Listen: Don’t Knock It / Bernie & The Buzz Band
Don't Knock It / Bernie & The Buzz Band

It’s easy to understand the addiction to Deram Records that so many collectors have, when you have it yourself that is.

The brown and white retail label design is as equally weak knee inducing as it’s turquoise and white promotional label sister. The craziest titles command the craziest money on the rare records circuit, usually without rhyme or reason beyond being on Deram. To be fair, much of the label’s obscure stuff is pretty consistent, as in, always expensive.

Take Bernie & The Buzz Band for example. Little is known about them. Noel Walker, label house producer of sorts, ended up with that chore. Based on his then current and successful releases with The Amen Corner, the pairing makes sense.

Nice quick in, quick out, four hour session at the Decca Studios I’m guessing. A very mono mix, a coincidentally similar to Andy Fairweather Low lead vocal, soul horns and soul bv’s interpret a lesser known Isaac Hayes / David Porter tune. There you have it, a £40 collectible.

Listen: Check Yourself / Debbie Taylor
Check Yourself / Debbie Taylor

Last seen or heard from on Arista in ’75, a final label stop having drifted from pillar to post when it came to record companies. Literally last seen or heard. There seems to have been no contact with her since and mystery surrounds Debbie Taylor’s whereabouts.

Her first two releases came in ’68 for US Decca. A vocalist with obvious deep south church training, the second of those, Isaac Hayes and David Porter’s ‘Check Yourself’ was a most sought after want for many years.

Did a good deed today and recycled two huge boxes of old phones, old computers and every imaginable, why do I own this, power chord/converter/charger at the local library’s Green Drive a few blocks away. Feeling great relief at handing off the load to an over happy volunteer, I thought I’d browse their book sale. Maybe an old Billboard or Cashbox lurked amongst the magazine section. Lo and behold, a box of records, 10¢ each/12 for $1….first one I pull out, ‘Check Yourself’ by Debbie Taylor, dressed perfectly in the original Decca company sleeve.

God beamed down on me once again. Thank you Lord.