Neil Rushton

Al Abrams, author of the book - HYPE & SOUL - BEHIND THE SCENES AT MOTOWN has been intervieweed by FOX2 TV in Detroit about the book and his time at Hitsville. The clip of the interview can be seen online at - http://www.soulvation.biz The site now updated to show more photographs from the book. Hype & Soul is the ultimate Christmas present. We still have copies left with bonus single , the 1964 Tamla Motown Appreiction Society 45., cost is £39.99 (UK) including delivery. All The Best, Neil

Just a quick note to say that the advance copies of the Al Abrams book "Hype & Soul - Behind The Scenes At Motown" turned up last night. They have been approved and we will have the bulk stock delivered early next weeek, and will be mailing out on Tuesday or Wednesday to everyone who has ordered an advance copy. The book looks amazing and we are thrilled with it. If you are into Motown and Soul it's a must read. It's strange how things work out. The approval copies turned up yesterday around the same time as Al sadly,attended the funeral of his former boss and long time friend Esther Edwards. There are some great pieces about Esther in the book and she was looking forward to seeing it. The book is 288 pages long, hardback with dust cover, and is full colour. The combination of searing "I was there" essays written by Al for the book and stunning graphics made up of press releases, newspaper and magazine clippings, rare photographs and Motown documents from Al's extensive West Grand Boulevard archives is stunning.It's a combination of great editorial and chic coffee table book. It's been a real honour, and daunting too, to have had the task of working on the book by Berry Gordy's first employee. Hopefully we have done it justice.I had to pinch myself this morning when I looked at the introductions from Lamont Dozier, Mickey Stevenson and Mary Wilson!. The first 500 copies of the book come with a bonus single, a red vinyl replica of the 1964 Hitsville Tamla Motown Appreciation Society disc. The records have been sent out in adance of the book and have gone down particulary well overseas as I guess not that many copies of the original escaped from the UK. The book/record is £34.99 plus £5 postage & packing, total £39.99. To order online go to - www.soulvation.biz

The all time Northern/Detroit classic double-header "If It's All The Same To You Babe"/"Exus Trek" by Luther Ingram/Luther Ingram Orchestra has been re-issued in the UK by arrangement with legendary producer Robert Bateman. The release, via Inferno, is on a lookalike of Robert's H.I.B label and is available now. A regular black vinyl issue with no centre is joined by a limited edition multi-coloured vinyl Audition Copy solid centre release with just 150 pressed, all individually numbered from 1 to 150. "I met Robert in the USA and was really pleased to be able to release the single as it's such a masterpiece. It's one those records you would play to aliens if you had to explain what Northern Soul sounds like.. I cannot think of many records where the A side vocal and the B side instrumental both stand up in their own righs as classics. It's perfect Northern Soul but when I asked Robert who on earth in the 60's he was aiming such an uptempo record at he just said he wanted to out out something that sounded like The Four Tops!", said Inferno's Neil Rushton. Robert remembers the making and selling of the record very well. "We recorded it at Golden World. The musicans were the Funk Brothers moonlighting from Motown. My friend Popcorn Wylie worked on that session with me, and we cut the vocals and the backing tracks there, I then took the tapes by myself to New York and pulled a favour to get use of the Mercury Studio in New York. That is where I added the so called Orchestra. Actually it was just two violinists who I overdubbed until I got the sound I wanted. I had learnt how to overdub from my time at Motown. I then pressed the records up on H.I.B which is my label. I stands for Ingram, B for Bateman and H for my girlfiend at the time. Luther was very popular in St. Louis and we got radio plays there right away.I sold maybe 5,000 copies and the distributor in St. Louis wanted more and I gor wary about the cost. He said don't worry, I will get someone to help. A few days later I picked up the phone and it was Jerry Wexler from Atlantic and he said the distributor had told him all about the record and could we cut a deal so Atlantic could distribute it? I was real happy as I had made money from selling my copies, and Atlantic gave me a nice advance which by itself more than paid for the recording costs". Regular black vinyl copies are £10, and the multi-coloured vinyl limited edition £20. For info on how to order e-mail - neilrushton2@btinterner.com