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 ?

 

I've got a great idea, lets all chip in and fetch him over

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.

 

Same thing in reverse - if "You Don't Love Me Anymore" - Johnny Caswell had been a pop hit I guess........

 

Same sound pretty much...

 

Ian D

Same thing in reverse - if "You Don't Love Me Anymore" - Johnny Caswell had been a pop hit I guess........

 

Same sound pretty much...

 

Ian D

 

Madera-White productions both aren't they…..

Edited January 21, 201411 yr by Steve G

sorry, but as a definite rule completely wrong.

Is it just 99.9 % then?

 

 

 

Well if a record gets into the charts, it's a pop record, whether it's a soul record or a reggae record, if it's a hit, it becomes pop - but it's undeniably a soul record, like Israelites is clssic early reggae but gets called a pop record.  I know what I"m talking about if nobody else does.  Northern is meant to be underground - which is why you would rarely hear a million seller like 123 out.

Well if a record gets into the charts, it's a pop record, whether it's a soul record or a reggae record, if it's a hit, it becomes pop - but it's undeniably a soul record, like Israelites is clssic early reggae but gets called a pop record.  I know what I"m talking about if nobody else does.  Northern is meant to be underground - which is why you would rarely hear a million seller like 123 out.

Bessie Banks... Go Now... original recording... 100% Soul

Moody Blues... Go Now... cover version... 100% Pop

Is it Soul, is it Pop?

Bessie Banks... Go Now... original recording... 100% Soul

Moody Blues... Go Now... cover version... 100% Pop

Is it Soul, is it Pop?

 

First one is soul, second one is pop, no doubt about that in this case.

The fact that the second one is better than the first usually causes a few arguments though 

Now that we've triumphed against insurmountable odds and discovered that Len Barry is white (just as he looks in all the pictures and film footage of him) what colour eyes do we think Frank Sinatra had...?

Bessie Banks... Go Now... original recording... 100% Soul

Moody Blues... Go Now... cover version... 100% Pop

Is it Soul, is it Pop?

 

 

First one is soul, second one is pop, no doubt about that in this case.

The fact that the second one is better than the first usually causes a few arguments though 

 

 

Yeah, someone should start a topic on that subject....

Yeah, someone should start a topic on that subject....

 

Good idea...

 

RICHARD, WHERE ARE YOU?????

Good idea...

 

RICHARD, WHERE ARE YOU?????

 

 

I bet he's at home listening to Georgie Fame while chucking his Billy Stewart records in the bin...

Is it just 99.9 % then?

 

dont know, never counted.

If I didnt know, it would have been a hard guess imo

His UK Brunswick LP is very good and very rare as well

His UK Brunswick LP is very good and very rare as well

And we know who's got a copy.....sort of jealous

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

Who wished they was blue. Like his team. Mine are red with the tears of frustration caused by my team. Steve

its like trying to define hip hop

its not black or white

 

its just taste

its just music

 

if it sounds right to you, then it is right

Edited January 23, 201411 yr by gaz thomas

In interviews Len Barry has expressed his bitterness that he never achieved the fame in the US that his talent deserved because of a kind of "reverse racism" .

 

When 1-2-3 was first released, it was as big a smash on black radio stations as it was elsewhere but when it was discovered that he was white they stopped programming his follow up releases and so hampered their chart potential.   This was particularly  galling for him as he regarded himself very much as a genuine "soul" singer .

 

He was equally bitter with the fact that his record label Decca dictated to him what his follow up releases to 1-2-3 should be. They were trying to steer him towards the white, middle of the road pop market (eg "Somewhere" from West Side Story) whereas he wanted them to put out his gritty soul orientated Motown sounding tunes.

Edited January 23, 201411 yr by sunnysoul

Do you know what, I used to sing "123" to my daughter in her cot to get her off to sleep.

Getting back to the issue of his eye colour, "Blue Eyed" is really just a loose term to

describe a pale-face (with any colour eyes) singing Soul

Now that we've triumphed against insurmountable odds and discovered that Len Barry is white (just as he looks in all the pictures and film footage of him) what colour eyes do we think Frank Sinatra had...?

 

We all know that Frank was reckoned to have blue eyes but watch some smart Alec come on here and insist they were actually Hazel (with close up footage)

found this on popsike

 

quote

 

Artist : LEN BARRY 

Title : 'IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR'

Format LP  Label & Catalogue No. UK DECCA TEST PRESS (LAT 8656)  Country and year of issue  UK 1966 Cover Condition N/A Disc Condition EXCELLENT 

 

According to 'Record Collector', only 3 copies of this LP are known about! (I've pasted the article below).This LP belonged to someone who worked for Decca, in the 60's and was never released. No cover, or artwork was sanctioned either.

It seems that it's release was due on or about the date that Len Barry was about to sign with RCA, so all production stopped. I find it incredible that no copies were pressed at all in the U.S., but there you go.

As for the music, well it's a top bit of blue eyed northern soul, which you'd expect from Len Barry. A couple of the tracks were issued as 45's and the remainder have been booted over the years. I've listed the tracks below.

You see some really mediocre stuff on ebay where the seller says "You won't see this one again, for a long time", but in this case the phrase is warranted!

 

price 647

Edited January 23, 201411 yr by sceneman

Well Mr Sceneman, you've had quite a varied response so far, are you any wiser?

We know he's white with ? colour eyes, educated in a soulful environment,

a talented singer but the question of his material being Pop or Soul I think

remains unconvincing.  

found this on popsike

quote

Artist : LEN BARRY

Title : 'IT'S THAT TIME OF THE YEAR'

Format LP Label & Catalogue No. UK DECCA TEST PRESS (LAT 8656) Country and year of issue UK 1966 Cover Condition N/A Disc Condition EXCELLENT

According to 'Record Collector', only 3 copies of this LP are known about! (I've pasted the article below).This LP belonged to someone who worked for Decca, in the 60's and was never released. No cover, or artwork was sanctioned either.

It seems that it's release was due on or about the date that Len Barry was about to sign with RCA, so all production stopped. I find it incredible that no copies were pressed at all in the U.S., but there you go.

As for the music, well it's a top bit of blue eyed northern soul, which you'd expect from Len Barry. A couple of the tracks were issued as 45's and the remainder have been booted over the years. I've listed the tracks below.

You see some really mediocre stuff on ebay where the seller says "You won't see this one again, for a long time", but in this case the phrase is warranted!

price 647

which ones were booted

as white singers go, with a genuine feeling for soul music, len is as close as damn it, probably moreso than paul anka...but then these guys got to hang with the best black america had to offer and it obviously rubbed off....len got to mix with the guys on the philly block and the result is a collection of tunes with a fair representation of the sound of soul. love "you can't sit down" with the dovells, big mod tune way back when as was "hearts are trumps " & "little white house", cut for cameo....then came all the brunswick stuff, all worthy club sounds through the 60's into the 70's.....then lo and behold, we get his unreleased version of "when you call me baby"...i think he knew what he wanted and even if it didn't make a hit, he wanted quality production...that's exactly what he got...you can never really believe that bobby goldsborough had any affinity with soul music, though his "northern" contributions owe much to the fact they made the right sound....so that, in effect, puts len firmly in the soul camp...do we argue about dusty then?

Chris Farlowe, Kiki Dee

Good idea...

 

RICHARD, WHERE ARE YOU?????

Edited January 24, 201411 yr by ElGeePee

First one is soul, second one is pop, no doubt about that in this case.

The fact that the second one is better than the first usually causes a few arguments though 

 

 

Oooh, Dave Godin will be turning in his grave at such heresy.

Slight tangent...Sarah Vaughan's version of '1-2-3' is ace and possibly a bit overlooked. Can't find on youtube . Had it on Mercury 7" for donkey's years but also found the LP in a charity a few years back. that's got one or two other belters on it.

 

If I like it, I don't really care what category a record is in, much less what the artist looked like. This is on the jukebox in one of my locals. Superb record. I am sure it would have got spins if it had it been by some obscure / unknown artist.... (mind you, I do love the singer's other records as well and the work of the fella who wrote / produced it!)

 

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_Yj9oHikgY

Edited January 24, 201411 yr by son of stan