Rick Cooper

Eddie Parker- Love You Baby - Ashford 1

Junior McCants- Try Me For Your New Love, and Darrell Banks- Open The Door To Your Heart on UK London are usually confirmed as no known issue. Assume this is still the case. Both have a good explanation for this,so must be a safe bet for non existing issue copies. Never seen Holly St James on issue, unfortunately seen demos and even worse, heard it. Rick

Not true, Paul Mooney (reply 46) is spot on. Imported records were supposed to have an MCPS sticker on them to show copyright was paid. At Global Records we used to put a couple of sheets of the stickers in the box when a new customer ordered some US records, but then "forgot" with their next order. Also any US Columbia record sold in the UK was supposed to have any mention of "Columbia" obliterated as EMI owned the Columbia name in the UK. Again this was done for a suspicious looking new customer but very rarely done unless EMI lawyers were getting twitchy. The holes in singles were done on a pillar drill with the singles in a twenty five count box ,the melted vinyl was just due to the heat caused by the drill bit. I've never heard of the heated needle theory, sounds a bit dangerous and impractical. Cut corners or a saw kerf on LP sleeves were done on woodwork type machines, again box and all. Little indie labels that didn't take returns or sell off returned stock didn't drill their singles. Rick

Roger The Cliff Nobles " Horse" demo looks as though it's one sided, so was there a demo of "Love is All Right" before this as I thought the Horse was the B side originally. The story was that radio DJs flipped "Love is All Right" for "The Horse" which would be tricky for a J/G single sided demo Rick

Ian What condition are they in? I never found any mint demos of big hits. The ones I've seen were all in a really bad state. I went to a couple of US radio stations in the 70s and the DJs would throw the unsleeved singles around without a care. Any chance of scans of some of yours Rick

Outside of the northern soul titles some of the rarest demos of cheap records could be of million sellers. Just plucking three at random has anyone got any of these on demo; Wilson Picket "In the Midnight Hour", Otis Redding "Dock of the Bay", Johnnie Taylor "Whose Making Love". If there are any around I bet there trashed. They may not be expensive but probably hard to find in nice condition. Rick

Last weekend there was an article about collectible stamps in a "money" section of a newspaper. The main point was how stamps in the Stanley Gibbons price guide rarely sell for the book price. An example was one booked at £175 sold for £6. One collector prices his stamps at between a third and a tenth of the book price. Someone at Stanley Gibbons said prices were for the best condition examples. Prices for the rarest stamps in mint condition still fetch huge sums, now what does that remind me of? Rick

Hi Kegsy As I was responsible for the Carstairs re-press I'd like to say it was down to painstaking negotiations, trans-Atlantic phone calls and a perfectly timed sales campaign, but it was done by writing Red Coach RC 802 x 1000 on an order and sending it off to the US. simples. This was when I worked at Global in Manchester. For those who don't know about Global (not you ,Kegsy) it was an importer in Manchester owned by Ed Balbier from Philly who at the end of the 60s had a warehouse full of singles worth nothing in the US but big bucks over here. He would have liked to have sold only C+W albums but couldn't resist soul singles . This was not done too well ,Selecta Disc did pressings better, Soul Bowl had the best originals and Record Corner quicker at new releases. However the Carstairs was one small success. I would order the singles stock from the US companies, mainly oldies from the major labels double sided hit re-issues series. These had a few northern sides , such as Linda Jones "My Heart...." James Carr, O'Jays and Motown oldies but were not done for the UK. When Ian Levine started playing 70s stuff I would try to order some titles from one of Global's US suppliers. This was Price Rite Record Corp at Island Park N.Y. who got us the smaller label stock. One day I thought I'd order RC 802 to see what would happen. Six weeks or so later 1000 copies turned up. I don't know how Price Rite did it, I suppose they just asked Red Coach . As Global didn't have an exclusive deal on the record Record Corner and Selecta could also get it. Price Rite also got the Oscar Perry Perri-Tone tracks ,Danny Reed, Lost Family, the two Nasco tracks and Tradewinds singles for us but these weren't pressed up just for the UK they were just the regular stocks. As other people have said the CSP, Okeh. RCA and other records were done for the UK following requests from over here. US labels would do anything if there was a profit in it . However UK labels wanted to keep tight control of everything and the execs were scared of letting anyone show them how out of touch they were by giving Selecta Disc northern titles. I think the special US re-presses were sold as exclusive to whoever ordered them but it would have been pointless to try to get them after Selecta or whoever had flooded the market. The exception to this was Jamie/Guyden who sold to everyone. Jamie did a re-press for Global of two Barbara Lynn records that we sold to a shop in Amsterdam. I tried to get Atlantic to press up Pointer Sisters "Send Him Back" but the rights had gone to Blue Thumb, which is unusual as Atlantic rarely let anything out of there grasp. I don't think there's any doubt the re-presses were legal. The artists may not have got anything but probably there would not have been any monies due as the advance and recording costs were still payable Rick

Walt Khan ,the records producer, did the instrumental mix of "I'm Not Strong Enough" and when I went to collect the tape at his studio there was a demo of Life framed on the wall. I told him that the record was known about in the UK. He didn't really seem too bothered about this and I didn't ask him much else. It's strange that even the records producer didn't have a stock copy in late 1975. Rick

Dave Thanks for your help again, they are all the ones I have on the old tape. The Sir Shambling site is a great help once I know the artists name. Rick

Thanks for your help with these two. The James Barnett track sounds like a duo but must have been Rick Hall messing about in the studio. Track 8 is Bobby Harris (there's an MP3 on the Sir shambling site).

From an old cassette of some 60s US singles I need some help to identify the artists and labels for these: 6. "Have a Heart" Male vocal and backing singers Lyric sample: Hello baby whats on your mind/ What's the use of treating you nice and kind/ Cause when a man loves a woman like I love you 7."The Right to Love You" Male vocal ,guitar and horns Lyric: Baby I don't want to be the one that hurts you/ Baby I don't want to be the one that causes you pain 8. "That's When I'll Stop Loving You" Male vocal (sounds like Sam Cooke) Lyric; Believe me when I tell you darling/ I ain't never gonna stop loving you/ I know, I know, I know/ When the wind no longer blows/ When the stars no longer glow 9. "Take a Good Look" Male duo, with horns Lyric; Take a good look/ Take your last look/ At the man who once loved true 10."Don't Go Away" Male vocal ,guitar intro and horns Lyric; Don't go away you don't know how I need you/ Don't go away I need someone to cling to/ Can't you see I'm crying/ feel like I'm dying. thanks Rick

Dave , The Frankie Lee is the right song but not the version I have so must be Reuben Bell. Hopefully I'll be able to get hold of a copy of this and the others now I know what to look for. thanks Rick

Bob Thanks for your help. John"Rootman" Henry is probably the one I have but could be J P Robinson as I can't find a soundclip. Either way I know what to look for now. Rick

Dave Thanks for your help. Bobby Mac and Dellie Hoskie on Noble are the ones, I remembered them as soon as I saw the names. John Henry is the right song and singer but the version I have is slower than the Amber Antique one. Nightingales not the same but I'll listen again. "Wrong Girl" by Betty Wright should be on YouTube but a quick look hasn't shown anything. The song is about a boy and girl who fall in love then find out they are brother and sister which should narrow it down. thanks Rick

I found an old cassette compilation of some US singles that were big in the Netherlands clubs and parties in the late 70s. I only listed the titles so haven't a clue who some of them are by. Found quite a few on Refosoul but would be grateful for any help with identifying artists and labels of these:- 1. "Say It" ( not J J Barnes or Masqueraders) Male vocal with horns and strings Lyric sample If you found someone who loves more than I do then just say it say it say it (Wilson Picket type growls) 2."Lovin on Borrowed Time" (the William Bell song but done similar way to Mitty Collier version ) Male vocal , backing singers, horns, guitar intro Lyric I'm caught in a love trap, captive to your charm 3."The Wrong Girl" Female vocal and backing singers Lyric He walks the streets at night, his shadows follow him in the moonlight. Chorus: he fell in love with the wrong girl 4. "May the Best Man Win" Male with female singers, piano intro and horns Lyric You say that you really love him and I know that you care a little bit about me, You can't make up your mind 5. "How Much Can a Man Take" (not Big John Hamilton) Male vocal , guitar intro and organ Lyric I have a woman, she treats me so mean. There are another 5 or 6 but this will do for a start. I think all were on small US labels from mid sixties to early seventies. Hope someone can help. Rick

I've not got them now but bought these from Oldies Unlimited in Telford around 1977/78; Stone Records:- Precisions- If This is Love Precisions- Instant Heartbreak Precisions- A Place Timmy Willis- Mr Soul Satisfaction Eddie Parker- Love You Baby Multiple copies of all of the Stone releases Brunswick:- Billy Butler- I'll Bet You Warner Bros:- Ben Aitken- Satisfied All these were found scattered through thousands of US singles so how did they get there. At Global Records a huge shipment of mixed US singles included about 50 copies of the Eddie Spencer record (about 20 of them cracked in two).Again why did Canadian issues turn up in the US. Did US companies pick up overstocks from Canada or did Canadian labels ship stuff to US shops. Anyone else find Canadian records in bulk in the US ? Global Dog Productions web site has some Canadian label listings https://www.globaldogproductions.info/ Rick

And here's one for all you dentists out there............... Obviously this is before the soul era but is typical of the blues and R n B music that so outraged parents of white kids who started listening to black radio stations in the 50s. To get plays on the major soul radio stations labels had to clean up such smut but some still got through. Rick

Can't speculate who Manship is referring to but if he had been selling the record in 1975 I would have qualified as the only other person in Europe to own a copy but ,alas , not as the worlds No 1 DJ, more like 101st. If anyone's interested in the history of the Showstoppers test pressing the early part is that I was given two copies by Irvin Weinroth, owner of Showtime and Partytime after I had leased "Ain't Nothing But a Houseparty" for Global's Cream label. I gave one away and kept the other for a few years then sold it with a load of others to either Rod or Francis T. I think Neil Rushton got either one of these copies or the third one from Irvin when he put it out on Inferno. If I remember correctly both copies I had were slightly warped but not cracked and were vinyl white label pressings with no writing on. The record shown on a Youtube video of "Gotta get Closer" which claims to be a Partytime demo looks strange to me as Irving said the record had never been issued . I don't think there would be any more copies as when I had the Cream records pressed the pressing company always sent three test copies. This could be the usually number that all pressing companies would do as standard. If Manship knows of three copies does anyone know , or have a wild guess, who has the other copy outside Europe. Rick

Oops,,, Sorry Robb. I wasn't seriously saying Simon lives in the desert , it was just an example of somewhere away from mainstream society with no internet, google , facebook, twitter and soul source . I could have said a beach hut in Norfolk but that would have been asking for trouble, Rick

I have a few old Simon Soussan lists and this is one of the best examples of his style. It's from June 1973 so could be just before he got into bootlegging big time but when he had started going off into the realms of fantasy. Award yourself points if you can identify all the fictitious titles listed . The claim at the end of the list that he ran a northern soul club in L A where 700 people attended sounds dubious. I couldn't imagine young kids in 73 wanting to hear 60s soul music. To get back to the original question of this thread I think it's strange that Simon never re-appeared 15 or so years ago trying to flog his bootlegs, dodgy instrumentals or even write his memoirs (file under fiction). If he had died he was enough of a bit player in the US record business that it would have been reported or at least someone like Ian D would have heard something. Maybe he is a repentant sinner and lives a simple life in a log cabin in the Arizona desert, but this seems unlikely . However until someone finds out where he is , like it or not, the speculation will go on. Like a lot of villains, of all types, they seem to hold a fascination with the public. Rick

Spot on Kev. How could I ever doubt you? Here's the first Casino add to list Paul Anka as Johnny Caswell "Can't Help Lovin' You" from Blues and Soul No 137 June 18th 1974. Interesting advert as it also lists some of Soussans instrumentals that he made.Did they all get an issue for general sale? In the same issue Frank Elson writes up his interview with Simon Soussan so it must have been about the time he made his infamous visit to the Mecca and his DJ spot at the Casino. Rick

Russell Thanks for putting the link up. It may be simple but only if I knew what paste and url mean.....!!!! Rick.

This may have been posted about before, but if anyone hasn't seen it yet take a look at Robs Big City Soul recent You Tube video. Could be his best yet. Not sure how to put a link up but search for "Chuck Jackson Hand it Over" and click on the entry for Rob. Worth looking at his other stuff as well. Rick

This album and the others in the series would have been imported from Europe by Conifer Records. They had a sales force who sold to most of the record chains in the UK but probably not the small one man shops. The titles they stocked mainly came from the Netherlands, France and Germany, and would be from the Capitol and Liberty back catalogue plus some specialist Classical music labels. UK EMI didn't seem to bother issuing old recordings but demand in Europe seemed to be enough to make it profitable to issue these US recordings. For example UK EMI had a "Best of" Julie London record but Europe had every Liberty LP she made available (at least 12 titles). I think they allowed fairly generous sale or return for shops, and the overstocks and returns ended up in Woolworths . They sold for about £4.50 compared to the UK companies mid price range at £3.00 to £3.50, but probably a lot less in Woolies. There wasn't much Soul product, most of it being 1940 to early 60s MOR, Jazz , Big Band and Pop . Rick