The Five Quails...any plans to reissue the Harvey catalog?

I've always loved the Elgins' cover of "It's Been A Long Long Time," but the 1961 original by the Cleveland-based The Five Quails [[Billy Strawbridge, Billy Fulgham, Art Kirkpatrick, Donald Brown, and James Williams) is outstanding [[1962 saw the release of their final recordings "Never Felt Like This Before" b/w "My Love" and "I Thought" b/w "Over the Hump").

Since these songs were recorded on the Harvey label, does that mean that Motown now owns the Five Quails' catalog? Junior Walker provided the sax backing on the Harvey sessions, so these tracks are also of interest to Junior Walker collectors.

As far as I know, there are only two Five Quails cuts that have been released on CD: "Got to Get to School on Time" and the flipside "Been A Long Time" were featured on Motor City Memories Vol. 1 and 2 in 1991.

Is there any chance that other Five Quails tracks might resurface on future Cellarful of Motown or other vault releases? I would love to hear more of their work [[they also recorded some cuts on Mercury in 1957).

Been A Long Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nirjt_2n0vs

Got To Get To School On Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05KncE_kJc

Five Quails bio at AllMusic: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p...9fexq9kld0e~T1

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Originally Posted by vcq

I've always loved the Elgins' cover of "It's Been A Long Long Time," but the 1961 original by the Cleveland-based The Five Quails [[Billy Strawbridge, Billy Fulgham, Art Kirkpatrick, Donald Brown, and James Williams) is outstanding. Since it was recorded on the Harvey label, that means that Motown now owns the rights to the Five Quails' catalog [[and the Five Quails continued to record and gig at Motown). Junior Walker provided the sax backing on the Harvey sessions, so these tracks are also of interest to Junior Walker collectors.

As far as I know, there are only two Five Quails cuts that have been released on CD: "Got to Get to School on Time" and the flipside "Been A Long Time" were featured on Motor City Memories Vol. 1 and 2 in 1991.

Is there any chance that other Five Quails tracks might resurface on future Cellarful of Motown or other vault releases? I would love to hear more of their work [[they also recorded some cuts on Mercury in 1957).

Been A Long Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nirjt_2n0vs

Got To Get To School On Time: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P05KncE_kJc

Five Quails bio at AllMusic: http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:j9fexq9kld0e~T1

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Are you sure that The Five Quails' contract was picked up by Motown after the Hardye Productions' buyout?

I found other cuts [[tapes and acetaes) of theirs in The Motown Vault in the '70s. But Harvey and Gwens' labels recorded all their recordings at Motown during their whole existence, and their Harvey recordings came to Motown in the "enfolding buyout" incorporation into Motown along with Gwen and Harvey, and Johnny Bristol, et al. Those recordings would have been there regardless of whether or not The Five Quails actually made any recordings in the Snakepit after the buyout. From the sound of the unreleased cuts I heard [[i.e. "This Ole' Heart", etc.), I would guess that they were recorded BEFORE the buyout.

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That's what I was assuming as well, since the bio said they never saw a minute of studio time after the buyout. I'd love to hear their earlier cuts, though...I could only find the two songs above.

i'm sure there is an harvey cd knocking about,[i have in my loft] knocking aroundw ith the spinners and 5 quails.as featured artists ,cheers

Yes. There was a Harvey/Tri-Phi Comp. CD that included all 4 Quails/Five Quails' released Harvey sides. The two not listed above were: "My Love"/"Never Felt Like This Before". Both are super sounds. "My Love" is a nice doowop ballad, and the flip is a fantastic early '60s "popcorn" mid tempo sound, reminiscent of The Dukays, Creations or Equadors' mid-tempo cuts.

I think that "This Ole' Heart" [[1963 unreleased Harvey recording) was the only unreleased Five Quails' cut released on CD, so far. Wasn't that on one of the "Cellarful" CDs?

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