Johndelve

I saw her and the band live this week for the third time. As usual, they confirmed my view of them as the finest band out there, bar none. I also enjoy her records/ CDs more than I've enjoyed any new releases for about thirty five years or so. "Making up and Breaking up" and "People don't get what they deserve " from her latest CD are magnificent pieces of music. Lots of people can sing - and Sharon certainly can - but no other act can boast the songwriting ability of Bosco Mann or the constantly superb arrangements on the Dap-Kings' sides.

Ah. That solves it then !

...is, I believe, a pretty hard to get record on the Deep label. It's just come back into my consciousness as I'm just about to re-read the book of the same name by the same author. Is it well known that he was "much" (though the term is relative) better known as a writer than as a singer ? In fact, if I recall, the record is not mentioned in the book at all. All a bit odd...

Well, well. Didn't think it would be quite that easy to fine one...it is pure - and excellent - gospel.

Has this topic been raised before ? I find it interesting. "Rare" is not all the same thing as "In demand". For instance, I own a copy of Screaming Jay Hawkins' 1972 LP " A portrait of a man and his woman" and The Brooklyn All Stars "Jesus loves me" UK President LP from 1967. I don't think either record has any value, and I have never seen the slightest trace of any "demand" for either of them but try finding each one now. It took me thirty five years to even see a copy of the first, for instance.

One thing that has always intrigued me about the U.S. charts that Blues and Soul published back in the seventies (I stopped reading it in the eighties so don't know if the methodolody remained the same then or not) is this : How were they compiled exactly ? I know they were not the same as the Billboard U.S. soul charts (though they were pretty similar) and I'm pretty sure it wasn't the same as that published in "Cashbox", either. Could it have been from "Record World"? I have never seen a Record World chart so this is pure speculation. If it was NOT from one of those three sources then how did it work ? I can't believe for one minute that it was based on records being soul in UK outlets as there was no way sales over here could so closely have mirrored U.S. record buying habits.

The way Aretha sings the line : "With his arms all around me" at 0.56 on "All the king's horses" The note Ron Banks holds at 3.35 on "Make it easy on yourself " Both above on You tube The drum rolls (and her "ooohs") on Rita and Tiaras' "Gone with the wind"

The majority of Swamp Dogg's albums have highly entertaining sleeve notes written by the man himself.

I see, as suspected, that I have no idea how to cut and paste a link that works, but the two I was trying to highlight were the superb Betty Swann Complete Atlantic recordings and the Way Out label collection just put out by Numero. Both essential CDs.

Well, they don't get much better than these two : https://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Atlantic-Recordings-Bettye-Swann https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eccentric-Soul-Way-Various-Artists

No, I'm pretty sure the "You tore my wall down " track has not been released anywhere before and there are eleven more unreleased tracks on the CD as well. Thanks for the Irma Thomas link but I did get that CD and although I love Irma, I must confess to being a bit disappointed by it as I thought a number of the songs were pretty ordinary.

I've just got - and am listening to - the great new CD put out on her by Rhino / Real Gone which includes all of her Atlantic recordings. She is, of course, one of the great soul singers and I highly recommend it to anyone who buys CDs. I am nothing to do with any "Northern scene", so don't really know what the likelihood is of it ever being "played out", but it seems to me that the previously unreleased "You tore my wall down" would sound fantastic on a dance floor.

Certainly the big hit, "How can I tell my mom and dad", was issued in late 1969, but I'm afraid The Jackie Wilson "Beautiful day" LP is even more recent.. that one came out in 1972...

Lovelites LP, definitely 1970. Excellent album though....

My top ten soul LPs from the sixties : 1. Aretha Franklin - I've never loved a man 2. Etta James - Tell mama 3. Impressions - This is my country 4. Temptations - Sing Smokey 5. Dells - There is 6. Bobby Bland - Two steps from the blues 7. Darrell Banks - Is here! 8. James Brown - I got the feelin' 9. Billy Butler - Right track 10. Jerry Butler - Ice on ice

I have never heard anything to suggest that he did go to prison in the late seventies. The only thing I can think of that might even remotely hint that there could be something in this, is that the group didn't record anything in 1979 or 1980.

As a close friend of John's I brought Pete's comment above to his attention : His response : " I appreciate the kind comment. I'm still running my website, and adding new artist pages again now after a bit of a holiday. I hope to continue now but at a slightly slower rate than before due to other pressures." I don't think he has any plans to post directly to Soul Source. Cheers

Ricky, thanks very much. It is appreciated. John

This is my first post, so please forgive me if it is in the wrong place. Does anyone know which four people comprised the Four Mints on their "Gently down the stream" LP ? The album itself gives us no clues. The just released Capitol City Soul CD mentions Bobby Shank, Louis Dotley, James Spencer, Herschel Davis, James Brown and Ben Caldwell which would make them the Six Mints, of course. The All Music website has this to say : " Columbus, Ohio natives' Ben Caldwell, James Brown, Donald Russell and Jimmy Harmon were The Four Mints". So I'm none the wiser at the moment.