Vance Arnold 'You Better Move On'

[lakerman 16]

"athy" - I've got a copy of the Arthur Alexander EP. Is it really worth £100 ?.

[athy 10]

Lakeman, the Record Collector Price Guide lists two EPs by Arthur: 'Alexander The Great' and 'Arthur Alexander'. Both are listed at £100 each, BUT that's the price for a totally mint copy, in perfect condition and unplayed, with the sleeve all pristine and shiny. Most of us have played our records over the years, and as they get worn, scratched etc., so like any antique (which these records now are) the value drops. Typically you could expect to get £50 for a used but presentable copy; a specialist dealer might offer you half that.

Mike

[lakerman 16]

"athy"--- Many thanks for that. I don't want to sell but it's well worth knowing. --Lakerman.

[sirglyn 11]

I read that Joe Cocker aka Vance Arnold released some 45's local in Sheffield. Does anybody know what songs they are? Any different recordings from the cd "Vance Arnold & the Avengers in 1963"?

The only local recording Joe ever released was the B side of an EP recorded at the Stringfellow bros Mojo club in about 1967.It was recorded as a contribution to Sheffield university's rag week (charity campaign) and was entitled 'Rag goes mad at the Mojo'.The songs Joe did were 'I've Been Trying' and 'Saved'.

[rubydazzler 11]

The Rolling Stones manager at the time (Andrew Loog Oldham) found the song through a publisher as he did with quite a lot of the early Stones songs.

 

But they were also avid blues fans, in fact it was them that got me interested in blues and r n b in the first place.

 

I would really love a copy of that track carcrash, thank you

[athy 10]

Indeed the Stones were avid r&b fans, Ruby, to the extent that they insisted on booking authentic US acts like Inez & Charlie Foxx to perform the first half of their shows, and once refused to appear on a high-profile US TV show (perhaps Dick Clark's American Bandstand) unless Howlin' Wolf was also on the show. They got their way!

Returning to Joe Cocker, I believe that he was originally a blues man. I remember seeing him on telly, before he had hits, and he and his band were performing a rocking blues song - something like Jimmy Reed's 'Shame Shame Shame', but as it was 43 years ago I can't remember exactly. He certainly blew harmonica during the middle break. I havn't heard his RAG EP, but the titles suggest that he was covering songs by The Impressions and Lavern Baker respectively.

The other artists on the Rag EP were Tangerine Ayr (presumably an early psychedelic act), The Pityful Souls (presumably a soul band) and the Delroy Good Good Band (who knows?) I assume that these were local acts; anyone remember anything about them?

[sirglyn 11]

Athy,the TV show you saw Joe on would have been 'Stars and Garters' and as for the live rag recording, I was there.The Tangerine Ayr band were from the university and were not at all psychedelic.Sophomoric is how I'd describe their music.The Pityful Souls were all native born Jamaican lads from the Burngreave area and were an excellent soul band who were popular in the Sheffield area and also in the far east where they toured US military bases and played big hotels in Singapore and Hong Kong.Delroy was also from Jamaica and put on a very visual show that was popular in the Sheffield area.There's a great book called 'Not Like a Proper Job' which is an account of popular music in Sheffield from the 1950s through 70s.One of the co- authors is John Firminger and I think it is still available in Sheffield.I recommend it if you want to know more about Sheffield bands and singers.

Edited March 14, 2009 by sirglyn
authors spelt incorrectly.

[athy 10]

First hand information, Glyn, that's great! I will seek out the Firminger book. As for Tangerine Ayr, when you say they were "sophomoric" do you mean that they were second-year students?

[rubydazzler 11]

First hand information, Glyn, that's great! I will seek out the Firminger book. As for Tangerine Ayr, when you say they were "sophomoric" do you mean that they were second-year students?

 

I think he means, it'd send you to sleep if you listened to too much of it ...??

[Timbuck 10]

The only local recording Joe ever released was the B side of an EP recorded at the Stringfellow bros Mojo club in about 1967.It was recorded as a contribution to Sheffield university's rag week (charity campaign) and was entitled 'Rag goes mad at the Mojo'.The songs Joe did were 'I've Been Trying' and 'Saved'.

"I've been Trying" That takes me back to one rainy night in a Pub somewhere in the Manor Top area, on the Chesterfield Road 43 years ago ...I was playing on the one armed bandit with a pint in my hand...Joe (who was playing there that night) was putting money into the Juke Box (also with a pint in his hand) and he requested Hendrix's "He Joe" (it had just come out)...He turned to me and said "Allright Ken" I said "yes" and that was that...Later on during the performance he sang "I've been trying" there were no more than Ten people in the room that night due to the bad weather..I'd never heard this song before but I thought it was the best thing I'd ever seen performed, he did a great job of it...Joe was fantastic ..I cant remember the Name of the Pub but the Bands of Sheffield were a regular feature...I believe this song was originally recorded by the "Miracles"

If I'm wrong please don't hesistate to tell me

[athy 10]

Thanks Ruby, I think "soporific" might be the word!

'I've Been Trying' was, unless my memory fails me, written by Curtis Mayfield and recorded by The Impressions. But my memory may be failing me!

[sirglyn 11]

First hand information, Glyn, that's great! I will seek out the Firminger book. As for Tangerine Ayr, when you say they were "sophomoric" do you mean that they were second-year students?

 

'Sophomoric' means foolishly wise,Maybe 'pseudo sophisticated' would be a better description.If that band had played to a hall full of Barnsley miners they would have been deep in the brown and smelly.