-sleuth Mr. Tim Ashibende turn up a box. I’m sure he truly regrets today, being a reasonable, fair and generous guy, as he sold them with weeks for what was a fraction of it’s previous perceived value.

As so often happened back in the late 80s Northern Soul lull the avid-collectors snapped them up. Other than those in the Tim Ashibende find - I don’t think hardly another copy has come to light in the 2 decades since!

Today it has completely disappeared from the Northern Soul scene sale arenas and has again become a very hard to find disc - as that insatiable Northern Soul collecting machine has long digested all copies.

Chances of finding this record today in the USA are obviously more than remote, to find a MInt minus copy - I’d suggest would be near impossible.

I feel quite lucky today to have snagged a copy of this NS classic in perfect condition, especially as I’d forgotten just how darn good the flipside was.

The winning bid was £ 380.00

Hytones

Bigger And Better C/w I've Got My Baby

Little has been written about the lyric and console prowess of Robert Holmes, most of the limelight was given to fellow Nashville resident and studio partner the prolific Ted Jarrett. But as I continue in my quest to document writer, arranger & producers on our website listings; the name Robert Holmes appears time and time again on outstanding and highly collectable rare soul 45s.

So here is the perfect opportunity to sing this man’s praises as he wrote and produced BOTH sides of the Nashville Notable.

Top side is a much-loved fluid vocal group groove powered by a strong R. H. dance arrangement, underlining the penchant Robert Holmes had for feelgood Soul.

Flip it over to be treated to a gorgeous sweet-soul harmony ballad. One very rare sand desirable soul-platter that may send you on a journey to find more recordings Mr. Holmes was involved with - The Ref-o-ree label being a good first port of call.

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The winning bid was £ 396.00

Roy Hamilton

Heartache (hurry On By) C/w Ain't It The Truth

After living in the shadows of Roy’s classic Northern Soul anthems “Crackin’ Up Over you” & “You Shook Me Up” this New York Big City Beat Ballad has took a sudden and dramatic rise in demand and value.

This gives us a chance to underline this great balladeers commanding vocal as he attacks Wally Gold, Aaron Schroeder & Gilbert Kennington composition; given the signature Bert Keyes treatment. Drum roll intro is smothered by a wafting girl-group hum placed to cradle one of the most-impressive black vocal of all time.

Listen how Mr. Hamilton purrs, whispers and sighs his way into your heart. Gently turning the key of despair as his lifts his mighty voice toward the inevitable crescendo. Then skillfully submerges again into a pleading cauldron of hopelessness.

Hear an artist at the very top of his game and view that irresistible nipper-adorned BLACK RCA label in just sublime condition.

Ignore genius and beauty…if you can…

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The winning bid was £ 70.00

Mary Wells

Your Old Stand-by C/w What Love Has Joined Together

Mary Wells 8th. Motown release and her 4th. and last UK Oriole 45.

Condition is eye-popping! Absolutely flawless in every respect - holding it to the light I can even spy the paper fragments left behind when the 4 prong dinking tool hit the label near 50 years ago.

I would be totally astonished if anyone, anywhere could acquire a finer copy.

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The winning bid was £ 109.00

Howlin' Wolf

Big City Blues

Universally considered one of the most-influential of the Chicago-based blues artists, with his instantly recognizable growling vocal that would break into timely howls as Chester Arthur Burnett added extra-flair to his work.

You are viewing the extremely elusive 1966 UK press in gloriously fine condition. Laminated sleeve, both labels and the vinyl are all flawless.

Even better is the fact this is the ridiculously elusive STEREO press.

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The winning bid was £ 102.00

Joe Haywood

Warm And Tender Love C/w I Would If I Could

There are literally 100’s if not 1000’s of cases during the 60s of a white artist copying a black artist song and gaining a hit from it.

Rare though is another Soul artist singing another soul artists original version and achieving a nationwide hit with it. Roger Collins - She Looking good - is one rare example as Wilson Pickett’s inferior version reached 15 in the Top 100 and 7 in the R&B charts.

Before you today is the original version of a song Percy Sledge made a worldwide HIT! whilst this magnificent embryonic version passed sadly unnoticed on the New York Enjoy label that today is no easy find.

Having said all that, you are viewing one seriously rare 1965 British press of Enjoy 2013 in totally pristine condition. So elusive this our first copy certainly this century and before that, who knows?

One for the UK soul-compleatist who demands his real-rarities in the finest condition possible.

Sorry, this item has already been won!

The winning bid was £ 38.00

On Stage

Hooked On Your Love C/w Who You Really Are

D.I.Y. West Chicago project by a team who’s label mantra was “We Sock The Sound In your Ear”

Hey, I can’t argue with that, after those angry guitar rhythms enter my headphones with the solitary purpose of dance. Funk orientated 70s dance tine utilizes Earth, Wind & Fire inspired backing matched by falsetto lead vocal polished by vocal group chorus. A fine, fine D.I.Y. recording using a strange colour combination for the label that only adds to this disc’s mystique.

Flip it over, and as you’d expect with such fine vocals on the dance-side there’s a precisely constructed vocal group soulful stepper - vibes build the platform for the lead to stroll through the just above a ballad paced winner..

Two sides that fellow Chicagoan Maurice White would himself have been proud of..

Sorry, this item has already been won!

The winning bid was £ 100.00

Ad Libs

You'll Always Be In Style

Even though this acetate came to us from a trusted source, we have WITHDRAWN it from the auction - after a good friend aroused my suspicions - I’ve check out this 10” acetate VERY CLOSELY and in my opinion it is a FAKE made in the 80s.

Because of the original source I must admit we didn’t scrutinized it’s make up very closely. Sorry for any inconvenience caused - but hey who wants a fake anything?

Sorry, this item has already been won!

The winning bid was £ 161.00