This record has just sold on John Manship's auction site this week for
£10,020! It is very distinctive with a funky ska/reggae rhythm. It's a bit of a
'marmite' record where you either love it or hate it! I happen to like it as
it is raw and honest and different.
Click image to expand
It was released on Mars La Tour, a label owned by Carl Queen in Marrietta,
GA who set also up the Atteirram (town name reversed) label in 1971. There's
no date listed for this release but from the other cat. no.s it would
probably be around 1971/72.
There are only around 15 releases listed for the label, although there are
gaps in the numbers which may suggest that there are others yet to be
discovered. It wasn't solely a soul label, there were folk, country, pop and
rock releases and even a gopel album. One of the releases by
RickeyAndrews, has a similar feel to Arthur Willis and was reissued by Trammp in
2016.
It's an impossibly rare record and the group's only known release. John
Manship stated in 2019 that he had only ever had one copy go through his
hands in 50 years and that one sold to Soul Sam. I guess that this is the
third (or possibly the same one three times?).
There are only two originals listed on Popsike, one sold in 2016 for
£6,285, the other listing is 'confused' as it had a starting price of $8,000 and
states it sold for
$1,000 on the same day as start date - I suspect it may have been withdrawn?
To highlight the demand for the record even bootlegs are selling for 3
figures - one as much as £210 ... crazy!
| Rating: | 8.4 |
| Genre/Style: | Northern Soul |
| Format: | Single |
| Media: | 7" |
| Label: | Mars La Tour |
| Cat No: | MLT 2051A |
| Year: | 1972 |
| Value: | £10,020 |
