Unlisted John Handy single

[jeffcrom]

I have a 45 RPM single which I found in a junk store in Atlanta about 25 years ago. It's a "Not for resale - Radio Station Copy" promo single: Columbia 4-44977 by saxophonist John Handy. He's playing Dylan's "Lay Lady Lay" on both sides - stereo on one side, mono on the other. The arrangement in credited to Benny Golson - it's guitar-heavy, with electric bass and piano. One side is stamped Sep 15 1969, which I'm guessing is the date some radio station received it. It's a little bit of a period piece, musically, but the saxophone playing is impressive, with some altissimo-register stuff near the end.

I've never seen this recording listed in any discography. About a month ago I emailed Handy through his website, asking about it, but I never got any reply. Does anyone know anything about this odd little record?

[jazztrain]

It shows up in an on-line database of Dylan covers (but without much any additional information):

http://baseportal.com/cgi-bin/baseportal.p...all&Id=9207

[JSngry]

Who's listed as the producer for this 45?

[jeffcrom]

The producer is Esmond Edwards.

Interesting that the Dylan covers link posted by jazztrain also pictures a radio station promo single. Perhaps this was never officially issued by Columbia?

[jazztrain]

Here's a link to another image: http://cgi.ebay.com.hk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...3&indexURL=

This one doesn't look like a promo.

[JSngry]

Here's a link to another image: http://cgi.ebay.com.hk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi...3&indexURL=

This one doesn't look like a promo.

...and the eBay listing says that "Spinning Wheel" is on the other side. Wow...

I've never seen that color scheme on any Columbia 45 from that time, nor do I ever recall seeing stereo Columbia 45s from that era. Then again, in 1969, I was still living in semi-rural East Texas had had very little access to trade publications of any sort. Now, I do remember Columbia mono/stereo 45s later on, as well as straight-up stereo 45s. But that was in the 70s and beyond.

I've tried to get a clue as to whether this Handy item might have been part of a test series or something, but look at this:

Columbia 4-44975 = BURL IVES Montego Bay/Tessie's Bar Mystery

Columbia 4-44975 = DINO, DESI, & BILLY Hawley / Let's Talk it Over

Can't find an image

Columbia 4-44976 = STONEWALL JACKSON Ship In The Battle / Thoughts Of A Lonely Man

Columbia 4-44977 = JOHN HANDY Lay Lady Lay/Spinning Wheel

Columbia 4-44978 = RON DAWSON She Cried / Steel Rain Blues

Can't find an image

Columbia 4-44979 POZO SECO SINGERS Woman In Love / God Save The Children

Columbia 4-44980 POZO SECO SINGERS Morning Mama Memories / Proper Mrs Brown

Can't find an image for either

Columbia 4-44981 JUDY LYNN Gentle On My Mind/America The Beautiful

Nothing.

So maybe Stereojack or Chuck or somebody else can clue us in on this? I sure seems to be an oddity, that's for sure!

[Stereojack]

Don't have any discographical details, but the Handy pictured in jazztrain's link is definitely a promo - the seller even says so. I can't give you a history of Columbia's color schemes of their promo releases, but I've seen plenty of these blue labels before.

[JSngry]

Thanks, Jack.

What about a stereo Columbia 45 in 1969?

[Teasing the Korean]

Thanks, Jack.

What about a stereo Columbia 45 in 1969?

Many labels were definitely beginning to do stereo 45s in '69, though be no means exclusively.

[jazztrain]

Good point. I guess the notation "Promo!!!" should have tipped me off if I had bothered to read the description. I gave up after awhile trying to discern some information from the blurry image...

Don't have any discographical details, but the Handy pictured in jazztrain's link is definitely a promo - the seller even says so. I can't give you a history of Columbia's color schemes of their promo releases, but I've seen plenty of these blue labels before.

[JSngry]

jeffcrom, what is the color of your label?

I still think it's weird that this John Handy item was released as the sole (or at least appears to have been the sole) stereo 45 in a series of about eight. Not to say that all eight were released at once, probably not, but still, where's the other stereo Columbia 45s from that time? It's almost like this was an experiment of sorts, especially the notion of a John Handy Plays Two Hits Of Today type single that has absolutely nothing to do with the rest of his Columbia output.

Oki, here's another variant of the Handy item: http://cgi.ebay.com/JOHN-HANDY-PROMO-45-LA...p3286.m20.l1116

This one purports to be a regular A/B side affair, nothing mentioned about stereo, but obviously a promo.

So far we have three versions of this item - one with A/B sides (one stereo & one mono), and one stereo/mono A-Side on both sides. Jack says the blue labels were not uncommon, but I'm wondering what the difference between a blue-label & white-label promo might have been.

Crazy stuff...

[Chuck Nessa]

Hazy memory at work but I don't think the blue labels were promos. For a short time in the mono/stereo days it was blue for stereo AFAIR. This soon gave way to stereo only 45s and the red label returned. OTOH, they may have used up the blue label stock for promos at that point but I doubt it. That was not "the Columbia way'.

[JSngry]

Chuck (or Jack), off the top of your head, can you think of any other blue label Columbia 45s from about this time (1969)?

[Chuck Nessa]

My memory is "as a retailer', not a consumer so that's why I am not certain. Just remember seein' them and trying my version of logic on the question.

[jeffcrom]

jeffcrom, what is the color of your label?

I'm having scanner problems right now, or I'd show you. The stereo side (which, by the way, doesn't say "stereo" anywhere on the label, but is) is the same blue label as in the Ebay photo JSngry posted. The mono side is white with red lettering and is almost exactly like the label on the Dylan covers site, but mine reads "not for resale" to the left of the "45 RPM" box and the Columbia eye.

I still think that it's interesting that every picture anyone has come up with is of a promo copy, including the blue label on Ebay - it's hard to read in the picture, but it definitely has the same "not for resale" and "radio station copy" as mine.

Thanks to everyone for your input and research. Before now I had never seen or heard of another copy of this record, or come across anyone else who had heard of it.

Edited March 6, 2009 by jeffcrom

[jeffcrom]

Well, I broke down and bought a copy of the two-sided (Lay Lady Lay b/w Spinning Wheel) version from an Ebay vendor. It's mono/promo. "Spinning Wheel" is pretty entertaining. The line in the lyrics that goes "Ride a painted pony, let the spinning wheel spin" is taken by the organ every time, and each time it gets more dissonant - by the last time it's pretty out. There's also a few seconds of free improv - no key, no pulse - in the middle of the record. Definitely trippy 1969 stuff.

[Chuck Nessa]

FWIW, Handy mentions this single in The House That Trane Built.

[JSngry]

FWIW, Handy mentions this single in The House That Trane Built.

How so? As an antecedent to "Hard Work"?

[Chuck Nessa]

FWIW, Handy mentions this single in The House That Trane Built.

How so? As an antecedent to "Hard Work"?

He was saying Esmond produced that single at Columbia and knew he wanted to go for the money.

[JSngry]

Ah...