Question on SOUL label initial 45rpm releases.

[woodward]

A small question regarding early SOUL 45rpm releases. When the first SOUL 45 came out - Devil with the Blue Grass by Shorty Long.

Was the sleeve a plain white generic sleeve? I believe that later issues had the sleeves with various album covers displayed on them. I have never seen a sleeve specifically designed for the SOUL label releases.

Can someone confirm this for me? Thanks.

[Quinn]

Not sure Woody. It might've come in the legendary "Hitsville U.S.A." sleeves that were the standard in 1964. The title is "Devil With The Blue Dress".

[TomatoTom123]

Here is the single in question:

http://www.45cat.com/record/35001

[robb_k]

I bought it new in Chicago, in 1964. It came out in light brown/beige, blank generic paper record sleeves. I saw boxes of it at distributors in Chicagoland, Detroit, L.A., and San Francisco Bay Area. It was always in a generic brown sleeve.

The Motown "advertising [[LP photo) sleeves" didn't start until late 1965, as far as I remember. Certainly, they weren't around in mid 1964. Motown's earliest company 45 sleeves [[other than special sleeves for hits) were the red and blue Motown record-player design, and Tamla black 1890s old-fashioned bicycle design. Gordy, Soul and VIP came in generic, blank sleeves until the LP photo sleeves.