By deborah (198.81.20.154 - 198.81.20.154) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 10:15 am:

Clarence Carter made an lp called Patches in 1969
and again made an lp called Sixty minutes with
Clarence in 1973. However, from 1970-to 1973
he had several single hits that don't show up
any way. Can anyone offer any ideas. thanks, deb

By MelsMate (195.219.7.111 - 195.219.7.111) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 12:41 pm:

Deborah,this is what Ive got regards your question,The feeling is right a Muscle shoals love song by Mickey Buckins and George Jackson perpetuated the succession of RnB top 10 hits for clarence,as did his self penned Doin our thing,which gained moderate pop success to close out the year.1970 Began with Take it off him and put it on me which had less impressive sales figures.But he then restored himself back in the RnB Top 10 with I Cant leave you alone.This set the way for his smash hit that came next,Patches.The follow up was a similar take to patches called Its all in your mind but was no where as successful.At this time Clarence married Fame labelmate Candi Staton in Birmingham,Ala.on August9 1970.His next 45 was Getting the bills(but no merchandise)and topside he had some success with Court Room.A strange tale about a preacher on a rape charge being aquitted when evidence revealed that a war wound had deprived him of the necessery equipment needed for such a crime.The record gained a healthy chart position as did the next called Slipped Tripped and fell in love with a smooth muscle shoals arrangement which had a girl group backing.His last 45 was scratch my back in 1971 (HIS LAST ON aTLANTIC THAT IS)and after a duet with Candi called If you cant beat em in July1972 Rick Hall switched his Fame output to U.A.but retaining label identity.Also in 1972 clarence had a small hit with Back in your arms,December time and in March 1973 he cit other versions of 60minute man and Mother in law.He hit in December 1973 with Midnight Special,a top 20 RnB hit,following this Clarence left Fame records to start his own Future stars production company,later signing with A.B.C.After a few LPS and 45s,around 1975/76 he had a few flops and in mid1977 Clarence left A.B.C. Records to record for his own company.debuting with What am I supposed to do which also came out on Ronn.Thats all I have Deborah.MEL.

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.104 - 195.219.7.104) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 01:32 pm:

Hey Deborah,that should read MEL(Andthensome)and not Mels Mate as it states above.That took some time so I Dont want my work to be unrecognised.Who is Mels mate anyway,when hes at home(ho,ho).MEL(ANDTHENSOME).p.s.As a footnote to the above item,I forgot to add the following.Give me Clarences,Looking For A Fox,anyday.

By Mark Speck (64.158.98.223 - 64.158.98.223) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 03:29 pm:

Post-Ronn, he signed with John Abbey's Ichiban label and underwent a career resurgence with songs like "Strokin'" and "Love Me With a Feeling". The beach music crowd has adopted some of Clarence's more recent music as anthems.

More recently, he's been working with Swamp Dogg on a new recording, which Swamp said would come out on his SDEG label (I should try to get Swamp to come over here and post!!).

Best,

Mark

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.83 - 195.219.7.83) on Saturday, October 05, 2002 - 03:42 pm:

Cheers Mark,some of the stuff your referring to,isnt my cup of tea mate,didnt Clarence start to experiment with various ideas?Give me a good old fashioned 4 beats to the bar mover.Swamp Dog/Jerry Williams was over here a few years ago.I still have If you ask me(both versions)and his superb Baby your my everything.By the way Mark,what got you into the rare/northern soul sounds,is there a big following in Cleveland or is it the uptempo sounds thst in general you got into.MEL.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.26 - 193.122.21.26) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 08:37 am:

Deborah,

I take it you're looking for CDs that contain
Clarence's Atlantic singles after the "Patches"
album ?

What you need are the Clarence Carter CD's
issued by the (UK) Sequel label which have all
his non-lp Atlantic singles added as bonuses.

I don't have the catalogue numbers handy but
keep an eye out for these

"This Is Clarence Carter"
"The Dynamic Clarence Carter"
"Patches"

there's a fourth one but I can't remember its
title offhand.

Try this online store, they might have copies

www.soulsearchingplus.co.uk

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.28 - 195.219.7.28) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 09:22 am:

Hey Davie,you could of put that info on a bit earlier mate.It would of saved my seceratary a job.(i.e.Me)Must go,the old Firm has just kicked off.You and David,Bhoys or Huns?MEL.

By Davie Gordon (193.122.21.26 - 193.122.21.26) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 09:45 am:

Awww, c'mon Mel - I have to spend SOME time
away from this computer : - )

I think David and I are one of each - can't
remember if we've ever discussed it - we're
usually too occupied with talking about
things other than football. As for which of us
is which I'll leave to you to guess ..

Deborah,

The other Clarence CD is "Testifyin'"

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.43 - 195.219.7.43) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 10:07 am:

Jings Davie an'help ma boab,a very diplomatic answer.I bet your a secret Brechin City fan or god forbid a Hibee.Im just playing Brian Boru as I am sat in my Celtic/Everton bobble hat and scarve.Whoops,just dropped my rosary beads.Saying all this my Ma was from a staunch protestant family in Edinburgh and what did she do,only married a catholic and what really shocked her clan an englishman too.I Was always the leftfooter of a teauge or a papish b......MEL.

By Mark Speck (65.56.60.192 - 65.56.60.192) on Sunday, October 06, 2002 - 07:42 pm:

To answer your question of how I got into Northern, Mel...well, I kinda stumbled into it!

I've always been a soul fanatic, and I've always been interested in hearing sounds I've never heard before. British LPs of American music have always been good to pick up 'cause there's always something different (not the same crap that's on the US comps).

I was at a store in Cleveland Heights called Wax Stacks (no longer in business, unfortunately), about 13 years ago, looking through various artists comps when I saw the LP that turned me on to Northern: a Kent LP entitled "It's Torture and 15 Other Great Soul Destroyers".

Looking at the track list, I noticed several familiar names: Maxine Brown, Jackie Wilson, Ron Holden, Gene Chandler, The Esquires, The Masqueraders, et al (though the songs weren't familiar to me then). I plunked down the eight bucks for the album and was pleasantly surprised when I got home--not just by the aforementioned artists, but by the likes of Wally Cox, Mel Wynn and the Rhythm Aces, Charles LaMont and the Extremes, and Adams Apples as well.

To shorten the story, I sent a letter to Disc-Coveries magazine asking about Northern soul and received tapes and want lists from two guys: Tim Ashibende in the UK and Gene Merideth in New Jersey. For years, I traded records with both guys, asked a lot of questions, etc. Since I've had the PC, I've immersed myself in the Northern communities that are available. I pick up whatever records I find that are Northern, and still trade stuff. There's a lot of songs I haven't heard, and I still track the sounds down.

Best,

Mark

By David Meikle (213.122.155.96 - 213.122.155.96) on Monday, October 07, 2002 - 03:58 am:

That's part of the fun Mark, and it's a hobby which will keep you occupied well into the next life!

I met Tim Ashibende at the last Togetherness All-Nighter in Stoke BTW.

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.56 - 195.219.7.56) on Monday, October 07, 2002 - 07:13 am:

Thanks for that Mark,do you recall any of the sounds that you traded with T.Ashibende?My late,best mate,was a good friend of Ashibende and was always wheeling and dealing with him and others on the scene.All the sounds you mention I recall most of them when they were big rarities at the all-nighterts.The Wally Cox I remember being played around 1972,called This Man on Wand,at the Blackpool Mecca and the Torch in Stoke apart from Wally Cox,One in a million and Stop Sign were also big.I Still have my copies.Ron Holden and Ill forgive and forget around 1974/5.Adams Apples had 2 huge sounds around the 70s with Dont take it out of this world and another which slips my mind.Which Gene Chandler was it,so many,was it Mr. Big Shot?And was the Charles Lamont,I Gotta Keep Movin?Well you started on some nice material Mark,but as David said,it will certainly keep you occupied.MEL.

By Mark Speck (65.56.7.181 - 65.56.7.181) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 12:27 am:

A few things that I've traded to Tim:

"I Feel Alright"--Turley Richards (Columbia WLP);found it at a Salvation Army near where I used to work
"Is The Feeling Still There"--Johnny Summers (Audio Forty)
"This Heart of Mine"--Artistics (Okeh)
"Easy Baby"--Adventurers (Compass WLP)
"I Didn't Know How To"--Constellations (Gemini Star WLP)
There are others I traded that I can't remember. I also sold him a Volumes on Garu, "I've Never Been So In Love", for $60. I paid a quarter for it, it was nicked up but still played OK. BTW, these Volumes weren't the Detroit act but were from Texas.

Best,

Mark

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.29 - 195.219.7.29) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 05:39 am:

Mark,thanks for that.Johnny Summers-Is the feeling still There,what a magic record.Im not certain,but I am sure that Ihave got (or had)a good version of this by Ron Kenoly also on Audio Forty.I still have my Artistics,once had a Easy Baby but was cracked right down the middle,always remember in my youth,purchasing Easy Baby on a acetate with another giant sound at the time on the other side being Phil Flowers and Discontented.I Have 3 singles of The (Detroit)Volumes,not sure if I have heard the Texas ones.Do not know the Turley Richards?Some nice items Mark.Keep On Keeping On.MEL(andthensome).

By Mark Speck (65.56.218.236 - 65.56.218.236) on Tuesday, October 08, 2002 - 11:53 pm:

I did get to meet Tim face to face, and I guided him around the area. We went to three different places, and damned if he didn't find records I was after at each one:

Lesley Uggams--"Love is a Good Foundation" (Sonday); he found that when we went to check out a guy's basement full of records in Ashtabula. I settled for Judy Clay "You Busted My Mind", Dee Dee Sharp "Funny Situation", and Dotty Cambridge "Cry Your Eyes Out"

We then went to a store on the West side of Cleveland. The lady who ran the place brought in some 45s for Tim, and he found the New Holidays on Westbound.

Back in my neck of the woods, we last went to a store about a mile away from my house. The guy who ran the place brought out some records, and Tim got the Volumes on Impact from him (plus a Constellations on a pink Gemini Star).

I made a trade with him that day: gave up Melvin Carter "Teacher of Love" (Peacock) and Joe Frazier "First Round Knockout" (Motown) for copies of a couple of 45s he had quantity on: Ronnie Savoy "Loving You" (Wingate WLP) and Patti Austin "Only All the Time" (Coral yellow label 'Silver Star' series).

Best,

Mark

By MEL&THEN SOME (195.219.7.24 - 195.219.7.24) on Wednesday, October 09, 2002 - 02:38 pm:

Mark,thanks for that mate,a lot of the sounds you mention I still have today.A lot of memorie jerkers,i.e.Judy Clay,Leslie Uggams,Dottie Cambridge etc.A Mate of mine once had every Coral release of Patti Austin,I sold my Take away the Pain Stain by her.I wish I hadnt.Nice of you to send the info Mark,look forward to talking to you again,real soon.MEL.