1960's PEACHES & HERB - First Two DATE LPs --- AT LAST!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Great news for fans of the original Peaches & Herb’s "Let’s Fall In Love" and "For Your Love" albums. I recently discovered that both albums on the DATE label are finally available as downloads! Not as exciting as digital CDs, but I downloaded both titles and burnt them to CD. The sound quality is excellent – in fact, it’s quite impressive! I’ve been waiting years for these two Van McCoy-related LPs to hatch on a format other than vinyl, and, at long last, that wish has finally come true!


For your listening pleasure, here’s a sound sample from "For Your Love" – a solo by Peaches [[Van McCoy protégé Francine Barker) of the old chestnut "Embraceable You". They sure don’t make sweet, soulful, falling-in-love music like this any more.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3j15CpnHrYE
　

Both album downloads are available at Amazon [[U.S.) on the following links:

"Let’s Fall In Love" album download:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B06Y2MVD8N/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp

"For Your Love" album download:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071KRCKKC/ref=dm_ws_sp_ps_dp


　

[honest man]

PMG im sure i have these on cd,will have to check later today they do sound familiar,been playing Van mcCoy- Teddy Randazzo cdrs yesterday love these 2 songwriter productions,wonderful.Pretty Words -Shirelles is my fave recording by the Shirelles lovely,cheers for nod.

[smallworld]

Amazon only sells mp3s, right? The aforementioned albums are available in lossless format [[16 bit/CD and 24bit/Hi Res) from sites like Qobuz and 7Digital - a better bet if one wishes to burn the tracks to a CD.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

PMG im sure i have these on cd,will have to check later today they do sound familiar,been playing Van mcCoy- Teddy Randazzo cdrs yesterday love these 2 songwriter productions,wonderful.Pretty Words -Shirelles is my fave recording by the Shirelles lovely, cheers for nod.

Hey honest man! Good to hear from you! According to Amazon, both DATE albums became available in the digital format in April and May of this year [[respectively). If they were released on CD in the US or the UK, they sure slipped past me, as I've been watching for them like a HAWK for years [[for the purpose of Peaches & Herb themselves as well as for Van McCoy). Enjoy your tunes! [[BTW, ALL of Van McCoy's LPs are now available on CD on eBay. This includes his Buddah, Avco, and MCA albums. I bought them all and, at long last, they sound fantastic!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Amazon only sells mp3s, right? The aforementioned albums are available in lossless format [[16 bit/CD and 24bit/Hi Res) from sites like Qobuz and 7Digital - a better bet if one wishes to burn the tracks to a CD.

Hi small world! Amazon sells both digital formats -- CDs and downloads -- whichever has been made available to them. I only buy downloads when the CD version isn't available. I've heard lots of talk among the fans about the lossless versions being superior to the regular downloads, but, quite honestly, I can't imagine these two Peaches & Herb downloads sounding any better than they do here. I do all of my listening under headphones where everything is magnified [[the good, the bad, and the ugly). Whoever remastered them really knew what they were doing.

[TomatoTom123]

Hey honest man! Good to hear from you! According to Amazon, both DATE albums became available in the digital format in April and May of this year [[respectively). If they were released on CD in the US or the UK, they sure slipped past me, as I've been watching for them like a HAWK for years [[for the purpose of Peaches & Herb themselves as well as for Van McCoy). Enjoy your tunes! [[BTW, ALL of Van McCoy's LPs are now available on CD on eBay. This includes his Buddah, Avco, and MCA albums. I bought them all and, at long last, they sound fantastic!

Hi Gary, I actually had no idea that all of Van's albums had been reissued!!!! I remember checking if any of his albums were available on the iTunes Store and only one was, so I assumed that the rest of his LPs remained un-reissued!!!

Now I've just checked and it appears that several more of Van's albums are available on the US version of the iTunes Store! I hate it when that happens. Anyway, I’m gonna have to investigate which are available online and which require CD purchases...

OoOoOops, sorry about rambling Gary

[TomatoTom123]

Hi Gary, I actually had no idea that all of Van's albums had been reissued!!!! I remember checking if any of his albums were available on the iTunes Store and only one was, so I assumed that the rest of his LPs remained un-reissued!!!

Now I've just checked and it appears that several more of Van's albums are available on the US version of the iTunes Store! I hate it when that happens. Anyway, I’m gonna have to investigate which are available online and which require CD purchases...

OoOoOops, sorry about rambling Gary

Well damn I have no idea how many CDs were released but I can barely find any of them for sale online! None are available on discogs or Amazon, I can find maybe one or two on eBay, but the prices get steep!!!!

I have found a couple of albums available to download on Amazon, but they're missing the bonus tracks on the CD!!!

Aarrggh this is frustrating, again apologies for the rambling

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Hi Gary, I actually had no idea that all of Van's albums had been reissued!!!! I remember checking if any of his albums were available on the iTunes Store and only one was, so I assumed that the rest of his LPs remained un-reissued!!!

Now I've just checked and it appears that several more of Van's albums are available on the US version of the iTunes Store! I hate it when that happens. Anyway, I’m gonna have to investigate which are available online and which require CD purchases...

OoOoOops, sorry about rambling Gary

Hi Tom, no problem. I enjoy a good ramble every now and then! For the CDs, just go into eBay and type in "Van McCoy CDs". They'll all pop up, along with a slew of his import hits compilations. Van's individual albums on CD are as follows:

1) "From Disco To Love" [[Buddah material)[[also available as "Soul Improvisations" with a different cover and on a different label.)
They both sound great!
2) "Love Is The Answer" [[Avco material)
3) "Disco Baby" [[Avco)
4) "The Disco Kid" [[Avco)
5) "The Real McCoy" [[Avco)
6) "Rhythms Of The World" [[Avco)
7) "Magnificent Movie Machine" [[Avco)
8) "My Favorite Fantasty" [[MCA material)
9) "Lonely Dancer" [[MCA)

I listed these for you off the top of my head. I hope I didn't leave anything out.

These CDs are not cheap. They go for $22.99 each. But if you're serious about your Van McCoy collection, as I am, and if you've waited for as long as I have to finally own these in master-tape quality, they're worth their weight in gold.... and then some.

Hope this helps, Tom.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Tom, as an after-thought, I just started a new thread on Soulful Detroit announcing that the original Peaches & Herb's first two DATE albums -- "Let's Fall In Love" and "For Your Love" -- are now available as downloads. Both are Van McCoy-related, and the remastering on both is CD quality. I left a link sample for one track whereby you can hear for yourself.

[TomatoTom123]

Tom, as an after-thought, I just started a new thread on Soulful Detroit announcing that the original Peaches & Herb's first two DATE albums -- "Let's Fall In Love" and "For Your Love" -- are now available as downloads. Both are Van McCoy-related, and the remastering on both is CD quality. I left a link sample for one track whereby you can hear for yourself.

Hey Gary, just cheking here, but that thread you mention is actually the thread we're currently on, lol. Sorry about hijacking it with Van McCoy rambles. Heehee

I shall hopefully check out the Peaches & Herb stuff as well. I only know of them from "Shake Your Groove Thing" but if Van McCoy is involved it's bound to be good

[TomatoTom123]

Hi Tom, no problem. I enjoy a good ramble every now and then! For the CDs, just go into eBay and type in "Van McCoy CDs". They'll all pop up, along with a slew of his import hits compilations. Van's individual albums on CD are as follows:

1) "From Disco To Love" [[Buddah material)[[also available as "Soul Improvisations" with a different cover and on a different label.)
They both sound great!
2) "Love Is The Answer" [[Avco material)
3) "Disco Baby" [[Avco)
4) "The Disco Kid" [[Avco)
5) "The Real McCoy" [[Avco)
6) "Rhythms Of The World" [[Avco)
7) "Magnificent Movie Machine" [[Avco)
8) "My Favorite Fantasty" [[MCA material)
9) "Lonely Dancer" [[MCA)

I listed these for you off the top of my head. I hope I didn't leave anything out.

These CDs are not cheap. They go for $22.99 each. But if you're serious about your Van McCoy collection, as I am, and if you've waited for as long as I have to finally own these in master-tape quality, they're worth their weight in gold.... and then some.

Hope this helps, Tom.

Thanks for that Gary!

I actually found a Danish website [[I know!) that has several of Van McCoy's albums for sale at a good price but shipping brings it up to the £20 mark! I ordered Disco Baby and if it arrives all good I shall try the others available.

I checked out eBay too, and there are several Van McCoy CDs from the same seller, in Mexico. I don't know if it’s just me but they kinda look like bootlegs... they look really good though... ah I’m not sure

I found this:

https://ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-Lonel...AAAOSwiQ9ZRwpe

https://www.discogs.com/Van-McCoy-Lo...lease/10600836

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Thanks for that Gary!

I actually found a Danish website [[I know!) that has several of Van McCoy's albums for sale at a good price but shipping brings it up to the £20 mark! I ordered Disco Baby and if it arrives all good I shall try the others available.

I checked out eBay too, and there are several Van McCoy CDs from the same seller, in Mexico. I don't know if it’s just me but they kinda look like bootlegs... they look really good though... ah I’m not sure

I found this:

https://ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-Lonel...AAAOSwiQ9ZRwpe

https://www.discogs.com/Van-McCoy-Lo...lease/10600836

Tom, I don't know anything about that Danish website. I got all of mine from Paps. I don't know how you can judge from a mere photo of the CD cover [[which matches the LP cover to a tee), but they don't look cheap nor booted to me at all, but what do I know? I had nothing to do with the manufacturing process. I saw them available this past June. When I discovered them, I flipped because these have been at the top of my wish list for years! I bought them all, they sound incredible, and I'm glad I chanced it. I then spread the word for others who may be interested.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Hey Gary, just cheking here, but that thread you mention is actually the thread we're currently on, lol. Sorry about hijacking it with Van McCoy rambles. Heehee

I shall hopefully check out the Peaches & Herb stuff as well. I only know of them from "Shake Your Groove Thing" but if Van McCoy is involved it's bound to be good

Hey, yeah, you're right, Tom! This IS the thread that I started! Ha! Just one more of many senior moments to come!

The Peaches & Herb of the 70s disco era is a whole different ballgame. Same Herb [[Herb Fame) with a different Peaches [[Linda Greene). Disco and ballads, some of which are excellent. But the original Peaches & Herb of 1967 is sweet soul. Think Marvin & Tammi! Now you've got it!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I think you may be right, Tom. Now that I get a better look, the ones you pictured are kinda seedy looking. These are the ones that I bought, and I assure you, their sound quality is stellar.

1A) "From Disco To Love" [[Buddah material)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-F....c100677.m4598

1B) Also released as "Soul Improvisations" with a different cover and on a different label from a different dealer.) I have both versions and they sound great!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-S...cAAOSw7NNT8m4w

2) "Love Is The Answer" [[Avco material)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-L....c100677.m4598

3) "Disco Baby" [[Avco)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-D....c100677.m4598

4) "The Disco Kid" [[Avco)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-T....c100677.m4598

5) "The Real McCoy" [[Avco)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-T....c100677.m4598

6) "Rhythms Of The World" [[Avco)
https://www.ebay.com/i/162764949448?chn=ps&dispctrl=1

7) "Magnificent Movie Machine" [[Avco)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-A...item25e062684d

8) "My Favorite Fantasty" [[MCA material)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-M...item25e59e690e

9) "Lonely Dancer" [[MCA)
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Van-McCoy-L...item2391229aec
　
There you go, Tom. This should help to make your search a bit easier. [[NOTE: Now, Tom, after all of my hard work, I expect you to buy at least 2 copies of 1B above! Ha!)

[TomatoTom123]

Hi Gary, many thanks again! It does look like they might be bootlegs but they look really good at the same time, and the tracks are apparently “from the vaults” so I bet they sound good.

Now if Peaches & Herb are like Marvin & Tammi I really will have to get into them.

BTW I never realised how many albums Van recorded himself, I only really know "The Hustle" [[which I love of course). More to get into!!!

[TomatoTom123]

There you go, Tom. This should help to make your search a bit easier. [[NOTE: Now, Tom, after all of my hard work, I expect you to buy at least 2 copies of 1B above! Ha!)

LOL, gladly Gary, I mean, they're only $88! I might get three

Oops, just checked and there is only one available, damn

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Hi Gary, many thanks again! It does look like they might be bootlegs but they look really good at the same time, and the tracks are apparently “from the vaults” so I bet they sound good.

Now if Peaches & Herb are like Marvin & Tammi I really will have to get into them.

BTW I never realised how many albums Van recorded himself, I only really know "The Hustle" [[which I love of course). More to get into!!!

You're very welcome, Tom. But I'm afraid I still don't understand what makes them look like bootlegs to you. The graphics and artwork are all of high quality, matching the original LP covers, which I used to own, to a tee. And the sound quality is excellent. I would never steer you wrong, Tom -- at least, not intentionally. If they looked and sounded like crap, I would tell you to stay away from them. But that isn't the case here at all. To me, they look and sound perfect. Now, if the American record companies had cared enough to release Van McCoy's albums on CD, I would have gladly bought them from them years ago -- and at a far cheaper price, I'm sure -- but they didn't care enough to do that. So, after waiting for 40+ years, when I saw that they were FINALLY available on CD as imports, I jumped at the chance while the gettin' was good, hoping for the best, and I'm glad I did. In fact, I couldn't be more thrilled with them! [[How can we ever be sure what's booted and what isn't anyway? Most of the American record labels from the 1960s and '70s have all been absorbed into other companies to the point I no longer know what is what. All you can do is buy what's available and hope for the best -- and to my ears, these are the best [[and only ones) available. As far as your buying them goes, you should do whatever you feel comfortable with. If you don't, however, you'll be missing out on a lot of Van's music which is top-notch -- performance-wise and sound quality-wise.

You mention tracks "from The vaults", Tom? With the exception of Van's final album, "Lonely Dancer", which contains a few 12" versions, there are no Bonus Tracks on these CDs. But, if you're only familiar with "The Hustle", you are in for one HUGE thrill! Like Motown, Van's albums are chock-full of one masterpiece after another! And, as always, Faith, Hope & Charity are present on nearly all of them!

Yeah, 1967 was a great year for duets. Go into YouTube and search for Peaches & Herb Let's Fall In Love or For Your Love or Two Little Kids or Close Your Eyes or United or When He Touches Me [[Nothing Else Matters) or We're Still Together or etc., etc., etc. -- All super-sweet and soulful!

[Philles/Motown Gary]

LOL, gladly Gary, I mean, they're only $88! I might get three

Oops, just checked and there is only one available, damn

HaHa! That's what I thought! ONLY $88 --
What the heck! [[Fear not, they'll restock!) You can pick up at least a couple, and I'll get an extra back-up copy for posterity! LOL!!!

[TomatoTom123]

You're very welcome, Tom. But I'm afraid I still don't understand what makes them look like bootlegs to you. The graphics and artwork are all of high quality, matching the original LP covers, which I used to own, to a tee. And the sound quality is excellent. I would never steer you wrong, Tom -- at least, not intentionally. If they looked and sounded like crap, I would tell you to stay away from them. But that isn't the case here at all. To me, they look and sound perfect. Now, if the American record companies had cared enough to release Van McCoy's albums on CD, I would have gladly bought them from them years ago -- and at a far cheaper price, I'm sure -- but they didn't care enough to do that. So, after waiting for 40+ years, when I saw that they were FINALLY available on CD as imports, I jumped at the chance while the gettin' was good, hoping for the best, and I'm glad I did. In fact, I couldn't be more thrilled with them! [[How can we ever be sure what's booted and what isn't anyway? Most of the American record labels from the 1960s and '70s have all been absorbed into other companies to the point I no longer know what is what. All you can do is buy what's available and hope for the best -- and to my ears, these are the best [[and only ones) available. As far as your buying them goes, you should do whatever you feel comfortable with. If you don't, however, you'll be missing out on a lot of Van's music which is top-notch -- performance-wise and sound quality-wise.

Mmm, definitely, don’t get me wrong Gary, those CDs look fantastic and I bet they are. I just had a feeling that they were bootlegs because they’re all from the same seller, there are only 1 or 2 available of each, and I can’t find them anywhere else online. Discogs has the Lonely Dancer CD [[the one on eBay) listed as a CDr. I don’t know if they are bootlegs but I get that impression. They still look wonderful though.

For example, the Disco Baby CD on discogs has 6 bonus tracks which aren’t on the Disco Baby CD on eBay: https://www.discogs.com/Van-McCoy-Th...lease/10311484

Also, the 'Premium Series' label which all the eBay Van McCoy CDs are on has a Discogs page which lists the CDs as "unofficial releases": https://www.discogs.com/label/368644-Premium-Series

It looks like all the CDs on the label are not permitted to be sold on the Discogs marketplace!

By the way this label has releleased some really interesting stuff and I’m discovering new artists and albums as we speak!

BTW Gary I get you, no worries, I wasn’t accusing you of anything. You are after all a Van McCoy superfan, Lol!

You mention tracks "from The vaults", Tom? With the exception of Van's final album, "Lonely Dancer", which contains a few 12" versions, there are no Bonus Tracks on these CDs. But, if you're only familiar with "The Hustle", you are in for one HUGE thrill! Like Motown, Van's albums are chock-full of one masterpiece after another! And, as always, Faith, Hope & Charity are present on nearly all of them!

Oops, sorry Gary, I think I meant "from the master tapes"... not "vaults" [[I meant the tracks will have master tape quality rather than there were any unreleased tracks).

Yeah, 1967 was a great year for duets. Go into YouTube and search for Peaches & Herb Let's Fall In Love or For Your Love or Two Little Kids or Close Your Eyes or United or When He Touches Me [[Nothing Else Matters) or We're Still Together or etc., etc., etc. -- All super-sweet and soulful!

I shall Gary!

[smallworld]

I picked one of the titles at Random - Disco Baby. If you enter the barcode [[4228263804524), the only results are the ebay listing for the CD. It's a bootleg. And how would a bootlegger get access to master tapes? I'm skeptical about that claim. That's not to say that these CDs don't sound good, of course. And while the artwork looks good, I've never seen a CD that didn't have the record label on the spine - "Disco Baby" just has "Digital Stereo". And Avco is no longer an operating label, right? Compare that to modern Motown CDs, which reference both Motown and Universal. What is the reissue label for these CDs?

I've bought a few Oldays records releases, which is a Japanese label that bootlegs material more than 50 years old [[the material is no longer subject to copyright laws in Japan - at least that's the claim). I've been enjoying Irma Thomas' debut album for the last year - so I well understand the urge to own LPs on CD that have never been given a legitimate release in the digital era [[Thomas' debut album has never been released on CD in mono before the Oldays reissue).

[Philles/Motown Gary]

Mmm, definitely, don’t get me wrong Gary, those CDs look fantastic and I bet they are. I just had a feeling that they were bootlegs because they’re all from the same seller, there are only 1 or 2 available of each, and I can’t find them anywhere else online. Discogs has the Lonely Dancer CD [[the one on eBay) listed as a CDr. I don’t know if they are bootlegs but I get that impression. They still look wonderful though.

For example, the Disco Baby CD on discogs has 6 bonus tracks which aren’t on the Disco Baby CD on eBay: https://www.discogs.com/Van-McCoy-Th...lease/10311484

Also, the 'Premium Series' label which all the eBay Van McCoy CDs are on has a Discogs page which lists the CDs as "unofficial releases": https://www.discogs.com/label/368644-Premium-Series

It looks like all the CDs on the label are not permitted to be sold on the Discogs marketplace!

By the way this label has releleased some really interesting stuff and I’m discovering new artists and albums as we speak!

BTW Gary I get you, no worries, I wasn’t accusing you of anything. You are after all a Van McCoy superfan, Lol!


Oops, sorry Gary, I think I meant "from the master tapes"... not "vaults" [[I meant the tracks will have master tape quality rather than there were any unreleased tracks).



I shall Gary!

No doubt about it, Tom. The ones I bought from Paps sound like they're from the master tapes. And these are definitely NOT home-made CD-Rs. I'm pretty sure that the Van McCoy CDs are selling well for Paps. On eBay, I "follow" Paps and I get notified every time he adds and/or restocks CD titles, which is pretty much every day. The Van McCoy CDs are constantly being restocked. If he had only two copies left of any given title when you checked, it was most likely because his restock hadn't come in yet. And don't let the fact that he's located in Mexico scare you. It used to make me leary at first, too, but I've been ordering from him for several years now, and I've never had a problem. The ONLY negative factor is that, although he ships your order out to you immediately when available, it takes a while to clear through Customs which means it may take your order 3 weeks to arrive. But he always packs them securely and, after several years of ordering from him, I've never had a problem. I can highly recommend him, if you so choose.

[Philles/Motown Gary]

I picked one of the titles at Random - Disco Baby. If you enter the barcode [[4228263804524), the only results are the ebay listing for the CD. It's a bootleg. And how would a bootlegger get access to master tapes? I'm skeptical about that claim. That's not to say that these CDs don't sound good, of course. And while the artwork looks good, I've never seen a CD that didn't have the record label on the spine - "Disco Baby" just has "Digital Stereo". And Avco is no longer an operating label, right? Compare that to modern Motown CDs, which reference both Motown and Universal. What is the reissue label for these CDs?

I've bought a few Oldays records releases, which is a Japanese label that bootlegs material more than 50 years old [[the material is no longer subject to copyright laws in Japan - at least that's the claim). I've been enjoying Irma Thomas' debut album for the last year - so I well understand the urge to own LPs on CD that have never been given a legitimate release in the digital era [[Thomas' debut album has never been released on CD in mono before the Oldays reissue).

Well, smallworld, let me rephrase that -- Their sound quality is pristine. They SOUND LIKE they're from the master tapes, and that's good enough for me. Even some of the best vinyl-to-CD transfers contain occasional tell-tale signs of vinyl surface noise, but these don't. That's the reason for my master-tape claim. [[As a CD customer, who can really be sure what transpired behind the scenes to remaster this rare and wonderful music?) If they should ever get reissued on a major label, I'll most likely buy those, too -- especially if they include previously-unreleased tracks. But, in the meantime, I'm very pleased with these latest ones. It was that or nothing.

To answer your question, Avco got absorbed by Amherst way back in the 1980's or early 1990's. Whoever owns it now is anyone's guess.

What you need to be aware of is the Japanese SHM CD pressing of Van McCoy's "Disco Baby" [[VICP-65312). It's horrible! It sounds nice and clean in that sense, and is presumably from the master tapes, but there's very little bass response whatsoever. It's all mid-range and tweeter [[tinny and shrill). In other words, unlistenable. And I paid a small fortune for that sucker!

In the meantime, enjoy your early Irma Thomas!

[TomatoTom123]

No doubt about it, Tom. The ones I bought from Paps sound like they're from the master tapes. And these are definitely NOT home-made CD-Rs. I'm pretty sure that the Van McCoy CDs are selling well for Paps. On eBay, I "follow" Paps and I get notified every time he adds and/or restocks CD titles, which is pretty much every day. The Van McCoy CDs are constantly being restocked. If he had only two copies left of any given title when you checked, it was most likely because his restock hadn't come in yet. And don't let the fact that he's located in Mexico scare you. It used to make me leary at first, too, but I've been ordering from him for several years now, and I've never had a problem. The ONLY negative factor is that, although he ships your order out to you immediately when available, it takes a while to clear through Customs which means it may take your order 3 weeks to arrive. But he always packs them securely and, after several years of ordering from him, I've never had a problem. I can highly recommend him, if you so choose.

Hey Gary, thanks for explaining. I think I understand now... lol... and his CDs do look really good. Interesting things being reissued too.