I really did not know there was an instrumental to Jimmy Fraser until I heard an old Wigan tribute set recently

Was it played before the vocal back in the day and was it as popular?

As instrumentals go, I must say I really rate it as a dancer.

Ed

When first played by Soul Sam covered-up as Smokey & The Blades - Hang On In There .. it was the instrumental only ... the vocal was never aired at the time and really only got spins on any regular basis years later

Andy

Always preferred the instrumental ! 👍🏻

 

Love this record the vocal version.  is it jimmy Fraser singing on the other version or somebody else ?

 

it sounds like him to me.

 

it’s a fantastic stomper.

Edited December 22, 20204 yr by Dylan

3 hours ago, Andy Rix said:

When first played by Soul Sam covered-up as Smokey & The Blades - Hang On In There .. it was the instrumental only ... the vocal was never aired at the time and really only got spins on any regular basis years later

Andy

Yep, used to confuse the hell out of me coz he was playing Smokey & The Bears - We Go Together in the same set & I used to get them mixed up 🤪

16 hours ago, Andy Rix said:

When first played by Soul Sam covered-up as Smokey & The Blades - Hang On In There .. it was the instrumental only ... the vocal was never aired at the time and really only got spins on any regular basis years later

Andy

Nev Wherry came back from a trip to the US with 2 copies - one he kept and the other he sold to me on the proviso I would play the vocal as the instrumental was already in vogue, as Andy rightly states

I used to hammer it at the Kings Lynn all-dayers held at the YMCA, and promoted by a truly wonderful but very strange guy.. Titch ?? I remember the brakes on his car were dodgy and he would stop by running into a wall !! I don't lie lol

So far as I'm aware I was certainly at least one of the first, if not thee first, to spin the vocal..

Edited December 23, 20204 yr by Ficklefingers
spelling

50 minutes ago, Ficklefingers said:

Nev Wherry came back from a trip to the US with 2 copies - one he kept and the other he sold to me on the proviso I would play the vocal as the instrumental was already in vogue, as Andy rightly states

I used to hammer it at the Kings Lynn all-dayers held at the YMCA, and promoted by a truly wonderful but very strange guy.. Titch ?? I remember the brakes on his car were dodgy and he would stop by running into a wall !! I don't lie lol

So far as I'm aware I was certainly at least one of the first, if not thee first, to spin the vocal..

Just twigged who you are ( I think).....Went for a spin in your jag with you & Kipper at Kings Lynn one Sunday afternoon ? Swopped a Voice of East Harlem LP for an east cost demo of Yvonne Baker in the back of your car as he was collecting LPs 🙃😃

2 hours ago, Merve said:

Just twigged who you are ( I think).....Went for a spin in your jag with you & Kipper at Kings Lynn one Sunday afternoon ? Swopped a Voice of East Harlem LP for an east cost demo of Yvonne Baker in the back of your car as he was collecting LPs 🙃😃

That is indeed correct Merve.. didn't we go to a local chippie for sustenance too ??

At that time Kyp wasthe ONLY LP collector I knew.. had things like the withdrawn Len Barry UK Brunswick LP, to which I still have his sales list with it on.. £20 !!

Them were the days, eh..

3 hours ago, Ficklefingers said:

That is indeed correct Merve.. didn't we go to a local chippie for sustenance too ??

At that time Kyp wasthe ONLY LP collector I knew.. had things like the withdrawn Len Barry UK Brunswick LP, to which I still have his sales list with it on.. £20 !!

Them were the days, eh..

Yes, don't remember the chippie but I did need to stop for a soft drink.....Can't imagine why 😇. Hope you are well mate.

On 22/12/2020 at 18:00, Dylan said:

Love this record the vocal version.  is it jimmy Fraser singing on the other version or somebody else ?

 

 

Jimmy Fraser and Youth Opportunity Program are the very same versions.

There's also a Garage/Freakbeat-ish version by the australian band Purple Hearts which was released a few months later. I wonder how they got hold of the song?

I remember the vocal version being MASSIVE in the UK and at least Germany if not other continental countries in the mid 90s. Still love it.

12 minutes ago, Benji said:

Jimmy Fraser and Youth Opportunity Program are the very same versions.

There's also a Garage/Freakbeat-ish version by the australian band Purple Hearts which was released a few months later. I wonder how they got hold of the song?

I remember the vocal version being MASSIVE in the UK and at least Germany if not other continental countries in the mid 90s. Still love it.

Thanks it did sound the same just strange it got released under different names.

 

 

10 minutes ago, Dylan said:

Thanks it did sound the same just strange it got released under different names.

 

 

YOP was to promote the stay in school ethic and not released commercially, Jimmy Fraser was commercial release that didn’t sell well - issue copies are much harder than promos.

As I've said, I do like the instrumental. Its a real powerful beat and the pace is frantic.

Jim Fraser can sing for sure.

The lyrics? Hardly a selling point for bone idle students!

Just glad it was made......proper norvun with a story to match.

Ed

It’s got to have the lyrics for me without them it’s just not complete.  And as Ed says it’s a great story just completing the package and making it a great story and a proper stomper.

 

Back in about 2005 I had really lovely mint demo of Jimmy Fraser. It arrived on a Thursday from the states and I was pleased as punch.

On the Saturday I took it to play it out and we were using my decks, the guy who was on before me asked if it was ok to use his cartridges so I said yeah of course.

Yep you guessed it, when we swapped over it was the first record I played (vocal side 😉) and his crappy carts caused cue burn on it 😢

Was absolutely gutted ☹️

 

James Brown"s "Don't Be A Dropout" was another song associated with the Youth Opportunity Program -

 

And don't forget to shout 1-2-3-4 in the break, cheers

13 hours ago, Dylan said:

It’s got to have the lyrics for me without them it’s just not complete.  And as Ed says it’s a great story just completing the package and making it a great story and a proper stomper.

 

I know instrumentals were the fashion at the time but, even so, how would you NOT play the vocal when it's 10000 times better !! I'm glad I did, I know that - the rest as they say, is history lol

 

Edited December 24, 20204 yr by Ficklefingers

Slightly off topic but would anyone dare play this out on UK Epic demo?

May be wrong but seem to recall Pete Smith saying should be considered a genuine British release even though issued as a promotion for something - can't recall details.. maybe a cd?

Edited December 24, 20204 yr by Stevie
.

30 minutes ago, Stevie said:

Slightly off topic but would anyone dare play this out on UK Epic demo?

May be wrong but seem to recall Pete Smith saying should be considered a genuine British release even though issued as a promotion for something - can't recall details.. maybe a cd?

😮

For those disposed to garage ... there's a version by a German garage band The What...For! (you may well ask?) released on a 1989 album.  Makes you wonder how they came across it?

 

 

19 minutes ago, Soulstrutter said:

For those disposed to garage ... there's a version by a German garage band The What...For! (you may well ask?) released on a 1989 album.  Makes you wonder how they came across it?

 

 

That’s 2 garage cover versions mentioned now in this thread of what must be a quite obscure record.

3 hours ago, Dylan said:

That’s 2 garage cover versions mentioned now in this thread of what must be a quite obscure record.

The song was written by Joy Byers who also wrote many tunes, a few played on the scene such as Betty O'Brien's - 'She'll Be Gone', Timi Yuro / L.J. Reynolds etc. 'What's A Matter Baby', Jimmy Church / Freddie North - 'The Hurt'.

... Phil Lowman 'borrowed' the backing track to What's A Matter Baby for Rock Me 

Edited December 24, 20204 yr by Soulstrutter

7 hours ago, Dylan said:

That’s 2 garage cover versions mentioned now in this thread of what must be a quite obscure record.

The Purple Hearts version was comp'd a couple of times in the 80s. I guess that's where the What..For heard it.

On the other hand, where the Purple Hearts got it from? No idea.