I have the Topics on Heavy Duty for such a long time now it seems like about for ever. I always had strong preference for the 'all good things must end' side. Later I picked up both Enchanted Five on CVS without too much intrest in them back then. Listening to them again after a while I had an itch in my ear with the Enchanted Five side 'try a little love'. I couldn't place it but I knew that song from somewhere but where ?

 

Not found of the Topics 'try a little love' the first time around, I didn't made the connection between those two records right away. But when I compared the credits and saw that only the producers and publishing houses were more numerous on the Topics H-D one, I realized there was a connection.

 

Did wonder some about it but then lost sight of it until 'a want' on SS for a copy of the Topics 'all good things must end' on Brothers III was posted. That I didn't know existed. Search and found a scan of it and it did match the pressing plant of the Enchanted Five on CVS. So I wondered some more again.

 

Now my question is; am I right considering this order of issues 1. Enchanted Five on CVS 2. Topics on Brothers III 3. Topics on H-D. Or instead of being picked up for bigger distribution and promotion did the H-D (out of NY) actually came out first (read that theory on 'allmusic.com') and then the Brothers III (out of NJ) and finally the Enchanted Five on CVS (also out of NJ). The second option doesn't make much sense to me, but...

 

Someone out there (maybe with the sleeve notes from the P-Vine LP or who bought those first hand in the early 7T's) knows better ? 

 

my friend is friends with the producer / manager Bruce Clarke (who did a lot of unrecognized work in the industry in New York). The Brothers III 45 came out a few years earlier than the Heavy Duty 45. The Enchanted Five record came out around the same time as the Brothers III 45, both in 1969. The Heavy Duty 45 is from 1972. "Try a little love" was just used as the b-side of the Heavy Duty 45 but is not by the Topics, it's by the Enchanted Five. There are no common group members between the Enchanted Five and the Topics. Two members of the Enchanted Five were later in the Ultimates on Br-Roma.

also, the chronology in the allmusic article is wrong

my friend is friends with the producer / manager Bruce Clarke (who did a lot of unrecognized work in the industry in New York). The Brothers III 45 came out a few years earlier than the Heavy Duty 45. The Enchanted Five record came out around the same time as the Brothers III 45, both in 1969. The Heavy Duty 45 is from 1972. "Try a little love" was just used as the b-side of the Heavy Duty 45 but is not by the Topics, it's by the Enchanted Five. There are no common group members between the Enchanted Five and the Topics. Two members of the Enchanted Five were later in the Ultimates on Br-Roma.

Ahah ! Thanks for those infos. It does make sense that they are different groups since I couldn't really put together the voice and the way of singing between the Enchanted Five 'try a little love'/'have you ever' & 'darling I need you now' but I could have almost put together the Topics 'please take this heart of mine' with the Enchanted Five 'your love grows stronger than ever' imagining another way of singing. They could have few members change before changing the name... Being different groups, contemporaries under the same direction/imprint as Bruce Clarke, they are "sounding alike" even though vocally quiet different. It did seem that the H-D was later 1972 sounds right and 1969-1970 for the CVS and Brothers III a more accurate dating. Got the picture now.

also, the chronology in the allmusic article is wrong

I did doubt it.