Sounds Of Soul chronicles and playlist (8.3.2013): Vinyl vs. styrene
For last weeks SOS radio-show I was digging out a couple of long time Northern Soul favourites and I was remembered how many of these are pressed from a material called styrene and not the usual vinyl. Only serious record collectors are aware of the fact that in the US two types of plastics were used to produce 45rpm singles, one being the familiar vinyl and the other one being the lesser-known styrene. The later material is cheaper, more brittle and produces a hissing sound in the lead in groove. Unfortunately for collectors of Soul and Funk originals like me, we have to do with a lot of styrene pressed records, because this inferior plastic was used a lot for releases aimed at the Afro-American market and a lot of these musical gems are not available on any other format. That’s why we have to live with the occasional hiss at the start of a record, like in last Friday’s show, featuring both, styrene and vinyl platters:
Lettuce feat. Dwele/Move On Up/7″ Unique
Skull Snaps/ My Hang Up Is You/LP Skull Snaps/GSF
Archie Bell & The Drells /Don’t Let Love Get You Down /12″ Philadelphia International Rec.
Tolbert/I’ve Got It (unreleased 12″ version)/12″ Jazzman
Jean Carn & Glenn Jones/Sweet & Wonderful/12″ Philadelphia International Rec.
Walter Heath/You Know You’re Wrong Don’t You Brother/LP You Know You’re Wrong/Buddah
Lonette McKee/Do To Me/7″ Sussex
The Summits/It Takes Two/7″ DC international records
Willie Fisher/You Said Call Me/7″ Tigress
Donny Hathaway/The Ghetto Part 1/7″ Atlantic
Patti Jo/Make Me Believe In You/7″ Wand
Roy Hemmings/Night Owl/7″ Joe Boy
Buddy Miles/I’am Just A Kiss Away/7″ Columbia
The Fantastic Johnny C/Don’t Depend On Me/7″ Phil. L.A. of Soul
Jeff Perry/Love Don’t Come No Stronger (Than Yours And Mine)/7″ Arista
Voices Of East Harlem/Cashing In/7″ Just Sunshine
Eddie Holman/I Surrender/7″ abc
The Valentines/Breakaway/7″ Sound Stage 7
Tommy Neal/Goin’ To A Happening/7″ Vault
Jackey Beavers/I Need My Baby/7″ Revilot
Ann Sexton/You’ve Been Gone Too Long/7″ Inferno
Belita Woods/Magic Corner/7″ Moira
The Little Foxes/Love Made To Order/7″ Okeh
Albert Jones/Fifteen Cent Love/7″ Kapp
Eula Cooper/Standing By Love/7″ Note Records
If you want to hear the show back here is the link to the Sounds Of Soul page at Eastside radio:
https://eastsidefm.org/specialist/soundsofsoul/
And here’s a link to a clip of the opener of last Fridays show, a nice contemporary version of the Curtis Mayfield classic Move On Up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KdOiWxMKm50
DJ Burn Hard