60s NORTHERN SOUL/POP EYES OF BLUE HEART TROUBLE DERAM

	£		31
	$		41

THIS ONE BRINGS ME TO THE END OF MY 'E' LISTINGS.

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 OVER THIRTY 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!

From now on, most of my items will start at just 99p, unless they are valued at £50 or more.

60s UK-RECORDED NORTHERN SOUL

SUPERB VERSION OF THE PARLIAMENTS' GOLDEN WORLD CLASSIC

THE EYES OF BLUE

"HEART TROUBLE"

HEAR HERE! http://www.raresoulman.co.uk/d/51603/EYES_OF_BLUE

b/w

"UP AND DOWN"

(UK: Deram DM.106, 1966)

Record conditon: Very good (plays Very good + to Excellent - (A); Very good + (B))

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

DON'T BID IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR AN EXCELLENT COPY.

It's amazing what you could pick up in second-hand shops a few years back. However, most owners seem to have wised-up to what might be hidden within their cardboard boxes these days. Bargains are harder to come by - but it was a lot easier to find a nice cheapie thirty years ago. One of my regular visits back then was to Rosina Ward's in Hanley. Provided I got there at the right time, there was usually something to tickle my fancy. Since all the singles were a mere 10p, it was worth buying some blind, and irrespective of condition. That was where I picked up Terry Callier's "Look At Me Now", and many other nice sounds.

In late August 1981 - a month before what was supposed to be the last night of  Wigan Casino (it wasn't, as it happened) - I bought this record during one of my visits to Rosina's, as part of a large batch of pop, soul, and reggae 45s. Today, it's rightly recognised as a superb British soul record; back in 1966 it was the debut release by a band from Neath, South Wales. Deram must have liked Welsh soul-influenced bands, since they also signed The Amen Corner from nearby Cardiff. They had enough faith in this record to release it in the States. However, The Parliaments' original had bombed over there, so quite what Deram thought they could achieve with The Eyes Of Blue's version is beyond me.

The group lined up as Ritchie Francis (bass, lead vocals), Gary Pickford Hopkins (vocals, guitar), Phil Ryan (keyboards), Ray Williams (guitar) and Wyndham Rees (drums) (the latter was replaced in 1969 by John 'Pugwash' Weathers). They won a Melody Maker group contest in 1966, and opted for a soul-based approach on their two Deram singles. When that didn't work, they switched to Mercury, and took up an American West Coast rock stance. Neither of their two Mercury albums attracted much of an audience, and the group eventually broke up in 1970. Ritchie Francis tried the solo route, again with mixed response.

Unlike a lot of UK cover versions, these guys appear to have had the lyric sheet on hand, and not just picked up what they thought they heard off a copy of the original record. The musicianship is perfect, and Decca's gifted staff producer, Noel Walker, worked a similar kind of magic to that which had made hits for The Fortunes ("Here It Comes Again", "You've Got Your Troubles", etc). The only real difference is the dead stop ending, which British groups often thought obligatory.

This is a bona-fide original, with a serrated edge around the labels, and an intact four-pronged centre.

A. Real British soul power; outstanding example of the art; listen to a clip above.

B. Typical mid-60s pop beater; sing-a-long tune; written by the same team that had won worldwide acclaim with "Black Is Black" for Los Bravos.

The record has lots of play signs, scuffs, and what I call "spiders webs". It looks like it has been played many times by someone who wasn't very careful. However, there is nothing that can be felt on the surface, so there are no clicks or clunks - just lightish background noise. The B-side does play worse, with a harsh quality towards the end.

Both labels have a grubby appearance, slightly more pronounced on the B-side. There is also some writing ("Butterfly Disco") on this side, above and partly over the Deram insignia. There are no stickers, or sticker removal marks.

The edges are completely chip-free.

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.

New postal rates:

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

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

JUST SPOTTED A PHOTO OF THE GROUP, FOR ANYONE WHO'S INTERESTED