Lee Williams & The Cymbals v The Pretenders - It's Everything About You (That I Love) [Carnival]

A song written by Joe Evans (a jazz saxophonist who owned Carnival) and Edward 'Sonny' Bivins who was a member of The Manhattans who also recorded for Carnival in the 60s. Both, coincidentally, died in 2014, Evans aged 97 and Bivins was 78.

Carnival was based in New York originally in 1962 but moved to Newark, NJ in 1963. The company ran between 1962-74, however sporadic releases started appearing again in 1980 (from The Pretenders release here) to 1985. 

The label was doomed when The Manhattans left for Deluxe in 1969 as the  company was running on a shoe string and relied on the Manhattans selling records. It has been said that Joe Evans was unhappy that they left as he had groomed them from nothing and they left when the company needed them.

Lee Williams & The Cymbals [1968] - It's Everything About You (That I Love) [Carnival #CAR-537]

The Pretenders [1980] - It's Everything About You (That I Love) [Carnival #CAR-560]

This is a 'modernised' take of the song by The Pretenders originally released in 1980. It was reissued on Family Groove, both as 7" and extended 12" in 2016/17 respectively and  has also been reissued by Kent on TOWN 172 in 2019.

The original currently sells for between £200-£300.

The flip side I Call It Love is claimed to have been released three times on the label, 2 slow versions and the fast version,  in 1970 slow version (CAR-550), 1974 slow version? (CAR-560) and on this fast version in 1980. However there is some confusion over the dates as 560 is listed at 1980 on Discogs but 1974 on 45Cat, so unless there were 2 releases on 560, both slow and fast versions I don't know if this is correct.