Just came across this record to list on Discogs and found loads of interesting info on it...

 

https://queermusicheritage.us/jun2002v.html

Very interesting articles Pete. I remember Dave Godin raving about this when it was a new release in Blues and soul or Black Music.is it me or does Carl Bean look like Berry Gordy,

Interesting stuff Pete

 

From my collection

Interesting stuff Pete

 

From my collection

scan0001.jpg

 

Not positive but I think the Motown one may be a reissue, the one I was looking at is on the Gaiee label via EMI (Motown record Corp on label) but dated 1975.

n.b. don't think it was actually released in 1975, bit later

Edited January 9, 201411 yr by Pete S

Not positive but I think the Motown one may be a reissue, the one I was looking at is on the Gaiee label via EMI (Motown record Corp on label) but dated 1975.

n.b. don't think it was actually released in 1975, bit later

The Valentino one came out on Gaiee, but i thought the Carl Bean was originally on Motown.

The Valentino one came out on Gaiee, but i thought the Carl Bean was originally on Motown.

 

Doh, didn't check the artist on yours LOL

Valentino was issued on Gaiee which was picked up by Motown for distribution so it was released in the UK by Motown's licensees EMI on Gaiee GAE 101.

 

The UK release date was 13 June 1975.

Valentino was issued on Gaiee which was picked up by Motown for distribution so it was released in the UK by Motown's licensees EMI on Gaiee GAE 101.

 

The UK release date was 13 June 1975.

 

 

I think I may still have the copy that I found in the shop where I worked in late 70s. Red label with a push-out centre.

Yeah my copy is UK with push out centre.

Not sure how true this anecdote is, but back when it was released It was suggested that the label Gaiee was created specifically by Motown for this release in case it back fired on them by having a "gay" record on the label.

Nothing else ever came out on it as far as I am aware and if my memory serves me right it got some spins on the Northern/Modern scene?

Dave.

Edited January 10, 201411 yr by reforee

Even more interesting is the fact that Berry Gordy gave the master rights to the Carl Bean record to West End Records owner Mel Cheren. 

 

Ian D 

Yeah my copy is UK with push out centre.

Not sure how true this antidote is, but back when it was released It was suggested that the label Gaiee was created specifically by Motown for this release in case it back fired on them by having a "gay" record on the label.

Nothing else ever came out on it as far as I am aware and if my memory serves me right it got some spins on the Northern/Modern scene?

Dave.

 

 

Think you mean anecdote there Dave

 

I have a feeling it was reviewed in Black Music too.

Even more interesting is the fact that Berry Gordy gave the master rights to the Carl Bean record to West End Records owner Mel Cheren. 

 

Ian D 

 

Mel could have had it earlier but didn't, since Bunny Jones was Chris Jones mother, and Chris Jones was at Scepter at the same time as Mel, and before Mel started West End…..

My copy of this is warped.

was it not released twice in the us gaiee 7640 then 90001,new york then detroit

kev

Mel could have had it earlier but didn't, since Bunny Jones was Chris Jones mother, and Chris Jones was at Scepter at the same time as Mel, and before Mel started West End…..

 

Yeah, I didn't get the full story from Mel. He wanted me to use it on a Paradise Garage comp I was doing with his blessing but which unfortunately never happened and I was calculating how much it would cost to license from Universal and he said he owned it and that Berry had given him the master and paperwork. I'm sure there's a deeper story there somewhere 'cos Berry wasn't renowned for giving away his masters was he? 

 

Ian D 

Yeah my copy is UK with push out centre.

Not sure how true this antidote is, but back when it was released It was suggested that the label Gaiee was created specifically by Motown for this release in case it back fired on them by having a "gay" record on the label.

Nothing else ever came out on it as far as I am aware and if my memory serves me right it got some spins on the Northern/Modern scene?

Dave.

I still have the Valentino version on Gaiee with the red printed sleeve and used to have a 12" version by Carl Bean on US Motown. The Valentino version was played at Cleethorpes in the mid 70's assuming as a new release.

 

Steve

Piece from a 1995 Dave Godin interview

 

Was the marketing of Sylvester as an out gay pop star the culmination of a lot of things?

 

Well I’d also worked very hard with Valentino with no luck, and I was advised by a staff writer at Blues & Soul not to review that record because if I did everyone would think I was queer. I thought, well, everyone thinks I’m queer anyway, what’s the odds, and it was a bloody good record.

 

Andy Peebles used to have a soul show on Radio Piccadilly, and once a month I used to go on the show as the star guest, and I would play five records of my choice. I went there this particular week and I showed him the Valentino record, and he said, I’m sorry I can’t play that, it’s been banned, and I said, if that record is banned then I am banned. I won’t go on the show I won’t be on the show ever again. It was brinkmanship, and it worked. He played the record, and it was the only time it ever got played on Radio Piccadilly

 

Why was it banned?

 

It was overtly gay.

 

Is that why it wasn’t a success?

 

I guess so, although I have seen legions of heterosexual soul fans singing along to it. I Was Born This Way. But I wonder if the brinkmanship had gone the other way, if Andy Peebles had said, too bad, good-bye, he wouldn’t have announced the reason why over the air, he would have said something like, oh Dave Godin is difficult to work with. And that would have been the end of it. People often don’t see life as it really is.

 

Piece from a 1995 Dave Godin interview

 

Was the marketing of Sylvester as an out gay pop star the culmination of a lot of things?

 

Well I’d also worked very hard with Valentino with no luck, and I was advised by a staff writer at Blues & Soul not to review that record because if I did everyone would think I was queer. I thought, well, everyone thinks I’m queer anyway, what’s the odds, and it was a bloody good record.

 

Andy Peebles used to have a soul show on Radio Piccadilly, and once a month I used to go on the show as the star guest, and I would play five records of my choice. I went there this particular week and I showed him the Valentino record, and he said, I’m sorry I can’t play that, it’s been banned, and I said, if that record is banned then I am banned. I won’t go on the show I won’t be on the show ever again. It was brinkmanship, and it worked. He played the record, and it was the only time it ever got played on Radio Piccadilly

 

Why was it banned?

 

It was overtly gay.

 

Is that why it wasn’t a success?

 

I guess so, although I have seen legions of heterosexual soul fans singing along to it. I Was Born This Way. But I wonder if the brinkmanship had gone the other way, if Andy Peebles had said, too bad, good-bye, he wouldn’t have announced the reason why over the air, he would have said something like, oh Dave Godin is difficult to work with. And that would have been the end of it. People often don’t see life as it really is.

 

According to the info Pete found this was a number 1 disco hit in London, but doesn't surprise that radio stations banned it as many other records were banned from the airways in that era.

Edited January 10, 201411 yr by Gogs

Nothing else ever came out on it as far as I am aware and if my memory serves me right it got some spins on the Northern/Modern scene?

Dave.

 

Played  @ Wigan 79/80(?) by Dave Evison

 

Cheers Paul

 

PS I have the US release  red sleeve  with lyrics

 

Piece from a 1995 Dave Godin interview

 

Was the marketing of Sylvester as an out gay pop star the culmination of a lot of things?

 

Well I’d also worked very hard with Valentino with no luck, and I was advised by a staff writer at Blues & Soul not to review that record because if I did everyone would think I was queer. I thought, well, everyone thinks I’m queer anyway, what’s the odds, and it was a bloody good record.

 

Andy Peebles used to have a soul show on Radio Piccadilly, and once a month I used to go on the show as the star guest, and I would play five records of my choice. I went there this particular week and I showed him the Valentino record, and he said, I’m sorry I can’t play that, it’s been banned, and I said, if that record is banned then I am banned. I won’t go on the show I won’t be on the show ever again. It was brinkmanship, and it worked. He played the record, and it was the only time it ever got played on Radio Piccadilly

 

Why was it banned?

 

It was overtly gay.

 

Is that why it wasn’t a success?

 

I guess so, although I have seen legions of heterosexual soul fans singing along to it. I Was Born This Way. But I wonder if the brinkmanship had gone the other way, if Andy Peebles had said, too bad, good-bye, he wouldn’t have announced the reason why over the air, he would have said something like, oh Dave Godin is difficult to work with. And that would have been the end of it. People often don’t see life as it really is.

 

 

Classic Godin…..and I wonder how he would have felt if Peebles had got kicked off the show for playing a banned record….We'll never know and I am not a fan of Andy Peebles either, just an interesting perspective from a moment in time.

 

BTW Bunny Jones who was responsible for this record originally also behind a number of other northern records, Funky get Stanky, Curtis Blandon, etc. She was certainly no one trick pony.

I Prefer Carl Bean 12" version to Valentino orig. my friend who lived in nyc and went to the loft and paradise garage says almost exactly the same things I do when going on about how good Wigan was !

Edited January 11, 201411 yr by Polyvelts