maslar

This doesn't really make sense. Are you saying DB isn't a worthy soul record? I think the TY is ok but to suggest its a better soul record than Revilot 201 or that TY is a better soul singer than Darrell Banks is in my opinion a little much. I know there's no accounting for taste but come on...

I've always thought COTB had a hard edge that most people don't associate with them. Finders Keepers reminds me of earlier stuff like Tricked and Trapped, although like you says its taken one step further. with their later work. and collaboration with Pfunk musicians,

Sounds like a trick question? Is there any reason it wouldn't be recorded at Tower Theatre? I know Dennis Coffey played on Finders Keepers and with regard to Invictus I've only seen him make reference to Terra Shirma and Tower Theatre.

Ah right. I think I got the white label bit mixed up with something else. I know the person who he swapped it with claimed there was at least one other copy so that ties in with what you say about there being a few in existence.

Ben E King ICBTNTM? Wasn't that a white label test pressing? I know the person who owned it and that's what it sounded like by how he described it. I know he swapped it for a certain UK tamla demo he needed to complete his collection.

Reply to both Pete S and Paultp I understand what you're both saying but from a collecting point of view it raises a number of issues. Especially with a release such as this. As soon as you start splitting it up you're removing the record from it's packaging. In effect it becomes incomplete - not just the set but also the individual record. That's true even if it's in pic sleeve but even more so if the outer packaging is prominent. There's an association between each particular record and the packaging or "box". Even if each record has a value of its own the sum is still usually greater than the parts. The Motown release is an historic release. That makes the "completeness" issue it even more relevant in my opinion.

Why would you split them? A box set is a box-set. That's why it's called a box set. It's a set of records in a box.. I suppose if they all get split up the next logical step would be to collect all the box-set records and then maybe acquire a box to put them all back into. A sort of reconstruction after the deconstruction.. If it's issued as a box set it should stay as a box-set from a collecting point of view. I don't think in any other sphere of record collecting would anyone advocate splitting up a a box-set.

Colette Kelly - City Of Fools. The strangeness (quirkiness) of the lyrics, compounded by the phrasing. The Masqueraders The Grass Was Green - a homicidal love song? I'm Your Pimp?

I think I only bought three, maybe four, soul packs. All advertised in Black Echoes The first was reissues with a lot of dross: Bellboys, Belmonts etc. The best of this bunch was the Carlettes I'm Getting Tired which I think is a legit second issue. The last pack I bought was mainly 70s and all originals. The pick of the bunch was Quinn Harris I'll Always Love you. In between was the one that was the best value to me. All original Detroit including Ric Tic - Little Ann. Al Kent, a few Fantastic Four and Golden World, Adorables Barbara Mercer .etc. Nothing of tremendous value but in terms of musical quality worth every penny I paid for the pack

If I had to choose just one to take on a desert island it would be the Four Tops' Reach Out. For nostalgic reasons as well as well as it's quality.

Don Gardner Cheatin Kind - every riff just about. The Artistics- Girl I Need You - where the strings kick in near the end

After Wigan a few of the guys went to Clifton Hall but I never made it. I had the usual distractions at that time. Looking back I wish I had at least gone a few times. I went to Stafford and Notts Palais but not on an regular basis. Mainly I went to soul nights northern and more contemporary. One of the most unusual soul nights around later was one that happened at Ashbourne with Guy H and Dave E and Guy was playing a lot of his top Stafford stuff. on a Thursday night for just a couple of quid entry. It started off brilliant and then after a while just nose-dived and turned into oldies only. That would be mid 80s.

I went for about the last 18 months fairlry regularly. My last night was the first official last Nighter in September when Tommy Hunt was on. It also left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest. I went up without aticket. For whatever reason I hadn't thought I'd be able to go. The nwith less than a week to go I found I could so I phoned them up and asked what was the best thing to do. I was told I'd get in without a ticket since hardly anyone without one would turn up. I went up with a load of lads from Uttoxter some had tickets and a few didn't.. To cut a long story short some people without tickets managed to get in, including a few of my mates but i was one of those who got stopped when the bouncers realised they could be in for a nice golden handshake. There must have been about thirty of us who were kept outside for what seemed like an eternity. When we asked why we were told the place was packed and it was health and safety. Yes H&S at Wigan. You couldn't make it up. I can still remember Harry Green coming to the door every so often every with a sick smile on his face as if to say are you idiots still here or maybe haven't you tried to bribe your way in yet. The whole thing was just so petty. It really bought home to me the real attitude of the people who ran that place toward the customers:- "Oh by the way did we tell you we think you're a mug". We did get in eventually. They had two more I think after that and some of my mates went to both but there was no way I was going after that. So to answer your question - when it closed for good after the shambles of the shutdown I wasn't that bothered.

I got my copy from Siren Records in the Strand Arcade, Derby. Not sure how they came by stocking it. IIRC it came out after Wigan closed - winter of 1981/2. The big omission was Don Gardner's Cheatin' Kind. Not sure why that wasn't included.

Darrell Banks' OLIITP is and always will be my all time top soul record. It's a record I never get tired of hearing. JJ Barnes a close second but the original is still the greatest.

This is a charity PR disaster. Completely avoidable and entirely of one person's making.

Yup, the thing I remember about it was there was always a copy of Judy In Disguise on Contempo for sale there. Funny how some things just stick in the mind

I was last on the record market in the summer and found quite a lot of soul. But it was nothing particularly exciting (from a vinyl collecting perspective) or priced in a way that would make me want to part with my cash..

Agreed but that goes for most of London i would say. I rarely go record hunting in London anymore. I like OTB and there's a stall in the Stables Market in Camden Town that's ok. Personally, I wouldn't recommend a visitor spending too much time record hunting. Much more interesting things they could be doing with their time.

On The Beat? Would be a shame if that closed. It was open last month. Didn't notice any For Sale signs outside. Edit - just googled. The owner's looking for a buyer to carry the shop on as it is. Seems that that's one of his requirements.

My view, being a fairly regular visitor to London, is that apart form the usual suspects: Soho, Camden Town, Notting Hill/Portobello Road the other fairly central destination would be Spitalfields Market (first and third Friday and second Saturday of the month). This has the feel of a record fair with quite a few dealers. Only a few minutes walk from Liverpool St station.

Only one now.

No Sooty. you ain't got it. I think I want YOU to give it away at Kings Hall on my behalf. For likely recipient see criteria above.

Sooty. Have you still got my free copy? Not flogged it yet?.... Good!X. I'd like to claim it... only not for me.... I'd like it to go to a worthy recipient. I got the idea picturing you at Kings Hall in your Santa outfit (even though Christmas is three weeks away) so I thought, well you might as well give away at least one thing free. Good idea or what? . So I'd like give my copy away as an anonymous pressie. All that I ask is that the receiver is female and roughly half my age - and looks reasonably classy. OK? I'll leave that with you Santa. PS make sure they know its from ME and not you. OK?

This is a nice cheap 70s sound (well I like it). I used to have a copy but it's gone awol. The flip of Lee Charles' "Sittin' On A Time Bomb", Get Your House In Order (1974)