Sunnysoul

But Sebastian , how the hell did it ever appear on that famous compilation of British white 60's RnB bands back in the 80's ????

That's interesting, I had always assumed that the ska / rock steady era had its own accepted well known clubs in various pockets of the country , like the Wheel or the Mojo but perhaps on a smaller scale, where skins would congregate on the weekend, or was skinhead culture really just a localised thing in each city or town where it was really all about just going to pubs or the football or beating up some poor unfortunate and then just playing their ska records at home ?

Always wondered , in that magical period from say 1967 to 1972 , was there ever any ACTIVE interaction between the rare soul scene and the ska/skinhead/suedehead scenes? Obviously there were loads of people in that era who were into different types of music at the same time and would buy various records , and it's well known that your typical skinhead at that time was just as happy playing a Motown Chartbusters LP as much as their latest Trojan 45 purchase or whatever .... But I'm very curious to know, were there ever any identifiable groups of skinheads (and I don't mean one or two isolated individuals) that would go to the Wheel in Manchester one weekend , and then the next weekend go to a ska do somewhere else in the country ? And vice versa, were there groups of soulies that would have one foot in each camp ?

What do you mean ? You threw it off the side in a fit of disgust at the prices !!!!

Pete , innocent but serious question here, and this is not meant to cast any aspersions on you specifically, but as you're a well known and respected dealer, I'm curious as to your opinion ... If a record has cue burn, do you down grade the condition of the record ? In other words if it LOOKS mint but has cue burn do you give it only an Exc grade or VG+ or whatever ... If a dealer sells a record with cue burn but does NOT mention that when he sells it , is the existence of cue burn alone a valid reason for a purchaser to return the record ?

Is this really an issue ? First and foremost I love Soul Music and for the whole of my adult life I have spent loads of time and money acquiring a massive a collection of rare soul vinyl, which is the most obvious manifestation of my passion for the music. I do it for the love of it ! The "ups and downs" of the values of soul records has always been a great talking point for most collectors but really, do most people collect soul records as an "investment" ? Frankly, if my 1000 pound rarities of today are worthless in 20 years time, it makes not the slightest difference to me. And they can gladly bury me with my worthless vinyl ! My point is ... that the music and the records have given me, and will continue to give me, the greatest pleasure in life ... right to the very end. So if you TRULY love Soul Music and collecting Soul Records, should the thought of what they might be worth now, next week, next year or in 20 years time ever really cross your mind ? If anybody is really worried about the future worth of their soul vinyl, or if you want to provide financially for your loved ones in the future, then my friendly advice is very simple: just sell up everything right now and put yourself out of your paranoid misery, so you won't ever die wondering ...

That fantastic LP by the New Sounds on All Platinum with Don't Take Your Love and Sweet Memories amongst many others ... what would be the current market price of a US original ??? (Not the Jap re issue)

Derek , to Down Under , is $10 AUSSIE any good to ya?

Can someone confirm whether there ever was an ODDS AND ENDS LP on TODAY RECORDS featuring Let Me Try on it ???

...... And I should add..... Not only can we enjoy the vocal talent of David Ruffin on thisclip but also appreciate two of the greatest producers & arrangers in soul music, Van McCoy and Charles Kipps !!!

https://youtube.com/watch?v=Xza6w7sZCsY&search=david%20ruffin OK, sit back and marvel at the greatest ever male soul vocalist (IMHO) tear his heart out in one of the greatest vocal performances and songs in the history of popular music !!!

Dorothy Morrison "All God's Children Got Soul" An absolute stormer Mr Godzilla, and got a super rare Aussie 7" release on the Astor label !!!!

Well done lads ! I thought I was alone in appreciating this fantastic Salsoul LP by Eddie Holman ! The whole Lp is a gem, especially, as Sean says, Where Have You Been All My Life , and some top draw ballads too ! Well done lads ! I thought I was alone in appreciating this fantastic Salsoul LP by Eddie Holman ! The whole Lp is a gem, especially, as Sean says, Where Have You Been All My Life , and some top draw ballads too !

Darrell Banks Ike & Tina, Herb & Doris , Larry Laster ... They are all great versions but the ones with the identical West Coast produced backing tracks courtesy of Frank Wilson all give them the nod over Mr Banks's version for danceability In fact that backing track together with Smokey and the Miracles "Whole Lotta Shaking In My Heart" , also produced by Frank Wilson, are two of the greatest backing tracks in the history of soul ... IMHO

Loads of great 80's , Tommy Tate "What gives You The Right", Sonny Charles "Put It In A Magazine" , Don Thomas "How Can I Help But Love You" etc etc . Didn't we have a big thread on this weeks ago ?

Always preferred the flip side to the Case of Tyme's manic "Manifesto" ! '"SOME CALL IT LOVE" Absolute cracking dancer !

Please refresh my memory ... who WAS Arnold Blair ??? Was he rumoured to be Leroy Hutson at one stage ? Thanks in advance

ANN CAUDELL - Longing For You Quick mint .Haunting tune thats going massive...very rare. offers --------------------------------- What is the general price range of this record ?

'THERE GOES THE LOVER" Gene Chandler Superb mid tempo dancer

------------------------------------- At least Pete Smith is being honest about himself, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with JUST being a soul music RECORD collector, so credit to you Mr Smith ... As for Otis Redding, his "Demonstration" 45 is pure classic style stomping NORTHERN SOUL !!!! A bit like Johnnie Taylor's "Changes" , which old timers tell me was massive at the Wheel !!!

Tony, one hundred correct (100%) (not just 90% !!!) on all fronts !!! And Patrice Holloway's cheapie absolutely KILLS AND COOKS Sam Nesbit's "Black Mother Goose" !!! And as much as I rate Phillip Mitchell's massive talent, Mel & Tim's LP version of "Free For All" is way ahead of Price Phillip's !!! In my very humble opinion of course.

"It's Got The Whole World Shaking" Sam Cooke A monster in waiting !

Yes, but exactly WHO was in this apparently bogus line-up of the Dramatics ??? I have copies of Blues & Soul and Black Music from the time and they never clearly stated what the personnel was on this record ?

Well done Tony, yes, you sussed that what I wrote was meant to be bit tongue in cheek, and a little provocative.... I think I knew which regulars on here would bite at it !!! By the way, which WAS the one original composition on Dusty In Memphis ?

For once, I find myself agreeing with Ken ... IMHO Dusty is/was way overrated as a vocalist. Take her supposedly classic Dusty in Memphis LP, every track on that LP was a cover and every one of them had - either before or after her - been done in superior style by, dare I say it, "authentic" US soul artists . The LP's reputation had more to do with Jerry Wexler's production suss and the fact that she had become the darling token "white girl who could sing soul" of rock music critics of the time, a bit like a softer version of Janis Joplin. Actually , the Dusty in Memphis LP was a commercial failure at the time , barely scraped into the charts , the general record buying public just didn't buy it ... and of course Aretha , Gladys Knight and most of the other truly great female soul artists were deservedly selling records in bucketloads at the time .... And her LP in Philly with tracks such as Silly Silly Fool WAS admittedly a very good one, probably her best work, but it was more a testament to Gamble & Huff's writing and production talent than Dusty's vocal treatment. Yes, Dusty's version of What's It Gonna Be IS superior to the original by Laura Greene but again , it's the great backing track that is the star rather than Dusty and I also believe that the backing track was recorded in the US with Garry Sherman , who was of course Jerry Ragavoy's production cohort, and Garry Sherman could make ANYONE sound good !!!! Sorry , the best I can say is that Dusty was occasionally pretty good , but of the other UK females Cilla Black , Lulu and Helen Shapiro had greater vocal talent if we are all being honest , and then you have others like Julie Driscoll who were truly brilliant ...