isnw_ecp

 

ORIGINALS - SOUL - I LIKE YOUR STYLE - LISTEN Written by Sawyer, Colman, Dixon, Spencer & Gaines. Play grade is VG+. Flip is We Can Make It Baby by Gaye & Nyx, VG+. Produced by Marvin Gaye & Frank Wilson. Often called "Motown's best-kept secret," the Originals scored only a handful of chart hits during their lengthy career, most notably the powerful 1969 ballad "Baby I'm for Real," but their behind-the-scenes contributions as songwriters and backing vocalists cement their place in the label's enduring legacy. The Originals were led by singer Freddie Gorman, a Detroit native who in 1957 formed the Fideletones with longtime friend Brian Holland. After issuing "Pretty Girl" on Aladdin Records in 1959, the group splintered and Gorman resumed his day job as a postal carrier, eventually meeting fledgling record impresario Berry Gordy while on his route. In time Gordy hired Holland as a staff writer and producer, teaming him with fellow producer Robert Bateman to cut a single for the Motown girl group the Marvelettes. When Marvelette Georgia Dobbins suggested the title "Please Mr. Postman," Holland naturally conscripted Gorman for help with the lyrics, although his contributions to the song went unnoted for decades. "Please Mr. Postman" was nevertheless a huge hit, topping the Billboard pop chart in the fall of 1961, and Gordy returned the favor by releasing the Gorman solo single "The Day Will Come" on Motown's Miracle Records subsidiary. Holland and Gorman also continued their songwriting partnership, which expanded to a triumvirate with the addition of Lamont Dozier. After a series of Motown productions including Mary Wells' "Old Love" and the Supremes' "I Want a Guy," Gorman was edged out in favor of Holland's brother Eddie, and without any contractual leverage in his favor, he returned to his post office position, dropping from sight for several years. Gorman finally resurfaced in 1964 alongside songwriting partner Bob Hamilton on the Motown rival Golden World with the Reflections' blockbuster "(Just Like) Romeo and Juliet." The following year, he cut a pair of solo singles, "In a Bad Way" and "Take Me Back," for Golden World's sister label, Ric-Tic. When Gordy acquired Golden World's holdings Gorman was absorbed back into the Motown ranks, and in 1966 his deep, stirring bass vocal was added to the lineup of the Originals, a new vocal group also comprising lead tenor C.P. Spencer, second tenor Hank Dixon, baritone Walter Gaines, and albeit briefly, Joe Stubbs, brother of the Four Tops' renowned lead Levi Stubbs, who exited to pursue a solo career in the wake of the Originals' debut release, a rendition of the Leadbelly perennial "Goodnight Irene." The remaining quartet spent the next two years in search of a hit, contributing backing vocals to sessions spotlighting Stevie Wonder and David Ruffin. After a long hiatus from headlining, the Originals finally issued their second single, "You're the One," in 1969, quickly followed by the title track from their debut LP, Green Grow the Lilacs. Neither record charted, but the Originals did capture the attention of Motown superstar Marvin Gaye, who teamed with wife Anna to write the soulful ballad "Baby I'm for Real." After topping the R&B charts, the single crossed over to pop radio, ascending to the number 14 spot. Gaye also delivered the Originals' luminous follow-up, "The Bells," which reached the R&B Top Five and fell just shy of the pop Top Ten in 1970. The group closed out the year with two minor chart entries, "We Can Make It Baby" and "God Bless Whoever Sent You." The Originals' commercial fortunes nosedived in the years to follow as singles like 1971's "Keep Me" and 1972's "I'm Someone Who Cares" failed to chart. C.P. Spencer exited the lineup soon after and was replaced by lead tenor Ty Hunter. The change did nothing to improve the Originals' chart outlook, however, and efforts like 1973's "Be My Love" and 1975's "Good Lovin' Is Just a Dime Away" earned little attention at radio or retail. When Motown relocated its production facilities from Detroit to Los Angeles, the group followed and in 1976 teamed with Lamont Dozier for the LP Communique, topping the disco charts with the dancefloor classic "Down to Love Town" (the first-ever 12" single released via the Motown imprint). The follow-up, "(Call on Your) Six Million Dollar Man," flopped, however, and in 1978 the Originals ended their long relationship with Motown, signing with Fantasy for "Ladies (We Need You)." By the time the group landed with the independent Phase II label for the 1981 album Yesterday and Today, Spencer was back in the lineup. The album was also noteworthy for its inclusion of the Originals' version of "Please Mr. Postman," but otherwise it generated minimal interest. Apart from a subsequent remake of "Baby I'm for Real," the group's recording career essentially ground to a halt by the mid-'80s, although they continued touring for years to follow. In 1997, Gorman also issued a solo album, It's All About My Love. Spencer died of a heart attack on October 20, 2004. Gorman lost his battle with lung cancer on June 13, 2006.   I'm on the road quite a bit, so I'm in no great hurry for payment. I would appreciate a confirming email with your intentions, or if you need more time to pay. I'm very easy to get along with. Postal administrations in several international countries have contacted the United States Postal Service about the declaration of value placed on customs forms. They have noted that in many cases, the declared value is understated when compared to the actual invoice or known value of the item, especially for sales conducted over the internet. While this applies to sellers both on and off eBay, the USPS has asked us to remind our sellers to declare the proper value on all customs forms. The correct value of each item is required on customs forms as it helps determine the proper duties and taxes, and whether they should be applied. Some countries will soon begin taking steps to address this issue, such as levying fines on the addressee when the declared value is determined to be lower than the invoice. To make sure you're complying with international regulations, please make sure the stated value on your customs declaration is supported by your invoices or other documentation. Due to some recent sales, shipping insurance is mandatory to Italy & Belgium. All other countries will have the insurance option as required, but I will send an invoice where the option is optional.   Beginning in October, 2008, in order to be in compliance with a new Ebay rule, I will be able to list only Paypal as a viable payment option. If this is offensive to you, as the buyer, please let Ebay know how you feel. ?International Buyers ? Please Note: Import duties, taxes and charges are not included in the item price or shipping charges. These charges are the buyer?s responsibility. Please check with your country?s customs office to determine what these additional costs will be prior to bidding/buying.?   I ship in standard 45, LP & 78 mailers made specifically for this purpose. I can ship 4 45's in one box. If you purchase more, I have a larger box, and the postage will be slightly higher. I won't "screw you" on the postage as some do. If I ever over-charge, I will make it right with a Paypal refund. I will leave positive feedback as soon as payment is received and I am home. I would greatly appreciate the same courtesy if you feel my efforts meet with you satisfaction. Please email before taking any negative or neutral actions, and I am sure we can come to a mutual understanding. This is mainly for non-US buyers. Please wait for the invoice before paying, especially if you don't want to add the insurance cost. Ebay doesn't let me pick which countries I require insurance for, therefore, I must use a generic template for all countries. If you wait, I will give you the option of not buying insurance if you are not in a country that I do require insurance for. I travel the country driving my truck. I'm always finding new records, so check back whenever you can. Here's a little breakdown on how I grade the records. It's based on the Goldmine standard, just tweaked a little bit. I get so tired of going to sites that describe the record as M-, and you listen to the clip and it has pops and crackles. I guess by their reasoning, everything below Mint is M-. Except for sealed albums and extraordinarily pristine singles, the highest grade I'll use is EX. VG+ is the next grade. These records may have a pop or two, or some very light distortion in soft passages. VG will have more of the same, only it will be a lot more noticeable. VG- will verge on becoming distracting from the music, but will play with no skips. Lower grades will only be put up for sale in the case of rare records. I can make an MP3 of the record and email it to you for $1.00 extra. I can also burn it in .wav format on a CD for $2.50 extra and send it along with the record. Just let me know before check-out and I'll adjust the invoice. If you need to personally contact me, just email me and I will forward my phone number to you. Certain images and/or photos used in this template are the copyrighted property of JupiterImages and are being used with permission under license.

<script> function right(e) { var msg = "Images protected by Auctiva. Sign up at www.auctiva.com to protect your images!"; if (navigator.appName == 'Netscape' && e.which == 3) { alert(msg); return false; } if (navigator.appName == 'Microsoft Internet Explorer' && event.button==2) { alert(msg); return false; } else return true; } function trapclick() { if(document.images) { for(i=0;i