NORTHERN SOUL DOO WOP 1962 10" DEMO TEST PRESS UNKNOWN METALLICS JOHNNY DURAIN
$
500
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Description
UNKNOWN DOO-WOP/NORTHERN SOUL/R&B 10" DEMO TEST PRESS (1962?) -- for hardcore Northern Soul, Doo Wop and R&B fans, this is a hideously rare and apparently completely unknown 6-song 10-inch Demo Test Press (33 1/3 RPM) featuring several different groups including The Metallics, The Superiors, Johnny Durain & The Cytones and an incredible, unknown track/group, all of whom were apparently recorded by Bob Ross of Aardell/R-Dell and Baronet Records fame. The demo has a generic "Harmony Recorders" label and no group names, only song titles (mis-spelled in several cases) written in pencil on the labels -- the address for Harmony Recorders on Vine Street in Hollywood is the same as Bob Ross's Baronet Records and management company, so this was obviously an in-house recording studio where these tracks were cut. The first track listed only on the label as "Itchy Coo" is the lost gem here, an amazing uptempo Northern Soul-R&B-Popcorn number with an irresistible beat: as far as I can tell, this is an alternate and unreleased version of the song "Itchy Koo" (different spelling) released in 1962 on the tiny Brent label by Hank Blackman & The Killers. This version is by a totally different group (The Metallics? Johnny Durain & The Cytones? who knows??) with a similar driving beat and re-worked lyrics. This version has a chorus that goes: "I wanna rock pretty baby/Wanna roll all night/I wanna dance pretty baby/Till the broad daylight" -- while the Hank Blackman & The Killers version goes: "I wanna rock pretty baby/Wanna roll all night/Squeeze you honey/Till the broad daylight." The rest of the lyrics on this version are almost totally different than the Hank Blackman song -- so whether this was a legitimate cover, an un-authorized rip-off (not unknown in those early days), or even an original demo version that pre-dates the Hank Blackman release, is anybody's guess ... Following that rocket-fueled lift-off are two classic cuts by The Metallics, "Need Your Love" (credited on the label as "I Need Your Love") and their best-known song, "Itchy Twitchy Too" -- these are apparently the same versions as released on Baronet by Bob Ross, but you'd need to compare to the 45 release to be sure. The flip-side leads off with a gorgeous R&B-Doo Wop ballad, "My Last Love" followed by another killer uptempo Northern Soul-R&B-Popcorn number, "Shang Dang Doo" -- these may or may not be the same versions as released by Johnny Durain & The Cytones on the Dore label in 1962, but again, you'd have to compare with the 45 to be sure. The Demo ends with another superb Doo Wop ballad, "Eternal Dream" (credited here as "My Eternal Dream"), which appears to be the same as the one released in 1963 on the obscure Real Fine label by The Superiors, arranged by Calvin Harris. There's no date on the Demo, but based on the fact that all of the known tracks were released in 1962-1963, I'd date this to the same time frame -- this was probably an in-house Demo Test Press done for Bob Ross, either to check the sound quality or to send to other labels in hopes of selling the groups & songs (in the case of the unreleased cover of "Itchy Koo," this apparently never happened.) Any Demo Test Pressings of early Northern Soul-R&B-Doo Wop recordings are incredibly rare -- but a 6-song 10" mini-LP like this is something I've never seen before ... This came in a generic white sleeve with no cover. Record Condition: Fair, moderate surface marks and scuffs, intermittent surface noise in background. For international buyers: please contact me regarding shipping since this needs to be sent with signed delivery confirmation. Payment due within 48 hours of purchase, many thanks! (If you'd like to hear a clip from the record, please send me a message via Ebay with your contact information.)
