Carstairs / Fantastic Four / Steve Mancha - Girl Have Pity

Carstairs, The [1973] - Girl Have Pity [South Union #SU 0210144]

Apparently, this was recorded at the same session as the classic 'It Really Hurts Me Girl' released on Red Coach in 1973, which was a record discovered by Ian Levine and played at the Blackpool Mecca, Highland Room around 1974/75 which changed Northern Soul which up until then had predominantly been 60s soul only.

This is a marvellous piece of music,  written by Gene Redd Sr., George Clinton,  Jimmy Crosby & Terry Lane and originally recorded by The Fantastic Four on the legendary Ric-Tic label (RT-119) in 1966.   Gene Redd Jr. owned Red Coach records which is perhaps why he decided to record his father's song with The Carstairs whose only other recording was on another legendary label Okeh with 'He Who Picks A Rose' (previously recorded by The Temptations (1968) and Edwin Starr (1969) and later by Rare Earth (1976) and a previously unreleased version by Jimmy Ruffin was released 2001) with a cover of The Beatles' Yesterday on the flip.  The B side to 'It Really Hurts Me Girl' is another soul harmony song 'The Story Of Our Love'.

The Carstairs verson of 'Girl Have Pity' has never officially been released, it was pressed on bootleg 45 on South Union with Al Jones - Let Your Heart Be Your Guide on the flip side, a superb soul harmony / crossover tune.  I believe that this is the only vinyl pressing. The only other way to obtain it is via Old Schoool Harmony Volume 1 CD released around 1995, I 'suspect' that this is where the bootleg was 'ripped' from, the compilation also has 'The Story Of Our Love' on it.

The Fantasic Four [1966] - Girl Have Pity [Ric-Tic #RT-119]

The original version recorded in 1966.

Steve Mancha [2014] - Girl Have Pity [Hayley #NR 018]

Another, previously unreleased, version was issued on Hayley by Steve Mancha (real name Clyde Wilson) in 2014.