Source Team

Terry Callier - I Don't Want To See Myself (Without You) - Acid Jazz 45 The rediscovery of Terry Callier is of the high points of in the history of Acid Jazz Records, who present the reissue of the 7” version of the song that started it all - ‘I Don’t Want To See Myself (Without You)’. A true classic of the modern soul scene. ‘I Don’t Want To See Myself…’ was the final release from Callier, whose career encompassed recording for Prestige, Chess’s Cadet label and Elektra, before this one- off single on the independent Erect label. Despite the record fetching huge sums by the 1990s, his career had been largely unexplored, until Acid Jazz founder Eddie Piller decided to track him down. After several attempts, Eddie finally found him working as a computer programmer, and in July 1990 Acid Jazz reissued the single. Over the next decade Terry resumed his recording and performing career, releasing new music, and was finally recognised for his brilliance as an artist. In 2006 Eddie found himself once more in conversation with Terry and they agreed on releasing a 7-inch version of the single, with an edit created by Andy Lewis. This single is long since deleted, and now sells for upwards of £30, so with the full co-operation of his daughter Sundiata and licensed from Terry Callier Music, it is set for reissue in March 2025, backed with ‘If I Could Make You’. All copies sealed View full store item

Tobi Lark - True True Love / Instrumental - Kent City 103 ‘True True Love’ was released as the first Kent Select single in 2006 and original copies sell for £300 plus − if you can find one. Ace are delighted to re-issue ‘True True Love’ on vinyl paired with an unreleased instrumental version by the Dave & Darrell Band. The single comes in a picture sleeve featuring a still from Dean Chalkley’s amazing film along with liner notes written by Ady Crosdell. View full store item

Goldwax Records - Memphis Soul Rarities 1964-1969 - 7 x 45 Box Set Goldwax was the ultimate southern soul label. Here are some of the finest discoveries from their vaults, on the 7” vinyl they were intended for. This is the third in our series of limited edition 7x7" Box Sets. The renowned Memphis 60s soul label Goldwax was a medium-sized operation with just short of a hundred releases. Though it ran a tight ship, inevitably some of their recordings fell by the wayside. The label is revered by fans of the classic age of soul music around the world. In the late 70s the Japanese Vivid Sound label contacted Goldwax owner, Quinton Claunch and accessed his tapes. They found a dozen excellent, previously unheard, tracks and issued them, along with Goldwax favourites on a short series of LPs in 1977. In 2000 Ace Records purchased the label from Claunch and his partners gaining full ownership of the tapes, which lead to more musical discoveries. Our releases on Ace and Kent over the past twenty plus years have seen most of these recordings featured, primarily on CD - the medium of the early years of the 21st century. More recently the renewed demand for vinyl has led to new 12” compilations and to augment those we have come up with a neat, boxed collection of seven singles that will appeal to the soul collectors who live for this format. Of the 14 tracks, only three have been singles before - the sublime harmony vocals of the Vel-Tones and the Lyrics with their mid-60s Goldwax releases and Barbara Perry’s R&B explosion ‘A Man Is A Mean Thing’ first released on Kent but now long gone and craved for. Goldwax’s star James Carr kicks us off with ‘Your Love Made A U-Turn’, a funk groove from 1969. This would surely have prolonged his and the label’s lifespans had it been issued at the time. Our flip however would have needed to be an underground hit; it is doubtful that any radio station would have entertained such smutty lyrics in the 60s. Connoisseurs of the mid-60s Detroit soul sound will be thrilled to have the Ovations ‘I Miss You’ on a 45 at last; it really has all the ingredients of a Motor City classic. ‘What Did I Do Wrong’ makes a great stomping B side - complete with virtuoso harmonica. The label was known for its gritty southern sound, so ‘To Me It’s Storming’ is an atypical, softly melodic, mid-tempo song sung by, but oddly not penned by, George Jackson and Dan Greer. George does get to sing his own, tougher, composition ‘Let The Best Man Win’ on the flip. Apart from her aforementioned New Breed classic, Barbara Perry’s 45 features the charming, country-soul beat ballad ‘Welcome Home Baby’, which is a real grower. We do have one exclusive debutant with Willie Walker’s original take on the Homer Banks written ‘Lucky Loser’. This version is in the classic Goldwax southern sound and groove, recorded two years before his funked-up version was released on Chess. James Carr’s rendition of this song was recorded at the same session but did not have the splendid brass section Willie’s boasts. The flip is a southern rave-up from Chicagoan Lee “Shot” Williams who regularly visited Memphis and was given a two-song contract and recording session which didn’t earn a release until we belatedly found the tape. The Lyrics/Vel-Tones original releases make up our sixth disc. The “ender” is a dramatic big city-style ballad from Phillip & The Faithfuls, which was clearly inspired by the Righteous Brothers. It is coupled with a beguiling oddity from an unknown artist. ‘It’s Really Alright’ is as catchy as they come and despite its limited orchestration makes a wonderful 45 and a mystery to be solved. View full store item

Jimmy Conwell - The Exits - Let It All Out / I'm So Glad - Soul Harmony SH 03 Jimmy Conwell is a big name in Los Angeles soul music, either as a solo singer on 4J, Gemini and Mirwood or as lead singer of the Exits on Gemini and Kapp, the Tripps on Soundville or with Smoked Sugar on Teri De. ‘Let It All Out’ was written in conjunction with his two main producers Len Jewell Smith and Hank Graham, though Jimmy couldn’t remember Hank’s contribution. It is a stunning ballad that was originally overlooked by Northern Soul fans for the stomping 'Too Much' flip. A similar situation has occurred with his Kapp 45, the mid-tempo ‘Another Sundown In Watts’ attracting much of the attention and the superb ‘I’m So Glad’ ballad only recently picking up deserved admirers View full store item

87th Off Broadway / Larry Sanders - Instant Replay / I'm In Love - Kent Town Harmony SH 01 Soul Harmony label is launched with a fabulous tape discovery from Golden State Recorders. At the time of recording, 87th Off Broadway lived in the small town of Seaside, California and were based in Monterey. They wrote their own songs, four of which were recorded at an April 1972 session, arranged by Los Angeles Rene Hall. The tape lay dormant for decades. ‘Instant Replay’ is the final of the four to belatedly be issued; the others being funk released on Ace’s BGP label. The group morphed into another outfit called Welfare who had ‘What About The Child’ released (with a name change to Gold) in 1977 on the MRC label. This song is of the highest quality as are the intricate harmony vocals. Advance plays on the Lowrider scene have been very well received. Larry Sanders ‘I’m In Love’ is already revered by that California soul ballad crowd, which has caused the cost of an original Modern copy to rocket. It is another harmonious sweet soul ballad, redolent of a lovers’ tryst on a lazy summer’s afternoon. View full store item

The Exclusive / DC Blossoms - I Still Love You / This Is Your Last Chance - Soul Harmony 02 Eddie Singleton had a musical career in Los Angeles after his Shrine Records venture had bloomed then died. He cut this heart-felt soul ballad on an undocumented group called the Exclusive around 1969, but it was left on tape only until now. Some three years earlier in 1966, Eddie and his production team of Keni St Lewis and Dale Warren recorded Washington’s DC Blossoms on ‘This Is Your Last Chance’, the third track from a Shrine session that didn’t make it to the single. Since it was released on the Kent CD “Shrine, The Rarest Soul Label Vol 2” it has picked up a strong following, particularly among Latin American soul fans on the West Coast: now at last a 45. View full store item

Miss Louistine / Sam Dees - Con Me - Deep Soul 18 Miss Louistine’s version of ‘Con Me’ was one of the best Deep Soul finds of recent years. The Paragons smooth Chicago reading of Dees’ composition that came out in 1975 has long been admired, but this southern soul treatment of the now-classic is jaw-dropping. To really focus on the masterpiece of a song, we have added Dees own take as the flip. That also remained unissued until Kent accessed the tapes in 1998 and is finally a single. View full store item

Johnnie Mae Matthews - I Have No Choice / That's When It Hurts - Reissue Johnnie Mae Mathews is fondly referred to as being 'The Godmother Of Detroit Soul' as she was responsible for creating at least 8 different Detroit record labels and for discovering and nurturing many future Motown artists in their early years. In fact she was a major source of inspiration for the young Berry Gordy, founder of Motown. We are delighted to finally be releasing what many people consider to be the pinnacle of independent Detroit Soul music, the impeccable and gut-wrenching 'I Have No Choice', the defining record of Johnnie Mae Mathews many recordings with the equally impressive 'That’s When It Hurts' on the flip. 'I Have No Choice' is a record that has finally hit the heights it always deserved after being a cult record for almost 50 years and is now commanding a staggering £1200-1500 for a decent original copy for those lucky enough to be in that league. Picture sleeve featuring Johnny herself in full swing and fully remastered, heavyweight vinyl 45. View full store item

Winfield Parker - I Wanna Be With You / My Love For You - Reissue In a celebration of soul music's enduring legacy, Celestial Echo is excited to unveil the reissue of Winfield Parker's revered classic, 'I Wanna Be With You.' Originally released in Baltimore in 1979, this soulful gem has maintained its status as a sought-after treasure by soul DJs for decades. With original copies commanding prices well beyond £200, the decision to reissue this timeless piece of soul music history on vinyl is a testament to its everlasting dancefloor impact. Celestial Echo is proud to present the reissue on a limited edition 7-inch vinyl record, meticulously remastered and pressed on heavyweight vinyl for an authentic analog experience. It also features a picture sleeve and redesigned labels. Diggers, and rare soul lovers need only apply View full store item

Carolyn Crawford - It Takes A Lotta Teardrops - Kent City 098 We follow up Carolyn Crawford’s recent big selling Kent 45 ‘Get Up And Dance’ with another top class Mickey Stevenson production on ‘It Takes A Lotta Teardrops’. The Leon Ware and Vicki Basemore song was also covered by Kim Weston but neither version was released at the time. The recording is in a classic Motown style and this could have been the reason why it was shelved in 1972, being somewhat dated – though still perfect for Motown and Northern Soul devotees. The flip is from Carolyn Crawford’s collaboration with Hodges, James & Smith in 1971 when the foursome released two 45s on the M’Pingo label. ‘I’m In Love’ was a more current sound for the time and is perfect for Modern and Crossover rooms today. View full store item

Kenneth Wright / Miss Louistine - The Souls Of Black Folks / Extra-Extra - Kent City 097 Soul connoisseurs are adventurous folk and the emergence of a previously unknown singer/songwriter is big news among the cognoscenti. The only trace of Atlanta’s Kenneth Wright is a handful of unrecorded song titles on BMI represented by Aware’s publishing company Act One. At least a dozen of his recordings have recently been found in the Aware tape vaults and ‘The Souls Of Black Folks’ is the pick of them. It features Kenneth’s vocals and an equally impressive unknown female lead who adds more mystery to the project. From the same Atlanta label source comes Miss Louistine’s take on the Sam Dees’ song ‘Extra, Extra’. Originally recorded by Ben E King as an album track, Louistine’s punchier take featured on a recent 100 Club Anniversary 45 and is well in-demand. View full store item

Berna-Dean - Don’t Try To Tell Me / Laughing On The Outside - Kent City 095 Bernadine or Berna-Dean Washington recorded seven singles for producer Dave Bartholomew in New Orleans in the early 60s. A protégée of Earl King, her final single was released on Los Angeles’ GNP Crescendo label in 1964 and is stylistically similar to her previous Imperial and Post 45s. ‘Don’t Try To Tell Me’ and ‘Laughing On The Outside’ were cut for GNP but the company never followed up on her ‘This Is The City’ single. Both tracks are in a more soulful style than her released sides and are attracting much attention on the current retro R&B scene and with the rare soul crowd also. This is their first public hearing. View full store item