I know this track splits opinions on the scene ... many say it's not soul but psychedelic rock. others that the Crow was obviously a white group, etc. etc.

It is in fact by a black 'jazzy funk' New York area outfit. I'm in touch with the leader of the group and they have a very fascinating history. A long music / recording career that spans the continents and even includes some hit records. They started to record back in the 60's but made their scene anthem in 1970. They split from their then US production team shortly after the Inner Ear 45 had been released (in 1970). After relocating to a foreign country, they found a good amount of success and continued to both record and to play loads of live gigs. In 1975, when Right On released their old cuts in the UK, they were still going strong, albeit with a completely different identity.

NOW TO MY QUESTIONS ... I know they gained their UK release in August 75 via Dave Godin / Alf Billingham and NY based Bill Downs RIGHT ON Record label (these were the main 3 guys behind the labels set-up). Bill Downs was the long term manager of outfits such as the Ad Libs, Jelly Beans (who had the 2nd release on RIGHT ON), Sam Nesbitt, the Puzzles / Fantastic Puzzles and Chris Bartley. He was also a long time friend of Dave Godins and had been 'feeding' Dave with obscure US soul 45's for a good number of years. In fact, Dave had even been listed as Bill Down's UK rep in US music mags as far back as 1970. So it seems more than likely that Bill Downs got a copy of the Inner Ear 45 to Dave, he liked it and set it up for UK release .... HERE MY MEMORY GETS FUZZY OR NONE-EXISTENT .... 

........ did Dave first mention  YOUR AUTUMN OF TOMORROW in his B&S column and it was this that started it's UK life (if so, when) ?

.... was it played on the scene ahead of it's UK 45 release in August 75 ?

.... which club did it initially become a big sound at, Cleethorpes Pier, the Mecca or where ??

... was it always a 'marmite record' ??

I'd like to pass the info on the tracks UK history back to the group's leader as he / they were completely unaware it even had / has a 'British life'.

 

  

Edited April 14, 20187 yr by Roburt

22 hours ago, Paul r said:

I always thought Keep On Keeping On must have stuck out at the time of first plays. Also Purple Haze!

Paul

When N.F.Porters Keep on Keeping on hit the scene it took us by storm.What a belting sound.If I remember where I first heard it was in Wakefield Tiffanys in the Bali Hai and was being played by the one and only Mr Tony Banks R.I.P. As for Purple Haze by Johnny Jones and the king Casuals well another class Northern sound.Who'd have thought that a Jimi Hendrix sound would have transgressed onto the Northern dance floors but it did obviously a bit more up tempo to savour the delights of Northern Soul dancers.

Regards Fred 

BACK TO THE MAIN TOPIC OF THIS THREAD NOW ....

a few of the labels that the outfit who cut YOUR AUTUMN OF TOMORROW had records out on ... 

 

Edited July 4, 20186 yr by Roburt

Dave Godin was given his copy of The Crow directly by Stan Vincent as a virtual new release. In the back of my mind Dave told me he was given it personally in Stan's flat / house in New York. It did not come from Bill Downs.

Dave had had the record for several years before he started pushing it around UK / Northern clubs and writing about it in depth (in BM, B&S etc.). He believed the scene wasn't ready for it before then.

Bill Downs involvement was only via Right On several years later, although Dave and he had known one another for years. Bill Downs had strong links to Chris Bartley, and Sam Nesbit, Greg Carmichael etc. via his long standing association with Dave Kapralik (the man who made all those Okeh, Columbia, Epic 45's possible) so it's easy to assume it came from Bill, but certainly the 45 was given to Dave directly from Stan Vincent.

Sean

1 hour ago, Sean Hampsey said:

Bill Downs involvement was only via Right On several years later, although Dave and he had known one another for years. 

Sean

Sean, if you look back at the initial post on this thread & read the Sept 70 press release I posted there, you'll see that DG was Bill Downs UK representative as early as summer 1970. A deal via Bill certainly brought Chris Bartley's Soul City tracks & the Ad-Libs Deep Soul tracks to Dave's labels and that was back in early 69.

I had dealings with Bill Downs myself in the 80's when Move Records (Edinburgh) sourced their Chris Bartley tracks via Bill. 

Edited July 6, 20186 yr by Roburt

29 minutes ago, Roburt said:

Sean, if you look back at the initial post on this thread & read the Sept 70 press release I posted there, you'll see that DG was Bill Downs UK represenative as early as summer 1970. A deal via Bill certainly brought Chris Bartley's Soul City tracks & the Ad-Libs Deep Soul tracks to Dave's labels and that was back in early 69.

I had dealings with Bill Downs myself in the 80's when Move Records (Edinburgh) sourced their Chris Bartley tracks via Bill. 

Hi John, yes that's quite right.  What I was saying is Bill Downs involvement with the Crow record was only relating to Right On. The Inner Ear 45 was certainly given to Dave directly by Stan Vincent.

The next edition of SOUL UP NORTH mag is at the printers ...  not long now ...

A few pics of the lead singer on "Your Autumn Of Tomorrow" ...

Edited July 11, 20186 yr by Roburt

The new edition of SOUL UP NORTH mag is out .... if you want to know the full story behind THE CROW, buy your copy now ...

Edited July 16, 20186 yr by Roburt

Frank Abel was the writer of YOUR ATUMN OF TOMORROW, the leader of the Crow and the lead singer on the track ... 

... he's on Facebook if anyone wants to 'friend him' and drop him a message about the record .... https://www.facebook.com/frank.abel.39

 

Frank Abel at work ... 

A few of the names that the group who cut AUTUMN OF TOMORROW's records were put out under .... see below ...

At the time that the Right On 45 was released here, they were based out of Paris but coming across to the UK to promote their CRISPY & CO. releases ...

BY the way, other names that their releases went out under (around the world) were Krispie And Company, Les Atlantes, Mighty Disco Machine, Seven Americans In Paris, Sweet Exorcist and Wall Of Steel. In addition to all those (& the ones in the pic below), their vocals were removed from a number of tracks they'd laid down in the mid to late 70's and the lead vocals of Chantel Curtis, Brenda Mitchell, Chantal Alexandre, Chantal Sitruk & Michele added. By the way, all those singers were actually the same person.

Edited July 17, 20186 yr by Roburt

The 1st release from the outfit who became the Crow ... the Bang 45 by Soul Congress ... the other side is the favoured one (BLACK HOUSE) but it's not up on youtube ... but this side of the 45 is ... BTW, that's Bobby Boyd on sax on this one ... 

 

Edited July 17, 20186 yr by Roburt

The group remained active for a short period after they returned to the US in 1979 ... though their PR was still emphasising the Paris connection ... 

... names to get tickets from (at the bottom of the poster) include group members Frank Abel, Arthur Young & Donny Donable ...

 

Just read through this discussion

What a great thread and well done everyone for so much interesting insight and opinion

👏🏼

It seems to be generally accepted that the Inner Ear 45 was from 1970 but a copy was found in the estate sale of a gospel/Christian DJ pen dated 15 Jan 1969. Another Inner Ear 45 (Free Form Experiment) was found in the same collection with the same date on it. The vast majority of the records found were all pen dated, presumably by the DJ when he received the record from the distributor - many were small label promos - and there is no reason to doubt the dates on the records, they seem to stack up with info elsewhere (I have become obsessed with this collection documenting on 45cat the dates of everything I can find that has been sold thru ebay from this collection in the last year or so.)   

Any thoughts on the date, if it was late '69 I could understand it?     

Edited January 14Jan 14 by Candiman