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I have about 35 USA records, almost all Black artists (other than Mike Tomesetti). So, I don't have enough to find out which records were released out of sequence. But, I've worked enough with Motow
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I can tell you that I saw "Say, Say, Chicken Man" (USA 854) in decent numbers some months BEFORE I saw "Stop and Get Ahold of Myself" (USA 863). But, that doesn't mean for sure, that there wasn't an
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She looked to be of "mixed race" as far as I remember (but aren't we all?"). She sang with an accent pronunciation and voice tone which "sounds to me like a Black person" (e.g. sounds like a person w
Need some clarification on the releases put out by this Chicago based label in the 60's.
The label was owned / run by Paul Glass. Glass also owned All State Record Distributors and had his own recording studio (located at 48th St & Cottage Grove in Chicago). At one time, Al Perkins ran the studio for him (1964/65 ?).
The initial releases on the label were pop stuff (1960/61) but being Chicago based, Glass soon started signing local blues artists and cutting them too. But he never gave up on the pop stuff and in 1966 signed a popular local group, the Buckinghams.
The Buckingham, like many other Chicago based white groups, seemed to include lots of soul covers in their act & the top side of their 1st USA 45 was a cover of James Brown's "I'll Go Crazy". The group knew the guys in the Mob really well and so the Mob's James Holvay gifted them a few songs he had recently written. They cut these songs and one was used to form the B side of the Buckingham's 2nd single (the plug side being a cover of a Beatles song). The B side of the group's next 45 (USA # 853) was also a Holvay song and this single did well in Chicago (making the local radio station charts around September). Holvay's status was raised on their next outing as his song ("Kind of a Drag" USA # 860) became the plug side of their follow-up release (late November 66). This track took off quite quickly, making the local charts on release before entering the national pop charts at the very end of the year. It climbed the US charts over the next few weeks, making it to No.1 in mid February.
So from summer 66 through to April 67 no doubt just about all of Paul Glass's (& USA Records) efforts must have gone into pressing, distributing & promoting the Buckingham's releases. Carole Waller was unfortunate that she had also signed with USA Records around the same time as the Buckinghams were 'making noise' for the label. Going by label numbers, Carole's 1st USA single was "Say Say Chicken Man" (USA # 854) which should have escaped around late September / October 66. She didn't like the song which was an answer to "Say I Am" by Tommy James (which entered the US charts in mid August 66) plus it was also in part a homage to a local radio DJ who went by the name (on air) of Chicken Man. Her 'next release' was her biggie "Stop & Get a Hold of Yourself / This Kind of Love” (USA # 863). This 45 definitely escaped in February 67 as it was reviewed as a new release in Billboard mag.
So Glass was probably having to largely ignore most work on other USA releases to push the Buckingham's records during the period that Carole Waller's 2 singles should have been released ...... SO IT ALL SEEMS STRAIGHT FORWARD ............ HOWEVER .........
Carole insists that "Stop & Get a Hold of Yourself (USA # 863) was her 1st release with "Chicken Man" coming afterwards.
As her "Say Say Chicken Man" song was written in answer to Tommy James' hit song (by her producer Bobby Whiteside I think), it probably wasn't written till September 66 at the earliest. So for copies of USA # 854 to have been 'in the shops' by early October 66, the recording, mixing, mastering, pressing process must have been done double quick. With all the pressure on USA to service orders for the Buckingham's hit 45 from November 66 onwards, it only leaves a very small window (October / early November 66) when Carole's 45 would have been getting serviced by Glass and USA.
Any Chicago expert know whether its likely that some of the USA singles were released out of sequence ?.
I know artists usually have poor memories when it comes to record release details & dates BUT as one of her USA single's formed her 1st ever record release, I think her memory may not be playing tricks on her in this instance. All help much appreciated.
Edited by Roburt