Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

Any CD comps out? recomendations on the label?

So far in the collection

Lou Johnson - If i never get to love you

Parakeets - Love you like i do

Jamie Coe - Cleopatra

Dynamics - I wanna know/natural fact (brill double sider)

Dynamics - Misery/ Im the man

Gerri Granger - Castles

Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

recomendations on the label?

Don & Juan - What I really meant to say

VIP's.... You Pulled a Fast One

Another Lou Johnson, great double sider Wouldn't that be something/You better let him go and Bobbi Smith & Dreamgirls - Now He's Gone.

Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

Any CD comps out? recomendations on the label?

Goldmine put out "Big Top Soul Cellar" CD in 1999

Goldmine put out "Big Top Soul Cellar" CD in 1999

HAS IT GOT 'SEND IN THE CLOWNS ' ON PACO...WHAT ABOUT THAT LOU JOHNSON YOU HAD OFF ME ..'WALK ON BY ???

HAS IT GOT 'SEND IN THE CLOWNS ' ON PACO...WHAT ABOUT THAT LOU JOHNSON YOU HAD OFF ME ..'WALK ON BY ???

Stop trying to be (Billy) Smart Chris!!!!!

Love that Lou Johnson version

Great B side too "Little girl"

Cheers Paco

Edited July 14, 200619 yr by soul shrews

Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

Any CD comps out? recomendations on the label?

So far in the collection

Lou Johnson - If i never get to love you

Parakeets - Love you like i do

Jamie Coe - Cleopatra

Dynamics - I wanna know/natural fact (brill double sider)

Dynamics - Misery/ Im the man

Gerri Granger - Castles

Hi try spencer stirling - jilted - big top 3104

sarah cooke - please don't go - big top 519

kenny martin - heart storm - big top 3053 manship has soundbytes good luck

Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

Hi Baz,

If you go here:

Big Top

There's a rather incomplete label listing. Can you fill in any of the gaps ?

Hi Baz,

If you go here:

Big Top

There's a rather incomplete label listing. Can you fill in any of the gaps ?

Dave -

I can fill in the following gaps -

3010 - THE COTTONTAILS - Mother Hen And Her Easter Bunnies/Funny Bunny Bonnets

3011 - probably not issued

3018 - probably not issued

3020 - probably not issued

3021 - probably not issued

3022 - probably not issued

3023 - probably not issued

3027 - THE CHAVIS BROTHERS - Hey Good Lookin'/Love Me Baby

3028 - DEAN EVANS - A Goodnight Kiss/Hold Me Close

3047 - probably not issued

3102 - THE PREMIERS - Are You All Right parts 1 & 2

3126 - THE PREMIERS - Dogsey Moo/Locomotive

3160 - probably not issued

...not a lot there to bother your average "Sourcer", I'd warrant....

TONE

Edited July 17, 200619 yr by TONY ROUNCE

How much would a white demo,of "reach out for me"/magic posion be worth,M-

Am i right in saying these are alot rarer?.

Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

Any CD comps out? recomendations on the label?

So far in the collection

Lou Johnson - If i never get to love you

Parakeets - Love you like i do

Jamie Coe - Cleopatra

Dynamics - I wanna know/natural fact (brill double sider)

Dynamics - Misery/ Im the man

Gerri Granger - Castles

Gerri Grainger - Breakdown/Stick Close

Great double sider.

J.

got a Minto spare of this for £25 (incl p+p).. ...pm me if interested...1961 R+B instr....Maximilian was Max Crook....(who was with Del Shannon in the Midnight Ramblers)....they were a Detroit group.....(promoted by Ollie Mclaughlin during his Ann Arbor DJing days..)... got a release on UK London too...big Mod revival sound wasnt it Mace?

Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

Any CD comps out? recomendations on the label?

So far in the collection

Lou Johnson - If i never get to love you

Parakeets - Love you like i do

Jamie Coe - Cleopatra

Dynamics - I wanna know/natural fact (brill double sider)

Dynamics - Misery/ Im the man

Gerri Granger - Castles

BIG TOP SOUL CELLAR - THERE ALL ON THERE

Edited July 17, 200619 yr by the dukester

BIG TOP SOUL CELLAR - THERE ALL ON THERE

AMERICAN ARTS SUB LABEL- VOLUMES- I JUST CANT HELP MYSELF/ONE WAY LOVER QUALITY DBL SIDER ALSO

AMERICAN ARTS SUB LABEL- VOLUMES- I JUST CANT HELP MYSELF/ONE WAY LOVER QUALITY DBL SIDER ALSO

American Arts was not a subsidiary of Big Top or Bil Hill. They were both owned by music publishers Jean and Julan Aberbach, and run out of New York. Despite the handful of Detroit-recorded 45s on it, AA was a Pittsburgh-based label and had nothing whatsoever to do with the Aberbach family. Think Harry Balk might have had a piece of it, before Impact.

TONE

got a Minto spare of this for £25 (incl p+p).. ...pm me if interested...1961 R+B instr....Maximilian was Max Crook....(who was with Del Shannon in the Midnight Ramblers)....they were a Detroit group.....(promoted by Ollie Mclaughlin during his Ann Arbor DJing days..)... got a release on UK London too...big Mod revival sound wasnt it Mace?

Actually, "The Snake" was issued twice on London - once accidentally, as the flip of early pressings of Del Shannon's "Runaway". What should have been on the B-side of that, and what WAS on the B-side of later pressings, was a tune called "Jody". I must have played hundreds of copies of "Jody" down the years, and I've only ever found two that have played "The Snake"...

TONE

got a Minto spare of this for £25 (incl p+p).. ...pm me if interested...1961 R+B instr....Maximilian was Max Crook....(who was with Del Shannon in the Midnight Ramblers)....they were a Detroit group.....(promoted by Ollie Mclaughlin during his Ann Arbor DJing days..)... got a release on UK London too...big Mod revival sound wasnt it Mace?

It's also been said that both Del Shannon's wife, Shirley Westover, and Max Crook's wife, Joann, (plus one other literally dragged off the street for the session) provide the background claps in "The Snake".

The four tracks (Runaway/Jody by Del Shannon, and The Snake/Wanderer by Maximilian) were recorded at the same session in January 1961, at Bell Sound Studios.

Take a look at this: https://go.zibycom.com/members/002222119/Site4/maxcrook.html - Max Crook's personal website!

Edited July 17, 200619 yr by Gene-R

American Arts was not a subsidiary of Big Top or Bil Hill. They were both owned by music publishers Jean and Julan Aberbach, and run out of New York. Despite the handful of Detroit-recorded 45s on it, AA was a Pittsburgh-based label and had nothing whatsoever to do with the Aberbach family. Think Harry Balk might have had a piece of it, before Impact.

TONE

BigTop was run by their nephew, Johnny Bienstock (President) with Fred Beinstock named as Executive.

your the man!!!!

BigTop was run by their nephew, Johnny Bienstock (President) with Fred Beinstock named as Executive.

your the man!!!!

One of the reasons why it's totally impossible to legally license most of Big Top's catalogue (with the exception of Del Shannon's catalogue, which is administered through his publisher, and Johnny & the Hurricanes' masters, which Johnny Paris got back), is that the two halves of the Aberbach family do not speak to each other anymore, and thus a licensing agreement can't be reached.

Sundazed put out a few Lou Johnson cuts a couple of years back, licensed from Arista, on the fairly flimsy pretext that Big Hill had been distributed by Bell (briefly) in the 1960s, but I think they might have been chancing their arm a bit - it's kind of like if EMI stuck out "Nothing Can Stop Me" now, on the pretext that they distributed Constellation 40 years ago...

Big Top reissues, with the catalogue owners' full permission and taken from masatertapes, look like remaining a holy grail for collectors I'm afraid...

TONE

Just been reminded of one by Mace's sales list - Azie Mortimer - Lips.. not quite sure what you'd describe this as but I rather like it

got a Minto spare of this for £25 (incl p+p).. ...pm me if interested...1961 R+B instr....Maximilian was Max Crook....(who was with Del Shannon in the Midnight Ramblers)....they were a Detroit group.....(promoted by Ollie Mclaughlin during his Ann Arbor DJing days..)... got a release on UK London too...big Mod revival sound wasnt it Mace?

I've also got one for sale but sure some-one reserved tho can't remember who??

It was a massive tune on the mod scene mid to late 80s.

The dancefloor used to split in half with lads on one side and girlies on t'other doing a 3 handclap to top right then 3 hand clap to bottom left in rhythm to the beat...then a quick dance in the break before lining back up......sounds mega naff now but it seemed great fun at the time.

Got also misspressed as flipside 'Jody'?? on some copies of Del Shannons 'Runaway' U.K. London and also came out on a London L.P. called Memories are made of hits (Vol 3 I think???)

Played it at a party full of nutjob scooterboys/skins once in the late 80s and they went mental for it and made me play it 5 times in a row ...oh happy days...

Edited July 18, 200619 yr by Mace

Just been reminded of one by Mace's sales list - Azie Mortimer - Lips.. not quite sure what you'd describe this as but I rather like it

I'd describe it as brilliant and worth every penny....

Actually, "The Snake" was issued twice on London - once accidentally, as the flip of early pressings of Del Shannon's "Runaway". What should have been on the B-side of that, and what WAS on the B-side of later pressings, was a tune called "Jody". I must have played hundreds of copies of "Jody" down the years, and I've only ever found two that have played "The Snake"...

TONE

Sorry Tone - only just read this...must read whole thread before posting repetitive replies...

Another Lou Johnson, great double sider Wouldn't that be something/You better let him go and Bobbi Smith & Dreamgirls - Now He's Gone.

Best release on the label IMO....awesome tune

U.K. release of 'Wouldn't that be something' (also great tune) had different flip.

Edited July 18, 200619 yr by Mace

I'd describe it as brilliant and worth every penny....

Of course you would Does it get plays anywhere? Strikes me as maybe a Popcorn scene record (not that I know much about that)...?

Of course you would Does it get plays anywhere? Strikes me as maybe a Popcorn scene record (not that I know much about that)...?

T'is a popcorn tune - Roger Banks used to spin it.

Also came out on U.K. London...a mate of mine has a nice U.K. orange demo....

I once had a male version of "It'll never be over for me" and I'm sure it was on Bigtop.

Can't remember artist but it wasn't a great version by any stretch of the imagination.

I sold it to Nige Shaw about 4 years ago, as he was collecting different versions of the track at the time.

My fave is another Gerri Granger called "Ain't it funny" - Doesn't often turn up sadly

Been looking at the Big Top lable for some time now getting bits and peices now want to go deeper.... what a fantastic label.

Lou Johnson - If i never get to love you

Just got this myself, fabulous!

Just got this myself, fabulous!

Can also recommend Gene Pitney's version, on one of his early Musicor albums - I'm pretty sure that it has excatly the same backing track as Lou's....

TONE

3085 - Bobbie Smith and The Dream Girls - Wanted / Mr. Fine - 1961

Picked this up at the weekend, Wanted is a superb tune, any idea of current value?