Roburt

When I was still in school (early 65) and was an aspiring mod (saving up to buy the 1962 Lambretta 175 I bought a few months later), I went to a local 'art student' run disco (one of the art student's dads had a brick shed standing empty in Bentley & he allowed the lads to do it up as a disco & open to all & sundry). Anyway, one of the 45's I recall being played in the early weeks was Goldie & the Gingerbreads "Can't You Hear My Heartbeat" and this was quite popular for a short while (it even made the UK Pop Top 30 which is why it was probably dropped instantly as a play at the club). It's strange coz it was very 'white' sounding and became (at about the same time as G&G's version hit the UK charts) a big US hit for Herman's Hermits. It was (I believe) a UK 45 B side to HH's big UK chart hit "Silhouettes". If we had known that HH's had cut the song it would never have been spun in the 1st place (HH being considered just about the naff-ist of all UK pop groups). I wonder if G&G's record was ever played at the Mojo or Wheel; guess not.

Going off topic a bit, but is the story of the Superlatives well documented anywhere (in the booklet notes of an Ace / Kent Westbound CD maybe) ?? Any pointers as where I could look much appreciated. It seems that Butler Abney, Dynamics Records it's releases & artists weren't really interested in breaking much outside Detroit as none even get a mention in any editions of Billboard mag. The Superlatives get a passing comment in a big Billboard piece on Westbound Records in late 1974 .... but the main thrust of that info is how the 'Westbound guys' (Boladian & Mendelson) jumped in when Motown quit the city and signed up many black acts that had a good club reputation across the Michigan to Illinois areas. When they had product out, Boladian would visit radio stns such as WJLB, WCAB, WGPP and even CKLW in attempt to secure airtime for the label's new 45 (or LP tracks). Armen Boladian's 1st break in the mid 60's seemed to be the profile he established getting behind "You're The One" by the Vogues on Co & Ce when he was ordering stock at a local record distributors. By 1969, he was president of Detroit's Record Distributors Corporation and he started Westbound at about the same time.

RE: an uptempo version of the old Walker Brothers hit "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine Anymore". ......... Dave ...... don't you really mean an uptempo version of the regional US Frankie Valli hit (it was his 1st solo release even though it was cut at a 4 Seasons studio session).

FOLLOW ON FROM POST # 106 ...... When I used to visit F L Moores (both at the old house & then when they moved into the town centre above a row of shops -- where they were based by April 1970), I only ever remember seeing soul 45's ....... mind you, that was all I was looking for. I guess (from the US ad they placed) that they would have been offered US 45's (& LP's) of all genres, I just don't recall this being the case back then. Anyone buy non soul US vinyl off them in the late 60's or early 70's ?? By the way, I can recall visiting them at their new premises in early April 1970 really vividly. I took a copy of the new edition of B&S with me (to pass the time on the long rail journey). In that, I read the obit the mag published for Tammi Terrell. So the 1st thing I asked for upon arriving at the shop was any solo T.T. 45's that they had in stock. Anyone know when they moved premises ??

RE: The closure of the Wheel coincided with the influx of millions of 45s being brought in from the states by Bostocks,F.L.Moores etc. F L Moores (in Leighton Buzzard) was going way before the Wheel closed. I left WRCC in Wakefield & joined BR at Dony around 1968. That meant I got free train travel after a few weeks service. I used to catch the train down to Leighton Buzzard (via Kings X & Euston), visit F L Moores in the old detached house up the road from the station & buy in a stock of import 45's (I recall Soul Bros 6 "You'd Better Check Yourself" being a biggie for me). Then it was train to Manc & into the Wheel to double my money by selling the singles I'd just picked up at F L Moores. Only trouble was (in the early months), I'd be buying the 45's I knew (& which I knew I could sell copies of) rather then any of the 'then unknown to me' gems that were also on the shelves in Leighton Buzzard. FROM a 60's BILLBOARD MAG ............... ad placed 3 weeks running from early November 68 .....

He did a cut with a Belgium woman; Sofie (I Wanna Know What Love Is") but think that was CD single only (though probably limited availability for club DJ's as a vinyl promo). Then there's the UK only Motown 12" promo of tracks off his Beverly Glenn LP ... but that doesn't match the description of it having a black label.

I agree with Keith above. Back around 64, it was a mod scene (in the north & midlands at least) so the top sounds were by the Small Faces, Who, Georgie Fame, Zoot Money, Cliff Bennett, Spencer Davis (though lots of their stage acts were soul covers). US tracks by the likes of Len Barry, Mitch Ryder & DW plus the Soul Survivors (a mixed race group but we thought they were white back then) were also played everywhere. You even got instrumental orchestral tracks such as "Cast Your Fate to The Wind" becoming club biggies. The club play list seemed to change quite quickly as 65 kicked in but it was still nowhere near being NS orientated as the big tracks became things like "Jump Back", "Walking the Dog", "You Don't Know Like I Know", "Ride Your Pony", "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" & "You Got What It Takes, etc.

Another really big Mojo track was Willie's US Hi 45 "Oh, Baby You Turn Me On" ....... don't think I ever heard that played in a club after the Mojo closed. The Mojo had a very big influence on most soul clubs in the Yorkshire area. If a track was spun at a Mojo niter, it would be play listed at clubs in Dony, Gooole, Scunny & Hull within a week. Some clubs (guess the Wheel had a similar effect in Lancs) were truly all powerful with regard to their effect on their surrounding area.

Available in both printed & electronic formats on US Amazon (only Kindle in the UK as of now) ..... A new book by 'Pip' William Guest ..... Midnight Train From Georgia: A Pip's Journey Should interest soul folk with taste, such as Bradford's Mr. Kegsy.

When 45's like Gene Chandler's "Nothing Can Stop Me" (on Soul City) & all the reactivated Motown 45's started hitting the UK Pop Charts, all the British Record Companies woke up to their soul 'back catalogue' (though by 69 / 70 some labels had lost the rights to certain tracks that had put out in the mid 60's). To press up a 45 & put it out there without any promotion at all cost next to nothing from the likes of EMI, Decca, Polydor, etc. So they had very little to lose if say Jamo Thomas's "I Spy" or an old Chess or Bell track did next to nothing when reactivated. For every re-release 45 that just sold enough copies to cover the new pressing costs, loads (Tams, O'Jays, Tami Lynn, Fascinations) made enough to keep the Accounting Dept. very happy. Of course, the blunderbuss effect soon kicked in & just about any soul dance track they had the rights to was put out.

"Scratchy" certainly seemed to fit the bill at the Wheel back in the day (well we all danced to it & went looking for copies of the 45) ..... but it may well have been more of a Wheel record than a general big sound on the scene back then. I certainly don't recall it being played at the Mojo or the Nite Owl (though that don't mean it never was). ............ certain sounds were just linked with a particular club ...... At the Mojo, really big sounds in 66 / 67 included Stevie Wonder's "Love A GoGo", Billy Stewart's "Exodus", Brenton Wood's "Gimme A Little Sign" (though that one probably died as a mod club fave when it hit the UK 45 Pop Chart Top 10) and the Artistics "I'm Gonna Miss You". Don't really recall any of those being played at the Owl or Wheel at all (or much at any later clubs).

One of St Louis' finest soul groups are still going strong ........... ... the Caesars have a big concert coming up in 3 weeks time in Brentwood (a suburb of St Louis). Hope they still perform this classic (Imp's inspired) track ...........

Syl's version was always a big MS club spin (going back to the early 80's at least). Of course, it got disco spins in the UK from it's initial UK release date but the 'specialist club' scene here didn't take it up immediately (well not as I recall).

Getting a bit off track now, but Lola Falana spent some time in Italy in the mid to late 60's. Here she learnt to speak the local lingo & appeared in films. She also appeared on Italian TV dancing & singing ............... here she duets with a 'known' guy ...........

Fluffy was the sibling of exotic dancer / singer / actress Lola Falana (their father was Cuban by birth). Lola was cutting records from the mid 60's and in the 70's was married to Butch Tavares (of the Chubby & the Turnpikes + some other nondescript group). The Alpha label (& Don-El Records) was owned by Philly real estate guy Donald White.

The only mention he ever managed in Billboard mag was this 45 review ............

Lots of UK cover versions were played back in the Mojo / Wheel days. Mainly coz the acts (Alan Bown, Geno W, Jimmy James, Joe E Young, Ferris Wheel, Chris Farlowe, Zoot Money, etc) were booked into the clubs on a regular basis so it was only natural that their records would be spun as well. The big game back then was to listen to 'New Religion' or a Geno LP and then go looking for the original US version. Loved all the tracks on 'New Religion' and got copies of most of the originals (JJ's LP notes writer made it earlier by name checking many of the US artists). Still remember going through the old 45 stock at a Hull record shop that was selling up it's back stock & coming across a Stateside 45 with the title "Michael" .... snapped it straight up & took it home to play. Sure enough it was the original to my fave song from Geno's stage show.

. some MOC 45 releases ......... 659 Jerry Arnold - General Washington, Sir / Honey Babe (10/1964) 660 Reggie Young - Eb Tide / Mister Chain 661 The Scepters - Little Girls Were Meant To Love / Love You Baby, All The Time 662 One Plus One (=Don Bryant & Miriam Bittinum) - Love's Gonna Live Here / Been So Long 663 Tommy Jay - Springtime's Coming / I Don't Care Anyway 664 Norm West - Hey, Little Girl / Baby, Please 665 Big Amos (Amos Patton) - I'm Gone / Going To Vietnam (1965/6 ?) 666 Finley Brown - I Can't Get No Ride / Like I Love You 667 Better Sweet - I Can't Do It By Myself / Like The Flowers 668 Bad & Good Boys - Fire / We Got Soul 669 Terry Fox - Leave Us Alone / Belinda 670 Big Lucky Carter - Stop Arguing Over Me / Miss Betty Green (1969, feat. speech by Ann Peebles) 671 Crazy Horse - Love / High On Lovin' 672 Sam Mosley - Charlie Tuttle / You've Got It 673 Big Lucky Carter - I've Been Hurt / Goofer Dust 674 The Melodics - Ain't That Sharing My Love / I'd Never Thought I'd Lose You MOC # 660 & 664 were supposedly released in October 64 (according to a piece in Billboard). HOWEVER, a similar piece in the mag stated in July 1965 that MOC # 661 had just been released. The MOC 45's share the same track numbering system as Hi Records releases. MOC # 667 features track # Hi 2540 whilst Hi 2151 (Willie Mitchell's "Up Hard") has # Hi 2534 with Hi 2157 (Ann Peebles "Walk Away") being # 2550 MOC # 670 features track # 2558. The Willie Mitchell 45 dates from September 1968 with the Ann Peebles single escaping around April 1969. So that would date MOC # 667 (Better Sweet) as being released around December 68 with the Finley Brown 45 (MOC # 666) coming out just (a month or so ?) before that. If you have the Hi track number from the Finlay Brown 45 (which I'd guess is around Hi 2536) then it's possible to date it more accurately. Finlay Brown was on Enterprise (with "Double Dealin Woman") by October 71.

Pity that the Icemen's "How Can I Get Over a Stone Fox Like You" ain't up on youtube.

A Canadian copy of Aubrey Mann's "I Need Your Loving Tonight" ......... ... I only have it on the very similar looking Bajan 45 ........ both versions use an imaginative catalogue number ....... ABC 12345 !!!

. and Aubrey also tackles a few NS & old soul classics in his live act ....... (he's helped out by some other locals on a few songs here) ..........

Aubrey live ......... doing Lew Kirton's MS outing "Talk To Me" ....

More uptempo & a bit on the funky side ......... Aubrey "I Can't Make It Alone" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Va53C2ooSVc

.. and yet anuda un .......... "I'm Still Here" ..........

More from Aubrey ........... ... "Ain't Whats On A Woman" .......