6Ts Anniversary singles

One of the things which sets The 100 Club apart from it's competitors' are the Anniversary singles. Originally started by Ady Croasdell on the 5th Anniversary (Typically for Ady, two singles are marked '5th', and there doesn't appear to have been a 6th or 7th Anniversary single !). They have now become collectors item's in their own right, with several being very in demand records which were previously unavailable.

By Dave Rimmer

The reviews which follow originally appeared in Martyn Bradley's fanzine 'Soul Renaissance - Issue 4' - June 2000, and were written by Glen Hunter who has kindly allowed me to reproduce them here. So here's the full list:

6T1 A - Mary Love - Hey Stoney Face.
6T1 B - Ikettes - It's Been So Long / Etta James & The Peaches - The Wallflower
The first Anniversary single celebrates the fifth anniversary of the 100 Club in 1985. containing three dancers from the L.A. based Modern Records owned by the Bhari brothers, side one contains Mary Love's Motown influenced 'Hey Stoney Face', a solid dancer from Motown's Jobete catalogue. Side two includes two R & b dancers, firstly the Ikettes with the Ike Turner song 'It's Been So Long, following that an R & B classic from Etta James and The Peaches, amazing recorded on Thanksgiving eve 1953 and self penned by Etta as an answer song to Hank Ballard's 'Work With me Annie' when she was fourteen, although by the time of release Johnny Otis managed to get his name on the credits. Originally entitled 'Roll With Me Henry' Modern Records changed the title shortly after release to 'Wallflower' because some record shops were refusing to sell it saying 'Roll With Me' had a sexual suggestiveness.

6T2 A - Melba Moore - The Magic Touch
6T2 B - The Chuck Jackson Rhythm & Blues Ensemble - Little By Little.
The 1986 single comes out of New York with Melba Moore's fantastic unreleased dancer 'The Magic Touch', this is about as good as it gets for a Norther Soul record, a massive record for Ady at The 100 Club, backed with a brassy instrumental titled 'Little By Little' from the Chuck Jackson Rhythm & Blues Ensemble.

6T3 A - The Platters - Not My Girl
6T3 B - Sammy Ambrose - Welcome To Dreamsville
Staying in New York for the '87 release with two dancers from the Musicor label. topside The Platters storming unreleased versionof 'Not My Girl' recorded during their Detroit period in '66 at the Terra Shirma studios, this is backed with sammy Ambrose's classic 'Welcome To Dreamsville from '65.

6T4 A - Peggy Woods - Love Is Gonna Get You.
6T4 B - Z Z's Band - You Just Cheat And Lie
Nice Mixture on the '88 single topped with Peggy Woods 'Love Is Gonna Get You', a bouncy dancer which sounds like the producers had the Northern scene in mind all those years ago, the epitome of a Northern Soul record. Ady goes back to the original US Kent label for the flip with the unreleased backing track to Z Z Hill's '67 release 'You Just Cheat And Lie' courtesy of Z Z's Band.

6T5 A - Wally Cox - This Man Wants You.
6T5 B - The Six Teasers - Doing The Hundred (A somewhat dubious artist and title !)
Another mixture of vocal and instrumental on the '89 release with Wally Cox doing the top honours with a nice unreleased version of his Wand outing 'This Man', on this Wally treats us to a much slower and more Soulful version of his Norther dancer, backed with a boring instrumental dancer from the Six Teasers 'Doing The Hundred' which should have stayed in the can.

6T6 A - The Fabulous Impact - Baby Baby I Want You.
6T6 B - The Hamptons - No No No No No No Not My Girl
1990 saw the release of the Fabulous Impact 'Baby Baby I Want You' made big by Keb Darge after Ady found the original acetate, great mid Sixties dancer that was later discovered to be The Moments on Hog Records out of Washington, backed with the instrumental backing to the Platters' 'Not My Girl' by the cheekily named Hamptons.

6T7 A - Carla Thomas - I'll Never Stop Loving You.
6T7 B - The Prophets Band - Peaches Baby
Southern Soulstress Carla Thomas heads the '91 single with her great unreleased Stax recording 'I'll Never Stop Loving You'. It was, and still is, a massive floorpacker for Ady. For me this is Carla's best ever recording, and how it stayed unreleased is unbelievable. Backed by an unissued instrumental from the Shrine tapes 'Peaches Baby' by the Prophets Band. Incidentally the voacl to this has recently been discovered to be by The Counts on a rare Shrine 45.

6T8 A - Chuck Jackson - What's With This Loneliness.
6T8 B - The Superb Strings - Surf And Soul
Back to New York for the topside of the '92 release with another great unreleased discovery from the Wand vaults with Chuck Jackson's great mid tempo shuffler 'What's With This Loneliness', up there with any of his other releases. Over to the West coast for the flip, courtesy of Dore Records and the unreleased instrumental 'Surf And Soul.

6T9 A - The Teardrops - Here Comes Loneliness.
6T9 B - Chubby Checker - You Can't Lose Something You Never Had
I don't have much information on these two sides except to say the topside from Mr Discotheque himself, Chubby Checker, is a great unreleased mid tempo sound whilst the flip carries a storming dancer from The Tears

6T10 A - Phil Terrell - Love Has Passed Me By.
6T10 B - Vic And John - Why Did She Lie
Joe Evans' New Jersey Carnical label treats us to both sides this year with Phil Terrell's 'Love Has Passed Me By', a great sing a long dancer and probably the most sought after item on the label, backed with 'Why Did She Lie' from Vic & John, great unreleased track, but to me it doesn't sound as though it's a Carnival recording. It's very reminiscent of Johnny Rogers & Nu Tones Northern biggie 'Gonna Make A Change', maybe the John from the duo is Johnny Rogers. Play both tracks back to back and you will know what I mean.

6T11 A - John Edwards - Ain't That Good Enough
6T11 B - Loleatta Holloway - This Man's Arms
Two nice unreleased Aware label tracks for '95 with ex Spinners lead singer John Edwards treating us to his excellent Crossover version of Graland Green's 'Ain't That Good Enough', on the flip is a stunning ballad from Loleatta Holloway. asily the deepest side of any of the Anniversary singles.

6T12 A - Sharon Scott - (Putting My Heart Under) Lock And Key
6T12 B - Dean Courtney - Today Is My Day
Out and out Northern for 1996 with two unissued crackers from the RCA label. Topside from Philadelphian Sharon Scott who strangely only had one legitimate release on the label, the storming 'Could It Be You'. 'Lock and Key' was recorded at the same session on 14th June 1966, courtesey of the Pied Piper production team. Northern Soul legend Dean Courtney gets the reverse with 'Today Is My Day' produced by Jimmy Wisner a month later. For the full story on the unreleased RCA stuff read Ady's notes on volumes 1 & 2 of his 'Rare Collectable and Soulful' Kent CDs.

6T13 A - Lorraine Chandler - You Only Live Twice
6T13 B - The Metros - My Imagination
Ady sticks with two more tracks from the RCA vaults for the '97 single with Lorraine Chandler's bid for the James Bond movie 'You Only Live Twice' theme tune courtesy of the Pied Piper team again. An instant floor filler with a great 'Bond' intro. Unfortunately it was in vain with Nancy Sinatra getting the job, probably through Daddy's string pulling. Backed with another P.P. production, a classy dancer from the Metros recorded 23rd February 1966.

6T14 A - Peggy Gaines - When The Boy That You Love (Is Loving You)
6T14 B - The San Franciscan T.K.O.s - Make Up Your Mind
A tale of two cities on the '98 release, topside comes out of Nashville via Peggy Gaines unreleased track from the Ref-O-Ree label with the smooth dancer 'When The Boy....'. San Francisco holds up the 'B' side with the San Fran TKOs 'Make Up Your Mind', a fantastic sound, just listen to those trumpets !

6T15 A - Johnnie Taylor - Please Let Me In
6T15 B - Judy Clay - Since You Came Along
To celebrate the last Anniversary of the Millenium Ady returned to the Stax catalogue for two unissued Crossover tracks from two Soul legends with Johnny Taylor's fine version of the J J Barnes classic 'Please Let Me In', backed with a nice finger clicker from Judy Clay 'Since You Came Along'.

6T16 A - Junior McCants - Try Me For Your New Love
6T16 B - Garland Green - Come Through Me
The Junior McCants track has been one of the mega rarities from the Stafford days, since Pat Brady originally played it from an acetate. It turned out that the track is horrendously rare simply because Junior McCants died before the single could be released, so it was withdrawn as a mark of respect. the Garland Green is a nice previously unreleased midtempo track.

6T17 A - Mill Evans - Ain't You Glad
6T17 B - The Millionaires - I'm The One Who Loves You
Two more previously unreleased tracks courtesy of Mr Croasdell. The Mill Evans track is from the King label out of Cinncinnati, but is clearly a Chicago production, resulting in a very nice piece of vinyl which is already filling dancefloors wherever it is played. I've no information on The Millionaires track, other than it was a Specialty recording and will soon to be available on a Kent CD entitled 'Modern Soul', so that gives you an idea of what it's like.

6T18 A - M&M And The Peanuts - Can't Say No
6T18 B - The Charmaines - I Idolize You

6T19 A - Debra Johnson - To Get Love You've Got To Bring Love
6T19 B - The Diplomats - I Really Love You

6T20 A - The Magicians - (Just A Little) Faith And Understanding
6T20 B - Wee Willie Walker - I Don't Want To Take A Chance

Reproduced with permission from the author. Visit Dave's site, Soulful Kinda Music, for +330 pages of unadulterated Soul.