Thought a bit about this when I was playing some tunes the other day here. I'll upload 5 tunes below which all are suprisingly hard to locate on original US issues (in the cases of Rose, Odyssey and Jackie there are however european copies all over the place). I'm not saying that they are RARE, just that I don't see them up for grabs often, I guess 12" was the order of the day or these tunes just didn't sell much. I really like them though. Was turned onto the Rose Royce track by Tony Turner a while ago and the Jackie Moore one was discussed on here quite recently.

Does It Feel Good - bt express - columbia

14527 refosoul

Best Love - rose royce - epic

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Stars In Your Eyes - herbie hancock - columbia

14529 refosoul

Inside Out - odyssey - rca

14530 refosoul

Do Ya Got What It Takes - jackie moore - columbia

14531 refosoul

Anyone else have any suggestions on tricky-to-find late 70s/early 80s tunes by BIG artists on MAJOR labels?

Best Love by Rose Royce is one of my favourite records of all time.

My memory might be at fault here but I'm fairly certain that Odyssey's "Inside Out" was issued in the USA a bit after it had come out in Europe on 7 and 12 inch. Which would account for why nobody bothered to import US copies - they would have had no need to, with so many domestically-pressed copies floating around...

Inside Out - odyssey - rca

14530 refosoul

Just bought the lp with this on for a Quid.What a bassline :dance:

Best Love by Rose Royce is one of my favourite records of all time.

Try "Still In Love" from the same album. Fabulous!

Try "Still In Love" from the same album. Fabulous!

Top track, got the 12" version - extended piano solo which is good or bad depending on your point of view, think the intro is better on the 12" too, didn't get a 45 release did it?

Try "Still In Love" from the same album. Fabulous!

I have this on a UK Epic 45. Superb track

My memory might be at fault here but I'm fairly certain that Odyssey's "Inside Out" was issued in the USA a bit after it had come out in Europe on 7 and 12 inch. Which would account for why nobody bothered to import US copies - they would have had no need to, with so many domestically-pressed copies floating around...

That might be the case... but it doesn't explain the lack of copies available in the US of this release.

By the way, the backing tracks on this one and Slave's "Watching You" on Cotillion are pretty much the same. Jimmy Douglass produced both but the writing credits are completely different...

Still In Love from the Stronger Than Ever set is indeed excellent. On to the question in hand: I have yet to see a 7" 45 issue of Gwen McCrae's Keep The Fire Burning on US Atlantic. I've seen many deejay copies over the years, but the issue appears to be elusive. Can anyone tell me what's on the other side? Similarly, I've only ever seen the US WDJ of Norman Connors Take It To The Limit.

Many of the popular records of the time were surprisingly hard to find on US 45. The mainstream importers tended to concentrate on bringing in 12" releases to the exclusion of 45s. Bluebird records in London was one of the last places I recall having the option to buy either the 12" or 7" release of a major label soul release on import. Because of weak sterling the price of a standard 12" US single was getting up towards the £6 mark around 1983-4 (indeed the prices of these used to fluctuate wildly) whereas no-one seemed to be prepared to pay prices over the odds for major label 45s. Demand from the average club deejay seemd to be mainly for 12" singles (and with the horrible standard of styrene used by US Columbia, RCA, Phonogram etc. who can blame them)

The turnaround time for getting domestic issues released in the UK and Europe was fairly rapid, so demand for 45s was often satisfied via this mechanism. Often tracks from US albums which became popular overseas were completely different to those pushed by the US record companies and released as 45s. A pretty good example is that of Luther Vandross, where US Epic often released the most AOR friendly releases on his albums as US singles, either the slushy ballad or rocky 'dance' tracks, while the UK soul scene would concentrate on the more obviously 'soulful' numbers.

I have a US issue of Take It To The Limit.

On to the question in hand: I have yet to see a 7" 45 issue of Gwen McCrae's Keep The Fire Burning on US Atlantic. I've seen many deejay copies over the years, but the issue appears to be elusive. Can anyone tell me what's on the other side? Similarly, I've only ever seen the US WDJ of Norman Connors Take It To The Limit.

Gareth

I have copies of both Gwen Mcrae and Norman Connors on US issue.

The "b" sibe of Gwen McCrae is "Hang On" and Norman Connors is "You Bring Me Joy"

I have a 7" UK copy of Gwen McCrae - Doin' It / Hey World - Atlantic A9901.

Was this released in the US as I have never come across a copy issue or deejay.

soulmac.

Edited February 10, 200718 yr by soulmac

Believe It Or Not - billy griffin - atlantic

14561 refosoul Refosoul Rare and Northern Soul Clip library

Anyone got the Billy Griffin 45 on a US issue, I've never been able to find one and only have it on promo with the same "A" and "B" side.

soulmac.

Edited February 10, 200718 yr by soulmac

Thought a bit about this when I was playing some tunes the other day here. I'll upload 5 tunes below which all are suprisingly hard to locate on original US issues (in the cases of Rose, Odyssey and Jackie there are however european copies all over the place). I'm not saying that they are RARE, just that I don't see them up for grabs often, I guess 12" was the order of the day or these tunes just didn't sell much. I really like them though. Was turned onto the Rose Royce track by Tony Turner a while ago and the Jackie Moore one was discussed on here quite recently.

Sebastian , there's a great dancer by Merry Clayton from 1981 called "You Were Always There" that MCA recorded on her as a promo only 7" , I believe, to plug the the Get Smart Movie that Universal released in cinemas that year .

And I'm sure it wasn't on her MCA LP either from around that time ....

Edited February 11, 200718 yr by sunnysoul

I have yet to see a 7" 45 issue of Gwen McCrae's Keep The Fire Burning on US Atlantic. I've seen many deejay copies over the years, but the issue appears to be elusive. Can anyone tell me what's on the other side?

I've got it as well. What a terrific tune "Keep The Fire Burning" is!!!

Edited February 11, 200718 yr by Sebastian

...didn't get a 45 release did it?

Actually, yes it did! and in the UK too - though I only discovered that fact a few years ago. Possibly released as a B-side, I can't remember offhand. Still, you have to have the long version to fully appreciate it.

Edited February 12, 200718 yr by mel brat

Sebastian , there's a great dancer by Merry Clayton from 1981 called "You Were Always There" that MCA recorded on her as a promo only 7" , I believe, to plug the the Get Smart Movie that Universal released in cinemas that year .

And I'm sure it wasn't on her MCA LP either from around that time ....

I'd be VERY interested to hear that!, however "Emotion" takes some beating! Terrific soul.

Anyone else have any suggestions on tricky-to-find late 70s/early 80s tunes by BIG artists on MAJOR labels?

Not a big artist as such, but I've had trouble finding a 7" of "First Things First" by Donna Washington on Capitol since I sold my first copy in 1989. I kept the superb album which contains a longer version of this song, but I'd still like the 7" back someday. (Anyone got one going cheap?)

not majorly big but Len Boone - Love Won't Be Denied is 1. in fact not sure if it's US or British, but i believe i seen many copies of the 12" not enough 7" versions but never seen an American issue if 1 made. one of my all time fav records and a nice disco tune at that