Saturday, 15 August 2015

So, who are Robert & the Uptights?


Something is amiss in Coronation Street.

The lovely Lloyd (soul aficionado and part-time DJ with a big record collection) played by the lovely Craig Charles (soul aficionado and part-time DJ with a big record collection) has lost one of his singles.

It's by Robert & the Uptights and it's worth £1000.  Some of us here in the UK know what's become of Lloyd's rare and treasured soul 45 but I'm keeping shtum in case anyone is behind on their Corrie episodes.  But that's not the issue here.  What I really want to know is, does a Robert & the Uptights single actually exist outside Weatherfield?!

A quick internet search brings up a picture... but there's no mention of it on 45cat.  A highly knowledgeable and reliable source tells me it doesn't appear on any of their soul compilations or lists (thank you!). Could it be a hype?  Or a spoof? Could someone behind the scenes in Corrie, perhaps a soul aficionado and part-time DJ with a big record collection, have mocked up a convincing looking label and put it out there just to get us wondering?  Of course I'd love to know it was genuine.  Surely I can't be the only one who wants to know if a Robert & the Uptights single exists in the real world...  (or can I?!)
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23 comments:

  1. Anonymous15 August 2015 at 22:24

    Wife and daughter watch Corrie. I dip in and out. Was thinking the same as you about this single
    Swiss Adam

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. C16 August 2015 at 10:36

      Glad it's not just me, SA. The minute I heard him say it I thought: ooh I wonder if that's real? (I do have a life too)

      Delete
  2. Unknown16 August 2015 at 10:44

    If you look at rarenorthernsoul.com, you'll find Kick by Robert and the Uptights, worth £750!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous16 August 2015 at 10:52

    I never watch Corrie these days and haven't seriously followed it since the era of the Mike Baldwin/Deirdre affair - THAT long ago! I do like Craig's Funk & Soul' radio show, though. As for the Robert & The Uptights single, I have one here, honest...no, really...come down in the cellar and have a look, it's just down there, under that pile of NME's from 1975 and the previously unheard of original take of 'Love Me Do' credited to The Quarrymen. No, not there...there! Oh, you've missed it now.

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    1. C16 August 2015 at 19:09

      I think you'd already sold it by the time I got there....

      Delete
  4. Bel Mondo17 August 2015 at 14:57

    Sounds plausible - Dianne records are a country label out of Nashville tho there's very little on them on the web. Someone's selling Kick by R&tU for £750 on eBay and it's listed as a northern soul crossover - so far so plausible. But can't find anything on them or the writer of the song otherwise. So I wonder if someone's having a go at making dough from Corrientes fans?? Still in the world of northern soul there's always been a history if intrigue and stupid prices - if you find a copy I'll give you a tenner for it....

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    1. Bel Mondo17 August 2015 at 15:00

      Corrie fans that should be... Tho I suppose there could be a South American faction...like Morrisey fans....

      Delete
    2. C17 August 2015 at 18:55

      Thanks. It's all a bit unsatisfying somehow, isn't it... and now I find there's even a sound sample! Perhaps it's a real obscurity, so has that rarity status in spite of not being that special a record really (I just gave it a listen), but the scriptwriters (or Craig?!) wanted a real name, and then the hype has followed? And as a result, this post has had hundreds of hits in just a few days too...

      Ah, Calle Coronacion? Muy bueno!

      Delete
  5. C17 August 2015 at 22:51

    A little more info here:

    http://www.45rpmrecords.com/ST/Dianne.php

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  6. Darcy21 August 2015 at 23:12

    It has one (just one) entry on Popsike. Apparently listed over Xmas last year and sold for $475. So it could be real - not so easy to fake a Popsike entry? The "copy" currently for sale on ebay has exactly the same label scan. The font for the group name just doesn't look right though.I don't think it fits with the rest of the label and I think looks too modern. The track time of 4.50 is also pretty long for a 1969 soul/funk record. Also as mentioned in another comment Dianne was set up as a country label and the only known release on the label is country .

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    1. C22 August 2015 at 16:16

      Thanks Darcy, that's really interesting too and I appreciate you have a vast knowledge of this genre in particular - so the plot thickens! I guess it might be interesting to see if the eBay item actually sells and if there are any updates after that...

      Delete
  7. Peter Madison, 'The Teenage Pensioner'!30 August 2015 at 19:03

    Here it is folks, The Teenage Pensioner wouldn't let you down!
    http://www.rarenorthernsoul.com/mp3s/d4874b297991a7722912f8669f612921.mp3

    ReplyDelete
  8. Peter Madison, 'The Teenage Pensioner'!31 August 2015 at 13:13

    A musician friend has listened and says, "No wonder its rare; who'd buy that rubbish!" The bluesy riff is common to many other songs, the 'singer' just could be Craig wailing cliches from lots of old tracks and the bassist has two thumbs! Authentic-sounding scratches, could be faked. And Darcy is right; no track over 3 mins would be played on a juke box or radio show in those days. Having said all that, I like the drumming! (The official Coronation Street blog says it IS genuine.)

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    1. C31 August 2015 at 19:54

      Thanks Peter. I have to agree about the song... it doesn't seem to warrant the so-called 'reputation'...
      I'm remaining a little cynical!

      Delete
    2. G Ena Harples1 September 2015 at 12:10

      best part of it for me were the maracas! but i tend to be in agreement also...a song over 3 mins well over the top!! best to remain cynical in this instance!! :)

      Delete
    3. C1 September 2015 at 18:55

      Thanks G Ena Harples. Still a mystery!

      Delete
  9. G Ena Harples1 September 2015 at 20:38

    Scooby Doo could not solve this one!!

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  10. Johnny21 July 2018 at 17:52

    On 45cat now!... http://www.45cat.com/record/23368us

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tony Brown28 April 2020 at 20:59

    Thought you might like to hear the b-side to this record, I much prefer it to The Kick.

    https://youtu.be/WOMiW4uSvWw also added onto 45cat.com entry.

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    Replies
    1. C29 April 2020 at 10:27

      Many thanks for this Tony. I prefer that b-side too.

      Delete

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