60s RARE NORTHERN SOUL IDLE FEW PEOPLE THAT'S WHY ORIG

	£		61
	$		81

PLEASE NOTE:

THE POSTAGE ON THIS ITEM IS NOT FREE!

I REALLY COULDN'T AFFORD TO START THE BIDDING AT JUST 99p IF IT ONLY SOLD FOR THAT AMOUNT.

THE FEES THAT EBAY AND PAYPAL CHARGE ALL SELLERS HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, AS WELL AS THE P&P COSTS, SO I'M SURE THAT PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS WILL UNDERSTAND. ALL OF MY ITEMS ARE WELL-PARCELLED, AND MOST ARE SENT RECORDED.

PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE FINALISING PAYMENT.

Postal rates:

One 7" single: £1.80; 30p per 7" afterwards.

One 12" single/LP: £2.80; 50p per 12"/LP afterwards.

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO PICK UP THE ITEM IN PERSON.

BECAUSE OF IT'S BOOK VALUE, IF THIS SINGLE SELLS FOR A 'CONSIDERABLE' AMOUNT, IT WILL BE SENT BY SPECIAL DELIVERY, AT A COST OF £5.

OVERSEAS WINNERS WILL AUTOMATICALLY PAY £10 FOR SPECIAL DELIVERY.

I've made the decision to sell some of my very large collection of 7", 12" and LPs.

ALL THE ITEMS I AM SELLING COME FROM NEARLY FORTY YEARS OF COLLECTING.

I AM NOT A DEALER.

There will be some real gems, so make sure you keep your eyes open.

SOME OF MY LISTINGS CARRY 'BORROWED' SOUND CLIPS BENEATH THE TITLE.

I AREN'T QUITE ADVANCED ENOUGH YET TO PROVIDE MY OWN!

From now on, most of my items will start at just 99p, unless they are valued at £30 or more.

60s RARE NORTHERN SOUL

SCARCE INDIANA 'BLUE-EYED' TWO-SIDER

THE IDLE FEW

"PEOPLE THAT'S WHY"

HEAR HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIF5rNDl2C4

b/w

"LAND OF DREAMS"

(US: Blue Book BB 1, 1969)

Styrene

Record conditon: Excellent + (A); Excellent +++ (B) (both sides play Mint -)

Labels condition: Excellent +

Apologies for the lousy quality of the photograph above, but to be honest I was surprised to find that The Idle Few had even posed for one. They were a late 60s 'blue eyed' R&B/garage group, hailing from the small community of Arlington, near Bloomington, Indiana. The five members were Rick Webster (guitar), Greg Taggart (bass), Mark Gray (organ), Dan McLean (drums), and Ronnie Bennett (saxophone and lead vocals - but not at the same time!) And please don't ask which one's which in the piccy!!

As far as their recordings go, the group's output was pitifully small, amounting to just two singles - one of which appeared twice. Their version of the R&B standard,"Farmer John", was released in 1966, on the Minneapolis-based Soma label. It also came out on Dunwich, out of Chicago - a label that's most famous outfit were The Shadows Of Knight. After a gap of some three years, The Idle Few's final single appeared in 1969, and is the one on offer here. Although not mentioned in the label's lay-out, Blue Book was a very obscure subsidiary of Sue, and only had this one outing. It appeared late in the history of the famous New York indie, that also ran Symbol, Broadway, Crackerjack, Eastern, and a few other iconic labels. The wealth of talent that fell into the hands of boss Henry 'Juggy' Murray would fill a book (possibly even a 'Blue Book'!), and included Tina Britt, Ike & Tina Turner, Inez & Charlie Foxx, Eddie Carlton, Sandra Phillips, The Poets, Hank Jacobs, Eddie & Ernie, Jay & The Shufflers, The Soul Sisters, The Hollywood Flames, The Dramatics, Derek Martin, Tommy Andre, Jimmy Helms, Barbara George, Vickie Baines, Baby Wasington, The Entertainers, Marjorie Black, Jimmy McGriff, The Superiors, Ernestine Anderson, Billy Prophet (of course), and loads more.

Juggy also co-produced both sides of this 45, along with Bill Overman. "People That's Why" was penned by another 'blue eyed' soul man, Billy Vera, and is a pounding slab of uptempo, brass and string-laden soul, with mellower verses. It was first spun on the Northern scene at Blackpool Mecca in 1975 - I think by Colin Curtis. By 1976, everyone could own a copy, sincee the 'press gang' had flooded the market with light blue count?!feits, or 'second issues' as they are now called. I myself bought one of these pressings in 1977, but got rid of it when this original came along. The flip side is also an excellent dancer, and set a similar pace. It was written by 'R. Bennett and M. Gray', which is why I can say with certainty that it's the same group as in the above publicity photo.

This original issue copy makes an appearance in Manship's "Million Dollars Of Rare Soul" (published 2006), although it's hardly in the major collectors' league. His rarity grading puts it in the 'estimated less than 25 copies known worldwide' category, yet his latest price guide confusingly values it at only £150 - or £250 in the scarcer West Coast design. I own several records in the above-mentioned book, as well as many others that are far more valuable than £150, but which don't qualify for entry. There's no doubting the quality of this particular record, but I don't think it will be making an appearance in any revised edition.

This one is currently priced by Manship at £150 for a minter - this copy is very nearly in that condition.

The styrene on the A-side has just a small number of very light scuffs, which are completely inaudible. The styrene on the B-side is almost unmarked, and both sides play totally mint.

Both labels have very minor ring-wear, plus some light friction marks around the rims.

The edges are completely chip-free.