Disciples Of Soul [1969] - Together [Phantom RI 2755]

Only release on Phantom out of Richmond, VA but looking deeper it is linked to Recordings, Inc. Baltimore which is a custom pressing service so this is probably a one-off self-release,  although this 45 was also released on Odeon (Stateside series) in Chile with Spanish and English titles, which some claim may well be the first release before Phantom.  I don't detect any Spanish accents - in fact it sounds distinctly blue-eyed on the flip especially.

Disciples Of Soul [1969] - Together [Phantom RI 2755]

Cover of The Intruders 1967 Gamble & Huff song.

The Intruders [1967] - Together [Gamble G-205]

The Intruders original.

Tierra [1980] - Together [ASI FS 201]

First issue on local LA label for Tierra's 1980 cover version which was also on their City Nights album.

Spanish Version

Disciples Of Soul [1969] - That's The Way Love Goes [Phantom RI 2755]

Bessie Banks Discography

Bessie Banks is probably best known to soul connoisseurs as the original singer of 'Go Now'  (co-written by her ex-husband Larry Banks & Milton Bennett) later recorded by The Moody Blues who had a world wide hit with it, thus depriving Bessie Banks of the hit with her far superior version.  Just imagine what she could have potentially become had that hit been hers.

Bessie White recorded with several groups (Three Guys And A Doll, Miss Toni Banks & The Four Fellows, The Four Fellows and The Companions) in the late 50s.  One of the members of Three Guys And A Doll was Larry Banks who she married in 1955 but they later separated and divorced around 1963/64.

Discography
1964 - Go Now / It Sounds Like My Baby [Tiger TI 102]
1964 - Do It Now / (You Should Have Been A) Doctor [Spokane S4009]
1964 - Do It Now / (You Should Have Been A) Doctor [Wand 163]
1965 - Go Now / It Sounds Like My Baby [Blue Cat BC 106]
1967 - I Can't Make It Without You Baby / Need You [Verve 10519]
1969 - Linda Jones - Fugitive From Luv / Bessie Banks - Go Now [Cotique C-177]
1974 - Try To Leave Me If You Can / Ain't No Easy Way [Volt VON-4112]
1976 - Don't Worry Baby The Best Is Yet To Come / Try To Leave Me If You Can [Quality QA 503]
1976 - Baby You Sure Know How To Get To Me / Do You Really Want To Be Right [Quality QA 508]

NB She recorded with a number of groups in the late 50s up to 1960 but this discography includes only her solo releases.

Bessie Banks [1964] - Do It Now [Spokane S4009]

Deep soul beat ballad.

Bessie Banks [1964] - (You Should Have Been A) Doctor [Spokane S4009]

Rocking R&B dancer.

Bessie Banks [1964] - Go Now [Tiger TI 102]

Deep soul classic.  Forget The Moody Blues as this is THE version.  Much loved and championed by highly regarded British soul 'guru' Dave Godin (Blues & Soul) and released on his own Soul City label in 1968.

Kevin Banks, the son of Bessie and Larry Banks, produced an updated version which he posted on YouTube in 2011.  A good version - which he should release.

Bessie Banks [1964] - It Sounds Like My Baby [Tiger TI 102]

Not sure how to describe this one ... a sort of jazz/bluesy uptempo ballad.

Bessie Banks [1967] - I Can't Make It Without You Baby [Verve 10519]

Pure NS also released on UK Verve in 1967.

Bessie Banks [1967] - Need You [Verve 10519]

Mid-tempo NS.  This also got a UK release.

Bessie Banks [1974] - Try To Leave Me If You Can [Volt VON-4112]

One of the best deep soul ballads you are ever likely to hear.  I had this out of a soul pack back in the mid 70s but it was a same-sided promo so didn't get the other killer track.

Bessie Banks [1974] - Ain't No Easy Way [Volt VON-4112]

More deep soul heaven.

Bessie Banks [1976] - Don't Worry Baby The Best Is Yet To Come [Quality QA 503]

This has been a huge modern soul 'anthem' for years.

Bessie Banks [1976] -  Try To Leave Me If You Can [Quality QA 503]

This is also posted above, but put it in thinking it might be a slightly different version as it was released 2 years later but it sounds identical.

Bessie Banks [1976] - Baby You Sure Know How To Get To Me [Quality QA 508]

This has also been a favourite on modern soul dance-floors for many years.

Bessie Banks [1975] - Baby You Sure Know How To Get To Me [Contempo #CS.2070]

A different version/take of the song was released on Blues & Soul magazine's Contempo imprint before the release on Quality.

Bessie Banks [1976] - Do You Really Want To Be Right [Quality QA 508]

This must be pretty rare as no sound clips to be found.  Only appeared on the issue not promo and not on the UK Contempo issue which has "Try To Leave Me If You Can" on the flip. As far as I can tell it has never been released anywhere else other than on the original issue.

UPDATE 14-12-2021:

Many thanks to Yves who sent an mp3 of this track to compete the discography. Much appreciated my friend. What a beautiful tune, far too good to miss.

Porgy & The Monarchs - Discography

Discography

Porgy & The Monarchs
1963 - Stay / Somebody Said (I'd Cry Someday) [Mala 462]
1965 - That Girl / Is It For Real Baby [Musicor MU 1179]
1966 - My Heart Cries For You / Think Twice Before You Walk Away [Musicor MU 1221]
1968 - That's My Girl / The Girl And The Boy [Sylves 123]
1968 - Love Chain / Magic Music Makers [Verve VK 10597]
1968 - That's My Girl / (That) Boy And Girl [Verve VK 10609]

1975 - My Heart Cries For You / Think Twice Before You Walk Away [Musicor MU 1221]
NB mis-pressed with Hey Girl (You're A Dream I've Always Had)

A previously unreleased Musicor track was issued on a Goldmine CD 'Big City Soul Vol.4':

Keep A Hold On Me

Porgy Williams

196? - Porgy Williams - Lonely Man's Hum / Let's Form A Committee [Sylves S-123]
1975 - Porgy Williams - Lonely Man's Hum / Just A Lonely Man's Hum [Sylves PW-100]

I have not (yet) been able to find any  information about Porgy Williams & The Monarchs.  I'll have to dig through my many fanzines to see if I can find anything.  If anyone knows of an article please leave a comment.

That Girl is probably one of the hardest to find Porgy & The Monarchs 45s.  That is because both sides are in-demand items.  Their best known 45 is My Heart Cries For You (also on Musicor) which was a big sound on the NS scene mid 70s.  Teddy Randazzo turned a fairly mediocre middle of the road Carl Sigmun & Percy Faith ballad, recorded by many (Dinah Washington, Guy Mitchell, Dean Martin, Connie Francis etc.), into a stomper. It was resissed in 1975 which was mis-pressed with Hey Girl (It's A Dream I've Always Had, a previously unreleased track, on the flip instead of Think Twice Before You Walk Away as was labelled. Apparently once the error was noticed the 45 was withdrawn.  Hey Girl has since become a sought after item meaning that even the reissue is now fetching almost 3 figures. (£75-£100).

Presumably, as 'My Heart' wasn't a success, they were dropped by Musicor and their next release appeared on Sylves: 'That's My Girl / The Girl And The Boy', followed by 'Love Chain / Magic Music Makers' and then 'That's My Girl / (That) Boy And Girl' (with a slight variation on the title name) on Verve.


Porgy & The Monarchs [1963] - Stay [Mala 462]

Early version of Maurice Williams & The Zodiacs' Stay (JUst A Little Bit Longer)

Porgy & The Monarchs [1963] - Somebody Said (I'd Cry Someday) [Mala 462]

Early 60s soul/Doo wop.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1965] - That Girl [Musicor MU 1179]

This didn't get played until early 80s.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1965] - Is It For Real Baby [Musicor MU 1179]

Superb beat ballad with a nice clip of 'Northern Soul Girl' Levanna McClean dancing to it.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1966] - My Heart Cries For You [Musicor MU 1221]

Their NS classic huge at Wigan Casino mid 70s (first played c 1974).
Oddly, this actually got a release in Italy in 1966/67 with a picture sleeve (but not of them).

Porgy & The Monarchs [1966] -  Think Twice Before You Walk Away [Musicor MU 1221]

This track didn't get a look in mid 70s as it would have been deemed a slowie!  A 'cracking' mid-tempo / crossover sound and perfect for today's scene.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1968] - That's My Girl [Sylves 123]

Another mid-tempo number that didn't get exposure until the early 80s.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1968] - The Girl And The Boy [Sylves 123]

Frantic, almost too fast even for NS dancers.  Strange sounding tune that starts off as if it's going to be a psych/garage tune ... but stomps along with a double-time beat.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1968] - Love Chain [Verve VK 10597]

Clanging chains used as a sound effect on this NS dancer which has a different feel the their previous releases.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1968] - Magic Music Makers [Verve VK 10597]

Sweet soul group harmony.

Porgy & The Monarchs [1975] - Hey Girl (You're A Dream I've Always Had) [Musicor MU 1221]

The 1975 re-issue of My Heart Cries For You was mis-pressed with a previously unreleased track Hey Girl (You're A Dream I've Always Had) instead of Think Twice Before You Walk Away.  The record was withdrawn after the mistake was noticed making this much in-demand and quite rightly so as arguably it is one of their best tracks.  A driving NS dancer.

Porgy & The Monarchs [196?] - Congratulations  [Unreleased Bell Sound Acetate]

This is an unreleased Bell Sound acetate that was a popular sound at Top Of The World Stafford mid 80s.  Not sure when this was cut but sounds mid 60s, possibly an unreleased Mala recording with it being a Bell acetate (as Mala of course was a Bell subsidiary)?

Porgy Williams [196?] - Lonely Man's Hum [Sylves S-123]

One of only 3 releases on Sylves (Chicago) which was distributed by Chess.  The first one was That's My Girl / The Girl And The Boy followed by this in 1968? which was re-recorded and reissued in 1975, which is strange as it was 7 years later.  Perhaps when it was discovered that My Heart Cries For You was in demand and reissued, they decided to try this again?  Would Sylves label be owned by Porgy Williams perhaps?

Porgy Williams [196?] -  Let's Form A Committee [Sylves S-123]

Thanks to Fredrick Beondo who left a comment with a link to this track not previously on YouTube. It also alerted to fix some dead links above.

Porgy Williams [1975] - Lonely Man's Hum  [Sylves PW-100]

The 1975 silver issue is a different (later) cut of the blue issue. It has added strings.  Unfortunately I can't find a sounclip of the vocal side.

Porgy Williams [1975] - Just A Lonely Man's Hum [Sylves PW-100]

This is an instrumental version of Lonely Man's Hum.

COVID-19 29th March 2020

Here are the latest stas I've tabulated for Worldometers.

Sadly as I predicted on 21st March (BEFORE the UK lockdown) cases have doubled every 3 days.  I predicted that 4,000 x 2 =  8,000 x 2 = 16,000 and that we would see over 16,000 cases in 7 days.

IT  5th Mar 3,858 cases - 7 days later on 12th Mar  rose to 15,113 cases.

UK 20th Mar 3,983 cases - 7 days later on 27th rose to 14,543 cases.

IT 13th Mar 17,660 cases - UK 28th Mar 17,089 cases

I gain no satisfaction for 'being right' - to be honest I had hoped that I'd be proved wrong, but the BIG question I have is ... if I could predict it just from the daily figures being published then why did the so-called experts that are advising the UK government not predict it and advise the government to shut down earlier.  Perhaps they did and the advice was ignored?

I think it is almost inevitable now that we will see the same number of cases and deaths in the UK as seen in Italy.  The effect of the UK lockdown will not be seen for at least another 2 weeks before new cases start declining.  The genie is already out of the bottle. The UK had at least 2/3 weeks 'knowledge' of what was happening in Italy and chose to do nothing.  India with a population of 1.3bn has taken absolutely no chances and have shut down the country with a mere 500 cases.

The cases in Germany are more than triple that of the UK with less than half the death rate.  Why is this, it's because Germany are testing and contact tracing and isolating cases early.  Whilst the testing in UK should be higher it is too late now.  Only NHS staff and those showing symptoms should be tested as there is no point testing everyone as if you are not positive today doesn't mean you won't be positive tomorrow or the next day etc., so what do we do test everyone everyday?  The anti-body test would be better as it will test those already infected and recovered and therefore less risk, although we don't know for sure that they cannot become reinfected, but if they survived it once then presumably they 'should' survive it again, but of course they could still be spreading it if they do get reinfected.

This is a global pandemic, the virus doesn't recognise country borders or who you are (the 3 most senior people in UK fighting the epidemic are themselves all infected). So what does president Trump do? - after already banning the majority of international flights to US, send troops to guard the Mexican and Canadian borders and threatens to isolate New York, New Jersey & Connecticut but then renages.  If you want another prediction - I think he has blown any chance of re-election later this year, he was cruising on the economy (now tanked as Dow fell 39% from 29,500 to 18,500 before $2Tr package released), and his action and statements on COVID-19 show how inept he is.  Claiming that it will all be over by Easter (which is now exactly 2 weeks today) being perhaps his most idiotic statement yet.  Of course what he might try to do is postpone the election (3rd Nov 2020) due to COVID-19 (it that is at all possible) to buy himself some time.  Hopefully the US public now see all he is interested in is money and the economy and not them.  What will he do with all those who have lost their jobs and with it their healthcare package?  Will they be turned away from hospitals because they have no healthcare?

I apologise for having a bit of a rant but it makes me angry that this wasn't taken more seriously.  I commented at the time when China was building a brand new hospital from scratch in January that this was far more serious than people were taking it as why would they go to such extremes of building a new hospital in 10 days if it weren't? On 24th Jan when they started the construction there were only 1,287 cases 'reported' in China, The UK has waited until over 10,000 before converting ExCel center into Nightingale hospital.

Country	New Cases 28 Mar	New Cases 27 Mar	New Case Increase	Deaths 28 Mar	Deaths 27 Mar	Death Increase
IT	5,874	5,909	-35	889	712	-177
ES	7,516	7,933	-417	844	718	-126
DE	6,824	6,993	-169	82	61	-21
FR	4,611	3,809	802	319	365	46
UK	2,546	2,885	-339	260	113	-147
US	19,452	18,691	761	525	268	-257

Daily 28-Mar 27 Mar (-1 Day) Country New Cases Total Cases No. Deaths Death Rate% Total Cases No. Deaths Death Rate% IT 5,874 92,472 10,023 10.8% 86,498 9,134 10.6% ES 7,516 73,235 5,982 8.2% 65,719 5,138 7.8% DE 6,824 57,695 433 0.8% 50,871 351 0.7% FR 4,611 37,575 2,314 6.2% 32,964 1,995 6.1% UK 2,546 17,089 1,019 6.0% 14,543 759 5.2% US 19,452 123,578 2,221 1.8% 104,126 1,696 1.6%

Weekly	287/03/2020				21 Mar (-1 Week)
Country	New Cases	Total Cases	No. Deaths	Death Rate%	Total Cases	No. Deaths	Death Rate%
IT	5,874	92,472	10,023	10.8%	53,578	4,825	9.0%
ES	7,516	73,235	5,982	8.2%	25,496	1381	5.4%
DE	6,824	57,695	433	0.8%	22,364	84	0.4%
FR	4,611	37,575	2,314	6.2%	14,459	562	3.9%
UK	2,546	17,089	1,019	6.0%	5,018	233	4.6%
US	19,452	123,578	2,221	1.8%	24,192	301	1.2%

	Daily		Weekly
Country	Total Cases Increase Factor	Death Rate  Increase Factor	Total Cases Increase Factor	Death Rate  Increase Factor
IT	106.9%	102.6%	172.6%	120.4%
ES	111.4%	104.5%	287.2%	150.8%
DE	113.4%	108.8%	258.0%	199.8%
FR	114.0%	101.8%	259.9%	158.4%
UK	117.5%	114.3%	340.6%	128.4%
US	118.7%	110.3%	510.8%	144.4%