Simple one, with deference to a suggestion made in another topic I posted a week or so ago - What is the best 45 you've ever got in a soul pack?

doesn't necessarily have to be rare, although I'd be interested in hearing about those too! 

to start the ball rolling, my dad got a Jesse Fisher - You're not loving a beginner on Way Out which to me sounds bloody marvellous.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZZLVr7jgJ8

I got a Chanel 3 -  Sweetest Thing I've Ever Seen - Dakar W/D in the 70s. 

 

Cheers Jim.

kept this for years

 

also had a great track by signs of the time, or sign of the times called dont hurt me no more, sounded good but really crap fidelity, muffled etc, think it was on breakthru

I had a Soul Bros Inc, "Pyramid", around 1976, easily my best soul pack goodie

popular soul pack tune

 

Before this thread got tons of "look what I got back in a soul pack in the 70s/80s" posts. How about limiting it to say within the last 20 years? That would be much more entertaining (IMHO).

Early 70's and I got a bag of shite, The highlights were Kim Weston-I got what you need on MGM. (which I like but then I am the only person who can dance to it). The Poets-She blew a good thing on Symbol (which is ok for impressing your easily impressible mates). Finally, The Moods - Rainmaker on Wand, stuck to the bottom of the box with sellotape, ruining the label.

Donna Coleman  your love ect

Donna King   Take me home

Purple Munday Stop hurting me baby

loads of Detroit 45s

Soul Bowl Soul packs around 1980--83 where brilliant as where Soul Packs from Record Corner first pack i got in 73 from Record Museum in Arch St Philly was pretty good i remember at one time there where quiet a few Donna Kings floating around Golborne /Leigh area from Soul Packs

kept this for years

 

Still got mine. Flip for 'Heart Break' - well worth a listen.

Before this thread got tons of "look what I got back in a soul pack in the 70s/80s" posts. How about limiting it to say within the last 20 years? That would be much more entertaining (IMHO).

Would be very hard for me, since I only bought soul packs from 72 till 77.

 

Got multiple copies of the following 

 

Towanda & T.D. on Romark, Carol Anderson on Whip, Bonnie Blanchard on CRS, Robert Thomas on Charay, Darrell Banks on Volt,

Major Lance on Volt, Exits on Gemini, Kim Weston on MGM, Roger K on Birth.

 

Single Copy items,

 

The best two Bobby Hutton on Phillps and Sam Fletcher on Tollie.

 

Got some other nice bits on Ric Tic, Golden World, Neptune etc.

Quite a few,

Total Eclipes on Right On

Ronnie Mcain on Triode

Jimmy Lewis on Hotlanta

Ruby Andrews on ABC

Fantastic 4 ( live up to what she thinks)

Robert Parker on Nola

Art and Honey on Motown

heaps of Brunswick Chicago stuff.

Jim.

Simple one, with deference to a suggestion made in another topic I posted a week or so ago - What is the best 45 you've ever got in a soul pack?

 

Ha! Think that might have been me... Only reason i didn't start it was i've never bought a soul pack since i only started collecting early 90s and suspected soul packs were the dregs of the dregs. Which i'm sure they were in the early 80s too, except these "dregs" sometimes turned out to be future classics.

 

In reference to the last twenty years query, heard a few people got some good stuff in their Ian Levine packs. And, err, some people didn't...

Personally, Sweet FA.

 

I have however mentioned this before..

 

A mate of mine in a Soul Pack from Blues and Soul, got a certain sound by the Del Larks-Job Opening .

 

Mr. Levine was not pleased as he was claiming to have the only copy in the country  

Edited April 14, 201411 yr by Citizen P

best one for me,mix pack of twenty with newspaper wrapped round them so you did not have a clue what you where getting,from bostocks Bradford market.

candi staton-now you've got the upper hand,four copys in one pack bingo

1976/1977

Lawrence

Edited April 15, 201411 yr by algsoul

I had a Soul Bros Inc, "Pyramid", around 1976, easily my best soul pack goodie

Oh My Wow.

Used to get various packs from Soul Bowl and Blues & Soul , the Blues & Soul ones tended to have loads of Chess/Checker stuff but remember getting

The Falcons - I'm a fool I must love you , and lots of slow stuff which I binned   and I now know it to be called Xover !!

 

The Soul Bowl ones that come to mind where Innersection and Mighty Lovers on Soulhawk , those were the days , eh?

 

 

Swifty

I got a Magnificents - There Can Be A Better Way on Mam in the 70's & let it go about 10 yrs ago for £2 as some unscrupulous dealer  asked if it was a boot or not? not being sure I let it go. Doh!

Unfortunately, this will probably deteriorate into a knob waving contest with people claiming to have got an Eddie Parker wrapped up in a full run of Thelma 45s as there is no way of checking what anyone got in soul packs.

 

Tastes change and ears are opened over the years so what was once fodder can turn into diamonds.

 

I bought a soul pack in the 70's as I was just getting into the music and thought it might be a way of finding out more. Can't remember how many was in it but I do remember feeling well ripped off as I thought every record was crap and never did it again. I wonder what I dismissed?

Used to get various packs from Soul Bowl and Blues & Soul , the Blues & Soul ones tended to have loads of Chess/Checker stuff but remember getting

The Falcons - I'm a fool I must love you , and lots of slow stuff which I binned   and I now know it to be called Xover !!

 

The Soul Bowl ones that come to mind where Innersection and Mighty Lovers on Soulhawk , those were the days , eh?

 

 

Swifty

Glad I like the slower stuff even in the early/mid 70s, called them floaters than and they became crossover years later.

I think I only bought three, maybe four, soul packs. All advertised in Black Echoes The first was reissues with a lot of  dross: Bellboys, Belmonts etc. The best of this bunch was the Carlettes I'm Getting Tired which I think is a legit second issue.

 

The last pack I bought was mainly 70s and all originals. The pick of the bunch was Quinn Harris I'll Always Love you.

 

In between was the one that was the best value to me. All original Detroit including Ric Tic - Little Ann. Al Kent, a few Fantastic Four  and Golden World, Adorables Barbara Mercer .etc. Nothing of tremendous value but in terms of musical quality worth every penny I paid for the pack

Problem was back in the day if it wasn't a 100mph Wigan stomper it was bin fodder!!  think what good music must have been wasted. One member on here was telling me how he used to take them down his garden and let them have it with his air rifle!!

Problem was back in the day if it wasn't a 100mph Wigan stomper it was bin fodder!!  think what good music must have been wasted. One member on here was telling me how he used to take them down his garden and let them have it with his air rifle!!

Exactly ! if the first 10-20 seconds weren't 100mph in the crap pile it went , as you say I often wonder what was in those 3 bin liners I took to the tip about 20years ago Doh !

When my brothers mother in law died about 5 years ago, they went round her house to clear up and found a soul pack from Goulds (Wolverhampton) still in the shop bag, it belonged to his wifes brother who was into soul in the mid 70's, anyway he gave it to me and most of it was rubbish except for a Four Voices We Live In The Ghetto and Derek Martin If You Go.  So although it was originally sold circa 1974, I did find them within the last 20 years.

(Normally you'd get a lot of later Gordy imports and stuff like that)

Never bought one but my brother used to he had 3 issue copies herb ward honest to goodness, 4 copies of betty lou and bobby Adams dr true love, he gave me one of each. Pretty sure they were soul bowl packs.

Edited April 17, 201411 yr by mark b

Exactly ! if the first 10-20 seconds weren't 100mph in the crap pile it went , as you say I often wonder what was in those 3 bin liners I took to the tip about 20years ago Doh !

 

Oh to have had Mr Manships guides all those years ago!!   instead of youth and ignorance

Oh to have had Mr Manships guides all those years ago!!   instead of youth and ignorance

I've only ever bought one soul pack, it was from the states about a year back. 20 singles, and about 70% were top class! IT was about £20 posted and no one else made a bid!

 

Off the top of my head there was;

 

Etta James - Breaking Point

Parliamnets - I can Feel The Ice Melting

Parliaments - Dont be Sore At Me

Jackie Wilson - New Bread

Jackie Wilsin - Who Who Song

Theresa Lindsey - Gotta Find Away

Montcalaires - Unwanted Love WD

 

Quite a few other ones but I cant recall them without having my records in front on me...

This week my fav from a soul pack is clarence carter you cant miss what you cant measure / The feeling is right on atlantic but it is being pushed close by the final seconds society.

Before that Grover mitchell take a chance on me was getting played alot

Purple Mundi - Stop Hurting Me Baby from a soul bowl pack of Miami 45's is the only one i can recall.

 

With the benefit of hindsight would have bought many more soul packs as would we all i'm sure!!!!

Not in a soul pack but I was given this as a bonus 45 when I bought a set of stuff in 1985

 

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIxlRfzl5Yo

Edited April 15, 201411 yr by daved

bumped into a bloke a few years ago who i introduced to northern etc in the 70,s, he was well known for buying soul packs and never selling anything,asked him if hed still got his records he told me that he had kept loads but had got rid of the stuff he did not like, he said i could take a look, i got very excited, spent the next hour looking through every james brown, king, people polydor related record, fookin 100,s of them, god knows what he got rid of

Still got mine. Flip for 'Heart Break' - well worth a listen. (Carlena Weaver)

Paid the princely sum of £2 for this from a shop in Brum, would have been in the late 8ts, it was always cheap wasn't it, till a couple years back.. Personally Ive always thought it was a pretty uninspiring track.. quite boring really...

Edited April 15, 201411 yr by Mal C

Soul bowl  soul pack late  70s  included   Tommy rogers - pass the word , neo experience - human , wade flemons - Jeanette  

 

 

 Jim  Wilsons Ebony sounds - Leytonstone    soul pack £15 for 100   1980 ish included   Cookie Scott - I don't care - orr , Zeke and the soulsetters  - make my love a hurtin thing  - hitbound ,precious three - I need a man - reforee

Edited April 15, 201411 yr by midnight brew

I used to get soul packs.Can anyone recognise this one...loads of brand new Mpac stuff Inc multiple copies of New Girl in the Neighbourhood.Ernie Marbrays Ain't Nobody's Business,Some UK Destiny stuff,Copies of That's Not Half Bad,loads of Ric Tic stuff,Wear Your Natural Baby on Blue Romark,Sugar Billy Sugar Pie,Andre Maurice Cream Of The Crop,....some dealer must have opened up the Mpac warehouse.

I used to get soul packs.Can anyone recognise this one...loads of brand new Mpac stuff Inc multiple copies of New Girl in the Neighbourhood.Ernie Marbrays Ain't Nobody's Business,Some UK Destiny stuff,Copies of That's Not Half Bad,loads of Ric Tic stuff,Wear Your Natural Baby on Blue Romark,Sugar Billy Sugar Pie,Andre Maurice Cream Of The Crop,....some dealer must have opened up the Mpac warehouse.

 

Sounds like a Richard Domar pack, he had stacks of Chicago labels, most were 'oily' on the vinyl if I remember correctly.  Paul Rudzitis used to do packs as well, late 80's.  I only really talk about the 70's though when I'm reminiscing about soul packs.

No one has mentioned getting any thing decent from a Global Records soul pack, which isn't surprising as they were rubbish. Ed Balbier was never one to give anything away so made sure the packs that were sold contained nothing of value. One of my first jobs when I started at Global in 73 was to open all the soul packs and take out anything of value. I think I found some copies of Maxine Brown -One in a Million but that was all.

The packs were made up by laying out a large table with piles of the stock and then picking two copies from each pile. The titles would change as some ran out but anyone buying a few packs would get a lot of duplicates. As most were sold to traders this didn't matter too much. Quite a few buyers used the records as prizes at fun fairs.

Once I remember making up a pack which had a Soul Survivors single on Crimson in it. I was getting one of these when I noticed the next record on this pile was Lee Andrews Never the Less ,also on Crimson. Someone in the US had not sorted the titles very well and mixed a few up. I don't know if any Lee Andrews got into the previous packs but one copy went home that day.

Not many collectors ever bought Global packs but the late Chris Savoury ordered one . I used to subscribe to his magazines and met him a few times but didn't know him very well. However in his order he asked if I could pick some good stuff for him. Balbier opened all the post and read that. I parceled up a standard pack and made sure nothing special got in. As the days post was going out the door Balbier pulled his parcel back and opened it with me there to check it. Did he think I was that stupid.

As well as selling packs Balbier once bought thousands of ten record packs in the US. These were shipped pack to Manchester and I had to open everyone and sort them into titles. A pattern soon emerged. Every pack had a copy of Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries by Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson.There was also quite a few other SSS Int titles but not one Sam Dees. It took about two weeks to sort all the packs and all I found was one copy of Honest to Goodness by Herb Ward.

Many people have said what they got from Soul Bowl's packs. The decent titles they put in were deliberate not a slip up. John knew every record and what it was worth so if by putting in a few Wade Flemmons in he could shift rubbish it made sense. Global bought a lot of Soul Bowls overstocks and I would pick these up from his storage premises just outside King's Lynn. They cost about a penny each and I filled the van up until it was overloaded. There was no northern titles, not one , nothing. We sold a lot of this stuff to the Netherlands Suriname scene and the rest went in soul packs.

I used to get a mixed box of 100 records from a place in New York , JAS records,every few months in the mid 70s. I got a couple of Freddie Chaves and Mighty Joe Youngs but not much else. The other records were probably quite good but all I wanted then was 100% northern so chucked out some stuff that may be worth a bit now.Where's time travel when you need it.

Rick

No one has mentioned getting any thing decent from a Global Records soul pack, which isn't surprising as they were rubbish. Ed Balbier was never one to give anything away so made sure the packs that were sold contained nothing of value. One of my first jobs when I started at Global in 73 was to open all the soul packs and take out anything of value. I think I found some copies of Maxine Brown -One in a Million but that was all.

The packs were made up by laying out a large table with piles of the stock and then picking two copies from each pile. The titles would change as some ran out but anyone buying a few packs would get a lot of duplicates. As most were sold to traders this didn't matter too much. Quite a few buyers used the records as prizes at fun fairs.

Once I remember making up a pack which had a Soul Survivors single on Crimson in it. I was getting one of these when I noticed the next record on this pile was Lee Andrews Never the Less ,also on Crimson. Someone in the US had not sorted the titles very well and mixed a few up. I don't know if any Lee Andrews got into the previous packs but one copy went home that day.

Not many collectors ever bought Global packs but the late Chris Savoury ordered one . I used to subscribe to his magazines and met him a few times but didn't know him very well. However in his order he asked if I could pick some good stuff for him. Balbier opened all the post and read that. I parceled up a standard pack and made sure nothing special got in. As the days post was going out the door Balbier pulled his parcel back and opened it with me there to check it. Did he think I was that stupid.

As well as selling packs Balbier once bought thousands of ten record packs in the US. These were shipped pack to Manchester and I had to open everyone and sort them into titles. A pattern soon emerged. Every pack had a copy of Pickin' Wild Mountain Berries by Peggy Scott and Jo Jo Benson.There was also quite a few other SSS Int titles but not one Sam Dees. It took about two weeks to sort all the packs and all I found was one copy of Honest to Goodness by Herb Ward.

Many people have said what they got from Soul Bowl's packs. The decent titles they put in were deliberate not a slip up. John knew every record and what it was worth so if by putting in a few Wade Flemmons in he could shift rubbish it made sense. Global bought a lot of Soul Bowls overstocks and I would pick these up from his storage premises just outside King's Lynn. They cost about a penny each and I filled the van up until it was overloaded. There was no northern titles, not one , nothing. We sold a lot of this stuff to the Netherlands Suriname scene and the rest went in soul packs.

I used to get a mixed box of 100 records from a place in New York , JAS records,every few months in the mid 70s. I got a couple of Freddie Chaves and Mighty Joe Youngs but not much else. The other records were probably quite good but all I wanted then was 100% northern so chucked out some stuff that may be worth a bit now.Where's time travel when you need it.

Rick

 

I think some people under-estimate the sheer amount of U.S. 'soul-pack' 45s which came over here in the early 70's. It wasn't unusual to see stuff like Don Gardner or Bobby Adams given away as prizes at funfairs back then. And you literally couldn't give away those titles. They didn't mean anything and no one wanted 'em. Some titles that are currently fetching huge prices on auctions were freely available to all, yet languished as the none-starters back then. I saw literally 100's of some of these titles, so it really makes me question how 'rare' many of them can be......

 

Ian D     

got Baby Jean If you wanna in a soul pack 4 years ago on white demo ,box of 100 45s for $120 ,plenty decent tunes too  

Not rare or anything, but one of my fave records for playing at home is Honey Love and the Love Notes (Candy and the Kisses) - We Belong Together on Cameo. I got this in a soul bowl pack and what 30 or more years later still love to drag it out and give it a play.

I cant say I've ever heard it played out. It probablt fits more the mod scene, so maybe it is played at some of their events? But for me a great girly group sound that would have fitted in perfectly at Si Bridgers' Da Do Ron Ron nights.

 

I think I got about 4 or 5 copies of Dawn - Love is a magic word. That one isnt so good

I used to get 100 soul singles for £5 from Soulscene/Telford who changed their name to Oldies Unlimited. I got things like Darrell Banks/The love of my woman, The Darlettes/Here she comes. Then they put the price up to £6, which them became 50% of my wages. Picked up loads of Neptune stuff from Hull Fair and market. Viola Wills/I got love was one of them. Happy days.......still got them all. I still think The Clangers/Dance of the Clangers is one of the best cuts I ever got from the market, and The Showstoppers/Don't leave me standing in the pouring rain.

I was a late starter so I purchased my first soul pack in 1987. The deal was 100 45's for £50. When I got them home the first thing I realised was how FILTHY most of them were. Some were so caked in muck you couldn't even feel the grooves. It must have taken me a couple of days just to wash them all clean enough to be able to play them. Looking back my Mum was so accomodating and understanding, even when she found her airing cupboard emptied of clothes and full of damp soul 45's.

After cleaning I took stock of what the pack contained. About 30% were rubbish and of the remainder these were included:

 

Darrow Fletcher - My young misery (Groovy)

Darrow Fletcher - The pain gets a little deeper (Groovy)

Jimmy McGriff - All about my girl (Sue)

Geater Davis - My love is so strong for you (HOO)

Geater Davis - Don't marry a fool (HOO)

Contours - A little misunderstanding (Gordy)

Bobby Bland - Honey Child (Duke)

Bobby Bland - Ain't nothing you can do (Duke)

Carl Carlton - I can Feel it (Backbeat)

Carl Carlton - Drop by my place (Backbeat)

Ballads - I wish I knew (Venture)

Chosen Few - Birth of a playboy (Maple)

Symphonic Four - Who do you think you're fooling (Zudan)

Jackie Wilson - I've lost you (Brunswick)

Jackie Wilson - What you gonna do about love (Brunswick)

Jackie Wilson & Count Basie - Uptight (Brunswick)

Martha reeves & Vandellas - Love guess who (Gordy)

Martha reeves & Vandellas - Heartless (Gordy)

James Fountain - Seven day lover (Uk Cream)

Clarence Carter - I smell a rat (Atlantic)

Eddie Holman - This can't be true (Parkway)

Sounds orchestral - Cast your fate to the wind(Parkway)

Edwin Starr - If my heart could tell the story

Edwin Starr - I'm still a struggling man

Clarence Ashe - Working man

Kim Weston - I've got what you need /someone like you (mgm pic sleeve)

 

There were also a lot of other major label releases and all of the Parliments 45's on Revilot records (except for "don't be sore at me") that were pretty good & I've still got about 90% of them. As for the value of the records; the Chosen Few and Symphonic Four 45's became popular in later years... but in all honestly I couldn't stand them at the time and they were filed away and never played. They both grew on me when I rediscovered them a few years ago however. The Carl Carlton 45 has also gone big in recent years but that's it really.

All in all a great purchase for me as it really broadened my musical tastes. No mega rare tunes in there but no wonder. I remember at the time Lonnie Lester  ‘you can’t go’  was doing the rounds for £8 which was still 16 times the price of a soul pack 45. Most of the records I still love & play to this day, especially that track by the Ballads.

A year later I bought another soul pack from an ad in "Scootering magazine" which turned out to be a load of ric-tic 45's, does anyone remember them? They worked out at about 20 pence a record. it also included a lot of Uk stuff including a Larry Clinton grapevine demo and some H-D-H releases.

 

To answer the original posters question about the best 45 I've ever got in a soul pack it would have to be "The Ballads - Wish I knew" followed closely by Kim weston's 'Someone like you' 

 

Take Care.

Dave

I have an image of the Music Packs bag do any of you recall this?  

 

http://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org/uploads/7/1/4/7/7147924/power_orig.jpg