||||Bold Soul Brother

Montclairs - Hung Up On Your Love (Honest!)

What can I say, that most of you don’t already know… a fantastic mid 70′s release on Paula that become a favourite on the Northern Soul scene, virtually from its first play. I remember the first time I heard it, early 80′s all-nighter… hooked!

Mistakenly released as a misprint on Paula (381) instead of “How Can One Man Live” before it’s official release, again on Paula (390), these two versions command reasonable prices when they do arise; with the misprints fetching up to £40 and the actual issue up to £100.

I am lucky enough to own both, so have included both here for your audio-delight tonight.

The Montclairs were a vocal group from East St. Louis, Illinois reportedly named after a brand of cigarettes! Originally comprised of Phil Perry lead singer, David Frye, George McLellan, Kevin Sanlin and Clifford “Scotty” Williams they were representative of the vocal group resurgence of the 70′s when sweet vocals were fashionable.

Montclairs - Hung Up On Your Love

Their first single “Hey You! Don’t Fight It!” was recorded in 1969 on Arch Records (1305), but was only distributed in the St. Louis area. The following year they began recording for Oliver Sain at his Archway Studio. It was Sain who arranged for the group to sign to Paula Records (of Shreveport, Louisiana).

Whilst with Paula they released a few hits that charted: “Dreamin’ Out Of Season” (1972), “Make Up For Lost Time” (1974) and “Baby You Know (I’m Gonna Miss You)” (1974). They also released an album, “Dreamin’ Out Of Season” (1972) from which the track “Prelude To A Heartbreak”/”I Need You More Than Ever” was released as a single the following year.

The Montclairs also recorded tracks for Vanessa, Premium and United International. In 1974, Clifford Williams was drafted into the U.S. military and the group continued as a quartet until, when they left Paula in 1975, they disbanded. Like so many of the favourites of the Northern Soul scene, it’s such a shame these people didn’t get the recognition they so rightly deserved.