60s NORTHERN SOUL DOBIE GRAY WHITE WHALE DJ ORIGINAL
£
31
$
41
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Description
60s NORTHERN SOUL/CROSSOVER
Tonight I'm adding a few more one-track DJ 45s from my own collection.
LATE NOTE: TO AVOID ANYONE SENDING ANY FURTHER QUESTIONS, I'D BETTER MAKE IT A BIT CLEARER. THIS IS 100% ORIGINAL. THE RECORD WAS GIVEN A 'SECOND ISSUE', WITH ONE BLANK SIDE. THIS COPY HAS THE SAME TRACK ON BOTH SIDE.
DOBIE GRAY
"HONEY YOU CAN'T TAKE IT BACK" Mono
b/w
"HONEY YOU CAN'T TAKE IT BACK" Mono
(US: White Whale WW-342, 1970; Promotion Copy)
Recorded: 1969
Record conditon: Excellent +++
Labels condition: Excellent +++
There's no need for me to say anything about Dobie Gray, because his earlier Charger 45s (particularly "Out On The Floor") are what Northern Soul is all about. His first real smash was "The 'In' Crowd" (also on Charger), which was a big hit in the US, and a mod anthem in the UK.
Half a decade later, the singer was recording three singles for the west coast label, White Whale. I've never heard the first, but since it was called "Rose Garden", I have a feeling I'm not really missing anything. The second has now become the most collectable, and is called "What A Way To Go". But, guess what. It's a B-side, and White Whale promos are all mono/mono versions of the official A-side, which was called "Do You Really Have A Heart?" That's another kick in the bol?!cks for promo fanciers. The same holds true for Dobie's last WW single, though at least someone had the good sense to make "Honey You Can't Take It Back" the chosen plug. Again, I've not had the pleasure of hearing "Guess Who" (the flip).
"HYCTIB" is sheer heaven with a dance beat, not to mention a remarkably catchy tune. Given the right promotion it could easily have stormed the Billboard Hot 100. Instead, the Yanks went for the insipid country-styled "Drift Away" a few years later. The song was penned by Kenny Nolan, who also wrote "Highwire" for Linda Carr (I'm selling a demo of that tonight as well).
Again, both sides sound mono to me, which was unusual for the late 60s, since stereo had been around for quite a few years. The starting price reflects the current value of a near-minter, around £100.
Finally, when you want to become a star, it pays to have a catchy name. That's why Leonard Victor Ainsworth changed his to Dobie Gray.
This single is in near-mint condition, and plays like new. The label on the scanned side has a slight dirt mark at 5 o'clock, and some very minor bubbling around the middle. The edges are completely chip-free, and it has been played on both sides to verify condition.
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