i have always been confused by old Len ,is he a blue eyed boy or just a pop records singer ??

where does he stand ? no doubt he was lucky with 123 but what if  J Radcliffe had done it instead ?

or by some other black singer it could have all been so different .

he is on the northern compilations so that should settle it right ?

 

He's a rock and roll singer.

He's an excellent blue eyed soul singer with a great production team behind him

Yes blue eyes but by the 60's he had become part of the Philly white soul gang along with John Madara, Darrell Hall, John Oates etc etc….top guy.

I think he's got at least one foot in the soul camp - I think the backing tracks have quite a good 'big city soul' feel. His voice could do with a bit of grit that's all. He's from Philly so I guess he must have picked up on what was happening there soul wise.

If you listen to his LP on RCA, he mentions that he is in regular contact with Smokey Robinson and they are good friends.

Blue-eyed Soulster 100%

His versions of "It's a crying shame" and "I'll always need you" are excellent. To be honest, when I first heard Dean Courtney at Wigan in 73', I thought he was blued eyed soul and even Jimmy Radcliffe. Danny Wagner another great singer. As Pete says, a great production team behind him.

Great blue-eyed singer

Edited January 20, 201411 yr by Labeat

Hate the term 'blue eyed'. 
Len Barry's eyes were brown so why call them blue?

I struck it rich, like a baby, its that time of the year, love, love, love, I, ll always need you, you baby, and the relatively new find on the kent cd say it all for me.. top, top singer, great material, with tremendous producers and musicians. I think I have missed one biggie, but am rushing this?

Must be because as a rule black people don't have blue eyes....

I struck it rich, like a baby, its that time of the year, love, love, love, I, ll always need you, you baby, and the relatively new find on the kent cd say it all for me.. top, top singer, great material, with tremendous producers and musicians. I think I have missed one biggie, but am rushing this?

123.....

Hate the term 'blue eyed'. 

Len Barry's eyes were brown so why call them blue?

Can I ask how you know please, have you just rung him up?

Jim Barry,s eyes are brown.....

i see he was sued by motown as they thought  123  a bit too similar to 'ask any girl'  by the supremes so what do you reckon ?

he wrote 123 so thats good enough i reckon ,and with his voice its a classic IMO .

so i can sleep easy tonight .

Len is in the right camp

 

 

Real name Leonard Borisoff.

what about this version

Edited January 20, 201411 yr by sheldonsoul

what about this version

The backing has hints of "Nowhere to Run" backing track

Good job it wasn't a hit!

Massively talented guy.  The stuff he did with Madara/White/Wisner/Huff stands the test of time alongside many of the other Philly iconic records. Confused?  No way. Quality music through and through.

 

Regards,

 

Dave

Can I ask how you know please, have you just rung him up?

Looked on an album cover. Just google him & look in images.

Looked on an album cover. Just google him & look in images.

Looked on an album cover. Just google him & look in images.

Good bit of detective work pal, I take your word for it

Looked on an album cover. Just google him & look in images.

 

Ta-dah! 

 

Cheers

 

Richard

Funny this should come up as I've been listening to his Decca stuff over the weekend. I've actually always loved his voice as I listened to his stuff as I was growing up. The productions are just incredible too. 

 

Has anyone ever heard the album he did for Buddah in 1972 by any chance? Judging by the sleeve and the title I'm not holding my breath.........,.

 

 

https://www.discogs.com/Len-Barry-Ups-And-Downs/release/5065854

 

Ian D 

The man is a great writer ( add Grover Mitchell's "What Hurts" to the list). He is also a great SOUL singer. He's a natural and his adlibbing fadeouts are the greatest.

Girl your so young is a goodie by len

This is a fantastic oldie of Len's:

 

An incredibly talented singer and songwriter and a 100% soul man, regardless of the colour of his skin.

 

Growing up as a jewish kid in a black neighbourhood in Philadelphia, he's always viewed himself and his life as part of the black experience.

 

He even wrote a book a few years ago titled "Black Like Me"

 

His version of You Baby is a cracker as well

 

And don't forget his involvement with Fat Larry's Band and the WMOT set up in the late 70's/early 80's...

so we like him then?.... 

I LOVE HIM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not bothered what he is but I really enjoy most of the songs he has recorded. 

He was the lead singer of the Dovells who had several hits in the USA before the "British invasion", Bristol Stomp, You Can't Sit Down, Hully Gully Baby.

 

I've got one on a CD by him on Cameo Parkway, Hearts Are Trump, which is nice but I've never heard it played out. Presume it was before 1-2-3.

 

Just played 1-2-3 on YouTube, I'm not at home, and it took me right back to the Scene and when I was 19, loved that record, always got up for it. And does it really matter what ethnicity he is? It's the music that counts surely.

 

i have always been confused by old Len ,is he a blue eyed boy or just a pop records singer ??

where does he stand ? no doubt he was lucky with 123 but what if  J Radcliffe had done it instead ?

or by some other black singer it could have all been so different .

he is on the northern compilations so that should settle it right ?

 

 

... And Len Wade - Bossbeat  

Edited January 21, 201411 yr by Zanetti

... And Len Wade - Bossbeat  

 

Are you saying Len Wade is Len Barry ?

 

Funny this should come up as I've been listening to his Decca stuff over the weekend. I've actually always loved his voice as I listened to his stuff as I was growing up. The productions are just incredible too. 

 

Has anyone ever heard the album he did for Buddah in 1972 by any chance? Judging by the sleeve and the title I'm not holding my breath.........,.

 

 

https://www.discogs.com/Len-Barry-Ups-And-Downs/release/5065854

 

Ian D 

 

Funnily  enough i found a copy of this the other week in oxfam, couple of quid in mint condition. not got round to playing it though.

Are you saying Len Wade is Len Barry ?

 

 

nope   ... question was if someone knows what is Len Wade ... blue-eyed aswell ?

nope   ... question was if someone knows what is Len Wade ... blue-eyed aswell ?

 

Dunno about blue eyes but he was and still is white

 

https://redkelly.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/tikis-vocal-by-len-wade-minaret-111.html

 

It Comes And It Goes (Dial) is one of the blackest sounding "white" records one is likely to hear

Edited January 21, 201411 yr by Dave Turner

Len Wade is definitely white and 'It Comes And It Goes' is one of my all-time favourite deep soul ballads.

 

I really can't think of a more convincing soul performance by a white man.

 

Paul

that 123 single is ethereal and seems to come from somewhere on high ,its stretching it a bit for motown to claim it was a copoff of the Supremes 45 and they have credits on the title now .

 

the confusion set in many years ago at a party when the record was played some herbert claimed it wasnt soul and turned off the music and we nearly came to blows

Edited January 21, 201411 yr by sceneman

Len Wade is definitely white and 'It Comes And It Goes' is one of my all-time favourite deep soul ballads.

 

I really can't think of a more convincing soul performance by a white man.

 

Paul

 

It's funny, the 'It Comes and it goes' side sounds really classic black, deep soul, but my favourite side is the flip 'Whatcha gonna do' where he sounds a lot lighter in voice, not unlike Little Anthony. They could be two different singers to my ears. Great 45 though.

Jordi just beat me to it, while reading through the Red Kelly blog. A great two sider indeed by Len Wade, the official A side "Whatcha gonna do" is also not to be missed 

Dunno about blue eyes but he was and still is white

 

https://redkelly.blogspot.co.uk/2007/08/tikis-vocal-by-len-wade-minaret-111.html

 

It Comes And It Goes (Dial) is one of the blackest sounding "white" records one is likely to hear

 

yep thx ... nice work 

123.....

Give me some credit Jim....No it was I'm in Love. Thanks anyway,

 

Brian

I'm well into Len Barry stuff,however his voice sounds weak sometimes,compared to the likes of Steve marriott or steve winwood,I suppose lens voice is more of a silky sound!  He is like a Cary Grant with a soul...haha

Edited January 21, 201411 yr by dobber

In my view, 123, Like a Baby and I struck it Rich should have been candidates

for Top of the Pops as was Wayne Gibson... Under my Thumb, yet they are all

classed as "Northern" which puzzles me! My take on Northern seems different

to some folk, having said that I shall now listen to Lens lesser known stuff

and come to a conclusion.

Top man, his version of 36-22-36 with the dovells is great although it shows his vocal limitations but I love his 'rainy side of the street' and dont get why it's not a classic.

has the feel of 'wrong man' and contains the line 'I'm so befuddled just walking around in them puddles'... superb

Edited January 21, 201411 yr by penny

In my view, 123, Like a Baby and I struck it Rich should have been candidates

for Top of the Pops as was Wayne Gibson... Under my Thumb, yet they are all

classed as "Northern" which puzzles me! My take on Northern seems different

to some folk, having said that I shall now listen to Lens lesser known stuff

and come to a conclusion.

 

Theres the rub as they say:  "123" is pop, but if it hadn't charted and only sold a few copies, it would be "northern soul".  If you see what I mean.  The actual sound is 100% northern.

Len Barry, his "1-2-3" was the first Soulsong I listened to outside Motown, also amongst the first 45s I ever found. All his Decca 45s came with nice looking picture sleeves here in Germany. His ex-drummer who can be heared on all his Decca recordings used to live in Berlin.

I interviewed him in 1988/89. He was in a soulband over here. Wonder what ever happened to him..

Edited January 21, 201411 yr by Marc Forrest

Theres the rub as they say:  "123" is pop, but if it hadn't charted and only sold a few copies, it would be "northern soul".  If you see what I mean.  The actual sound is 100% northern.

Er Peter, I get easily puzzled... "123" is Pop but its 100% Northern???

Must be because as a rule black people don't have blue eyes....

sorry, but as a definite rule completely wrong.