By phillysoulman (152.163.204.211 - 152.163.204.211) on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 02:05 am:

I have contacted H D H . I hope that they come on board.

By John Lester (213.1.128.65 - 213.1.128.65) on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 07:10 am:

GASP!

I got some questions for Brian and Eddie so tell them to bring their memory banks!

By Ian W (213.122.177.37 - 213.122.177.37) on Monday, February 18, 2002 - 07:36 pm:

David, you'd best ask for lots more storage on your website after this!

By Vinnie Barrett (205.188.200.32 - 205.188.200.32) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 01:22 am:

I am so excited to even be writing this message and even more thinking you might read it. I am a songwriter from the early 70's who wrote such songs as "Love Won't Let Me Wait', "Sideshow", I just Don't Want To Be Lonely","Just As Long As We Have Love', and others. I am still writing and looking for a new music avenue with co-writers to work with. My daughter "KAMILAH" is cutting a new album of so far, 20 songs and shopping. She is a great singer, dancer, beautiful and talented.
She sings like Janet, Mia, Alliyah (God Bless Her Heart Forever)and JLO. all together. Lets do some projects. I am game for who and whatever.
Looking to hear from you. Vinnie Barrett (Female)

By Ian W (213.122.35.238 - 213.122.35.238) on Tuesday, February 19, 2002 - 10:47 pm:

Hi Vinnie

I guess that's the Major Harris/Luther Van Dross song! Don't stop writing!

Ian

By Ritchie Hardin (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Wednesday, February 20, 2002 - 11:26 pm:

Hi guys

One of my contacts is bugging me for an answer to a question... who played that gorgeous sax on the equally-spine-tingling Why Can't We Be Lovers?

Any answers???

By Victoria@HDH (66.80.57.9 - 66.80.57.9) on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 12:19 am:

Hi Good People. Victoria, here from Holland Dozier Holland Productions, Inc. Bobby, thanks for the e-mail. I did get Eddie to look at this site. He was honored. I'll catch Brian tomorrow and have him take a look. Brian and Eddie are hard to catch, and I'm right here. I guess if the Forum has any questions, I'll do my best to get them answered

Ritchie, I'll try and find out who played sax on "Why Can't We Be Lovers."

I'm also in touch with Gwen Owens and Angelo Bond. I'll inform them of this site and encourage them to participate.

By david, glasgow, scotland (213.122.172.9 - 213.122.172.9) on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 09:00 am:

hello victoria.

thanks for taking time to come on the forum.

it would be a privilege to hear from any of these greats.

By John Lester (213.122.196.145 - 213.122.196.145) on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 10:46 pm:

Victoria..

What it must be like to be in the vicinity of all those HDH classic recordings.....were you enjoying them all at the same time as we were?

And what about the best music we never heard?

Vinnie

Keep it coming mate.....a pleasure to have you here......and thanks from me for all those recordings....you kept me from going off the rails as a young boy!!

By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 10:55 pm:

John

We were just about to send out a search party for you!

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 10:57 pm:

i certainly missed him plus bobby eli.

fantastic to hear from you two again.

By david, glasgow, scotland (62.252.128.5 - 62.252.128.5) on Friday, February 22, 2002 - 11:44 pm:

victoria

i should have mentioned that i would love to hear about the tower theater which was converted into invictus studios.

i'd also like to hear about their impressions of tera shirma studios too.

vital pieces of history.

By John Lester (213.122.204.212 - 213.122.204.212) on Saturday, February 23, 2002 - 08:38 am:

I am sorry guys....you know I wouldn't let you down but I have been doing some research on a compilation which you guys will be really pleased about next month.

And when I say pleased, that is an under-statement, I am not sure I can believe it myself

You know what strikes me as strange, it's that all this stuff comes out in the UK and not the USA!

(Excepting Motown Treasures....what a classic album)

By Ritchie (62.254.0.6 - 62.254.0.6) on Saturday, February 23, 2002 - 09:26 am:

John

Tsk Tsk... You're tantalising us again... but you've let enough little clues slip to whet our voracious appetites ;o)

Maybe it is ironic that all this fabulous music surfaces over here, but we should be eternally grateful it's happening on THIS side of the Atlantic..? WE don't have to buy it all on import!

By brianday (212.137.227.136 - 212.137.227.136) on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 10:57 pm:

i have a question to ask ,on the honeycone cd
of all the hits a vital track is missing
"its better to have loved and lost " this is a fantastic bside as good as anything motown put out
why has it been held back?

By John Lester (213.1.130.69 - 213.1.130.69) on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 11:07 pm:

Brian...look again...I made absolutely sure that one was included more than any other.

It is DEFINITELY there.

Wait let me check.....yes, it's on Soulful Sugar ....Disc two track 5.......

By brianday (212.137.227.136 - 212.137.227.136) on Sunday, March 10, 2002 - 11:32 pm:

i have uk version of all the hits its about 2 years old on castle ,i cant get it out at the moment but i will come back to you,the track is mentioned in the sleeve notes but not on my cd can you give me the matrix number of your cd
i contacted castle at the time and requested the full version of one monkey be put out,i bought two copys of this redord so i could play it back to back aka )12 inch)version
another great double play was the a and b side of ghetto child by the spinners ,i gather the band stopped playing and phil kept on going, a fantastic
b side ,iam sure bobby will correct me if iam
wrong .anyway thats all for now

By phillysoulman (205.188.198.34 - 205.188.198.34) on Monday, March 11, 2002 - 04:17 am:

John,
Please e-mail me at phillysoulman@aol.com
I have some off live queries.

By John Lester (213.122.196.52 - 213.122.196.52) on Monday, March 11, 2002 - 08:03 am:

That "Soulful Sugar" compliation (CMDDD 340) was only issued a few months back. As for the long version of "One Monkey"....check out that "Soulful Sugar"...it's gonna be the best you will ever get until HDH allow Castle (Sequel) access to the original master.... The entire output of Honey Cone is on this 2CD set. There are a few more 45 mixes which couldn't be added due to lack of space.

Can I also mention that the Freda Payne 2CD set "Unhooked Generation" and Parliament's "Osmium" are two albums issued at the same time as the Honey Cone which similarly contain everything that those artists did for Invictus with the proviso that Freda still has a few more 45 mixes left.

John Reed and I compiled those 3 albums.

Any future albums from these artists HAS to include previously unissued material and that takes us to a different level. (I hope Victoria from HDH is reading this!!!) To hear "Want Ads" from Freda Payne or sister Scherrie Payne is just one of my many goals in life! Brenda Holloway told me personally that she recorded more than enough tracks at Invictus for a whole album! THAT has just got to be issued!

By brianday (212.137.253.212 - 212.137.253.212) on Wednesday, March 13, 2002 - 07:17 pm:

thanks john i didnt know about this "soulful sugar" maybe you could get john reid to take up the quest for the realease of the kwanza label etc
from warner brothers special products plus track down the lost donnie elbert motown cover album ,last heard of at djm , cant wait for some
out takes etc from hdh,is there any plans for a music merchant part 2 ,all those b sides ,etc
i remember "bingo " was a big play ,the worst album i bought on invictus was the ruth copeland
album ,what a ego trip ,i have still got it ,played it once .now to buy that soulful sugar
album ,thanks bobby for pointing me to this great site ,forgive me if i get my info wrong sometimes
but iam getting old now and decrepide

By John Lester (213.122.194.211 - 213.122.194.211) on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 04:17 pm:

Brainday

You just have to keep your fingers crossed for new releases.

I just get a call out of the blue and then have to work like crazy!!

By Rich (162.33.235.116 - 162.33.235.116) on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 06:48 pm:

Brianday, the Ruth Copeland LPs are pretty cool depending on what you're looking for. Deep soulful vocals, not really ... but a chance to hear Funkadelic without all the feedback & echo is great. I love their take on Gimme Shelter as well as The Medal & Suburban Family Lament. But, it does help to focus on the music. Speaking of which I spoke with Billy Bass for about an hour the other night and he talked a lot about the tour that Funkadelic did as Ruth Copeland's backup band in the early 70's warming the stage for Sly & the Family Stone. He talked about three shows in particular, The Omni in Atlanta, McGill U in Toronto or Montreal and a third in San Diego where Sly failed to show and the group had to play the whole show and in two of the three (the exception being Atlanta) they all but prevented riots. After a show in Chicago, the group went down so well that Sly insisted that the band leave the tour, but only Eddie Hazel & Bernie Worrell left. Billy & Tiki remained. Ron Bykowski & Donald Baldwin were brought in as replacements, then Tiki quit and he was replaced by (forgive me if I get the name wrong) Jerry Hagin. They were on & off the road with Sly for 18 months when he was out in support of his Hits & Riot LPs & Ruth was out in support of hers. The infamous Jeffrey Bowen was Ruth's manager and steady. Following the tour Bowen hired the band Billy, Tiki, Eddie, Bernie & Donald Baldwin to play on the sessions for the "Skin I'm in" album he was doing on Chairman of the Board. One of the songs they recorded was Sly Stone's Life & Death. I should mention that Billy remembers Uriel, not Tiki as being the drummer on Finders Keepers. Next up, Bowen, Billy & Eddie Hazel did "I Feel Sanctified" & a couple others for the Commodores first album on Motown before heading to LA to do The Tempts "A Song for You". That was followed by an album Jeffrey produced for Sly's sister Rose, also on Motown records. Bowen again used Billy on the LP (Eddie Hazel was in Lampoc Prison at the time). Bowen used Billy again on the Tempts "Wings of Love" LP on which Sly Stone co-wrote a number of tunes under the name Jimmy Ford (he was going through bankruptcy at the time). Bowen tried to pay Billy for the sessions with drugs instead of cash (yet another way around the union) but having struggled to get clean Billy took the much taller Bowen into a broom closet in LA where he tried to all but kill him. Bowen attempted to have some of his hangers-on (probably Rose's husband Bubba) take Billy to the beach and get him, but they took him to breakfast instead - LOL. That's why when Jeffrey went to do the album on Bonnie Pointer for Motown in '78 (with Free Me From My Freedom & Heaven Musta Have Sent You) Billy did not participate because he was through with Bowen. By the end of '76 the tables had turned and Sly & the Family Stone were opening shows for The P-Funk Earth Tour, after which Sly's back-up singers Dawn Silva & Lynn Mabry left Sly to become the Brides of Funkenstein as part of the P-Funk Mob. So we got a strong P-Funk-Detroit-Motown-Sly Stone connection. I mentioned to Billy that he got to study Larry Graham during that time and he said, and Larry Graham got to study me, then he snickers like he does. Clay McMurray ... I also mentioned your stating publically on here that Billy wasn't the bass player on Car Wash, he was surprised to hear that, having remembered you as someone who had always treated him pretty cool. JS who was working for Jobete in LA at the time was also at the session and places Billy there. Nobody is gonna make you give Bass his propers even though Berry Gordy did ("son your are a tremendous bass player") as did Whitfield who often referred to him as a genius. Duke played on parts of the soundtrack, in fact Billy talked about a particular track where they both played bass. Billy is also credited at the end of the Movie. Billy was most excited to hear about Standing in the Shadows of Motown, he and Jamerson had a special relationship. It was James who encouraged him to develop his own style and to NEVER let anyone tell him how to play his bass. Beginning March 23, Billy will once again be on the road with P-Funk with the ever foolish George Clinton who will delegate him to playing rhythm guitar throughout most of the show while a steady but unremarkable Lige Curry plays bass inspite of Billy having been there at the very start. No disrespect to Lige, its GC's call. I know, ramble ramble ramble

By John Lester (213.1.134.67 - 213.1.134.67) on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 10:18 pm:

Some very interesting comments there.....some of which I suspect we will not see in print in bbook form!!

I think I might just read it again!!

By Sandy D (209.245.66.226 - 209.245.66.226) on Friday, May 03, 2002 - 11:53 pm:

Is it true that when Holland Dozier Holland left Motown, Berry Gordy's Motown had security guards tracking the whereabouts of Holland Dozier Holland. Is it true he had them enter their homes, pretending to be songwrithers, following them to the recording studios, and breaking into the trunk of their cars looking for information?

By john lester (213.1.130.74 - 213.1.130.74) on Saturday, May 04, 2002 - 07:39 am:

You might have to look back in the archives to see a few little mentions of that. Babbit and our Ralph dropped more than a few hints about that.

Babbit's story about spotting a guy outside the studio where he was playing and who did not have good intentions on his mind, needs to be read if only for the reason, it will scare your pants off

Try the conversations Babbit and Tera Shirma