DORE L.A. SOUL SIDES.

dereksmusicblog ♦ May 11, 2014 ♦ Leave a comment

DORE L.A. SOUL SIDES.

It was in 1955 that cousins  Lew Bedell and Herb Newman decided to found their first record label, Era Records. The two cousins came from very different backgrounds. Lew Bedell had been a comedian, but his career was at a crossroads. So he was on the lookout for a new career. Herb Newman however, was a music industry veteran. He’d started out as a West Coast sales rep for Mercury and later Decca. Having learnt the ropes, Herb wanted to form his own company. With his cousin looking for a new career, this seemed like the perfect opportunity for the two cousins.

Herb and Lew were like brothers. This and been the case since Lew’s parents split-up. Lew was born in El Paso, Texas. After his parent’s divorce, his mother took Lew and his sister to New York. They didn’t stay in New York long. Instead, they headed to Los Angeles, where they stayed with Max Newman. Not long after this, Herb Newman was born. The two cousins were brought up as brothers. So it’s no surprise that the two cousins went in to business together.

With the financial support of Herb’s father Max Newman, they founded Era Records in 1955. Three years later, in 1955, Dore Records, an imprint of Era Records was founded. The newly founded Dore Records was named after Lew’s first son, who’d been born to Lew and his wife Dolores in 1957. The rationale behind forming a second label was that it would double the chances of having a record played on the radio. Dore Records would also allow Herb and Lew to release much more groundbreaking records.  

This was the case from the day Dore Records opened its doors. Having released two singles, a young Phil Spector approached Herb and Lew with To Know Him Is To Love Him, by The Teddy Bears. When Herb heard the understated arrangement, he thought that if it was to be released on Era the record would be rerecorded. Phil disagreed. So did Lew. He heard the potential in the To Know Him Is To Love Him and agreed to release the track in its original form. It became a huge worldwide hit. For the next couple of years, Lew and Herb’s opinions on music differed. Eventually, in 1959, Lew and Herb decided to go their own ways in May 1959.

It was an amicable spilt. Herb Newman continued with Era Records. He moved the company to new premises. Lew retained Dore Records, which stayed at 1481 Vine Street, Hollywood. Dore Records became Lew’s baby. He was a shrewd judge of character and transformed Dore Records into one of the top independent soul labels of the sixties. That’s why Kent Soul, a subsidiary of Ace Records, recently released Dore L.A. Soul Sides, a compilation of music released by Dore Records and its subsidiaries Crescent and Horace’s.

Dore L.A. Soul Sides features twenty-four tracks. Twenty-one of the tracks were released between 1962 and 1969. This includes contributions from The Whispers, The Superbs, Ray Marchand, Milton James, The Fidels, Starbright, Kenard Gardner and Eddie Kool. There’s also two previously unreleased tracks from Toussaint McCall and The Natural Resources. The other tracks is Rita and The Tiaras’ Gone With The Wind Is My Love, which wasn’t released until 1994. These tracks are just a tantalising taste of the music Dore Records released. That’s why choosing the highlights of Dore L.A. Soul Sides isn’t going to be easy.

Opening Dore L.A. Soul Sides is The Whispers’ It Only Hurts For A Little While. It’s one two tracks from The Whispers, one of Dore’s most successful acts. They signed to Dore on 6th October 1964. Three days later, they recorded It Only Hurts For A Little While. Released in 1964, it’s an understated and beautiful ballad which showcases The Whispers’ harmonies. It was written by Mac Davis and Fred Spielmann, with Gene Page arranging this soulful gem. In 1965, The Whispers released the Nicholas Caldwell penned Dr. Love. An uptempo dancer arranged by Gene Page, it’s a taste of what The Whispers were capable of and shows why they were destined for greatness.

The Superbs feature twice on Dore L.A. Soul Sides. They signed to Dore in February 1964. They released Baby’s Gone Away in 1965. It was penned by Art Sibrie and Bobby Swayne and is tailor made to showcase The Superbs balladry. Eleanor Greene delivers a tender, heartfelt vocal that’s accompanied by needy harmonies. On A Day When It’s Raining is very different. It’s another Art Sibrie and Bobby Swayne composition. Released in 1965, it’s an uptempo number, featuring Beach Boys influenced harmonies and a crooning vocal. This shows another side to The Suberbs.

From the opening bars of The Natural Resources’ If There Were No You you’re hooked. It’s another track written by Bobby Swayne who’d been a member of The Superbs. He’d left The Superbs after an argument with Ronnie Cook. Bobby formed The Entertainers and then The Natural Resources. Sadly, If There Were No You was never released. That’s a great shame, as this is a hook-laden hidden gem. 

The Entertainers IV were another group formed by Bobby Swayne. He’d left The Superbs, and with Charlie Davis, Kenard Gardner and Frank Monroe, formed The Entertainers IV. They released Temptation Walk (People Don’t Look No More) which was written by Bobby and Charles Davos. It’s a homage to The Temptations Don’t Look Back. This resulted in Dore’s biggest single, when Temptation Walk (People Don’t Look No More) reached number twenty-nine in the US R&B charts. Four years later, in 1969, The Entertainers IV released Do It Right Now. It features the third lineup of the group. Penned by Bill Howe and B.J. Hunter, Do It Right Now was The Entertainers IV swan-song and sees them leave Dore on a soulful high.

Ray Marchand’s Your Ship Of Fools is another hidden gem from the Dore discography. It was written by Ray with Glen Marchand and Art Sibrie. Full of hooks and dance-floor friendly, Ship Of Fools is real rarity among record collectors. Copies of this single change hands for ever increasing sums of money.

Betty Turner and The Chevelles recorded The Winds Kept Laughing for the San Diego label Crescent. They signed a distribution deal with Dore. Released in 1964, The Winds Kept Laughing was written and produced Leonard Green and John Gummoe. Here, soul meets early-sixties’ girl groups. They inspire Betty’s vocal. It’s an outpouring of emotion and sadness. The horns that punctuate the arrangement were provided by the local high school band. This uptempo track became a favourite in the UK Northern Soul scene in the early seventies.

Back in January 1975, Starbright released Aries Man. This was their debut single for their new lable Dore. Tucked away on the B-Side was another ballad, Sunshine. It’s slow and features a heartfelt, emotive vocal. Accompanied by swathes of the lushest strings, the result is a beautiful track that’s one of the highlights of Dore L.A. Soul Sides.

Rita And the Tiaras’ Gone With The Wind Is My Love bursts into life. Vibes give way to rasping horns and dancing strings. They set the scene for Rita Graham’s heartbroken vocal and sweeping harmonies. Written by Rod Baumgardner and Louie Baretto, who produced the track, the original version of this track wasn’t released until 1994. However, the two minute edited version has been a favourite of British soul fans since the early seventies. No wonder. It’s hook-laden, oozes emotion and is akin to a call to dance. Quite simply,Gone With The Wind Is My Love epitomise everything that’s good about soul music. 

Eddie Kool released Where There’s A Will There’s A Way on Dore in 1968. It was written by Eddie Lee Williams and Robert Byrd, who arranged and conducted the track under the alias Bobby Day. By 1968, Bobby was into his second decade in the music industry. He’d been a singer, songwriter and producer. One of the artists Bobby worked with was Eddie Kool, who delivers an emotive powerhouse on Where There’s A Will There’s A Way. Sadly, despite its undoubted quality, commercial success eluded this track. That, sadly, was the story of Bobby’s career.

Friday’s Child’s As I Sit Here closes Dore L.A. Soul Sides. This is a cover of one The Whispers’ ballads. It was written by Bobby Swayne, Ronald Cook, Frances Lark and Gordy Harmon. As I Sit Here is a fusion of soul and foo woo. Lew Bedell got an female vocalist to deliver a heartbreaking vocal above the harmonies. This is hugely effective and brings the lyrics to life. Sadly, the female vocalist’s identity is unknown. Some people believe it was Frances Lark or Shirley Bertolet. Other people believe two vocalists were used. What I know is that this is a heart-wrenching hidden gem that’s the perfect way to close Dore L.A. Soul Sides.

Dore L.A. Soul Sides is the perfect introduction to Dore Records. Founded in 1958, Dore Records went on to become one of America’s top independent soul labels. The man behind the label was Lew Bedell. He and his cousin Herb Newman had founded Dore Records to release innovative and exciting music. That’s what Dore Records did. Especially after May 1959, when Lew took control of Dore Records. 

Now Lew had the freedom to release music that Era Records would’ve shied away from releasing. Soon, Lew was signing some of the best up-and-coming artists. This includes The Whispers, The Superbs, Milton James, The Fidels, Starbright and Kenard Gardner. Compiler Ady Croasdell takes you on a journey through  Dore Records’ discography. You’re introduced into some of the Dore’s biggest names. Then there’s artists who only played a walk-on part in the Dore Records’ story. These artists are responsible for both hits and hidden gems. That’s the beauty of compilations like Dore L.A. Soul Sides.

Whereas some labels release compilation full of familiar tracks. That makes for a predictable compilation. That’s not the case here. Far from it. Compiler Ady Croasdell has dug deeper for Dore L.A. Soul Sides. It was recently released by Kent Soul, an imprint of Ace Records. It’s crammed full of quality soul. Ballads and dancers sit side-by-side on Dore L.A. Soul Sides, which is a tantalising taste of Dore Records’ discography.

DORE L.A. SOUL SIDES.