ROCK CANDY: Alone With No Love - THE TRUE STORY

[Gene-R]

Nice to see one of my personal faves "Alone With No Love" by Rock Candy being re-activated. But how many of you know the true story behind the record? Well, for those who don't, then the simple answer is Alone With No Love is NOT by Rock Candy!! Puzzled? Then read on...........

Dontee 101 was released as "Alone With No Love" - The Contemplations/"Alone With No Love" - The Dontee Studio Band. According to the matrix, the tracks were cut on the 19th August 1969 - I assume it was released shortly after this date. Anyway, a year and a half down the line, along came funk/soul group Rock Candy, who cut just one track for Dontee, "I Don't Think I'll Ever Love Another". This became the A-side for Dontee 103, in February 1971. As Rock Candy had nothing to put on the B-side, a shrewd source from Dontee used "Alone With No Love" by the Contemplations, stuck it on the B-side, and credited it to Rock Candy!!!

So there we have it; proof that Rock Candy's "Alone With No Love" is really The Contemplations cut from 1969. There are very, very few copies of the Contemplations in circulation, and none of them are anywhere near Mint. I've been told that if a Mint copy were to turn up, it would certainly sell for around £750. The biggest selling point of this issue is the stunning B-side which is, quite simply, the instrumental backing track with a lot of the reverb removed. When I bought my copy earlier this year, it was the first time I had heard it since Kev Draper played it at Peterborough in 1983!! (reaches for the box of tissues)

I have no idea what the "Rock Candy" issue goes for these days, but I know it's much more than the £8 I sold my copy for 10 years ago!! By the way, when buying the Rock Candy issue, beware of thin vinyl lookalike bootlegs, pressed in the late '70s. They have a matt paper label (not gloss), and the matrix engravings are faint. The original, on the other hand, is pressed on thick vinyl, a semi-shiny label, and distinct engraved matrix.

Hope this has made interesting reading. Here's a scan of Dontee 101 for the label enthusiasts.

Gene

[Chalky]

The Contemplations was brought up on another forum after Marco played it out at the Lifeline rare soul event of the year ;-) At the time of discussion John Manship had one on his website at £500.

Rock Candy just been sold for $271 (approx £150) on ebay, think it was the easier blue label too but not 100%, crazy!!

[Gene-R]

Actually, one sold on Ebay this morning for $93 - went to a collector in Japan! See the attached link:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...e=STRK:MEBDW:IT

Gene

[Gene-R]

In addition, it's not worth doing a search for "Rock Candy" on Ebay, unless you want one of the many copies of "Big Rock Candy Mountain" always available!

Gene

[Chalky]

Actually, one sold on Ebay this morning for $93 -  went to a collector in Japan!  See the attached link:

https://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewI...e=STRK:MEBDW:IT

Gene

What colour is the label?? My eyes must be suffering after the weekender still :-)))

[Gene-R]

It's the light blue issue, Chalky.

Gene

[Chalky]

It's the light blue issue, Chalky.

Gene

I though it was ;-) This design been booted too.

Big difference in price between the last two sold, $271 and $93.

Seems to be a few big variations lately, Bobby Kline another with approx a £1000 between two within about a week of each other.

[Guest]

Manship's copy came via my old mucker Ian Seabrooke and was almost mint so there! :-)

[Guest]

And your point is?

[Dave Abbott]

I think his point is that the first post said that of the small qty of Contemplations in circulation none of them are anywhere near mint. And his mate had a nr mint one.

And so have I! :-)