New Kent Records 45’s
The Mayberry Movement
“I Can See Him Making Love To You” / “What Did I Do Wrong”
Label: Kent Records
Catalogue Number: CITY 090
Release Date: 24th November 2023
Format: 7’
This pairing was slated to be Event 218 in late 1974, but as no copies have emerged, it can be assumed that the single was pulled. It is hard to know why, but judging by its rarity the Anderson Brothers GSF release of ‘I Can See Him Loving You’ was a commercial failure – perhaps Event didn’t want to suffer a similar fate. This reading of producer Ray Dahrouge’s song is more soulful and vital than the Anderson Brothers which was huge on the Northern Soul scene, but without this take for competition at the time. Maybe the steamy finale to the Mayberry’s version was a bit too much for radio play, but surely the brilliance of the ballad A side would have compensated for that. Their loss; our gain.
Dee Ervin
“You Make Me Happy” / “Give Me One More Day”
Label: Kent Records
Catalogue Number: CITY 089
Release Date: 24th November 2023
Format: 7’
Dee Ervin suffered collateral damage from GRC/Aware’s bankruptcy. He only got to release two mediocre sides on Hotlanta but these recordings match anything he created in a successful career throughout the 60s & 70s.
By 1974 he was as much a composer as artist, but he excels at both on these two numbers that were fully produced and ready for release. ‘You Make Me Happy’ is a terrific uptempo dance track that recently featured on CDKEND 512 “Masterpieces Of Modern Soul; Vol 6”.
‘Give Me One More Day’ was issued erroneously in 1975 as a Tribe LP track on ABC, but the session details clearly have it as a Dee Ervin recorded number.
Tommy Youngblood / The Other Brothers
“Tobacco Road North” / “Nobody But Me”
Label: Kent Records
Catalogue Number: Repro 12
Release Date: 24th November 2023
Format: 7’
“The Soul Of Tommy Youngblood” 1970 Kent LP had many fine tracks, especially ‘Tobacco Road North’ though it was not attributed to the rightful writer, Jimmy Radcliffe, at the time. The music has been sampled for various hip-hop adaptations, including one by Ghostface Killah of the Wu-Tang Clan, but the original stands on its own and deserves a 7” format. The Other Brothers ‘Nobody But Me’ is another UK Kent exclusive that sold out on its first Kent Select press and is still much sought-after and now expensive.
Ady Croasdell