Sunnysoul

And we should all note Martin that your last played clip is ... Bobby Brown "My Prerogative" !!!

I'm sure that over the years I've seen somewhere, probably on ebay, that Frank Beverly and the Butlers "If That's What You Wanted" got a release on a local Greek label, and with a picture sleeve too ! So that's something that you may want to keep an eye out for if you see any little old Greek ladies having a car boot - or donkey back - sale !!!

So, Duke and Leonard has never really had any major plays previously on the scene ?

Boba, I think you have just hit the nail on the head as to why many so UK soul sellers - including many on this site - are so often bemoaning the lack of sales in recent times. It's quite noticeable how many soul collectors from outside the UK have mentioned to me that they simply won't buy soul records from UK sources any longer, period. And the most often cited reason is the dreaded UK "EX(cellent)" grading, usually based on the Record Collector (UK) system . As you've just mentioned, in the minds of many UK sellers, the absolute lowest grading is a VG !!!! And that more often than not looks like it has been run over by a truck !!! One might ask whatever happened to the GOOD/FAIR/POOR gradings !!! That, coupled with the fact that so many UK soul sellers appear to be to be stuck in a mind-set regarding record values .... a mind-set that says that the value of a soul record will always be what it was at its highest ever point , without regard to current demand or popularity or quantity. These days, unless a record is a one off, or there appear to be only a handful in existence, one is far better off to be patient and wait for a copy to turn up on (US) ebay (even taking into account all of ebay's many faults and pitfalls) and bid on the open world market where the US Dollar is far weaker than the UK pound, but where the grading - generally speaking - tends to be far more conservative and fairer and there is far less occurrence of other nasty factors such as cue burn or worn out record grooves that you often come across with records that have spent 30 or 40 years doing the rounds of UK northern soul collectors and dealers.

Yep, that's the one Godz, cheers .

I'm sure Pete Smith will jog my memory as it will take me ages to dig the record out of my storage lock up, but I have a beautiful Aussie Astor 45 release of a version of I'm Gonna Run Away done by an English girl, quite reasonable too, think it would have been on Pye in the UK. What's her name then, Pete ?

You're looking at 300 UK GBP for the Aussie Marcia Hines 45 , Mr Dog, and in the same breath I always get asked what the Aussie Gloria Scott 45 is worth these days and I say at the very least 600 UK GBP. The Aussie Gloria Scott 45 is truly an incredibly rare record no matter what the odd dismissive soul has said on this forum in the past .

Pete, you've been very active in recent times yourself buying Aussie label releases on ebay ?

Anyone got a nice mint copy of this on a label perfectly named for the northern soul scene !

Excellent and original version of the Patti Austin tune on Coral. Val's is much grittier and with an Rn B flavour and deserves some plays. On US RCA about 30 UK GBP but, in its rarest and most desirable form, namely an Aussie black RCA release you are looking at 100 UK GBP at least !!!

Download Video Youtube Link Does this really need an introduction ? One of the greatest soul records sung by one of the greatest soulsters , introduced and accompanied by Burt Bacharach himself on Burt's own TV special ! Enjoy !

Does this really need an introduction ? One of the greatest soul records sung by one of the greatest soulsters , introduced and accompanied by Burt Bacharach himself on Burt's own TV special ! Enjoy !

Ask Ken, he's the expert on this , and there's a long thread from months ago on this very subject !!!

That's interesting because, and correct me if I'm wrong, Swamp Dogg worked with them by writing and producing some of their superb but criminally overlooked late 60's sides on Atco like "New York City" , right ?

Absolutely Tony ! In fact , I am more than happy to defer to you on this subject !!! And when I get my book finished on the complete guide to Australian released soul / rnb/ funk / disco releases 1955 - 1985 , it will astound many as to what was actually released Down Under !!! Christ, it's annoying when your computer wipes out something you've been spending an age on !!!

Tony, I would never dream of taking you to task , just prompting a bit of healthy discussion and debate. I must say though that one of the things that has always amused me about "our (soul) scene" is the narrow frame of reference that has always been adopted by those actively participating within the scene. Not accusing you of course but this narrow perspective of the world by soulies so often inevitably leads to the creation of a multitude of myths and legends ! For example, the time honoured phrase "only known copy' ! The "only known copy", that is, in the minds of a few thousand or so soulies existing in several small pockets around the UK at any one time !!! Which inevitably leads us back to the Frank Wilson record !!!! On the balance of probabilities, it is not unreasonable to assert that there just HAVE to be more than two Frank Wilson's in existence, and if they are, they may well be in the hands of persons who neither know of nor care about the northern soul scene and have no interest whatsoever in trumpeting to the world at large that they own a Frank Wilson !!! Same comments apply about the numbers or size of sub-cultures such as the northern/rare soul scene. Those on here who constantly express amazement and throw doubt on Mr Manship's auction prices simply do not take into account that the collecting of soul records has for some time now been a world wide phenomenon, as Mr Manship himself has often said. So, those "silly prices'' that we see being paid at auction are more than likely being paid by people who have plenty of disposable income and for whom paying even a 1000 pounds above what we here would regard as book or market value is really of no concern to them. Good luck to them too, they are enjoying the fruits of their own labours no doubt ! There are also no doubt a great number of soul collectors around the world who have neither the inclination nor the time to waste on a computer looking at websites like Soul Source - or even ebay for that matter with all its various pitfalls - to find a record that they are after. They go straight to the world's best known and reputable soul dealer Mr Manship. Easy. If you've got the money, then why not spend 3,000 on a Manship auction record which we here may think is only worth 750 ? Incidentally , if those in the UK thought that the only "soul'' scene and soul culture in the world in the 60's existed only in the United Kingdom , then think again. Just recently I have established that there was in fact an active and official Tamla Motown Appreciation Society based and operating in Melbourne, Australia throughout the 60's , and run not by UK expats but by Aussies !!!!!!!!! More on this in a future thread !!!! And I have also been lucky enough to get to know some very serious Australian ska and reggae collectors from the late 60's , so I think you had company on the other side of the world at that time Tony !!!! Anyway I've gone way off topic, I'll get my coat and my hat ....

That's interesting logic that you're using here, Tony. I take it you are implying, as general proposition, that there must have been a considerably greater number of soul / girl group collectors than your immediate circle of friends and associates. However , a few weeks back you were apparently insistent that were but a handful of serious ska/reggae collectors around the whole of the UK in the late 60's / early 70's ?

While on this subject, can anyone confirm whether there was ever an official LP issued on Denise Chandler AKA Deniece Williams in the 60's, presumably on Toddlin Town, or even later in the 70's when she became famous, was there ever a vinyl LP of her 6T's output possibly to cash in on her fame? Not as far fetched as it sounds for a small Chicago indie like Toddlin Town, as I have a various artists LP compilation issued by the company in '68 featuring their biggest act Alvin Cash ... I have a vague recollection of someone like girl group expert Gilles Petard writing something on this subject. Wasn't it he who wrote a book or catalogue on LP releases of 6T's girl groups/soul girls ?

Pete, if you have that Gloria Barnes LP for sale, I'm definitely interested in buying ! So feel free to PM me mate ! Cheers !

Just to bring a bit of balance to the proceedings, to all the Aretha non-believers (which is perfectly fine by me by the way, to each his own, as they say in a democratic society!) my own very humble view is that Aretha was/is so far ahead of the rest of all other female soul singers that she is on another planet !!!! The only femme soul singer that could live with Aretha was/is Gladys Knight. In fact I would go as far to say that Aretha was not only the best soul singer male OR female , but probably the greatest black music talent in the history of American recorded music !!! And that includes Louis Armstrong, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, James Brown, Sam Cooke, Marvin Gaye, Michael Jackson etc etc the usual suspects. Anyway, I'll get my coat ......

Tone, excuse the ignorant speculation here but Andy Badale wrote 'We're Living To Give Each Other' which Ruby Winters released on Diamond, correct ? So with all these 'wintry' names is it by any chance possible that Stormy and Ruby were one and the same ? !

Download Video Youtube Link One of my all time favourite soul men, so rare to see any footage of Billy as he died so tragically young, here he is on Bandstand !!! Brill !!! Ten gallon hat and all on his stormer of a classic !!!

Download Video Youtube Link Well, here's the girl who did the other version of Judy Street's What !!! This is nice, grab it as a cheapie on VJ !

Download Video Youtube Link Scared you didn't I ? This is the closest you'll ever get to "seeing" Eddie Bishop ! Chris Montez of course had the hit vocal version ... at least the audience get the haevy hand claps just right !

Does this exist on a 12" ? And what is the current value of the 7" ? Thanks in advance ...