Question on Four Tops Hip O Select releases

I have a question that someone might be able to give me some insight into.

There are two excellent CD collections released by Hip O Select on the Four Tops. In 2001 Fourever was released which consists of 4 CDs and a total of 85 songs on the 4 discs. I have this in my collection. On discogs it can be bought for around $45.

There is another excellent CD collection also released by Hip O Select. In 2013 the release consisted of 3 CDs and a total of 78 songs. I have been on the lookout for this 50th Anniversary release. On discogs it can only be found in the UK for rough $200 and there are only 2 for sale from the UK.

Does anyone have any insight into why there is such a radical difference in price between the Fourever and the 50th Anniversary availability. As far as I know it was released in the US as well.

The number of songs is nearly identical. I did not criss cross to see what was included vs. what was not included.

Any opinions on this subject? Thank you.

I love this song, but there is one aggravating part to it that I have never been able to figure out.

After the first chorus there is, throughout the rest of the song, something that sounds like a gunshot the goes off. Is this to by symbolic of something? I did hear that this sound was created on an organ that had a damaged key and when you hit that key it made a gunshot sound.

Can anyone elaborate on this

In October 62, Motown's license in the UK was acquired by Oriole Records.
Maurice Levy [[Oriole's owner) assured John Schroeder [[who he'd hired) he wanted to put Oriole up against the big boys – we wanted to become a major force. I said ‘if you’re going to do that you’re going to need a lot of finance. You got to have promotion guys, Radio Luxembourg airtime, all sorts of things.’ But he said he wanted to. At the time I believed him. Unfortunately as time went on, the support wasn’t there in the strength it should have been. I don’t think he realised what he’d let himself in for and what was needed to make Oriole a major force. However, I did do a lot in the 2 & a half years I was there. I had free rein, restricted by the budget so I was always held down a bit. I took on the Motown catalogue. Oriole had their own studios but they were deficient in lots of ways and they didn’t want me to hire any other studios, so we had to put up with the faults and technical difficulties. Then I set up Oriole as a proper label, got rid of a lot of artists, signed new ones and retained a few old ones, like Maureen Evans and Clinton Ford. I redesigned the label, the yellow and black one. I established an Oriole magazine – it had its own magazine that went to the retailers to tell them about the label. The lengths I went to !
. . . MORE ON ORIOLE >> the label had it's London studios + pressing plants in Colnbrook [[near Slough) and in Aston Clinton [[south of Aylesbury). The Oriole pressing plant building in Aston Clinton, ahead of Oriole buying it had been a garage [[Bakers). It was quite an antiquated building even back at the start of the mid 1950's. Most people in Aston Clinton village knew each other back then, so the set-up at Oriole had a very informal atmosphere. Back when Oriole took over the London Rd building in Aston Clinton [[1954) & set up their operation, most people got to work by bike or bus. So the workforce was just about all local. The plant manager lived in a house located next to the factory. If jobs were available with Oriole, staff would tell local family / friends and they would apply & land the posts, so it ran very much on the 'big family' principal. Oriole Records under the Morris Levy also pressed up the cheap cover versions of current hits on it's Embassy label . Each week, workers were allowed to take a record of their choice home for free. The factory site was opposite to the Rising Sun pub in Aston Clinton [[now the China Water restaurant), so I'd guess on a Friday after work, the lads would have a drink before heading off home. I haven't been able to establish how many people were employed there, but it can't have been that many.
In late 1964, CBS [[Columbia US) bought out Oriole & took over all their facilities. The factory [[pressing plant) in Aston Clinton was famous in the village for the Christmas parties it put on. Certainly, in CBS days, they took on temporary staff in busy periods, usually older kids in their school holidays [[no doubt mainly the children of existing workers). CBS bought out Oriole in late 64 & after CBS moved out, the facilities was sold on.
Initially, after CBS took over, things carried on much as before. They [[CBS) had a storage warehouse in the village as well [[I think this had been Oriole's before CBS), this was at the opposite end of the village. A local firm, Shorewood packaging printed the record labels for CBS and also made their record sleeves / LP covers, family members of Oriole / CBS workers had jobs there. Again, I think Oriole had used them ahead of CBS. Even in CBS's days, the workers / locals still called it 'Oriole Records'. After CBS moved to Aylesbury, a company called Leading Plastics took over the building until it was demolished to make way for houses / flats. The plant managers old house [[from Oriole / CBS records days) was sold off in 1982 [[a couple of years after CBS relocated to their new Aylesbury CD manufacturing plant). The people that bought the house found the loft floor space totally lined out with old Oriole record boxes to form a floor that some stuff had been left on. A large number of records were up there still, obviously old stock from the plant [[the guy told me had no interest in vinyl, so couldn't remember if it was Oriole or CBS stuff).
The two girls in the picture below were workers @ Oriole's Pressing Plant back in the 60's. They were allowed to take home 1 x 45 every Friday [[just ONE) -- but got their mates that weren't into 45's to take one for them too. So some [[who were soul fans) ended up with most of the Oriole Motown related 45's.
Attachment 21487

I don't know how this gem got pass me but I'm just hearing this collaboration with Thelma Houston and Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis early offerings

Attachment 21490
Today the legendary Kirk Franklin, a 19-time GRAMMY® Award-winning producer, songwriter, and artist, is thrilled to unveil the highly anticipated 2024 leg of The Reunion Tour. Joining him as co-headliners are esteemed peers and gospel music icons Yolanda Adams, Fred Hammond, Marvin Sapp, and The Clark Sisters. Kierra Sheard-Kelly will also join the tour as a special guest across all dates.

Produced by Live Nation Urban and Undivided Ent, the 33-date tour kicks off on September 6 at Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, PA making stops across North America in Boston, Chicago, Brooklyn, Miami, and more before wrapping up in Los Angeles at Kia Forum on November 3. This run follows the success of the 2023 tour of the same name which also reunited some of the biggest names in gospel music.

TICKETS: Tickets will be available starting with an artist presale beginning at 10 AM local tomorrow. Additional presales will run ahead of the general onsale beginning Wednesday, May 22 at 10 AM local time at LiveNation.com.

TOUR DATES:

Fri Sep 06 | Philadelphia, PA | Wells Fargo Center

Thu Sep 07 | Baltimore, MD | CFG Bank Arena

Sun Sep 08 | Boston, MA | MGM Music Hall at Fenway

Wed Sep 11 | Toronto, CAN | Great Canadian Casino Resort Toronto [[Mississauga)

Fri Sep 13 | Cincinnati, OH | The Andrew J Brady Music Center

Sun Sep 15 | Detroit, MI | Little Caesars Arena

Tue Sep 17 | Kansas City, MO | T-Mobile Center

Thu Sep 19 | Columbus, OH | Nationwide Arena

Fri Sep 20 | Chicago, IL | Credit Union 1 Arena

Sat Sep 21 | Indianapolis, IN | Gainbridge Fieldhouse

Sun Sep 22 | St. Louis, MO | Enterprise Center

Wed Sep 25 | Charlotte, NC | Bojangles Coliseum

Thu Sep 26 | Raleigh, NC | PNC Arena

Sat Sep 28 | Norfolk, VA | Norfolk Scope Arena

Sun Sep 29 | Washington, DC | Capital One Arena

Wed Oct 02 | Brooklyn, NY | Barclays Center

Thu Oct 03 | Newark, NJ | Prudential Center

Sat Oct 05 | Birmingham, AL | The Legacy Arena at The BJCC

Sun Oct 06 | Atlanta, GA | State Farm Arena

Tue Oct 08 | Miami, FL | FPL Solar Amphitheater

Thu Oct 10 | Tampa, FL | Amalie Arena

Fri Oct 11 | Orlando, FL | Addition Financial Arena

Sat Oct 12 | Jacksonville, FL | VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena

Sun Oct 13 | New Orleans, LA | Lakefront Arena

Thu Oct 17 | Austin, TX | H-E-B Center at Cedar Park

Sun Oct 20 | Memphis, TN | FedExForum

Mon Oct 21 | Oklahoma City, OK | Paycom Center

Thu Oct 24 | San Antonio, TX | Frost Bank Center

Sun Oct 27 | Fort Worth, TX | Dickies Arena

Wed Oct 30 | Anaheim, CA | Honda Center

Fri Nov 01 | Oakland, CA | Oakland Arena

Sat Nov 02 | San Diego, CA | Viejas Arena

Sun Nov 03 | Los Angeles, CA | The Kia Forum