The Lovelites [2023] - Love So Strong: The Lovelite Recordings [P-Vine] (Full Album)

As if one album from The Lovelites was not enough those wonderful people at P-Vine have also released another today, a 16 track compilation "Love So Strong: The Lovelite Recordings". 

There is no duplication as these recordings are from their post Uni days when they released material on their own Lovelite imprint and on Cotillion.

It consists of virtually all their A & B sides from their singles from that period with a couple of glaring omissions i.e. no "Love Bandit" and "We've Got The Real Thing" but does include an unreleased recording of their interpretation of "Betcha By Golly, Wow", which has featured on a previous compilation. Curiously, The Lovelites version of "Love Bandit", nor "We've Got The Real Thing", has appeared on any of their compilations, perhaps the master tapes are damaged or lost?

"Love Bandit" was a popular Northern Soul spin for Keanya Collins (aka Renee Marks who co-wrote the song with Byron Gregory) who released it as "Barnabus Collins - Love Bandit" on Keanya Records in 1969/70. As it was so popular, it was bootlegged by the notorious Simon Soussan on Soul Galore and reissued by Grapevine in 1978. 

 This one is also available on CD and vinyl.

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	9.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Classic Soul / Sweet Soul / Crossover / Northern Soul
Format:	Album / Compilation
Media:	Digital
Label:	P-Vine
Cat No:	None
Date:	19/07/2023
Price:	£7.99

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

The Lovelites [2023] - With Love From The Lovelites [P-Vine] (Full Album)

What an absolute joy to come across this reissue of one of our all time favourite albums "With Love From The Lovelites" from The Lovelites which has been released digitally today. 

It's their only official album which was released on Uni in 1970 although three compilations of their music have been released. An original vinyl copy would set you back at least a couple of hundred notes (one has even sold for as much as £500 on Discogs).

The album has been released by Japanese label P-Vine who also released it on limited edition CD and vinyl in Jan this year.

We did a Lovelites Profile last year so, rather than regurgitate it here, visit that page for more information. There is also a good article about the group on Chicago Reader site.

They are yet another act so criminally neglected by the mainstream and achieved only two R&B chart entries with "How Can I Tell Mom & Dad" (#15 R&B / #60 Hot 100 in 1969) and "My Conscience" (#36 1971 video included below). Only the former is included on the album as the latter came afterwards).

Their last single, "Get It Off My Conscience" in 1975, was a departure from their mid-tempo sweet soul offerings and was a monster record in the mid 70s on Northern Soul dancefloors and was reissued in the UK by Grapevine in 1978.

Deniece 'Niecy' Williams was a short-term member who left in 1970 to join Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove.

The song "I Love You Yes I Do" was also recorded by twin sisters Pat & Pam (Cordell who were the daughters of WVON DJ/singer Lucky Cordell) on Our Own in 1971 as well as a sax led instrumental version by their producer Johnny Cameron & The Camerons on Lock Central in 1969 which got picked up by Atlantic. There is another more jazz instrumental on Atlantic from 1973 by Rahsaan Roland Kirk which is almost unrecognisable as the same song.

Eugene Record (Chi-Lites) wrote "A Certain Kind Of Lover" which was recorded by Diane Cunningham on Fontana in 1968 which included "You've Hurt Me Now" on the flip which was also recorded by Sunday Williams in 1970 on Red Balloon, all rather incestuous.

If you have not yet had the pleasure of hearing The Lovelites then we think you may be blown away. We aren't even going to direct you to any particular track as the album is so full of gems. Timeless soul music of the highest quality which comes highly recommended! If you don't like this then there is no hope for you lol!

This group 'should' have been massive, their tight harmonies are delicious but, as is so often the case, groups with more style than substance got the limelight. The fact that this little known group's music is still appreciated more than 50 years later speaks volumes.

We found a recording from 2019? of Patti Hamilton singing their biggest hit. She looks younger than expected but they where school kids when it was released it in 50 years earlier 1969 so would perhaps be in her mid 60s then?

Click on image below for link to where you can buy from.

Details

Rating:	9.5
Explicit:	N
Genre/Style:	Classic Soul / Sweet Soul / Crossover
Format:	Album
Media:	Digital
Label:	P-Vine
Cat No:	None
Date:	19/07/2023
Price:	£7.99

Copyright © 2009-2023 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

The Lovelites - A Profile

One of my favourite 'unsung' girl groups just has to be Chicago's The Lovelites. I thought I'd already posted a feature on them but, although they have appeared several times on the blog, they haven't been given a proper profile so it's time to correct that.

Like many others, possibly, my first introduction to them was via their big Northern Soul tune "Get It Off My Conscience" in the mid 70s which was released on their own logo Lovelite in 1975. Such was it's popularity that it gained a UK release on John Anderson's Grapevine label in 1978. It was a bit of a more funky departure from their earlier sweet soul sound and was their last recording.

As is, sadly, so often the case, despite the quality of their recordings, only two singles made it into the R&B chart, "How Can I You Tell My Mom & Dad" (#15 R&B #60 Hot 100 1969) and "My Conscience" (#36 R&B 1971).

They were formed in 1967 and originally consisted of sisters Patti Hamilton and Rozena Petty and their friend Barbara Peterman. They recorded their first single in 1967 for the local Chicago label, Bandera Records. After this single Peterman left the group in 1968, and was replaced by Ardell McDaniel.

Their next single "How Can I Tell My Mom & Dad" first appeared on Lock Records. It was about teen pregnancy, a taboo subject in the 60s. The song was written by Patti Hamilton and produced by ex Chi-Lite Clarence Johnson who would later manager the group. The single did well locally and gained them a contact with MCA subsidiary Uni who reissued the single which did well enough for them to release their sole album "With Love From The Lovelites" in 1970.

Deniece Williams was briefly a member but left when asked to join Stevie Wonder's Wonderlove.  Joni Berlman replaced Petty in 1970 leaving only Patti Hamilton as an original member.

After leaving Uni, Johnson set up their own imprint Lovelite and their first release on the logo, "My Conscience", in Nov 1970 was a top 40 R&B hit. After the single Rhonda Grayson replaced McDaniel in 1971. 

There were two further releases on Lovelite, one a cover of the best song ever recorded by Martha & The Vandellas "My Baby Loves Me" as  Patti & The Lovelites before they signed to Cotillion. The first release on the label was a cover of a Northern Soul classic recorded by Keanya Collins "Barnabus Collins - Love Bandit" in 1969 (written by Collins under the alias Renee Marks) shortened to just "Love Bandit". Only one more single was released on Cotillion before they were back on their own label with "Love So Strong" which was picked up by 20th Century in 1973.The group released just one more single, again on Lovelite,  which was the one picked up on by the Northern Soul scene from 1975.

To my knowledge there are three compilations of their material "This Love Is Real" (1994), "The Lovelite Years" (1999) and "Sisters of Soul - The Sweeter Voices of Soul" (2012) which contains 20 of their songs along with 8 by 70s group The Fuzz from Washington D.C. who also had a big Northern Soul tune "I'm So Glad" (included on the comp) which got a released in UK on the Pye Disco Demand series in 1974. 

The two final tracks are oddities, one a cover of Tammy Wynette's "Stand By Your Man" by The Passionettes which was a 1970 Uni recording on the flip side to "Sister Watch Yourself". The other by Pat & Pam who were the teenage twin daughters of WVON DJ Lucky Cordell and nothing to do with Patti Hamilton. I guess the connection is that the song was written by C.B. Allen (Charles Bertrand Allen who was also a member of Shades Of Brown) who wrote some songs for The Lovelites and also for Deniece/Denise Chandler (aka Niecy Deniece Williams). 

There was another New York girl group with The Lovelites name who recorded only one single under the name on Phil Specter's Phi-Dan in 1965 and later changed their name to The Jades.

Albums

1970 - With Love From The Lovelites [Uni #73081]

A1 - Oh My Love 2:35

A2 - This Love Is Real 2:32

A3 - You've Hurt Me Now 2:35

A4 - How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad 3:15

A5 - I'm In Love 2:45

A6 - Gotta Let You Go 2:50

B1 - Who You Gonna Hurt Now 2:34

B2 - Certain Kind Of Lover 2:32

B3 - I Love You (Yes I Do) 2:48

B4 - I Don't Want To Cry 2:28

B5 - I've Got Love 2:30

B6 - Shy Boy 2:28

Compilations

1994 - This Love Is Real [P-Vine #PCD-2904] CD only

01 - Betcha By Golly Wow

02 - Get To Be There

03 - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling

04 - Got To Let You Go

05 - Oh My Love

06 - This Love Is Real

07 - I'm In Love

08 - How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad

09 - Bumpy Road Ahead

10 - My Baby Loves Me

11 - Don't Want To Cry

12 - The Way That You Treat My Baby

13 - Is That Lovin' In Your Heart

14 - I'm The One That You Need

1999 - The Lovelite Years [Lovelite #LR1021]

01 - Betcha By Golly Wow 3:31

02 - Got To Be There 4:33

03 - You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling 7:15

04 - How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad 3:19

05 - My Baby Loves Me 2:34

06 - Is That Lovin' In Your Heart 2:54

07 - I'm The One That You Need 3:14

08 - My Conscience 2:37

09 - Bumpy Road Ahead 2:24

10 - The Way That You Treat Me Baby 2:39

11 - Man In My Life 2:37

12 - Get It Off My Conscience 3:43

13 - Oh What A Day 3:05

14 - Love So Strong 3:10

15 - Cravin' For Your Love 4:22

16 - Come And Get It 2:41

17 - You've Hurt Me Now 2:37

18 - Love Is Pretty 3:50

19 - Love Is Tears (June Denise Chandler AKA Niecy) 2:29

20 - I'm Not Like The Others (June Denise Chandler AKA Niecy)2:30

Sisters of Soul - The Sweeter Voices of Soul 

01 - How Can I Tell My Mom and Dad

02 - This Love Is Real

03 - I'm in Love

04 - Betcha by Golly Wow

05 - Is That Lovin' in Your Heart

06 - My Conscience

07 - I'm Not Like the Others

08 - My Baby Loves Me

09 - Bumpy Road Ahead

10 - You've Hurt Me Now

11 - Gotta Let You Go

12 - I Love You ( Yes I Do)

13 - Oh My Love

14 - I Don't Want to Cry

15 - I've Got Love

16 - Shy Boy

17 - I'm the One That Love Forgot

18 - Love So Strong

19 - Certain Kind of Love

20 - Get It Off My Conscience

21 - I Love You For All Seasons - The Fuzz

22 - Like an Open Door - The Fuzz

23 - Leave It All Behind - The Fuzz

24 - Ooh Baby Baby - The Fuzz

25 - It's All Over - The Fuzz

26 - I'm So Glad - The Fuzz

27 - Search My Mind - The Fuzz

28 - Mr Heartaches & Miss Tears - The Fuzz

29 - Stand by Your Man - Passionettes

30 - I Love You (Yes I Do) - Pat & Pam

Singles

NB most appear on at least one of the compilations above except those marked with #

1967 - #I Found Me A Lover / #You Better Stop It [Bandera #2515]

09-1969 - How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad / #Hey! Stars Of Tomorrow [Lock #L-723]

11-1969 - How Can I Tell My Mom And Dad / #Hey! Stars Of Tomorrow (Inst) [Uni #55181]

04-1970 - #Who You Gonna Hurt Now / Oh My Love [Uni #55222]

1970 - This Love Is Real / Oh My Love [Uni #55242]

11-1970 - My Conscience / Man In My Life [Lovelite #LLR-01]

06-1971 - Bumpy Road Ahead /Love Is Pretty [Lovelite #LLR-02]

as Patti Hamilton & The Lovelites

1972 - My Baby Loves Me / The Way That You Treat Me Baby [Lovelite #LLR-03]

as Patti Hamilton & The Lovelites

01-1972 - #I'm The One That You Need / #Love Bandit [Cotillion #45-44145]

as Patti & The Lovelites

10-1972 - Is That Lovin' In Your Heart / #We've Got The Real Thing [Cotillion #45-44161]

1973 - Love So Strong / Oh My Love [Lovelite #LR-1008]

as Patti & The Lovelites

1973 - Love So Strong / Oh My Love [20th Century #TC-2068]

1975 - Get It Off My Conscience / Oh What A Day [Lovelite #LR-1500]

Copyright © 2009-2022 SoulStrutter All Rights Reserved

The Ledgends v The Lovelites [1970] - Gotta Let You Go [Red Balloon #RB-01 / Uni #73081]

Several members of The Legends were members of the original Notations who were formed in 1969 and consisted Cliff Curry, Curtis McCormick, Carl McPhan, Brian Taylor & Lee Dees. They recorded 'Trying My Best To Find Her' / 'Gonna Get Ready' on TAD #205 the same year. 

After this record Clifford Curry left taking the group name. Two groups emerged, a new Notations formed of Curry, LaSalle Mathews, Jimmy Stroud & Bobby Thomas, and The Ledgends consisting of Curtis McCormick, Carl McPhan, Lee Dees from the previous Notations along with Lamar Greer and Lenny O'Dell.

The Ledgends released three 45s all in 1970. I did a post on the goup some time ago here.

This song was written by two members Carl McPhan and Curtis McCormick. It was also recorded by The Lovelites the same year on their album 'With Love From The Lovelites'.

McCormick also wrote both sides of The Notations first single and The Softiques - 'Bashful (I'm That Kinda Girl)' / 'Two Kinds Of Boys', The Lovelites - 'Who You Gonna Hurt Now', as well as The Symphonics  'Guilty' / 'When I Grow Old', Billy Stewart - 'What Have I Done' with Fred Cash (The Impressions).

The Ledgends [1970] - Gotta Let You Go [Uni #73081]

The Lovelites [1970] - With Love From The Lovelites [Uni #73081]

The Lovelites [1972] - My Baby Loves Me [Lovelite #LLR03]

After the 'set up' in the last post, this next post just has to be from The Lovelites. I personally believe that this is the best song Martha & The Vandellas recorded. It reached #3 R&B #22 Hot 100 in 1966.  

This is The Lovelites version, released in 1972, who only had two R&B chart entries and this wasn't one of them. They were 'How Can I You Tell My Mom & Dad' (#15 R&B #60 Hot 100 1969)  and 'My Conscience' (#36 R&B 1971).

They had a popular record played on NS scene mid 70s 'Get It Off My Conscience' (different song to 'My Conscience' above). It must have been played not long after release in 1975 as it was certainly played in '76. It fitted in along with many of the more funky tunes being played around that period.

Jimmy Burns / Bobby James / The Mystics / The Brand New Faces - I Really Love You - Versions

A song alluded to in The Fantastic Epics post was 'I Really Love You' a Northern Soul Classic written by Robert Lee Newsome (Bobby Newsome), a member of The Vontastics, who recorded it as Bobby James on Karol in 1966. The best known version is by Jimmy Burns.  In this post I'll highlight several other verions.

Jimmy Burns [1965] - I Really Love You [Erica E-02]

Discogs and 45Cat both list this as 1965 and 45Cat lists Bobby James as 1969, however Bobby Newsome (James) wrote the track and Jimmy Burns says that the all he did was put down vocals on the existing backing track so we should assume that Bobby James version was probably first.

Jimmy Burns [1965] - I Love You Girl [Erica E-02]

Written by C.B. (Christopher Bertrand) Allen whose name crops up in many of the tracks posted here.

Bobby James [1966] - I Really Love You [Karol KAR-3727]

Produced by C.B. Allen.

Bobby James [1966] - I Really Love You (Inst) [Karol KAR-3727]

Instrumental version

The Mystics [1970] - I Really Love You [Teako T370]

The Mystics were mainly hispanic teenagers from Pilsen, Chicago when they formed in 1967 as a 6 piece band but later merged with another Chicago band with brass and woodwind to become a 12 piece.

In Autumn of 1969 Ed O'Kelly (a producer and owner of Teako) heard the group's rehearsals and offered them a recording contract. They recorded this 45 in late 1969 at Universal Studios and  it was released in summer 1970. It did quite well locally but the group disbanded in 1971 leaving just this single 45.

The Mystics [1970] - That's The Kind Of Love [Teako T370]

The Brand New Faces [196x] - Brand New Faces [LuJuna 10655-7-B]

Credited to Sam Lee who presumably must have written the different lyrics as it has the same backing as Bobby James and Jimmy Burns.

The Brand New Faces [196x] - I Don't Wanna Cry [LuJuna 10655-7-A]

This version' is credited to Otis Brown, who I owned the label (named after his daughter) and all other releases are by him.  Brown is famous for recordeding Southside Chicago on Ole another label he was co-owner of.

Denise Chandler [1969] - I Don't Wanna Cry [Toddlin' Town 118]

There's a few links here ... this version's writer's credits are by Christoher B Allen who also wrote Jimmy Burns 'I Love You Girl'  (flip to I Really Love You) and 'I'm Not Like The Others' recorded by The Lovelites (when Denise Chandler (Deniece Williams) was a member) and also by Little Jimmy Gandy who I believe was related to The Lovelites.  The Lovelites also recorded a different version (below)

The Lovelites [1970] - I Don't Wanna Cry [Uni 73081]

The Lovelites version from their With Love From The Lovelites album.  The song was written by Chrsiopher Allen with the same title but as it is either a different arrangement or may be a different song as sounds different.