Posted November 11, 200420 yr 3 VERSIONS OF "I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND". 1st-PHYLLIS BROWN-NAME CROSSED OUT AND BERRY ST. STATION WROTE IN. 2nd-PHYLLIS BROWN. 3RD-SONNY & PHYLLIS. ANT HELP WOULD BE GOOD.
November 11, 200420 yr Someone could probably write a fairly weighty book about Major Bill Smith and the millions of versions of songs he recorded by various artists. One thing's for certain: when he came up with a backing track he liked, he seldom let it go to waste. On a related note, can anyone help with any info (or a copy) of "Talk About Love" on Charay by The Fiery Spartans as opposed to Pic & Bill.
November 11, 200420 yr can anyone help with any info (or a copy) of "Talk About Love" on Charay by The Fiery Spartans as opposed to Pic & Bill. Does it exist? Is Major Bill Smith still alive? I recently found an absolutely bizarre 45 by him on LeCam: :o Edited November 11, 200420 yr by Sebastian
November 11, 200420 yr 3 VERSIONS OF "I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND". 1st-PHYLLIS BROWN-NAME CROSSED OUT AND BERRY ST. STATION WROTE IN. 2nd-PHYLLIS BROWN. 3RD-SONNY & PHYLLIS. ANT HELP WOULD BE GOOD. link LOOKS LIKE NOBODY CAN HELP-AND THERE'S ME THINKIN' THIS WAS A SOUL SITE.
November 11, 200420 yr LOOKS LIKE NOBODY CAN HELP-AND THERE'S ME THINKIN' THIS WAS A SOUL SITE. What do you need to know? Value? Do you need a soundclip? Both of the Le Cam releases shares the same matrix number and timing so I guess they're the same recording. The LH 6107 matrix on the Soft release would date it to 1969-ish. The tune is poppy as hell with crap vocals.
March 15, 200520 yr All the related iems I could find - SONNY & PHYLLIS. I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND. SOFT. LOVE LOVE. ISS. 70 BROWN, PHYLLIS. I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND. LE CAM. BROWN, PHYLLIS. OH! BABY. RAINBOW. ISS. 150 BERRY STREET STATION. ALL I WANT IS YOU. CRYSTAL. 7024 BERRY STREET STATION. ALL I WANT IS YOU. LE CAM. 347 CHOCOLATE SUGAR. ISS. 50 So looking at it, the rarest, or dearest 45 relating to Phyllis Brown is her outing on Rainbow! Also that this "Berry Street station" released more than one track . . . and were both of them actually B.S.S. and who is Sonny?? Martin
March 15, 200520 yr . and who is Sonny?? Sonny - thank you for the tracks you made for Bill Sonny - he had so many backing tracks to fill Now the truth of these things can be so hard to find but I've got something on my mind Sonny - one so true - who are you?
March 15, 200520 yr can anyone help with any info (or a copy) of "Talk About Love" on Charay by The Fiery Spartans as opposed to Pic & Bill. And to answer myself here some six months later... yes the Fiery Spartans "Talk About Love" 45 does exist, I've got a copy. It's the exact same recording as Pic & Bill and was most likely the first release for that tune. Do you need to know anything else Gareth?
March 15, 200520 yr Don't want to 'steal' your thread, Mick, but it's so complicated it's probably worth throwing it open to a whole Soft/Le Cam/Bill Smith scenario to get the whole picture. I used to have a Berry Street Station 45 on Le Cam called Chocolate Sugar/All I want is you which if my memory serves me right came out on UK Crystal in the mid 70's. Some of the tracks you mention in your opening post I remember being listed as 'New Releases' in Black Echoes in the mid 70's (despite them being some years old). I seem to remember thinking they'd got hip to the Northern Scene and knew some of their tracks (like Sons of Moses) were collectable but didn't really understand how it all worked. Is there a full listing of the Mad Major's work anywhere?
March 15, 200520 yr Is there a full listing of the Mad Major's work anywhere? There's an (incomplete) Charay discography on David Flynn's site, check it out: https://www.capitolsoulclub.homestead.com/Charaylisting.html
March 16, 200520 yr Actually he gets a coupla links here... ..nice label pics too. https://www.colorradio.com/onetwo.htm
March 16, 200520 yr All the related iems I could find - SONNY & PHYLLIS. I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND. SOFT. LOVE LOVE. ISS. 70 BROWN, PHYLLIS. I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND. LE CAM. BROWN, PHYLLIS. OH! BABY. RAINBOW. ISS. 150 BERRY STREET STATION. ALL I WANT IS YOU. CRYSTAL. 7024 BERRY STREET STATION. ALL I WANT IS YOU. LE CAM. 347 CHOCOLATE SUGAR. ISS. 50 So looking at it, the rarest, or dearest 45 relating to Phyllis Brown is her outing on Rainbow! Also that this "Berry Street station" released more than one track . . . and were both of them actually B.S.S. and who is Sonny?? Martin link Sonny is Sonny Threatt who is also THE NOMADS of Something's Bad fame.
March 16, 200520 yr And to answer myself here some six months later... yes the Fiery Spartans "Talk About Love" 45 does exist, I've got a copy. It's the exact same recording as Pic & Bill and was most likely the first release for that tune. Do you need to know anything else Gareth? link ================================================ Hi Sebastian......... Not got a copy of PIC-BILL What does it take to sell / trade me have you ????? Ian Cunliffe
March 16, 200520 yr i traded the pic and bill for 225 with nick brown after listing it on ebay , had 15 watchers but only 1 bid pic and bill were members of the firery spartans if the info on another site is correct but then released the 45 in thier own name
March 16, 200520 yr Hi Sebastian......... Not got a copy of PIC-BILL What does it take to sell / trade me have you ????? Ian Cunliffe No, sorry, that's one of the few 45s by them that I still haven't been able to locate a copy of.
March 16, 200520 yr pic and bill were members of the firery spartans if the info on another site is correct but then released the 45 in thier own name link The Fiery Spartans was probably just a name for the backing band which Major Bill Smith came to think of while ordering the labels for the 45... the label states "vocal by Pic & Bill". The flipside, entitled "Cool", is the exact same instrumental recording which was issued 15 times or so on Charay by different artists as "Patsy". Here's a scan of the Fiery Spartans disc:
December 7, 200519 yr 3 VERSIONS OF "I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND". 1st-PHYLLIS BROWN-NAME CROSSED OUT AND BERRY ST. STATION WROTE IN. 2nd-PHYLLIS BROWN. 3RD-SONNY & PHYLLIS. ANT HELP WOULD BE GOOD. I can answer any questions you have concerning records released by Sonny & Phyllis, Sonny Threatt, Phyllis Brown, Berry Street Station, Johnny and the Mark V, and a few other records that were pressed by Major Bill Smith on his various labels-Sonny Threatt
December 7, 200519 yr Somebody please take Sonny up on his offer...must be loads of stories there. If I still did a magazine I'd be right in. You got any records left Sonny? were you 'The Nomads' or do you know who they were? Do you know the Phyllis Brown track Oh Baby on Rainbo? best wishes Pete
December 7, 200519 yr Somebody please take Sonny up on his offer...must be loads of stories there. If I still did a magazine I'd be right in. You got any records left Sonny? were you 'The Nomads' or do you know who they were? Do you know the Phyllis Brown track Oh Baby on Rainbo? best wishes Pete The short answers to your questions are: Phyllis and I recorded together as Sonny & Phyllis ( "If We Had to do it all Over", "I've Been Lost", "I've Got Something on My Mind", etc) and also on some solo records ("The Sands of Malabu" by Sonny under name of Johnny & the Mark V, "I've Got Something on My Mind" by Phyllis). Before that time, I was lead singer for the "Nomads" and earlier the "Tangents" and wrote most of the songs we recorded ("Somethin's Bad", "I'm No Fool", etc). I'm not familiar with any record by Phyllis called "Oh Baby" on Rainbow
December 8, 200519 yr I'm not familiar with any record by Phyllis called "Oh Baby" on Rainbow The other side - 'Why' - is an awesome atmospheric beater. It does smell of BS but I ain't totally sure.
December 8, 200519 yr Oh Baby comes from California I think...great track...pounding I think is the word
3 VERSIONS OF "I'VE GOT SOMETHING ON MY MIND".
1st-PHYLLIS BROWN-NAME CROSSED OUT AND BERRY ST. STATION WROTE IN.
2nd-PHYLLIS BROWN. 3RD-SONNY & PHYLLIS.
ANT HELP WOULD BE GOOD.