(EXCLUSIVE TEST PRESSING) ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS - "TIGHTEN UP" SC 8181

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THIS IS A VERY RARE (ONE OF A KIND) TEST PRESSING OF THE ALBUM "TIGHTEN UP" BY ARCHIE BELL & THE DRELLS RELEASED IN THE YEAR: 1968. IF YOU LOOK CLOSELY ABOVE THE LOGO YOU CAN SEE THE WORDS (TEST PRESSING!!!!) THEY EVEN USED SIDE TWO LABEL FOR BOTH SIDES OF THE RECORD EVEN THOUGH SIDE ONE WITH TIGHTEN UP AND THE OTHER SIDE ONE TRACKS ARE PRESENT. ATLANTIC RECORDS ?– SC 8181 Review by Steve Leggett Archie Bell was still on a tour of duty in Vietnam when "Tighten Up," the B-side of a single he had recorded called "Dog Eat Dog," broke out and hit the top of the charts in 1968. Infectious and utterly danceable, "Tighten Up" became Bell's claim to fame, even though he and the Drells had other hits, including "I Can't Stop Dancing" and "(There's Gonna Be A) Showdown" after they began working with Philly soul producers and writers Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff. All of these are included in this succinct introduction to Archie Bell & the Drells (as well as the fine "A World Without Music"), and for listeners looking for a set with just the hits, this one fills the bill with no frills and no fuss. Archie Bell, who formed the group, is the older brother of world karate champion (and lead vocalist of Motown's Dazz Band), Jerry Bell, NFL player Ricky Bell (1955–1984), and Eugene Bell Sr. Bell moved to Houston as a young boy, and formed the group in 1966 with his friends James Wise, Willie Parnell and Billy Butler. They signed with the Houston-based record label, Ovide, in 1967 and recorded a number of songs, including "She's My Woman" and "Tighten Up", which was recorded in October 1967 at the first of several sessions in which the Drells were backed by the instrumental group the T.S.U. Toronadoes.[4][5][6] Bell's promoter, Skipper Lee Frazier, unsuccessfully began pushing the flip side of "Tighten Up", but at the recommendation of a friend gave the other side a try. "Tighten Up" was written by Archie Bell and Billy Butler,[7] contained Archie Bell prodding listeners to dance to the funky musical jam developed by the T.S.U. Toronadoes,[8] and it became a hit in Houston before it was picked up by Atlantic Records for distribution in April 1968. By the summer it topped both the Billboard R&B and pop charts. It also received a R.I.A.A. gold disc by selling 1 million copies.[7] The introduction features Bell introducing himself and the Drells as being from Houston, Texas, and exclaims "We don't only sing, but we dance just as good as we want". According to the Billboard Book of Number One Hits by Fred Bronson, Bell heard a comment after the Kennedy assassination in Dallas that "nothing good ever came out of Texas." Bell wanted his listeners to know "we were from Texas and we were good." The success of the single prompted the band to rush out an album, despite their incapacitated leader. In 1969 the group recorded their first full album with Gamble and Huff, I Can't Stop Dancing, which reached number 28 on the R&B album chart. By this time another of Archie's brothers, Lee Bell (born January 14, 1946, Houston), had replaced Butler, and became the band's choreographer. Reid Farrell, who was from Houston, Texas, was the guitarist who traveled and played with the group. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- DON'T MISS THIS ONE OF A KIND EXTREMELY RARE, ONE OF A KIND COLLECTOR'S ITEM!!!!!! Tracklist A1 Tighten Up (Part One) 3:10 A2 Tighten Up (Part Two) 2:52 A3 I Don't Wanna Be A Playboy 3:00 A4 You're Mine 2:46 A5 Knock On Wood 2:30 B1 Give Me Time 2:29 B2 In The Midnight Hour 2:27 B3 When You Left Heartache Began 2:36 B4 A Thousand Wonders 2:08 B5 A Soldier's Prayer, 1967 2:54 Credits Engineer – Burk Frilot Notes Recorded at Jones Sound Recording Studio ***PLEASE NOTE: ALL RECORDS ARE VISUALLY GRADED ONLY UNLESS I STATE THAT THEY ARE PLAY-GRADED*** PAYMENT IS DUE WITHIN 3 DAYS UNLESS ARRANGEMENTS HAVE BEEN MADE EITHER PRIOR TO BIDDING OR SHORTLY AFTER AUCTION ENDS. IF YOU ARE BIDDING ON OTHER ITEMS LET ME KNOW AND I'LL WAIT UNTIL THOSE AUCTIONS END BEFORE SENDING YOU AN INVOICE. IF PAYMENT IS NOT MADE AND THERE IS NO CONTACT WITHIN THREE DAYS ITEM WILL BE RELISTED). PLEASE KNOW THAT I’M NEW TO EBAY BUT I’M NOT NEW TO SELLING RECORDS. I’M NOT AN EXPECT, BUT I’VE BEEN DOING IT FOR YEARS. MY GOAL IS TO MAKE SURE YOU ARE SATISFIED WITH YOUR PURCHASE. AS A CUSTOMER, I CONSIDER YOU TO BE VERY IMPORTANT TO ME AND MY GOAL IS TO HAVE REPEAT CUSTOMERS. IF THERE IS A PROBLEM PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTACT ME FIRST. I DO COMBINE SHIPPING WITHIN THE U.S. SO FEEL FREE TO LOOK AROUND. I DON’T JUST POST THINGS ON EBAY WITHOUT THOROUGHLY RESEARCHING THE PRODUCT. ESPECIALLY WITH ALBUMS, I WILL NOT POST AN ALBUM WHERE THERE’S ALREADY 20 TO 30 COPIES OF THE SAME RECORD UNLESS THERE IS SOMETHING SPECIAL OR THERE’S A GREAT DEMAND FOR IT SO TAKE A LOOK AT MY OTHER AUCTIONS. THERE ARE USUALLY SOME VERY HARD TO FIND RECORDS LISTED. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ GRADING - GOLDMINE GRADING STANDARDS TABLE: NEAR MINT (NM OR M-): A good description of a NM record is “it looks like it just came from a retail store and it was opened for the first time.” In other words, it’s nearly perfect. VERY GOOD PLUS (VG+): VG+ records may show some slight signs of wear, including light scuffs or very light scratches. Slight warps that do not affect the sound are OK. Minor signs of handling are OK, too, such as telltale marks around the center hole, but repeated playing has not misshapen the hole. There may be some very light ring wear or discoloration, but it should be barely noticeable. VERY GOOD (VG): VG records have more obvious flaws than their counterparts in better shape. They lack most of the original gloss found on factory-fresh records. Groove wear is evident on sight, as are light scratches deep enough to feel with a fingernail. VERY GOOD MINUS (VG -): Good does not mean bad! This record can serve as filler until something better comes along. But it has significant surface noise and groove wear, and the label is worn, with significant ring wear, heavy writing, or obvious damage caused by someone trying to remove tape or stickers and failing miserably. A Good to VG– cover has ring wear to the point of distraction, has seam splits obvious on sight and may have even heavier writing, such as, for example, huge radio station letters written across the front to deter theft. If the item is common, it’s probably better to pass it up. But if you’ve been seeking it for a long time, get it cheap and look to upgrade. GOOD or (G): A good record will look very well played, dull, grayish and possibly abused. However a Good record should still play. It will have distracting surface noise. Such as crackle that is continuous or some hiss. Will also have some loss of dynamics caused from grooves being worn.