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Wilson Pickett/Bell Records Related

InnerSpaceInnerSpace 443 Posts
edited January 2011 in Strut Central
Was Wilson Pickett ever associated with Bell Records at any point in his early career? Even if it was promotional. I found a radio station promotional album from Houston that is pushing Pickett's first album on Atlantic before it was released. The album is all light blue with the 60's Bell Records label, the album is called In the Midnight Hour, Wilson Pickett is on the front in black and white and the stock number is BL-123. The label on the vinyl is deep grooved on both sides and a white paper label that looks nice and old with crude printing on it of all the songs on his first release. I can put up some pics later tonight. Any help would be much appreciated even it is just telling me that this is a common release. Thanks!

  Comments

  • mannybolonemannybolone Los Angeles, CA 15,025 Posts
    That seems odd; I'm not familiar with Pickett having a relationship with Bell that early in his career. He seemed to have gone from the Falcons over to Atlantic and didn't work with Gamble and Huff until 1967/8? The Atlantic issue of "In the Midnight Hour" was 1965 I believe.
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    pics would be helpful, but are you sure it's "the" Bell records & not some local Houston promo thing on a different Bell label?
  • InnerSpaceInnerSpace 443 Posts
    The Bell Records label is consistent with design of the 60's. The radio station 950AM KPRC is out of Houston and Novella Smith was working there during the mid 60's according to an article that I read in Billboard magazine from 1965 with a supporting picture of her. Most of the songs are from either Pickett's first album on Atlantic or from his time with The Falcons or singles that were issued prior to The Exciting Wilson Pickett. The message written on the back by Novella Smith seems to be promoting Wilson Pickett as a new artist that was not yet on a full length album, he just had a few singles.

    Here are some shots of the album:






    Hope this helps with figuring this one out.
  • PATXPATX 2,820 Posts
    You never heard of Bell-Atlantic????
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    Korean?
  • LaserWolfLaserWolf Portland Oregon 11,517 Posts
    His name is misspelled on the label.

    With out actually seeing it, I would guess this is a cheap Asian pressing of his Midnight Hour lp.

    Those pressing have no value.
  • InnerSpaceInnerSpace 443 Posts
    LaserWolf said:
    Korean?

    This was my first thought about it. That it was an Asian pressing of some sort, but there is nothing that indicates that anywhere on it. Even the deadwax etchings are not leading me to believe it is foreign.
  • InnerSpaceInnerSpace 443 Posts
    Also the cover design for this album is Haig Adishian who was the same person who designed "The Exciting Wilson Pickett" as well as many other albums for Otis Redding, Booker T and The MG's, Gil-Scott Heron, Aretha, etc.
  • HorseleechHorseleech 3,830 Posts
    This is definitely a foreign boot, I've seen hundreds (of other titles) titles just like it.
  • InnerSpaceInnerSpace 443 Posts
    Cool. No worries. What would be the identifying markers to show where it is from/why it is a foreign pressing?

    Thanks
  • PATXPATX 2,820 Posts
    Jamaican is always a good guess when there are multiple spelling mistakes and the label looks sort of melted into the record.
  • high_chigh_c 1,384 Posts
    speaking of wilson pickett, uncharacteristic labels, and jamaica I found this not too long ago. Almost sounds like a ska or rocksteady record:

  • The_Hook_UpThe_Hook_Up 8,182 Posts
    mannybolone said:
    That seems odd; I'm not familiar with Pickett having a relationship with Bell that early in his career. He seemed to have gone from the Falcons over to Atlantic and didn't work with Gamble and Huff until 1967/8? The Atlantic issue of "In the Midnight Hour" was 1965 I believe.

    he made a couple stops at cub and double L before he was on Atlantic (although The Falcons did have a single on Atlantic after Lupine)
  • holmesholmes 3,532 Posts
    InnerSpace said:
    Also the cover design for this album is Haig Adishian who was the same person who designed "The Exciting Wilson Pickett" as well as many other albums for Otis Redding, Booker T and The MG's, Gil-Scott Heron, Aretha, etc.
    ok, first off, it's not a radio station promo LP, the liner notes on LPs of the time were often written by DJs from radio stations & that is the case here. Haig Adishian is listed as cover designer because they have just copied the cover & credits from the actual In The Midnight Hour LP. What you have is a Jamaican or South American bootleg of Wilson Pickett's "In The Midnight Hour" LP, it is valueless & fuck knows why the bootleggers put the Bell logo on it.
  • strataspherestratasphere Blastin' the Nasty 1,035 Posts
    Definately a foreign boot. No U.S. lps were manufactured with "back flap" type covers.
  • pickwick33pickwick33 8,946 Posts
    InnerSpace said:
    Cool. No worries. What would be the identifying markers to show where it is from/why it is a foreign pressing?

    Thanks

    The washed-out light blue color design. The US Atlantic version of the same album has a full-color cover.
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