A firm favourite on NS dancefloors for decades. Both sides were written by Betty Lloyd. It was a very in-demand and hard record to find until some were discoverd in the 90s. These have now dried up and a copy sold for £1010 at auction a few years ago (2017).
It is one of only three known/listed releases on the Detroit BSC label and two
of them are from Betty Lloyd. The other release by her has been featured
previously and was a Christmas tune '6 Days Til Xmas' that also came out on Thomas as 'Snowflakes'. The other single is by Beverly Wheeler With
The Cameros - 'Don't Shake My Tree' / inst version which has in recent years been getting spins on NS
scene.
An anthemic tune which I'm sure I first heard played by ex Twisted Wheel DJ Brian Rae in 1975 and it was an oldie then (I believe that it may have been originally played at the Wheel, but happy to be corrected on that if anyone knows otherwise)! It seems to have been around forever and is still a floor packer when the needle is dropped on it 45+ years later, and quite rightly so.
Ruby Andrews (real name Stackhouse) debuted in 1965 with a single on Kellmac. She was a member of The Vondells (which included Lowrell 'Mellow Mellow' Simon and Jesse Dean who both later were in The Lost Generation and Glenn Murdoch who later formed Mother's Finest with Joyce Kennedy) and apparently the record was actually by The Vondells but credited to Andrews.
She then became the main artist on Ric Wiliams' Zodiac label from 1967 until its demise in 1973 (releasing around 14 of its 30 odd singles and both of it's only two albums) whereupon she moved to ABC in 1976 where she released 3 singles and an album. Releases after that were sporadic on different labels. Her biggest hit is 'Casonova (You're Playing Days Are Over)' in 1967 (R&B #9 Hot 100 #51) covered by Loleatta Holloway in 1975 and Coffee in 1980.
'Just Loving You' was the flip side to 'The Love I Need' which was her next R&B chart entry reaching #48 in 1968. It was written (as were many of her other songs) by Fred Bridges, Robert Eaton and Richard Knight (aka The Brothers Of Soul). Knight was also one half of The Knight Brothers who recorded Temptation 'Bout To Get Me in 1965.
Another superb track by Ruby Andrews, again written by Bridges, Eaton & Knight and released just before 'Just Loving You' in 1968, is 'Wonderful Nite' also on Zodiac and was recorded a year later on Aquarius by 'Candace Love'.
This is probably the first record that kicked off Jackie Wilson's sublime soul period
from 1966-77. 'Mr. Excitement' (as he was known) was one of the best singers and entertainers of all time who was possibly the
biggest contributor to the Northern Soul scene. I could virtually pick
anything to post from this period.
I Don't Want To Lose You
Just Be Sincere
Higher & Higher
I'm The One To Do It
I've Lost You
Since You Showed Me How To Be Happy
The Who Who Song
I Get The Sweetest Feeling
Nothing But Blue Skies
Uptight (Everything's Alright)
You Brought About A Change In Me
Helpless
(I Can Feel Those Vibrations) This Love Is Real
Love Uprising
You Got Me Walking
What'cha Gonna Do About Love
Because Of You
I've Learned About Life
It Only Happens When I Look At You
Just As Soon As The Feelings Over
....and many more including several album only tracks.
I've done several posts on Jackie Wilson in the past so don't wish to
extend this too much.
Not rare and not expensive but a great example of mid 60s Chicago
'proper' Northern Soul and one of my all time favourites. The group
were Major Lance's backing group in 1963 and were subsequently signed by
Carl Davis to OKeh where they released a few 'unsuccessful' singles before
following Davis to Brunswick. By the time this 45 was released Marvin
Smith had left the group to go solo and was replaced by Tommy Green who co-wrote the song and sings lead on this track and released a solitary single in 1973 on
Evolution that even got a UK issue on Action, the flip of which was a nice
modern soul tune
'Endless Confusion'.
An all-time classic from The Cartairs. Arguably the record which split
the Northern Soul scene when this was first played around 1974/75 by Ian Levine at Blackpool Mecca's Highland Room. The traditionalist hated it
as it started a move towards 'modern' tunes.
I loved it then and still love it to this day and to me is one of the most soulful NS records ever, listen to the pain in Cleveland Horne's vocals, he is living that song! The flip side 'The Story Of Our Love' is a sweet soul ballad which has become a lowrider classic. Another song by them has surfaced over the years, 'Girl Have Pity' which I posted some time ago and for some reason is getting lots of views this week which is what has prompted me to do this post.
I had the privilege of
seeing them perform the song (probably for the very first time?) on 28th Nov
1998 at The Blackpool Mecca reunion in The Highland Room. They
performed three songs, 'It Really Hurts Me Girl', a version of The
Salvadors 'Stick My Me Baby', and 'He Who Picks A Rose' which was the
only other record they released, in 1969 on OKeh (the flip was a version of Lennon & McCartney's 'Yesterday'). Sadly only two years after the performance all three members (Cleveland
Horne and Ray A. Evans (who co-wrote the song) and Ervin Langley) had died.
Cleveland Horne performed vocals on the flip side ('Crime') to The
Innocent Bystanders 'Frantic Escape' instrumental in 1968. In the mid
70s he became a member of The Fantastic Four when they were signed to
Westbound where he also did some session work for other artists on the
label (e.g. King Errison, Mike Theodore Orch. and Dennis Coffey
Band) and wrote/co-wrote many songs released by the label. It is claimed
that he was also a member of The Exceptionals who released a solitary 45
on Red Coach in 1975 (Gotta Let Some Sunshine Into My Life / What Is Living). He died of a heart attack barely a week after his
58th birthday in April 2000.
Legend has it that Ian Levine first heard the record played on radio
station whilst on holiday in Miami in 1973 and contacted the station to find out
what it was. The radio station only had a promo copy and told Levine to
contact the label (Red Coach). The label had just lost their distributor
(Chess) so decided to shelve the release, meaning that only copies
already sent out as promos existed. It was another year before Levine
got his hand on a copy from John Anderson's Soul Bowl who had received a
shipment of 100,000 promos from US radio stations. Apparently three
copies were found in this haul (I assume Andy Hanley and Bernie Golding who were with him got the
other two). Ian 'Frank' Dewhirst was the next to obtain a copy
which he states is his favourite record of all time and built his career as by having the record his bookings
increased dramatically.
The original is a white label promo on vinyl with a machine-stamped
STERLING stamp in the runout. It was legally reissued by Gene Redd on
his Red Coach label (pink label) in late 1974/early 1975. These copies
were styrene not vinyl. All subsequent copies are bootegs or reissues.
Neil Rushton's Inferno label reissued a Tom Moulton remix in 1979 on 7"
and 12".
I don't know how many original copies there are claimed to be but,
surprisingly, an original is not that expensive in the scheme of things
as the seem to consitently sell between £150-£250, although somebody, who
obviously hadn't done any reasearch before buying, paid £600 for one on Discogs!
Below I have posted the original version and three other versions that have since surfaced, two different Tom Moulton mixes released by Inferno in 1979 and a later (2012) previously unreleased version.
The Carstairs [1979] It Really Hurts Me Girl (Re-mix 1) [Inferno #HEAT 7A]
The Carstairs [1979] It Really Hurts Me Girl (Re-mix 2) [Inferno #HEAT 7B]
The Carstairs [2012] It Really Hurts Me Girl (Previously Unreleased Mix)
[Inferno #HEAT 1001 A]
As you will have probably noticed already, I'm having a Northern Soul day
today as there's not much on the new release front of interest around today. It's a
mixture of well known and not so well known tunes.
This one, however, is a well known classic double-sider with one of the best stompers
ever and still exceedingly rare to find an original. Both sides were written
by group member James Mitchell and Hadley Murrell who had previously written
songs with, and recorded by, Eddie (Campbell) & Ernie (Johnson).
The Servicemen, as the name implies, were a 5 member group which consisted
of three serving members of US Airforce and one from the army, all based in Arizona, plus another.
The connection between Murrell, Eddie & Ernie & Servicemen is that they were all based in Phoenix, Arizona.
There's a great story about them on
Soul Source
by Karl 'Chalky' White from an interview with Larry Banks who was a member
of the group. Banks provided several interesting photos. Note this is
not the same Larry Banks who was married to Bessie Banks.
Servicemen [1967] - Are You Angry / I Need A Helping Hand [Wind Hit
#M-101]
This track was originally a doo-wop ballad. It was recorded by
Thee Midniters
on Whittier in 1966 which is almost unrecognisable to the stomping version
by the Servicemen.
The Servicemen performed the song acapella (along with
some other songs) in the intermission of a dance at a US Air Force base
where Hadley Murrell was the DJ. After hearing them, Murrell decided
he wanted to record them. Subsequently he released 2 songs on his own Wind
Hit label in 1967.
Only one other record was released on Wind Hit (co-written by Murrell and Eddie Campbell) by Roy
& The Dew Drops - curiously there is a
clip on YT
where '(Servicemen)' has been hand written on the label underneath the
artist name - could the group also be them, or are they being credited with writing the song? Apparently only 200 Wind Hit
copies were pressed hence its scarcity.
It was bootleged on a 'counterfeit' look-alike label in the 70s to 'meet demand'. They are easy to recognise as the original is vinyl with moulded label, whilst the booleg is sytrene with 'stick-on' label. Originals are now selling for 4 figures.
Are You Angry (Acapella)
Servicemen [1967] - Need A Heping Hand [Wind Hit #M-101]
This side was also later issued on Patheway with
'My Turn'
(a doo-wop / soul harmony tune) on the flip side. Most pressings on
Patheway had the labels reversed.
I'm not quite sure when this side went 'big' as I'd been off the NS scene for
most of the 80s and 90s, I don't recall hearing it before 1983, but I do
remember it being a floor-filler in 1998/99 and it was re-issued on UK Soul
City in 2000 which might suggest that it had only recently become popular
around then. Incidentally it was re-issued as 'My Dear Beloved', the title
used on one of the Scepter releases, which may have been a second
issue?
Initially the Scepter release was sought after for the other side 'Do You
Believe It' which appeared on one of the very first NS compilations compiled
by Ian Levine,
'Disco Demand's Solid Soul Sensations'
on Pye in 1975 which I probably wore out when it was released. It was
reissued on CD in 2004 with ten additional tracks, which included 'Dearly
Beloved'.
I recall in 1998/99 it was valued around £75 as I was keen to get hold of
it. It is now well into 3 figures (one sold on discogs for £400 but you
should get one for less than that).
Jack Montgomery's real name was Marvin Tyrone Jones. He was given the stage
name Jack Montgomery by Detroit songwriter, musician Don Juan Mancha who ran
60s Groove City label (which released two NS 'monsters' Sam Ward's -
'Sister Lee'
and The Professionals -
'That's Why I Love You' /
'Did My Baby Call'
their version of Steve Mancha's Wheelsville track).
Discography
Montgomery only released
4 singles, 3 of them played on the NS scene.
The last release is a mellow soul ballad. It is the only release on the
label and the date of release is unknown but I would guess it was his last release late
60s/early 70s. The 1967 release on Barracuda is also the only (known)
release by the label.
The Honey Bees released a vocal version of
'Never In A Million Years'
on Garrison in 1967 produced by Montgomery, Mancha and arranged by Mike
Terry. The same personnel were also credited on Just Brothers
'Carlena', an earlier release on the same label.
Montgomery is also credited (as Marvin Jones) for co-writing Satisfaction
Unlimited's
'I Know It's Love' and
'Come On Back' with Winford (Johnny) Terry (founder of Garrison) for their 1972
album 'Think Of The Children' released on Holland, Dozier, Holland's Hot Wax
label.
A superb and uplifting Gamble & Huff penned tune from
Bobby Hebb, who had some other, more 'poppy', tunes played on Northern Soul scene which
were also chart hits: 'Sunny' #2 US/#12 UK in 1966 and 'Love, Love, Love' #32
UK in 1972, a reissue from 1966 with 'Sunny' on the flip.
His only other chart entries were in US with
'A Satisfied Mind' #39) (which had 'Love, Love, Love' on the flip) and 'Love Me' (#84) which is quite similar to 'Sunny', so much so it could be
described as 'Sunny Pt. 2'!
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