Soul Strutter

Showing posts with label Fantastics. Show all posts

Tuesday, 12 July 2022

The Fantastics [1965] - Hi Note [Copa #8007 / Sound Stage 7 #45-2548]

Continuing The Fantastics theme, "High Note" is the first single from the Houston based group released initially on Houston, TX, label Copa in 1965 and then gaining wider distribution via Sound Stage 7.

The song was written by group member Willie Pernell as a tribute to The Impressions and features Jethro Caldwell on lead vocals. It may explain my comment in last post re. having a Chicago mid sixties swing sound to the "Have A Little Faith". The flip side "That One" also has that Chicago mid 60s vibe.

Pernell later joined Archie Bell & The Drells which may explain why these guys didn't release more records as all three are pretty darn good! I suspect that after his departure the group disbanded?

Details

Rating:	8.2
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	60s Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Copa / Sound Stage 7
Cat No:	8007 / 45-2548
Date:	1965
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£200-£250 (approx.) / £175 (approx.)

The Fantastics [1970] - Where There's A Will There's A Way [Impresario #IPPI 124]

The final single release by The Fantastics who were a quartet from Houston, TX, consisting of Jethro Caldwell, Willie Parnell, Eddie Webb and Bobby Williams.

Their third single, "Me And You" was posted earlier.

Their last listed single, "Where There's A Will (There's A Way)", was released on Texas (Houston?) label Impresario and is a superb crossover tune which is fetching four figures. Only one has ever sold on Discogs in 2018 for £1,200 and a promo is currently listed for just over £2k ($2,500)!

There are only a handful of singles released by Impresario and those listed with dates are from 1971, so as the cat. no. for this one is lower, I would guess that it was released 1970?

Details

Rating:	8.7
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Crossover
Format:	Single
Media:	7" Vinyl
Label:	Impresario
Cat No:	IPPI 124
Date:	1970
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£2k (Approx.)

The Fantastics [1966] - Me And You / Have A Little Faith [Sound Stage 7 #45-2565]

I'm not deliberately trying to confuse you, honest, but the last post by a different group with the same name reminded me of this superb Northern Soul tune released in 1966 on Sound Stage 7. (ignore the Spanish guitar intro as it turns into a driving 60's dancer)

The Fantastics were a quartet from Houston, TX, and consisted of Jethro Caldwell, Willie Parnell, Eddie Webb and Bobby Williams.

"Me And You" was their third single of four and second on Sound Stage 7, although the first two were the same songs, originally released on local Copa label and then again on Sound Stage 7. Discogs has another listed for them but I'm pretty sure it's not the same band as it's a Spanish instrumental.

The official A side (going by matrix nos.) is "Have A Little Faith" which has a bit of a swing like many Chicago tunes of the time.

Their last listed single is "Where There's A Will (There's A Way)" on Impresario which is a great crossover tune and is a pricey item with only one ever selling on Discogs in 2018 for £1,200 and a promo currently listed for just over £2k ($2,500)!

There are only a handful of singles released by Impresario which was another Texas label, probably Houston?. The ones that are dated are from 1971, and the cat. no. on this is lower, so possibly released 1970? I'll post it separately.

Details

Rating:	8.6
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Northern Soul
Format:	Single
Media:	Digital
Label:	Sound Stage 7
Cat No:	45-2565
Date:	1966
Key/BPM:	N/A
Price:	£200-£250 (approx.)

The Velours / The Fantastics [1967/1970] - I'm Gonna Change / Ask The Lonely [MGM /Deram]

This post has a tenuous link to Alice Clark post the other day as The Fantastics hail from the same stomping ground, the Bedford-Stuyvesant district of Brooklyn, NYC, where she came from.

Those on the ball will know that The Fantastics, whilst based in the UK in the late 60s/70s, started out in the 50s as a doo-wop group, The Velours, who recorded one of my favourite Northern Soul records as a youth, "I'm Gonna Change" in 1967. The group at this point in their history consisted of three original members Jerome Ramos, Donald Haywoode, John Cheatdom (who had not recorded since 1961 taking time out pick up their missed education reforming in 1966) and the addition of new member Richard Pitts. The popularity of the song gained it a UK reissue in 1977. Most US copies are yellow promos but there does appear to be a black issue but these seem to be few and far between so I'm not sure whether the single actually received a full issue? If you go by the matrix numbers, although it always seems to be listed as the A side (as it is the sought after side), I think it was actually the official B side.

The song was also recoded the same year on "New Gold Hits" album by The 4 Seasons which I believe was the original given that it was written by two friends and part-time members of the group, Angelo 'Cubby' Cifelli and Mike Petrillo a songwriter and saxophonist who played on some sessions. It was bootlegged on a Smash 7" in the 70s, it was never officially released as a single.

The 4 Seasons version is a bit faster at 166 BPM v Velours 154 BPM which is possibly why it seemed to be preferred by the amphetamine fueled dance floor, although more likely it was easier to find

Not long after releasing the single on MGM them moved to the UK in 1968 to perform as The Fabulous Temptations and then The Fantastic Temptations singing Temptations covers until dropping Temptations from the name. They had a UK pop chart top 10 hit in 1971 with "Something Old Something New". Prior to that in 1970 they recorded a cover of Four Tops "Ask The Lonely" on the flip side to "Waiting Round For Heartache".

They recorded around fourteen singles as The Fantastics up to 1976.