60s DETROIT NORTHERN SOUL/DEEP AL GARDNER WATCH DJ ORIG

	£		33
	$		44

I've made the decision to sell some of my very large collection of 7", 12" and LPs.

ALL THE ITEMS I AM SELLING COME FROM NEARLY FORTY YEARS OF COLLECTING.

I AM NOT A DEALER.

There will be some real gems, so make sure you keep your eyes open.

SOME OF MY LISTINGS NOW CARRY 'BORROWED' SOUND CLIPS BENEATH THE TITLE.

I AREN'T QUITE ADVANCED ENOUGH YET TO PROVIDE MY OWN!

MOST OF THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

THE MIDDLE SECTION CONTAINS ALL MY LENGTHY WAFFLE, WHICH YOU DON'T REALLY NEED TO READ (ALTHOUGH I WILL BE ASKING QUESTIONS AT THE END).

POSTAGE RATES ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

ALL MY ITEMS START WELL BELOW BOOK VALUE

SOME FROM AS LITTLE AS 99p.

60s DETROIT NORTHERN SOUL/R&B/MOD

QUITE DIFFERENT REMAKE OF

TONY HESTER'S "WATCH YOURSELF"

ASTOUNDING DEEP SOUL A-SIDE

ORIGINAL PROMO

CURRENTLY BOOKED AT AROUND £100

AL GARDNER

"JUST A TOUCH OF YOUR HAND"

HEAR HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o60FxWTBhpk

b/w

"WATCH YOURSELF"

HEAR HERE! http://www.raresoulman.co.uk/d/52716/GARDNER,_AL

(US: Sir-Rah SIR-RAH 504, 1968; Promotion Copy)

Vinyl

Record conditon: Very good + (both sides mostly play Excellent + to Excellent +++)

Labels condition: Very good ++ (A); Excellent ++ (B)

The recording career of Al Gardner has been the subject of much speculation and contradiction over the years, and I've tried to be as accurate as possible in the following mini-biography. Considering the amount of conflicting information to be gleaned from various web pages, it's almost laughable that the man has left only four known singles, plus a couple of unissued titles. His debut 45 ("I'll Get Along") appeared on Detroit's iconic Lu Pine label (#LR-121), and was credited to 'Al Garner'. The actual session probably dates from 1960 or 1961, as do a couple of unreleased Lu Pine tracks featuring Gardner backed by The Primettes (the earliest format of The Supremes, but as a quartet). Gardner later re-recorded "I'll Get Along", and it appeared as the earliest known Groovesville release (GV 777), in 1963.

After this short period, Gardner appears to have been absent from the studio for about five years, resurfacing in 1968 with the titles on offer here. His final single is the very scarce "Sweet Baby" on Sepia, which dates from 1969. There is a more affordable French Googa Mooga release of this one, which has a nice picture cover (shown above, and NOT included in this auction).

Back to this particular 45 - it was recorded in 1968, for the Sir-Rah label (operated by Andrew 'Shelley' Harris). The label design shows it to have been affiliated to Sport and Boss, the group's two best-known enterprises. Sir-Rah lasted for just four singles, the first three of which were distributed by the Amy/Mala/Bell group. The fourth, however, was distributed by Atco, which means it was pressed in vinyl, not styrene.

A few years back, I sold my copy of Tony Hester's original version of "Watch Yourself" on Karate, hoping to eventually pick it up on it's first label, Giant. I've had no luck so far, and now I'm hoping to part with Gardner's remake. It's another strong Detroit recording, with Jack Ashford in overall supervisory control. The official A-side is a scorcher of a deep soul track, that features on one of the Sir Shambling's Deep Soul Heaven pages. His claim is that this side was recorded at 'Papa Willie's', by which I assume he means Willie Mitchell's studio in Memphis. Confusingly, the name of Jack Ashford is again emblazened at the bottom of the label, in letters that are almost as large as those of the singer's own. Perhaps he hopped on a Greyhound bus!

This copy is a more collectable white promo, as opposed to a red issue.

A. Superior deep soul ballad; another fine version exists by Paul Vann on Sound Stage 7, a label that the song's co-author Allen Orange also recorded for; listen in full via the above youtube posting (not taken from my copy).

B. Sturdy Detroit mid-tempo; written by Jack Ashord and Andrew 'Mike' Terry; sounds like a different song entirely to the better-known Tony Hester version, or at least the same lyrics on a different melody; listen to a short clip above (not taken from my copy).

The vinyl has a medium number of "spiders webs"/scuffs, particularly around the edges. Most of these don't affect the sound quality, although there are some light ticks and/or background noise at the beginning and end of each side. Almost all of the playing time is well above excellent, with the occasional mild tick.

The A-side label has some ring-wear, which is red in colour, and is over about a third of the area. There are also two light 'X' marks, and the whole has a slightly grubby appearance. The B-side label has the very lightest touch of ring-wear only (see scan).

Please ask if you need a scan of the A-side label.

This record has been played on both sides to verify condition, but there's a full money-back guarantee on all my sales, and I'll refund anyone who isn't totally captivated.

Domestic postal rates (sent recorded delivery, unless the winning bid is under £5):

One 7" single: £1.80; 30p per 7" afterwards.

One 12" single/LP: £2.80; 50p per 12"/LP afterwards.

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO PICK UP THE ITEM IN PERSON.

Overseas postal rates (all sent recorded delivery):

One 7" single: £7 or £10; 50p per 7" afterwards.

12"/LPs at a cost to be determined later.

DUE TO A NUMBER OF LOSSES/CLAIMS RECENTLY, ALL OVERSEAS WINS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE CHARGED £10, WHICH I WILL THEN ADJUST, ACCORDING TO THE SALE VALUE.

OVERSEAS BIDDERS WHO WIN AN ITEM UNDER £30 WILL BE CHARGED £7 FOR A FULLY INSURED PACKAGE.

OVERSEAS BIDDERS WHO WIN AN ITEM OVER £30 WILL BE CHARGED £10 FOR A FULLY INSURED PACKAGE.

THIS IS NOT TO DETER PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS, BUT TO ENSURE PEACE OF MIND.

PLEASE DON'T BID IF YOU DISAGREE.

IF YOU ARE AN OVERSEAS WINNER, PLEASE WAIT FOR ME TO AMEND YOUR INVOICE BEFORE PAYING.