Just bought a copy of this for a mate on Canadian Deram vinyl single.

Just played it, and the production/sound quality is very bassy and not pleasant to listen to at all.

Listening to the ones on YouTube, they all sound brilliant.

Is it the Canadian copy at fault?

 I must admit that I once bought a load of Canadian Motown 45’s, and they were also terrible sound quality?

You can throw a stone from Detroit and it land in Canada...

Were Canadian motown releases actually pressed in Canada?

Ed

Well I don't specifically remember any Canadian 45's dubbed from American or European 45's that sounded so problematic but I love my records American ! The European ones for their lovely picture sleeves. Not really for playback pleasure if ever and that's that. Other country of releases are not so relevant to me for 'soul' music.

UK 45's dubbed from foreign 45's can be OK when the mastering job after the dub is fair. But most are just pale even then in comparison. Or actually worse very often too. My experience is similar with Canadian dub from foreign releases. But I'm relating to pre 1967 Canadian pressings mostly... Went there few times records crate digging.

Later I've had only a few more 1970's to compare with and to be honest I found them also sounding a bit 'thin' rather. Like British releases actually that I don't like for the same reasons somehow. Using fairly good very silent plastic with less inner groove distortions from the mastering for a cleaner playback but that is actually trimmed down.

Edited February 10, 20223 yr by Tlscapital

20 minutes ago, Tomangoes said:

You can throw a stone from Detroit and it land in Canada...

Were Canadian motown releases actually pressed in Canada?

Ed

Yes they were. The earlier ones (pre 1965) sounded better IMHO. With time less and less. But even some American ones are not always so fabulous sounding. Where others jump out of the speakers BOOOM !

Sorry for hijacking this thread. But seeing that Nothing but a heartache was written and produced by two Brits, is it actually a british production? Might  be old news to most of you but not to me if it was.

19 minutes ago, Benji said:

But seeing that Nothing but a heartache was written and produced by two Brits, is it actually a british production? Might  be old news to most of you but not to me if it was.

       Yes-  it is a British production. 

 From Billboard August 3,1968. "Nothing But A Heartache" came out later that year 

Edited February 12, 20223 yr by The Yank

Thanks. As said didn't know it. And now that I checked the credits on some of their other Deram 45s it seems that all of them were UK productions. You learn something new every day 😉

12 hours ago, Benji said:

Thanks. As said didn't know it. And now that I checked the credits on some of their other Deram 45s it seems that all of them were UK productions. You learn something new every day 😉

Think they had moved here full time by then.

The video for Nothing But A Heartache was shot at an old Abbey in Wales if memory serves.

On 12/02/2022 at 21:31, Benji said:

Sorry for hijacking this thread. But seeing that Nothing but a heartache was written and produced by two Brits, is it actually a british production? Might  be old news to most of you but not to me if it was.

Johnny Harris arrangement. One of the greatest UK arrangers of the 60s. Quite a number of UK-produced 'northern' records were done by him (Although, 'Movin' Away' and John E Paul are the only two I can think of off the top of my head. There are others...). Not that 'Nothing But a Heartache is 'northern' IMO...

10 minutes ago, Joesoap said:

Johnny Harris arrangement. One of the greatest UK arrangers of the 60s. Quite a number of UK-produced 'northern' records were done by him (Although, 'Movin' Away' and John E Paul are the only two I can think of off the top of my head. There are others...). Not that 'Nothing But a Heartache is 'northern' IMO...

Hi Joe , Intrigued by your final comment , this is not in any way a criticism as we all have our views and see things differently ... for me , I have always seen this as one of the all time classic Northern records  , I was wondering why you would not consider it "northern".

Never heard it played on the northern soul scene and AFAIK it never had any profile or popularity on the scene. Believe it was a mainstream radio / minor pop chart hit at time of release in UK . I'd class it with The Love Affair and Foundations,  things like that. Great soul-influenced pop records. Nothing at all wrong with that, but not northern.

3 minutes ago, Carty said:

Hi Joe , Intrigued by your final comment , this is not in any way a criticism as we all have our views and see things differently ... for me , I have always seen this as one of the all time classic Northern records  , I was wondering why you would not consider it "northern".

Am not Carty but to me the Deram Flirtations in the UK were always heard as a 'pop' soul band. Good british pop though. But I never could really relate deeply with the UK sounds anyway. On the northern soul scene many pop records were and are still played. UK or not. For my behalf I must still have few serious "cheesy" 'pop' contenders in my collection. Even if I rarely play them that's true. More linked to memories for keeps maybe...

Oh , Ok , I see   what you are saying , Cant say I  heard It either in the 70s or early 80s when I   was out and about all the time , In do remember seeing it for sale in those days though , I used to think it was a before my time oldie ? would be interested to know wheter or not it got plays in the early seventies . Great record whatever .

Didn't it get popular after it was used in a KFC advert in the early 2000s?

When I started going to cleggy winter Gardens nighters around late 76...Little Darling was massive.

Can't recall the deram tune at all....

Were the Flirtations once the Gypsies of "woman's world" fame?

Ed

1 hour ago, Tomangoes said:

 

Were the Flirtations once the Gypsies of "woman's world" fame?

Ed

   For the most part- Yes. The Deram group contained Ernestine and Shirley from the original group and added Viola Billups (aka Pearly Gates).