Garethx

I think these two are under-rated and definitely under-booked throughout the country as a whole. There are a couple of major allnighters where the deejay line-up is comprised of those with what I'd call 'nice' records, but they're hardly breaking their own new sounds: in fact at some of these venues the line-ups are interchangeable (each of the deejays could play each others' records and no-one would really notice). Kitch and A. Dyson have always gone that bit further out of their way to try something different, and take musical risks. Their spots display individuality and they're not falling back on records popularised by others over the last decade, which seems to be the bread and butter of the approach at many venues. That's why I singled them out.

As I said above Chalky: Ion to Rob to Searling, all the same copy until the recent ebay examples. Tony Smith will know more about the various deals, I'm sure.

Ian is correct.

edit.

My recollection of it was that Rob had it later in the 80s and maybe early into the 90s Terry, but I'm pretty certain that the record was known from a single copy until the next one turned up in the winter of 2005. The next one after that was last summer, I'm guessing. Think both came from either Phoenix, Arizona or somewhere in Nevada. The Sweets connection would make sense but I don't have a definitive answer on that. Great record and was always something of an event when Rob played You Are My Everything. I had both sides on a cassette and had not heard the other side played in a club until the recent copies turned up.

Hi Currently looking for an issue copy of HI 2314 Jean Plum Here I Go Again / I Love Him in best condition possible. TIA for any leads gareth

Think the Sandi Golden played by Ion, Searling and Rob Marriot was the same copy but can't be 100% sure. The two recent copies were both ebay auctions and both practically minters if memory serves. I can't remember RM spinning When We're All Alone which is maybe the preferred side these days: a version of The Sweets on Soul Town and, for me, the better use of the backing track: sultry femme soul.

Alan Patterson was top notch at Soul Revolution last week and drew high praise from all quarters. Fraser is always a marvel in the deep room at Yarmouth. Remind me who this Jock O'Connor guy is?

Well seeing as the band is called Six Toe and the logotype has an 'e' rather than a 'c' I think it's definitely the Toe label. I'm pretty convinced this is a boot: a rare boot maybe, but a boot nonetheless. Maybe one for the Dutch collectors of southern soul in the 1970s? Pure speculation on the latter point: I would be interested to know what genre the other side is in.

Recent price increase has been sharp and dramatic. I would have said £300, but a mate recently bought one for £600: and that seems to be the established price. Yet another classy group soul record on the label.

Hi Rich this label is TOE rather than TOC.

The Robert Dobyne 45 was released with two title variations: "Can't Get Along Without You" and "I Can't Get Along Without You". I have copies of both. Funny old record: the backing track and song are absolutely wonderful, but the weedy, double-tracked vocals are a bit of a stumbling block for me. This can't be the former member of The Artistics of the same name, can it, as this fellow sounds 100% caucasian. The Maxine Brown version on Commonwealth is one of the great cheapies: a masterpiece, really.

Thanks for the kind words, Reg, but I think my sometimes abrasive personality had led to me falling out with practically everyone who runs a rare soul night in the UK and much of continental Europe. Currently taking bookings for 2009 in the former Soviet Republics and maybe leftist Latin America...

My guess is that the 'Toe' label is some kind of bootleg: two completely unconnected records back to back (the credits on the Six Toe side suggest Detroit and Atlanta connections). I couldn't speculate when it was made or which market it would have been aimed at.

Both Kitch and Andy Dyson are severely under-heard throughout the country as a whole.

A great post, Sean, and sums up what I and and maybe a lot of others feel about the way things are at the moment. I would add that I still go to the odd 'upfront' Northern 'nighter because there are a few deejays who still try very hard to programme good, underplayed soul music on that scene. The dogma, rhetoric and one-upmanship will probably always be a part of that perhaps, but I would hate to think that I was throwing the baby out with the bath water and missing out on great music I hadn't heard before by turning my back on the scene completely.

Hi Sean Do you not agree with me that it's slightly perverse to get a carver done of a track that's already in the public domain via CD, usually with nice artwork, tortuously researched sleevenotes and every i dotted and t crossed legally? The old chestnut of "Northern venues don't have CD players" doesn't really wash when you can buy a second-hand Sony Discman for less than the price of a pint and plug it into the decks. As I state above the pre-release status of such tracks is a different matter: in that case a carver given by the record company to a select band of deejays to raise the profile of a track is a legitimate marketing tool used by the owners of the music.

I should state that before the CD is released a carver of such tracks given to deejays is a perfectly legitimate promotional tool for the record company involved.

Play the CD. Doing a carver of a CD-only 'unreleased' track is perverse and more than a touch embarrassing if you ask me: like pretending you've got an authentic studio disc of it: the adult equivalent of singing into a hairbrush in front of your bedroom mirror. Wasn't it Levine who introduced the idea of making acetates of LP-only tracks at the Mecca with Willie Hutch Lucky To be Loved on RCA?

I think the seller has just forgot to edit an existing listing using the 'sell an item like this one' menu option. They've used the scan that was posted on here. So probably a legitimate sale, but a very sloppy listing which may harm their chances of selling the item for a reasonable price. As Roy Keane is fond of saying: "Fail to prepare: prepare to fail."

Wow... I look forward to seeing that Bob. I have three AA & The Casuals 45s on Dade now but don't have the Rising Sun version of Funky Yolk, so incorrectly assumed they were the same cut. My favourite Arnold Albury & The Casuals track is the sublime My Baby Don't Understand (which came out on two of the Dade 45s): a beautiful, summery, midtempo group sound.

I think the 60s rare soul of the last say, twenty-five years, has been less 'uplifting' than the classic Torch, Wigan and Mecca sounds, so you have a point Jayne. To me the crucial record in establishing the line in the sand was Cecil Washington: it's a lot darker in tone than a lot of what went before it. Of course there will always be exceptions but your point is very valid.

Just sold a copy to a mate for £100. 'Non-mate' rate would be a bit higher, say £125. I think it would sell reasonably quickly at that price.

I was going to say that my experience was that the Suncut 45 was just as common or uncommon as the Kingston 45. I should have also stated that I think Rising Sun were an outgrowth of Arnold Albury & The Casuals. If memory serves The Casuals released Funky Yolk on Dade, did they not?