Curly Moore

You Don't Mean / Don't Pity Me

Current Northern Soul DJ support to this New Orleans stomper has sent demand into orbit, as new even stronger than before lease of life takes hold..

Classic style Northern Soul driven by Allen Toussaint’s rattling piano, enriched by vocal-group purrings, bouncing along in even greater intoxicating joy than those Lee Dorsey sessions that brought Allen Toussaint / Marshall Seahorn their worldwide success. Their New Orleans character on this occassion is pushed out of the envelope, into it’s 60’s dance limits..

A dancefloor inflamer, infectious in the extreme dripping with all the qualities to set the night alight.. so no wonder then this 45 has come back with a second wind to knock us out yet another time… Top Jocks like John Vincent bring it back into the public eye..

Leaving me wondering why this slab of NS addiction wasn’t a huge tune in the 70’s.. did will all miss it? or were we to busy to notice? with all the different styles of disco, funk, pop contaminated our minds during that period..

This is pure distilled Northern Soul .. the type that lasts forever in the mind!

JUST LOVE IT!!

Four Reputation

Call On Me / Sorry

1966 first label before they withdrawn, revamped and repressed so to rectify the error of the reversed labels…but not before the back office at Millage records, took a marker to the labels and the re-titling of the labels began.

Before you today is a rare example of a CLEAN copy that escape before the mistake was noticed. NO WRITING ON LABEL. Labels are reversed but they are totally free of writing adjustments. Now that is a rare thing to find.

The guys at Carlton House Hotel, Philadelphia in 1968 revamped the 45 and AMERICAN MUSIC MAKER took up the task of getting back on the market, this great Bobby Martin created was just too good to pass over.

Calling the group The Presentations it was issued on # 0011, did a small bit of business but this release is also no easy disc to find.

Top side is of course, just killer Northern Soul, flip it over for a fusion tortured Deep Soul smoothed with a delicate crochet of male harmonies..

Two standout tunes! In it’s rarest form, unsullied by the marker pen most all of this rarity suffer from.. check those glorious labels, then immerse yourself in the remarkable soundfile.

Toni Basil

Breakaway

Perfection awaits the Northern Soul classic collector who snags this Wigan Casino / Cleethorpes Pier anthem. As it is such an impeccable copy. It’s not Christmas, otherwise it would be at the head of our “Manship Mints For Xmas” campaign.

Archetypal Casino / Pier from those long Saturday nights in the 70’s when nobody was quite sure who Toni Basil actually was?

She was an aspiring 23 year old dancer, who was performing on the Los Angeles based TV music show “Shindig”. Then Herb Alpert & Jerry Moss gave her a one shot 45 chance with the “Tainted Love” partnership of Ed Cobb & Lincoln Mayorga. Who in character forged a thumpin’ Northern Soul dancer that took England’s Soul all-niters by a storm..

If you’re one of the many assembling an enviable run of the Northern Soul classic WHITE PROMO’s.. you will never unearth a more magnificent example than this.. MANSHIP MINT… that catapults you back to those idyllic Saturday nights.. 

Charles Johnson

Never Had A Love So Good / Baby I Cried, Cried, Cried

in 1980 our mailing list had a section of new releases, this Miami mesmerizer featured in on one list only, 25 copies £1.30 each.. they flew out the door in 2 days.. so we ordered some more.. but received not a single copy. Alston had they’re initial small run, sold them a across the globe and ha no intention of pressing any more as the a-side “Baby I Cried, Cried, Cried” received no recognition from the radio stations in the USA..

It didn’t take long for Northern Soul attention to take hold and he rest is history. Those who missed it as a new release lived in regret, as did the dealer who ordered too few copies.. as this 45 disappeared without trace, with the years rolling by, the value was this beautiful 45 just escalated, leaving us all kicking ourselves.

The only copies I ever found after 1980 in the USA were PROMO copies, as good as the Deep Soul treasure Alston led with, is. The promo does not have “Never Had A Love So Good” on the flipside..

How frustrating to watch this 45 become more and more wanted over the decades.. for those who missed the boat in 1980 , here’s a copy in “time machine” condition, just like it was when Andy “Bustin’ Mindsweeper” Cox mailed those first Charles Johnson’s out from our little Office in Nottingham Street, Melton Mowbray..

Ray Pollard

It's A Sad Thing / All The Things You Are

As hard as I try, I cannot find a blemish worth a mention of this 1966 British born Beat Ballad jewel.

The Big City Sound brought to you by one of it’s most-respected exponents.. a man who lifts every arrangement once his vocal takes flight..

So typically New York, a monumental blending of of Bass Guitar rhythm, Blaring Brass, searing strings, and the compulsory coven of shrill girls in chorus.

But this is so much more than a Beat-Ballad as Arnold Goland & Gerry Granahan turn to tap on, forcing the pace upwards into a Latin infused Northern Soul dancer.. whilst “The Drifter” will stir your emotions, “Sad Thing” stealthily stirs you feet..

Do not pass by - a Ray Pollard in impeccable condition, is just like the artist.. not a thing you encounter very often… 

Paul Anka

When We Get There

A sumptuous Black stock copy of this polarizing Northern Soul dancefloor congestion causer.

Without fail Don Costa’s New York creation ignites euphoric-recall at all the Big Hall events, transporting the NS time-served congregation back to those halcyon days of the Northern Soul when all the All-niters hummed to the feelgood tones of Paul Anka.

Some love it, some loath it, but most all, forget Paul Anka was no ordinary vocalist, he was so exceptional… Rick Hall paired him with the magical voice of Oadia Coates inviting the duo to record at the fabled Muscle Shoals Fame studios where the tow of them gelled into a pool of soulful excellence..

It is no mistake that Don Costa produce him on this recording, Don had a gift for making the exceptional “white guys” sound Soulful, as did Rick Hall.

Yes Paul Anka is not considered a Soul singer by collectors, but by some producers Artie Schroeck, Garry Sherman, Don Costa, Jet Loring, Rick Hall felt enough in his voice to lay tracks down with him, that equally woulds have perfectly fitted a “black” vocal”

Let the debate begin, meanwhile that beautiful BLACK STOCKER is singing to your collectable instincts..

Condition is beautiful by the way, just a couple of brief hairlines, otherwise flawless!

Strangeloves

Night Time

1964 the year Peter Sellers starred in Stanley Kubrick’s wonderful comedy movie, satire about loving “The Bomb”! Well, you gotta love this “Bomb” from “Strangelove’s” and you may well require a “Doctor” after experiencing the dance floor reaction it is currently igniting.

The persistent endorsement of this uncompromising MOD stomper from Shaun Chapman, has at long last triggered an explosive happening now hot on the heels of that monster recording “Line and Track”. “Night Time” is the next in line, as the “Garage” record of the moment, to take the Northern Soul scene by the scruff-of-the-neck and shake it to it’s foundations..

Potent in the extreme, relentless, uncompromising and so very effective for the Northern Soul dance requirements… currently being played from the not so rare, USA press on Bang Records.

But here is the 1965 British incarnation, not so easy to acquire; in this Mint minus pristine condition, even harder, in fact anything over 50 years old on a British release, to be unused is a rare event, full stop!

Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer, Bob Feldman are a trio widely appreciated by the Northern Soul scene for their string of writing credits for some of NS’s most favoured songs.. but they also knew how to bring excitement to the recording studio, as artists not just a writer/producer trio.

Jerry Goldstein, Richard Gottehrer, Bob Feldman collectively in 1964 went under the “Kubrick?” inspired name The Strangeloves recording some homegrown killer tunes. Notably “Cara-lin” “I Want Candy” becoming popular all-time MOD Hipshakers, “Night Time” now bridging the twin-scenes for huge Northern Soul action..

Whilst every other DJ most probably owns the USA Bang 45, here’s a chance to turn heads when the turntable-cam picks up a pristine UK London spinning round… without that annoying inherent surface pimple the Bang pressings have, that emmit a click every time the stylus glides over the USAflaw..

You will not see a finer example of this UK rarity than this listing…perfect sound, perfect label, pristine playing surface NO PIMPLE!

Aaron

I'm In Love With Someone New

Aaron McCarthy with rare 80’s Georgia Soul groove, a D.I.Y. project out of Red Oak, Ga. A classy Boogie stepper dominated by a searing saxophone and Aaron’s positive vocal style, softened by cutting girl choruses.

Although personally I don’t consider the 80s or the 90s Soul’s finest decade, but very occasionally I encounter a standout production that makes you halt what your doing for a closer listen. BOTH sides did claim my complete attention, as insistent vocal seeping from a liquid arrangement with so many ear grabbing moments..

This a slab of CLASS! From this Travis Briggs & Aaron McCarthy collaboration, each side giving up qualities for the more discerning event. Top side is cutting-edge 80’s dance-groove, the flip is a chill-out dreamy saturated in unwind characteristics..

80’s Soul at it’s most captivating… this copy is immaculate.

Marvin Gaye

This Love Starved Heart Of Mine (it's Killing Me)

A stunning copy of Marvin’s most treasured Northern Soul offering complete with picture cover capturing him in full tortured vocal pose..and in contrast the most relaxed picture of Marvin ever snapped on the back cover.

Little Reuben

In The Name Of Loneliness

Soulful Dance does not get any more convincing than this masterpiece..

It is rare to encounter a song that invades your very being from the tips of your toes to the top of your head, stiffening hair follicles on it’s journey before settling right in your heart..

Only the very special Soul moments that capture antithetic despair in motion. Whether an artist is such a skilled interpreter of pain or Little Reuben has just found himself truly alone is not clear, but his palpable anguish manifests itself on every word, as his voice quivers and cracks as lays down the lyrics with tortured oscillation…

Rare Soul Dance a contradiction in terms maybe, but Little Reuben inflicts the sweetest pain you feel compelled to move to…

This is the very embodiment of RARE UNDILUTED SOUL that just makes you wanna DANCE… !

Millionaires

Never For Me

One of the biggest Northern Soul revival spins of the moment..

Here is the elusive first British press, not the horrid later 70s silver inkjet release, pressed in Phonogram’s inferior, easy-crack, harsh fidelity plastic the company sadly started to use in te 70’s. This is the paper label, “warm” vinyl first edition.

Housed in birth-sleeve, fine clean condition, both labels unblemished, vinyl surface is near Mint minus.

So click the soundfile to hear what is jamming up those dancefloor’s of Britain at this moment in time - a current MONSTER..

Dorothy Morrison

I Can't Go On Without You Part 1 & 2

A Bay Area delicacy from the desk of Marvin Holmes, utilizing the Gospel-honed vocal of Edwin Hawkin Singers member Dorothy Morrison, who’s controlled booming vocal is woven into a classy dance arrangement.

Marvin Holmes’s long term studio partner Danny Armstrong again decorates a standout vocal with a compelling fusion of Jazz/Soul/Gospel, molded into a superior 70’s dance recording…

Brown Door studios gave up such a wealth of great Soul music, it’s output of quality assured recordings is unparalleled in the Bay Area, in Soul collectors eyes it has elevating itself into a “try and own the entire label run”…status..

With voices like Dorothy Morrison, Jeanne Tracy on your catalog, talented musicians seamlessly entwining Soul into Jazz arrangements the result is quite stunning, as all their sessions have that “never grow tire of” quality…

This Dorothy Morrison I’ve never grown tired of it’s company…

This copy is immaculate, btw

36 45's To Be Listed 10th. August

36 Titles

NEW WEBSITE comes into being on August 10th. For a smooth transition from the old site to the new. Auction ending 9th. August is the LAST auction for this site. 36 new titles will be added in hopefully ONE DAY on the 10th.

We shall be keeping you up to date by listing all the artists in these 36 which are being, processed now… so when you see Week two bare, week three with no listings. It is intentional so the switch over from the old site to the new one goes without a hitch..

Little Anthony & The Imperials

Better Use Your Head

To message to all the “Oldschool gratediggers” of Britain YOU KNOW THEFEELING

To find this timeless Northern Soul anthem in it’s 1966 British form, in spectacular flawless condition is not only a rare event, it is also a happening that opens the floodgates of euphoric recall, of how myself and thousands of other hopefuls spent their spare time exploring every possible 45 oasis they could locate, no matter which town you found yourself in.

From every small town coast to coast in the 60’s and early 70s there were troops of teenage Soul fans bulldozering their way into every corner of junk, running to market stall to get there first, chatting up bubblegum chewing girl Record shop assistants to see if there was any chance.. to look in the store room..

Local rivalries sprung up, dick waving (not at shop assistants) but at your friends if you secured something good whilst he laid in bed late on a Saturday morning…. Trevor Hurd

What a great time of your life, the buzz of a finding a want was utterly addictive. I once dreamed of finding a Lou Johnson - Unsatisfied - London, the very next day i did.. the thrill was immense..

But even back in the day when these 45’s were less than 5 years old, finding them whilst on safari was damn hard, you dug through so much garbage to find even a Soul 45, let alone a rare Soul 45. It was mostly a disheartening experience, but then suddenly a 45 would give you an adrenaline rush and nail you to another year of overblown expectations…

Today you are looking at a record that was in my “Head” every time I left the house on my weekend teenage quest…

I never ever found a copy out there in the vast Savannah of market stalls &secondhand shops.. not in 47 years of trawling.. and if I ever did - and it would have been ludicrous to hope for a flawless, Mint minus copy in a birth-sleeve…

Thankfully I never did, as it would surely have imprisoned me in a life of looking for records, all day, every day…

eeer LET ME OUT!!!

Lou Christie

Lightnin' Strikes

Here’s a Wigan Casino spin you don’t encounter as it original 1965 UK Red & White Demo, a gorgeous looking critter it is too; sitting in it’s MGMstarburst sleeve, vinyl is could hardly be better… it’s stunning.

We know a few purists would call it “non-Soul” but if you grew up in the 60’s, and spent your teen years on 70’s “The Northern Scene” this tune played a major part in our NS upbringing…

After all it’s catchy feelgood 60’s dance, vocally commanding, the instrumentation bursting with “backdrop and spin” moments.. there’s always a reason a white guy produces a good song, this reason on this occasion is “CHARLIE CALELLO” a man who sits in the top 5 of all arranger/producers of standout Northern Soul of all time!

Charlie on this occasion, Lou Christie is hit with the “Valli-Stick” and what a great job he does, as Calello gathers up all his Four Seasons experience and drops the “Crewe-culture” into this winner..

It’s a magnificent piece of uplifting 60’s, crafted into it’s final state by a genius, Lou Christie write it; but was he really expect the “Calello” treatment of his song… the final result must have been very pleasing, archetypal “Calello”..

But the main point here is it’s a FLAWLESS RED & WHITE that fits the jigsaw of Wigan Casino spins in their rarest form…

You may never encounter a better copy..

Ivorys

Please Stay / I'm In A Groove

An astonishing Mint-, utterly unblemished copy!

in 2017 how rare is that to see a top-drawer Chicago classic in spotless condition, not a freckle to be found..

The soundfile speaks for itself, it’s reputation for elevating a dancefloor is second to none, with it’s magically haunting ways..but all that quality is for me overtaken by it’s vinyl/label perfectness!

Refresh yourself with it’s miraculous qualities - whilst I go and marvel at it’s virginal qualities one more time..

CONDITION! CONDITION! CONDITION! it really counts…

Arabians

( Please ) Take A Chance On Me / You Upset Me Baby

One of those records that’s never been bootlegged, overplayed or easy to find.. A pedigree 45 that always bring the crowed to the floor..

Classy Detroit delicacy benefiting from Motown, and it’s peripheral players, Cornelius and McKinley Jackson arranged both sides, so little wonder this lustrous recording is so fluid, so slick and so very addictive. Northern Soul at it’s easy-going while being brilliantly effective on the dancefloor… we all love a guaranteed floor-detonator especially one nobody has ever tired of..

Edward Hamilton long time mentor James Hendrix finishes off proceedings and we have two sides dynamic Detroit..

Now, check the condition. Labels are flaw-free, a-side vinyl is perfection, flipside vinyl has a merest brief sleeve brush.. this is as good as it gets..in more ways than one.

Pamoja

Oooh, Baby / Only The Lonely Know

Truly beautiful Northern Soul crossover that has gained so many followers over the years, a 2005 reissue press is now changing hands for 3 figure sums. Proving top quality tunes will always be in demand.

Listen how a precise blending of a shrill falsetto lead, knits seamlessly into a tapestry of rattling bongos and tricky guitar picking; instantly delighting the ear and feet.

A Chicago mid-70s masterpiece of our sound, a sinuous delivery of really cool laid back Soulful dance. The lead guy, cradled by a gentle chorus, a whistling sound effect breaks up the rhythm in this superior shuffler, that cleverly invites to back into dance mode almost immediately…

Flip it over, and the silky falsetto gives up an even more dramatic performance on a satiny-sultry ballad, you’ll find creeping into your senses. Echoing purr away in the background, as the warmness washes over you, eventually sweeping you away of a gentle wave of sleek Soul..

STEREO recording, that will have your ears pricked and intently directed to pounce up every delicious musical-morsel this 45 drops on you..

NOTE. This listing is a perfect copy

Dee Edwards

Can You Deal With That / Possess Me

The first and by far superior version, snappy, finger-clicking dancer drenched in Sweet-Sister-Sensuality.

Dee Edwards is in a sultry mood trying to entice her man with her sexy ways to be a one-girl-guy. Shrill backing girls, echo her desire, while a jazz guitar plucks out a shuffling rhythm for seamless Northern Soul Crossover dance.

Flip it over and there lies a gem for the Sunday “Chill-out” sessions as the gathering take there seductive mood to an even higher level and brilliance unfolds on a wave of suggestiveness.

Two top-drawer side, or maybe even top-shelf sides as I’m sure every red-blooded man will stir under the purrings of these ladies..

A superior double sider from Detroit, vinyl has a few light marks, a little more on the flipside. But as you can hear both sides play clean & clean. Both labels are are unsullied..

Nice copy - two killer tunes!

Blackberries

Somebody Up There Stereo / Mono

Motown compleatists we are betting you don’t own this “rarest of the rare ” Motown 45, in fact does anybody?

Scheduled as a June 1972 Mowest MW 5020F release, also lined up for a Mowest “Blackberries” album Mowest 106, neither press happened. Both withdrawn and now recognized as an ultimate Motown rarity; that we have certainly never encountered before.

No, that is RARE!

Written by the legendary LA (Mirwood) writer/producer Shirlie Matthews, Marva Holliday and produced by Deke Edwards (Dennis Lussier). This 7 girl team consisted of the familiar California songbirds Clydie King, Shirlee Matthews, Oma Heard, Carlena Williams, H.B. Barnum’s sister Billie, former Ikette / Mirettes Jessica Smith & teammate former Mirettes Venetta Fields…b

But only three artists did the vocals Clydie King, Shirlee Matthews and Venetta Fields, still a chorale of Los Angeles Fillies of the highest calibre. A hand-picked Sister-Act Sister act mixing their Gospel Roots with as pinch of Funk.

Sadly an act Motown discarded completely, who knows what this thoroughbred dream-team would have accomplished.

NO release, no PROMO, No Album! Just this solitary test press one of the rarest 45’s in the Motown jigsaw. With Gospel Funk potential thrown in..

They don’t come any rarer than this! 

Robert Ward

I Will Fear No Evil / My Love Is Strictly Reserved For You

Silly RARE white Promo copy! In spectacular condition - a Detroit collectors piece that seldom breaks surface.. especially in utterly flawless condition and glaring WHITE appeal..

Two strong sides from this Soul/R&B guitarist of huge repute, a valued and influential member of the Ohio Untouchables (Lu Pine) after transferring his talents from The Falcons before going it alone on such heralded labels as Thelma.

An under-recorded as a solo artist, this Michigan-magnificent gives up a monumental performance on his only 45 that doesn’t credit group back up.

Riding a tsunami of horns Ward’s gravel-dusted vocal fits perfectly into arrangement punctuated by his skilled guitar licks, and uncredited vocal-group assistance enriches the session attacked by tortured squeals from an unknown participant.

This is killer Motor City Northern Soul that for unknown reason has sat on the bask burner, relieving on collectors tapes, Soul forum accolades to keep it in the Rare Soul collectors sights.. time for some DJ action, and what better way to tease the public than dropping an infinitely rare WHITEPROMO under the turntable-cams..

Almost forgot, the flipside is damn good as will - I wonder if this brilliant under-heard dancer will get dropped into a set or two at the eagerly anticipated DETROIT A GO GO event in October.. I do hope so..

The Patrick Bradley

Just One More Chance Instrumental / Vocal

Black is beautiful, especially when it’s MINT - and offers that elusive instrumental version of one the all time great “niter” instrumentals. That on a Saturday Night / Sunday Morning would electrify Wigan Casino, Cleethoropes Pier, Yate and a multitude of Northern Soul events every across England…simultaneously.

The perfect non-vocal production to kick those amphetamines into action, a 1976 to 79 adrenaline-pumping catalyst, along with the likes of Billy Arnell’s “Tough Girl” that had the power to set the dancefloor alight!

Billy Arnell and his Sparkles went on to a “Grail”, whilst this equally as effective tune, went into obscurity as the seventies drew to a close..

Rememberi, 95% of the PROMO copies do NOT carry the instrumental side. and the Black stock copy is 100 x rarer than the usually impotent Promo.

Today the STOCK is no easy find, especially in immaculate condition… check out the soundfile to be fired back in time to when the Northern Soul all nighter was about steaming atmosphere spins, backdrops and synchronized hand-clapping.. this instrumental just like Billy Arnell, Al DeLory’s - Right On played at the right time, in the right place, to the right people.. would bring the house down..

You can’t beat a killer NS instrumental that you’ve not heard lately, with the power to trigger uncontrollable euphoric recall..

Four Tops

Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever / I Like Everything About You

Some label vistas require no superlatives to catch your attention..

Red & White TMG 500 series just speak for themselves..

Some groups require not a single word from a mere mortal like me, to enhance their unparalleled reputations.. nothing I could say about the Four Tops has already been echoed through the decades, this is one of their very best with a B-side that requires a Northern Soul turntable-drop or two…

Condition is blindingly flawless Mint minus in every respect..

Nuff said..

Bobby Mandolph

Gotta Get You Back / Tell Me Tomorrow

A Northern Soul Classic that was meddled with far to early in it’s brief life, after flirting with Wigan Casino’s turntables, with instant dancefloor response. California’s major force behind supplying the Casino with it’s West Coast rarities thought it a good idea to get Arthur Wright to reissue it with an instrumental flipside. The rather aptly name “Double Crossing”..

rather than being the money spinner anticipated, both 45s, the already rare original and the reissue sunk without trace; today both variations seldom surface, with the PROMO 45 being by far the rarest of it 3 incarnations.

So sadly a classic style Northern Soul thoroughbred fell at the first fence… and Wigan Casino never took to the “Exus Trek” style instrumental on the reissue. The vocal original never turned up in enough quantities to see it through to the Casino top slot it so obviously indicated it would.

So the good news is - the flipside has never been reissued, and it’s unbelievably brilliant.. and yet to receive the Northern Soul adulation it deserves.. So let’s leave standout old-style stompers aside for a few moments, and listen to a Beat Ballad Heaven at it’s most-exquisite!

Bobby Mandolph’s “Tell Me Tomorrow” glides seamlessly into your being, a classy hybrid of Crossover Northern Soul with soaring horns, celestial girls, and rich male-harmony choruses mingling on a wave of strings…building to such potent levels Beat Ballad Heaven boundaries are swept aside on a wave of overwhelming Soul.

Two for the price of one.. a thunderous stomper that should have been a Monster under different circumstances, backed up with distilled Crossover refined to the ultimate degree…

Just TOO MUCH SOUL for one man to take… 

Rufus Lumley

I'm Standing

When I was a kid, this record on UK Stateside was one of the ultimate records to own… soon in to the 70’s those very few Stateside copies became just wishful thinking..

Then those young Brit USA invaders, pioneer diggers turned a few copies up on the original Holton label to feed demand for a few years.. then we endured the “counterfeit” copied to fool,and mislead the collector but missing the machine stamped matrix

Today, this classic is following the fabled Stateside 45 into unavailability; before you today a fine clean original press. A copy with machine stamped SK4M 6588 1A and as little discreet signature of an old Cleethorpes DJ“Paul Rowan”

Paul you were never one to play “Classic NS Oldies” is that why this copy is in such nice condition..? 

Had trouble copying from the website, so sorry for the delay and poss missing items. Also, no pic's appeared for some reason

Barbara Jean & The Lyrics

Any Two Can Play / Why Weren't You There

A DJ’s dream 45, no matter which side you play on this Detroit delicacy the result is exactly the same..

The writing partnership of Jake Hammond & Johnny Mae Matthews yet again craft a Northern Soul dancer of the highest quality. “Any Two Can Play” which I heard at Newark’s “Feed Your Soul” Sunday chill, resident DJand Detroit aficionado Richard Johnstone play recently, to an appreciative crowded dancefloor.

A with the lilting guitar intro, is caught by vocal harmony from the Lyrics. The perfect opening before, a shrill Soul Sister vocal takes to the air. Throughout the tune The Lyrics endow the recording with rich harmonies.. this is top-drawer Northern Soul rarity to drop..but wait!

Ernest Burt’s creation whichThelma Lindsey’s recorded for his Magic City outlet, is sitting on the flipside… with the Lyrics once again opening the way for a Soul temptress to follow with a beseeching vocal asking “Why Weren’t You There”

Two great sides immense sides back to back…

This 45 is totally flawless in every way..

Willie Tee

First Taste Of Hurt / Funky Funky Twist

A flawless copy, not a blemish..so hard these days to acquire top-notch Northern Soul in “as good as it gets” condition.

Willie Turbinton’s legacy to Northern Soul is a rich vein of pure quality, regularly inflicting frustration, as some of his 45’s are painfully rare! A man ever since his first 45 release in 1962, had a instinctive feel for a fluid Soul flow within his own creations..

Hitting the big time in 1966 with the timeless “Walkin’ Up A One Way Street”, that success was sadly never eclipsed. But boy did he work hard to follow up that whiff of success with a string of Soul pearls to consider..

This is one of those highly coveted Gatur 45s and would be one of the easiest acquisitions from the Gatur catalog; expect rarity is stretched out, with all collectors unwilling to sell such an exquisite tune, that always inflames the dancefloor.

Only Allen Toussaint & Wardell Quezergue bettered Willie Tee’s Northern Soul output. Which he thankfully displayed, when he graced the stage at legendary Cleethorpes weekender all those years ago.

Much loved, greatly admire, sadly missed, a true standout Soul-man who lives on in the heart’s of all Rare-Soul collectors…

Click the soundfle and relive this guy’s wealth of wisdom, passion and poetry…

Avoid your “Taste Of Hurt”by not missing this near perfect copy… of brillance

Tommy Youngblood

Evil Eve

The Los Angeles ruler of R&B kicks ass yet again.. on this near impossible to find YELLOW VINYL neighborhood release.

We have only ever seen this rarity for sale ONCE, and this is the first time we have ever had a copy. Even with my deteriorating memory, this startling disc would be unforgettable..with it’s brilliant yellow vinyl and Gold label it’s a real eye-catcher.

But this 45 is so much more than just a “Pretty Face” it’s an enraged snarling slab of R&B!! A potential floor-destroyer in the correct hands, with the power to turn a Soul night completely on it’s head..

So unleash the wicked Mr. Youngblood and hear why that Eve… is so evil !

Celest Hardie

You're Gone

This 45 needs no words from me to elevate it’s reputation, beyond it’s already high-regard it has enjoyed for the last 4 decades..a record with depth of quality, that prevents you ever growing tired of hearing it.

In short …The Greatest female Northern Soul offering to ever emerge from the Bay Area.

But if you want to fully appreciate the vocal prowess of Miss Celeste Hardie make sure when the postie knocks on your door, you play the tortured Deep Soul flipside straight after you’ve dance around your kitchen. Soulful dance just don’t come much better than this, the tortured despair on the flip will bring you down to earth.

This copy has a couple of wispy surface blemishes, you have to search for on the vinyl… as clean as it gets, and that goes for the labels too. 

James Lately

Love Friends And Money / Tears Running And Falling From My Eyes

Chasing Northern Soul Holy-Grails is toughest test of endurance any seroius record collector could ever encounter..

Some are so seldom seem you have to apprehend the Rarest Of The Rare when the opportunity comes along, no matter what price and no matter what condition. In fact condition can in most cases be something to make you wince… but the overriding desire is the ownership..

So what happens when a copy of any Holy-Grail surfaces in near HOLYCONDITION? Not virginal or untouched,or squeaky clean, but a much better example of a record we’ve only encountered before in vg or less?

Well before you today is the finest example of this monumental slab of Detroit Northern Soul I’ve seen in memory. Some mild surface blemishes but no scratches or marks that transfer to the stylus, nothing to destroy the sound of this piece of neighborhood magic!

Those sprightly strings zip with distilled clarity, the harmony boys in the background purr with silky purity and James Lately’s voice rises and falls with such lucidity, as he states his quest “looking for a woman” to complete his life..

The standout flipside is even cleaner…

AT LAST a copy of a NS masterpiece x 2nin cherished condition, allowing you to hear truly sumptuous 60’s Rare Soul from the streets exactly how it was recorded..

A rare chance to own a “Grail” in a condition to admire…compared to the few others I’ve seen.

Bobby Bland

Bobby Bland Sings

Everybody’s favourite R&B artist who’s purring gnarled vocal carried a Soulful elegance drenched in uniqueness. His portrayal of lyrics painted a picture in your head, of his pain, his joy, his defiance, his anger.. the full gamut of emotions he was consummately skilled in transferring to you..

A man at the top of his game, for literally 60 years, after learning trade in Memphis blues areas, well before I was born. Today he is rightly considered a demigod by both Blues & Soul fans alike..

Nobody did it quite like Bobby Blue, as this very elusive 1964 British EPdisplays.. 4 of his best Texas recordings for the year on one disc protected by a unique fully laminated flipback “art” cover.

1. Ain’t Doing To Bad - part 1

2. Ain’t Doing To Bad - part 2

3. Black Night

4. Blind Man

   A real collectors piece from a man who resides deep in our very being.. and always will do.

Flawless Labels, perfect cover, vinyl is a whisker off Mint - a couple of wispy hairlines, plays flawless.

Sweet Three

That's The Way It Is / Big Lovers Come In Small Packages

A double slab of girl-group Northern Soul born from that Philly team of John Madara, David White, Leon Huff, Len Barry & Jimmy “The Wiz” Wisner. Boy these guys in the mid-60’s could do no wrong, already enjoying unprecedented chart success with Len Barry’s string of hits..before he switched camp to RCA.

..whilst also missing chart entries, but creating future Northern Soul timeless classics with the likes of Johnny Caswell, Joey Heatherton, The Formations etc.

So enter The Swans who had been building a strong reputation within Philly having already worked with Joe Renzetti & Kenny Gamble. The team decided on a more up to date name christening them the Sweet Three. Their first record was a twee girly flop. This their 2nd. Decca release was a totally different animal. Both sides serving up Philly girl-group Northern Soul in the strongest possible terms.

We lead with the Big City Sound “That’s The Way It Is (A Girl’s In Love)” a beautiful sound with essences of the “Barry” sound. Leon Huff on piano, Bobby Gregg on drums, Joe Mack on Bass, Panama Francis banging out the rhythmic percussion at Bell Sound studios New York.

What a gathering of talent with Leon Huff taking total charge of the flipside, with the lyrics aimed directly at himself and his diminutive stature. Imagine him standing at the piano banging out the arrangement looking over his should at the Femme-trio with his girls testifying “Big Lovers Often Come In Small Packages” a statement some years later “Prince” validated.

Two great sides crafted by a dream-team that would by the end of the decade split to follow solo paths..

This attractive Pink PROMO is utterly flawless!

Miracles

You Really Got A Hold On Me / Happy Landing

A beyond rare 1962 UK Demo copy.

Fabulous clean vinyls, label adorned with that highly coveted silver “A” all housed in the birth sleeve. What a fabulously beautiful thing, which for the UK Tamla Motown disciple this spectacular format is a “Grail” that seldom surfaces.

Glistening with 60’s sleeve and label art “Oriole” epitomizes the era, as being the vehicle for Motown’s USA product from 1962 to 1963, with EMItaking up the baton for Motown UK outlet to move to Stateside by 1965 EMIrewarded Motown’s unprecedented chart success with a label of their own.. the rest is history..

Out of all the UK labels Motown enlisted, surely Oriole completely catches the period with exquisite art.

The DEMO’s on any of the titles are excruciatingly frustrating to find. Rare in the extreme - act accordingly.

Notations

What More Can I Say / Leading Lady

As “Low-Rider” sweet Soul fever spreads across Europe and beyond, I’m concerned all these rare independent harmony 45s, may dry up under the demand.

Lately the raft of collectors seeking these rarities to play, hear & own this genre has witnessed unprecedented demand outside the USA. Here’s a Chicago sweetener to quench your thirst with.

Clifford Curry influenced Soulful stroller benefiting from a mellow lead voice, cradle by seamless vocal-group replies. Giving up a rare level of quality, as all the vocal & the string distill into a whirlpool of Soulful clarity.

Flip it over and there’s no escaping the piercing Sweet Soul sound as Te Notation stay in the groove as another “Stepper” hits the air… leaving me unable to chose which side is the best..

A two for the price of one 45, offering exactly harmonies, cradle by strong backing arrangement using real instruments, real emotion to deliver their messages of love..

Validated RARE Sweet Soul at it’s finest

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles

I Care About Detroit / Blank

The really rare Motown 45s are a constant concern to the Hitsville devotee trying to complete the near impossible full run of Motown vinyl. Not matter how difficult it is, this has not deterred 1000’s from trying.

But even why the task nears a possible full set (dream on) there are those horrid condition rarities that need upgrading, the rarities that just never surface in anything better than vg - / writing on label or that dismissive line “warp does not affect play)

Here is an astonishing copy of just one such rarity… A 1968 especially commissioned recording words by Jimmy Clark & Jack Combs , sung by Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, produced by Al Cleveland & Smokey himself… It’s aim was to put pride back in the City after the devastating spring 1968 riots. This was intended for Radio play, not for commercial sales.

This copy I don’t believe had been played until we lifted the beautiful harmonious social statement for you to hear. Whilst your waiting for an Andantes, Nick & The Jaguars or a “Money” 78rpm to surface in your dreams. Capuring pure condition rarities is essential in your collection.

Check out the “as new” labels and be assured the vinyl matches that startling label completely.

You will not locate a finer copy.. 

Elmore James

It Hurts Me Too / Bleeding Heart

To keep our regular UK SUE collectors happy, here is one of the elusive numbers in stunning condition. Very close to a Mint minus, a couple of feeble sleeve contact hairlines just taking i off that tip-top grade. Both labels a super-clean with no evidence of center-hole spindle intrusions.

Besides it’s standout purity the 45 a mood-changing slab of the Blues from one of it’s greatest exponents. Elmore’s trademark groaning vocal decorates this slow-drag of despair. Complimentary piano, exuberant Elmore guitar fusing all three elements into a whirlpool of The Blues!

Flip it over and “Bleeding Heart” is every note as good.. Sue 383 from 1965 is one mighty testament to this Hall Of Famer’s work.

In the kind of condition that doesn’t present itself very often..

The Sue sleeve is only a replica by the way…

Bid