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Unfortunate Label Misprints


Guest TONY ROUNCE

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Guest TONY ROUNCE

I'm always amused when typesetters mis-spell record labels with unfortunate results. It happens in reggae more often than in most genres, and here's a fab example of what I mean. I've had this 45 for years, but I just got a copy from Mr. Manship (of all people) for a friend and I thought I'd like to share it with you all, too.

...of course, its' supposed to be "Virginia Skank" and yes, I'm aware that vagina isn't actually spelt this way either, but it is when you say it, hee hee hee....

I'll try to find my UK copy of Bobby Kalphat's "Counter Punch"/"Counter Dub" for your amusement later on. It's not giving too much away to tell you that the typesetter obviously had a shortage of 'O's that day :huh:

TONE

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Dunno if I saved the picture, may have it at home, but there was a record on eBay a while back which was on 'Fairmount'... unfortunately there was a hole through the 'o' making it look like a 'c'.. :huh:

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Guest martinsbox

Tone, I've sent in a scan of Cunter Punch previously, must have sold a few copies as there's one on ebay every week...never actually heard it though

Bet that hurts!!

Martin

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Guest TONY ROUNCE

Tone, I've sent in a scan of Cunter Punch previously, must have sold a few copies as there's one on ebay every week...never actually heard it though

...It's a nice roots melodica tune in the vein of Augustus Pablo's "Java", with a touch of the "Take Five"s about it. You're right, it was a good seller, and not just for its title. The Jamaican copies, on Sun Shot, got the spelling right, ironically...

...My all time favourite Jamaican mis-spelling, though, is not rude - it's on a Doctor Bird 45 by the Dingle Brothers, that should be called "Thank The Lord". Obviously, though, the typesetter set the title over the phone, and on instructions form someone with a very heavy Jamaican accent, as the finished product shows the song to be called "Tank De Lard"... :huh:

Good old reggae, never lets you down!

TONE

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Guest Stuart T

Good old reggae, never lets you down!

May have mentioned it before, not a typo but the Studio One label that I believe put out Randy's productions at one time went by the marvellous title "Randy Cox". :huh:

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Bet that hurts!!

Martin

It's a familiar Rotherham Expression. Normally used in the Saturday afternoon session to recount the previous Friday night down town, following a physical encounter with the doorman.

The phrase is usually preceeded by "He wouldn't let me in so I gave the ...... ....."

yes.gif

Sean

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it's on a Doctor Bird 45 by the Dingle Brothers, that should be called "Thank The Lord". Obviously, though, the typesetter set the title over the phone, and on instructions form someone with a very heavy Jamaican accent, as the finished product shows the song to be called "Tank De Lard"... laugh.gif

Might be splitting hairs but I don't think its actually a misprint Tone, as the original Baba Brooks & The Dingle Brothers on Gay Feet (Flip to "This Is Thunder" ) uses the same spelling.

I doubt if two typesetters got it wrong.

I reckon this spelling is deliberately ironic rather than an actual typo.

yes.gif

Sean

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Well, isn't Tank De Lard the French saying for Vat of Fat?

Seriously, there was also a similar misprint of "She Pon Top" by Prince Buster which, when released by Blue Beat in the UK, became "Sheep On Top".

Edited by Gene-R
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Guest TONY ROUNCE

Might be splitting hairs but I don't think its actually a misprint Tone, as the original Baba Brooks & The Dingle Brothers on Gay Feet (Flip to "This Is Thunder" ) uses the same spelling.

I doubt if two typesetters got it wrong.

I reckon this spelling is deliberately ironic rather than an actual typo.

:yes:

Sean

A good misprint is always worth misprinting twice, mate laugh.giflaugh.gif:huh:

Gene's "Sheep On Top" is the killer, though, I'd forgotten about that one. Great record, too, unlike "Tank De Lard"...

The Uniques "Watch This Sound" is a good mistitling too - of course, the song is Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey, What's That Sound)". Still I like the concept of watching a sound. I've driven myself dizzy a few times down the years, while watching a sound spinning on a turntable, in an attempt to glean label copy details!

Another thing I love about reggae typesetting is instances of where the UK company was obviously dubbing their issue of the 45 off a Jamaican blank, and the person preparing the label copy patently did not know what the actual title of the song was, so he or she made the title out of the opening line:.

Some good examples that immediately come to mind are:

"There Is Something About You" - Lloyd Charmers (actually Busty Brown's version of the Fantastic Four's "I Love You Madly"

"Higher Than The Highest Mountain" - Monty Morris (Brook Benton's "Endlessly")

"Put Your Sweet Lips" - Raphael Stewart (Jim Reeves' "He'll Have To Go")

"History" - Harry And Radcliff (Sam Cooke's "Wonderful World")

...there are hundreds more, but it's beginning to feel like coat-grabbing time...

TONE :P

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Guest TONY ROUNCE

Just to confuse things - if you want to buy the above on UK (Explosion), the actual label says "Gawling Come Down" by Lloyd & Robin. No mention of Monty Morris or the real track.

....Musta been something that they 'corrected' at some point, then, as my copy on the white and blue Explosion label (as opposed to the austere yellow one they used later on) definitely has Monty and "Highest Mountain" credited. (Just tried to scan it, but black writing on a dark blue background isn't really working for this one!).

Even more brilliantly, the 'song' is credited to Petula Clark and Tony Hatch, presumably because of that record of Pet's called "My Love" - for which the first line is "My Love Is Higher Than The Highest Mountain, Bluer Than The Sky"....

Like I say, you can always depend on reggae, it will never let you down....

TONE biggrin.gif

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unsure.gif Slightly off topic of the reggae items,but i have a wierd one ..

Melvin Davis "This love was meant to be / Save it" it should be on USA Mala label,but my copy is on HOT LINE MUSIC JOURN 15000 & credited to Al Greene etc,

wrong record for the said label, so what do you lot think happened here then???.

A nice oddity in my Detroit collection,it aint for sale..I once showed it Melvin himself and he was shocked to say the least but moaned maybe thats why i didnt sell as well as he thought it might !!

any answers to my odd thing ??..

(nothing too crude about my thing shhh.gif )..

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....Musta been something that they 'corrected' at some point, then, as my copy on the white and blue Explosion label (as opposed to the austere yellow one they used later on) definitely has Monty and "Highest Mountain" credited. (Just tried to scan it, but black writing on a dark blue background isn't really working for this one!).

Even more brilliantly, the 'song' is credited to Petula Clark and Tony Hatch, presumably because of that record of Pet's called "My Love" - for which the first line is "My Love Is Higher Than The Highest Mountain, Bluer Than The Sky"....

Like I say, you can always depend on reggae, it will never let you down....

TONE biggrin.gif

Tone - note that the title I gave and the proper one are both tracks off the Trojan compilation Reggae Flight 404. I've honestly never seen one with the proper label credited, though I've actually only had it twice (still got one now)

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The Uniques "Watch This Sound" is a good mistitling too - of course, the song is Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth (Stop, Hey, What's That Sound)".

was a thread a while back about JA covers of soul, the flip of this never got mentioned - a great version of The Manhattans 'I'm the One that Love Forgot'...

Another thing I love about reggae typesetting is instances of where the UK company was obviously dubbing their issue of the 45 off a Jamaican blank

...there's one 45 on Rio i think, and probably more, where you can clearly hear the sound of the needle dropping before the track starts!

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Guest Stuart T

...there's one 45 on Rio i think, and probably more, where you can clearly hear the sound of the needle dropping before the track starts!

On Slim Smith's rather nice Honey on UK Unity the track just stops dead after about a minute and a half. I can only guess that it was going home time in Neasden and they just turned the lathe off and had it pressed up as it was.

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was a thread a while back about JA covers of soul, the flip of this never got mentioned - a great version of The Manhattans 'I'm the One that Love Forgot'...

Not really, I've posted that track up twice to a rapturous reception and also the label scan from the UK trojan issue (which is 10 or so seconds shorter than one of the Jamaican blanks I've got of it) "Out Of Love" - I had no idea it was a cover. I'll post it again.

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Guest TONY ROUNCE

Out Of Love (The One That Love Forgot) - the uniques - trojan

10993 refosoul

One of the most soulful reggae vocal performances ever recorded...

...Same backing track was also used on a version by Dave Barker (issued as Dave McLaren, for some reason and called "Love Is What I Bring") on Ja. Success/UK Big. Rupie Edwards then put that Dave Barker cut out again, as 'Baby Don't Go Version' by th e Success All Stars on the b-side of a fantastic (and early) Johnny Clarke record (again on Ja. Success) called - unsurprisingly - "Baby Don't Go".

I love the Manhattans and Pretenders versions, but Pete's right - you cannot beat the great Slim Smith's lead vocal on the Uniques cut, not in a million years you can't...

TONE :tumbleweed3:

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Not really, I've posted that track up twice to a rapturous reception and also the label scan from the UK trojan issue (which is 10 or so seconds shorter than one of the Jamaican blanks I've got of it) "Out Of Love" - I had no idea it was a cover. I'll post it again.

ah must have missed that, saw a couple of threads on the subject and it wasn't mentioned, thought you'd know it though, of course.

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...Same backing track was also used on a version by Dave Barker (issued as Dave McLaren, for some reason and called "Love Is What I Bring") on Ja. Success/UK Big. Rupie Edwards then put that Dave Barker cut out again, as 'Baby Don't Go Version' by th e Success All Stars on the b-side of a fantastic (and early) Johnny Clarke record (again on Ja. Success) called - unsurprisingly - "Baby Don't Go".

I love the Manhattans and Pretenders versions, but Pete's right - you cannot beat the great Slim Smith's lead vocal on the Uniques cut, not in a million years you can't...

TONE :thumbsup:

The Dave Barker version is on a deleted trojan cd called something original like Monkey Spanner

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Guest Stuart T

The Dave Barker version is on a deleted trojan cd called something original like Monkey Spanner

Out of interest, any idea what a Monkey Spanner was meant to be? A "Spanner" used to always mean someone who was useless when I was a kid, so is it a monkey that can't climb very high? :thumbsup:

Is the Johnny Clarke the same backing that was used for the Techniques All Stars Lamb Chops and the slightly less good Pork Chops (not very original names eh? Wonder if I've missed out on hearing Venison Saddle or Boneless Rabbit). Only got them on blanks so not sure of the full details.

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Out of interest, any idea what a Monkey Spanner was meant to be? A "Spanner" used to always mean someone who was useless when I was a kid, so is it a monkey that can't climb very high? :thumbsup:

Think it's just a play on the words Monkey Wrench to be honest mate.

Anyone remember the spangles advert set to that music..."suck a spangle get happy"

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Think it's just a play on the words Monkey Wrench to be honest mate.

Anyone remember the spangles advert set to that music..."suck a spangle get happy"

Sure do Pete...............

"Suck a cola just for fun,

Fizzy Cola on your tongue,

Suck a Spangle get happy"!

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Guest Stuart T

Think it's just a play on the words Monkey Wrench to be honest mate.

Anyone remember the spangles advert set to that music..."suck a spangle get happy"

:thumbsup: Of course. I clearly don't have a full toolbox. :thumbup:

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