Robbk

Yes, it was released in 1966, along with the other early LaBeats, according to the pressing plant code, everything I've ever read about it, and Lester, himself. It was ironic that he didn't even have one copy of it. I met him in early 1979, introduced by Tom DePierro. When he found out that I was an active '60s Soul collector, he asked me to find one for him. I never did again find one. But, ironically, I had passed it up in late 1966 or early 1967, when I found many LaBeats in a 2-for $1 bin in a Detroit shop. I bought all The Masqueraders, James Shorter, Nelson Sanders, several Mary Jane and 2 Cool School 45s. Only Al Williams was missing. I didn't buy The Lester Tipton record because I didn't like either side.

That address of 3051 12th Avenue was a private house in the Jefferson Park area of South Los Angeles. Kent Harris probably lived there at the time. Here's the house. It looks the same as it did in the early 1960s (or in the late 1930s, for that matter):

I've asked J (Johnny) Washington's daughter, our questions about the two groups. I hope she'll respond within a few days.

I knew that The Sensations on Way Out were a local Cleveland group. I always thought that The Realistics were a different group from another town in Ohio (Akron? Dayton. Youngstown, Columbus?). The 2 records have all the same names on them. I listened to "Please, Baby Please" many, many times, back to back. I think they are the same exact group on the very same recording. I listen to "Too Shy" many times. The two recordings sound different, and one of the 2 most prominent singers sounds different, but the lead sounds like the same person. It sounds to me as if they are the SAME group on the 2 labels, and that "Please, Baby, Please" was the same recording, but, that "Too Shy" was either re-recorded for De-Lite, or they used an alternate take for the original Way Out recording session. I look forward to others' comments.

It's not listed on Global Dog -only "Real Humdinger". I'm in Munich now. I'll have to wait until I return home to see if I have it myself. Maybe I was only remembering "Real Humdinger, but I don't think so. I'm picturing reading it off the label. My photographic memory doesn't fail me much )although, I wouldn't stake my life on it, as it was almost exactly 50 years ago.

I'm sure I have seen it several times. Of course that was many years ago.

Man - Robert Bateman had an ironic sense of humour, and perhaps, also a bitter taste from his Motown experience. He first "stole" The "Brianbert" name for Motown's production team of Brian Holland and himself, but then, he "stole" the "unofficial" name of Motown's inner core of essential band members or session musicians. I like his style. I was always a big fan of his work at Motown and after. More power to him. We share at least one thing, - fading memories.

I know Stu Bass. He was a regular Detroit session player during the '60s and into the '70s. There were many session players who played on non-Motown Detroit Soul sessions, together with Motown musicians, including some or all of "The Funk Brothers". The Funk Brothers made up only a small portion of all the Motown musicians. Almost ALL the Soul music session players in Detroit played on Motown recordings at one time or another. Many of them did it quite regularly. Dennis Coffey, Ray Monette, Bob Babbitt, Melvin Davis, Don Davis, Dave Hamilton, Bob Hamilton, McKinley Jackson, George McGregor and many people thought as "non=Motown" producers and arrangers played on Motown recording sessions. VERY FEW Detroit Soul recording sessions used exclusively "non-Motown" recording session musicians.

SMC WAS a NY label. B.B. Butler and most of the other names connected worked out of NY. That Clyde Wilson was probably a different guy, working out of NY, as the SMC recording probably took place when Steve Mancha was very active in Detroit.

SMC was a New York label. But that wouldn't prevent them from leasing a Detroit production, nor keep Steve Mancha from recording for a New York label, as did J..J. Barnes (Perception).

Wow! I never realised so many Motown artists sang so many Beatles' songs. The Temptations singing "Hey Jude". I don't think I want to hear that. But, I guess that if Oma Heard can sing a "Merseybeat" song, anything can happen.

I don't think that's ironic at all. Why would a Motown artist want to sing a Beatles' song?

Screamin' Jay Hawkins- "I Put A Spell On You", "Frenzy", "Little Demon", and "Something's Wrong With You".

I don't suppose anyone would define "Happy Ghoul Tide" by Ray Oddis as "Soul"? At least it is "Motown". What about "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" by The Versatones (same Detroit group as on Magic City). What about "People From Another World" by The Jive Five?

Yes. There were some early Motown releases on Indian 78s ( from 1959-1963?). I also think there were a few from the Phillipine Islands.

Most of you already know that I'm old and my short term memory is shot. But now you'd wonder if the doctor would let me out of the asylum. But, it's possible to see only part of the title on the "Look in your Box" page (highlighted 1st thread) , and then, quickly scroll down the posts without looking at the initial post. You would only read the first X number of letters in the thread title each time.

By whom? That's a very common song title.

The East Coast and Midwest pressings of the white DJs were vinyl. Only the West Coast pressing at L.A.'s Monarch Pressing Plant were styrene (although they were more plentiful than the Midwest pressing. That design was less common than Monarch's, but there were still plenty of them around when it was released. I can't speak for how many of each style made it to The UK. But, I'd guess that it shouldn't be considered "rare".

I didn't get a real good look at him, but, of the 2 black male dancers. the one with the sunglasses is the only one who could be Lester. I met him in 1977 (some years later than that broadcast). He was a good friend of Tom DePierro's and friendly with a lot of The Motown people from Detroit. He had known them there. He and Leslie came out to L.A. to try to get work in films and on TV.

Black kids from Chicago's South Side and West Side could have been in The USAF, or known someone who was in that organisation. But, I think that it is likely that the group just wanted a name that rolls easily of the tongue. I was living in South Chicago at the time (right near the boundary of South Chicago and The south Side. I worked on The South Side, and most of my friends were South Siders. Using three letter initials for a group name was thought to be "cool" at that time. Often, they didn't stand for anything, but, just sounded "cool". Then, the group thought they had to make up a back story on how they decided on the name, just to satisfy all the fans asking the question. I think The CODs just thought "CODs" sounded "cool". MVPs, CODs, TCBs, etc. just sounded cool. It was just coming into fashion near then end of the '50s and through the early '60s to shorten speech by using initials to stand for words.

Pete, is your friend writing a story on Lester's career?

Too bad you didn't post this in 1980. He didn't have any copies of his Labeat record, but he DID have a few artist photos of himself. I could have asked him for one. Of course, there was no Internet then, to have this forum, or the need for his photo.

M.V.P. stands for "Most Venerated Person" or MVPs (persons) - meaning a dignitary, or the most important persons at a civic meeting. Most Valuable Player for a sports league came about much later. C. O. D. means "Cash on Delivery". I guess the singing group used it to mean that they were a group who really "delivered the goods when they were on stage". But harmony group names often resulted from less than 2 seconds of "thinking". If the group liked the "sound" of the name, it stuck, whether or not it made any sense, at all. For example, some groups were named after cigarette brands or brand names of personal or household products. Many were names of cars.

Looks real enough. Seems to have a bit of groove wear *but that could be just the lighting in the video. In any case, it looks like it would play well enough.