I didn't know until today that Al Foster Band "Night of the wolf" issued in 1975 is actually  an Italian recording by Ivano Alberto Fosati & Oscar Prudente titled "Tema Del Lupo" originally on an LP from 1973.

So Al Foster Band is a fake artist.  Is this even a real record?  I recently sold an Al Foster Band demo on ebay and got surprisingly good money for it.  I put all over the listing that I couldn't vouch for it being an original.  It just didn't seem to be right.  The vinyl was too thin and the quality of the label was crappy.  I'd paid about 5p for it from a mixed box of old mecca-type stuff years ago, so didn't really care.

Given that when this record first became popular in about 1975 (before my time btw) there were certain persons pressing up almost anything which went big on the northern scene, could the Roulette issue be moody?  If not, why would you need to change the name of the artist?

Whatever, the Al Foster Band records aren't "originals" as this seems to be the original 45:

 

Edited November 24, 20177 yr by woolie mark

Amazing.

1975 release

Issue & Demo

Roulette boots? Not seen that before.

I'm guessing just a reissue under a more saleable name in the US?

Ed

The only boot is the white label Numero Uno

1 hour ago, tomangoes said:

guessing just a reissue under a more saleable name in the US?

Ed

Why would a US label be interested in reissuing a 2 year old Italian disco record?  Surely the only demand in 1975 would be on the UK northern soul scene?  I can't believe that for nearly 40 years I never knew this was really an Italian LP track.

2 hours ago, Pete S said:

The only boot is the white label Numero Uno

Was that around in the 70s, or is it more recent?

I rest my case...

 

10 hours ago, woolie mark said:

Why would a US label be interested in reissuing a 2 year old Italian disco record?  Surely the only demand in 1975 would be on the UK northern soul scene?  I can't believe that for nearly 40 years I never knew this was really an Italian LP track.

Because to world outside the northern soul scene was and is still bigger even outside the UK...

10 hours ago, woolie mark said:

Why would a US label be interested in reissuing a 2 year old Italian disco record?  Surely the only demand in 1975 would be on the UK northern soul scene?  I can't believe that for nearly 40 years I never knew this was really an Italian LP track.

Probably aimed at the disco scene or something, more to the world than a small sub culture in the UK.

I had a roulette demo, and that looked dubious in the 80,s bubbly label but never certain. Big track for key on the deep Funk scene too. I wouldn't this have appealed to a nasent jazz Funk scene in the UK and too?

1 hour ago, chalky said:

Probably aimed at the disco scene or something, more to the world than a small sub culture in the UK.

Definitely, it probably just got picked up by chance as a new release - I remember it being imported as a new release and I bought one from Ruby Red for £1, as did hundreds of other people.

 

Once records like manu dibango, barrabas babe ruth etc were discovered and became popular on the early New York disco scene,  US DJ's and record labels started casting their nets far and wide , including Europe ... al foster was a popular disco record in the mid 70s ...

The Al Foster Band Roulette Issue was released in 1975, hence with it being released within the 3 year period from the original Italian Album recording in 1973, which is the local Issue (the 45 Issue came out in 1974) the Roulette Issue is actually an Original 1st Issue release too, as it’s an international issue with it being a US release, even though it’s released in a different artists name etc, it’s not a fake, it’s real, it’s problably a sales & marketing ploy by the label to make it a more saleable choon for the US disco scene/market in the mid 70’s, hence the change in artists name & title etc, but either way, it’s defo for real & hence it’s not a fake. 👍

Edited November 19, 20177 yr by guest

7 hours ago, Jimmy Mac said:

The Al Foster Band Roulette Issue was released in 1975, hence with it being released within the 3 year period from the original Italian Album recording in 1973, which is the local Issue (the 45 Issue came out in 1974) the Roulette Issue is actually an Original 1st Issue release too, as it’s an international issue with it being a US release, even though it’s released in a different artists name etc, it’s not a fake, it’s real, it’s problably a sales & marketing ploy by the label to make it a more saleable choon for the US disco scene/market in the mid 70’s, hence the change in artists name & title etc, but either way, it’s defo for real & hence it’s not a fake. 👍

Yeah, that seems to sum it up.  I am still suspicious of the demo I sold though.

Thanks for all the input folks.

It got an Italian Roulette release as well, I believe. Under the name of Al Foster.

 

I was immediately reminded of anothe instrumental that gained traction in some clubs about the same time and is now neglected.

 

 

Never heard that before?

Did you mean:

 

Ed

7 hours ago, tomangoes said:

Never heard that before?

Did you mean:

 

Ed

Nice record but actually I did mean 'Cosmic Seas'

32 minutes ago, Stormcock said:

Nice record but actually I did mean 'Cosmic Seas'

Cosmic seas was one of the infamous brain freeze breaks and a really well known hip hop break, and great track. 

7 minutes ago, geeselad said:

Cosmic seas was one of the infamous brain freeze breaks and a really well known hip hop break, and great track. 

Yeah. Honey Trippin was the track played around the time of NOTW...

quite like this version, think its german! picked it up on here a couple of year back and along with the orig have played it out a few times in recent times

 

 

31 minutes ago, geeselad said:

quite like this version, think its german! picked it up on here a couple of year back and along with the orig have played it out a few times in recent times

 

 

I dig that Geeselad   Thank you for posting.  

there's another decent recent (well 2007) take that adds a bit to it all

hang on

here are

 

2 minutes ago, mike said:

there's another decent recent (well 2007) take that adds a bit to it all

hang on

here are

 

Just listened to Geeselads post and this one Mike. Not really my cup of tea but certainly cool, club dance records which I suspect appeal to the younger generation of proper clubbers.

Pete

20 hours ago, tomangoes said:

Never heard that before?

Did you mean:

 

Ed

we played this at Nuneaton as the final record for the dance competition 2015 so it does get played ,not often but it had an outing 

45 minutes ago, mike said:

there's another decent recent (well 2007) take that adds a bit to it all

hang on

here are

 

didn't know this one mike, where's it from?

4 minutes ago, geeselad said:

didn't know this one mike, where's it from?

Good version of it . more of a "House" Tune  but done well

Great alt version! Also never heard it. 

Ed

2 hours ago, IAN STACEY said:

we played this at Nuneaton as the final record for the dance competition 2015 so it does get played ,not often but it had an outing 

I started going to nighters in 76.

Al Foster had been and gone by then, but I did hear it at youth club nights earlier than that, probably played by older youths etc.

Cosmic Sea is unknown to me now, so certainly was then.

Was it a mecca track? 

Ed

3 minutes ago, tomangoes said:

I started going to nighters in 76.

Al Foster had been and gone by then, but I did hear it at youth club nights earlier than that, probably played by older youths etc.

Cosmic Sea is unknown to me now, so certainly was then.

Was it a mecca track? 

Ed

was reactivated in 1979 /80  at cleethorpes  did not know it had been played earlier  cheers for info 

13 minutes ago, IAN STACEY said:

was reactivated in 1979 /80  at cleethorpes  did not know it had been played earlier  cheers for info 

Yes, definitely a Cleethorpes Pier tune - a massive one at that.

 

 

Have it!

 

Not talking about NOTW, talking about 'COSMIC SEA'

Where was that played first and when? Must have been as a new release, that's why I'm guessing at the Mecca.

Ed

Just to throw another twist on Al Foster Band I recall reading this on the Raresoulie site which claims Al Foster was a jazz drummer from Richmond Virginia. Looks like they need to revise their description.

https://www.raresoulie.co.uk/page-10.html

 

And very famous Al Foster is, but his name was simply hijacked I think. 

Maybe like Al Wilson of the 'help me' wand fame........not the same as old 'snake eyes'.

 

Ed

Well, just a short look at the credits would have told you it's from France

As much as I like the original version (have it on italian 45) this french one is not my cup of "vin rouge". The UK (?) version by Esperanto much better IMO....