Soulful gal vocal group Honey & the Bees began recording in the mid-1960s and released their only LP in 1970 for the Josie label. Featuring their best known single, a version of the Royalettes’ “It’s Gonna Take a Miracle,” original copies of Love are scarce and quite expensive, so here comes Real Gone Music to the rescue, with a high quality reissue remastered by Mike Milchner and pressed on honey colored (bees)wax in an edition of 2,000 copies. If not a masterpiece, its contents are thoroughly enjoyable, and it’s difficult to imagine a fan of classic soul not wanting this set in their collection. It’s out October 7.
The biography of Honey & the Bees isn’t exactly extensive, but the story is that a group using the moniker cut a couple singles for the Academy label in 1965, but the members quickly spilt the scene, which led musician-songwriter-producer Phil Hurtt to organize a new lineup under the name, with the recruits Jean Davis, Nadine Felder, Gwendolyn Oliver, and Cassandra Ann Wooten debuting on a 1966 single for the Arctic label, “I’m Confessin’” b/w “One Time is Forever.”
The B-side to the 45 was written by Kenny Gamble, an info tidbit that’s a tipoff to what’s heard on Love, and don’tcha know that Leon Huff plays piano on the album? Yes, the ten songs do indeed have a tangible connection to the sound of Philly Soul, but as the record lands pretty early in the scheme of that regional state of affairs and with what was pretty clearly a modest budget (but resourcefully utilized), the songs counterbalance finesse, as the strings arrangements are plentiful, with heft, as the punch of the rhythm section hits the ear like a predecessor to the production work of Leon Michels.
In 1970 Honey & the Bees’ manager Jimmy Bishop moved the group from Arctic to the Josie label, a realignment that improved their fortunes a bit, with single “We Got to Work Together,” the opening track on Love, generating a little buzz, and “It’s Going to Take a Miracle,” the closing track on side one, enduring as their highest profile tune amid numerous versions, preceded by the Royalettes and followed by Laura Nyro’s take with LaBelle on her ’71 album Gonna Take a Miracle and Deniece Williams’ ’82 R&B smash.
Kingston, UK | Banquet Records passes one million online orders: Banquet Records is celebrating passing one million customer orders via its online shop. Banquet, a former Music Week Awards winner, reached the sales milestone for mail order at the weekend. It’s further positive news for physical music, following sales data for 2021 that showed the first year-on-year market increase in revenue terms for 20 years. The Kingston-based record store revealed that it hit seven figures with an order for a CD and ticket bundle for Michael Ball & Alfie Boe. The Banquet event takes place on November 2 at the Pryzm venue, which regularly hosts outstore gigs for the record shop. Orders at BanquetRecords.com have increased three-fold compared to four years ago, with part of that down to the impact of Covid changing 
Long Beach, CA | VIP Records owner launches ‘Where’s the Whistler’ campaign to give the legendary sign a home: In January of 2018, the world-famous VIP Record sign was removed from the iconic record store on the corner of Pacific Coast Highway and Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue. The sign and the attached store had become synonymous with launching the careers of Warren G, Snoop and Nate Dogg, but it was being removed after a 7-Eleven took over the building that housed VIP. Before the removal of the sign, a battle for the legacy the sign represents was underway. Kelvin Anderson, the owner of VIP, says he put the sign up for sale on eBay to help fund his retirement. The Long Beach City Council, who offered no assistance to keep the store in its original location, unanimously voted to make the sign a historic landmark as it attempted to block the sale. Since then, there has been no movement, no new location, and no answer on 
A great place to start for the novice is Sun Records’ 70th Anniversary Compilation, Vol. 1. The album is curated by Chris Isaak and includes his liner notes. This album gives a fine overview of groundbreaking, legendary, and popular Sun artists, including the aforementioned, along with Johnny Cash, Patti Page and others. Staples of the foundation of rock ‘n’ roll are here, such as “Mystery Train” from Little Junior’s Blue Flames and “Breathless” by Jerry Lee Lewis, along with country classics like “I Walk the Line” and “Folsom Prison Blues” from Johnny Cash. The album does not include any of the music Elvis recorded for Sun, which occurred before he signed with RCA.
Other than maybe Johnny Cash, the Sun artist whose career lasted the longest was Roy Orbison. Orbison’s voice and the accompanying production have made his recordings some of the most beloved in popular music history. His rebirth and eventually joining the Traveling Wilburys attest to his timeless music and the respect he commands among musicians. The Original Sound, released in 1969, is one of Orbison’s more obscure albums, but it includes such classics as “Ooby Dooby.” While the album came at a stage in his career when the hippie rock culture was ascending and his influence and popularity were waning, it’s still an excellent album and one worthy of such a well-conceived reissue. This reissue includes liner notes by Orbison’s son Alex.
Like Roy Orbison, Carl Perkins had a long career and his influence on other musicians is incalculable. George Harrison of The Beatles was heavily influenced by the way Perkins played guitar. Perkins is perhaps the most important rockabilly artist in popular music history. Perkins was also a member of the famed Million Dollar Quartet, with Elvis, Cash, and Lewis. The King of Rockabilly is a collection of his hits, including an alternate version of “Honey Don’t,” famously covered by The Beatles. “Matchbox” and “Blue Suede Shoes,” also covered by The Beatles, are included here as well. This reissue includes liner notes by Carl’s son Stan Perkins.
UK | ‘There’s endless choice, but you’re not listening’: fans quitting Spotify to save their love of music: Former streaming service subscribers on why they have ditched mod cons for MP3s, CDs and other DIY music formats. Meg Lethem was working at her bakery job one morning in Boston when she had an epiphany. Tasked with choosing the day’s soundtrack, she opened Spotify, then flicked and flicked, endlessly searching for something to play. Nothing was perfect for the moment. She looked some more, through playlist after playlist. An uncomfortably familiar loop, it made her realise: she hated how music was being used in her life. “That was the problem,” she says. “Using music, rather than having it be its own experience … What kind of music am I going to use to set a mood for the day? What am I going to use to enjoy my walk? I started not really liking what that meant.” It wasn’t just passive listening, but a utilitarian approach to music that felt like a creation of the streaming environment. “I decided that having music be this tool to [create] an experience instead of an experience itself was not something I was into,” she reflects. So she cut off her Spotify service, and later, Apple Music too, to focus on making her listening more “home-based” and 
Pro-Ject unveils new turntable and vinyl noise reduction system: Time for an upgrade? Pro-Ject is launching a new turntable, called the Debut PRO S, as well as a vinyl noise reduction system, Vinyl NRS Box S3, this September. Joining the original Debut PRO, the Debut PRO S is capable of playing 33, 45 and 78 RPM records. The new model also features a 10” S-shaped tonearm, and a heavy aluminium platter, which has a ring of TPE damping to help reduce resonance. It comes with a Pick-IT S2 C cartridge pre-installed. The turntable is available now for £799. The Vinyl NRS Box S3 connects between the phono stage and the amplifier, and uses a digital signal processing algorithm to improve playback. The company claims this “effectively removes noise and ‘crackles’ from older, worn vinyl records — restoring your listening experience to like the record was new again.”
Norwich, UK | Lanes vintage store founder launches independent record label: A city entrepreneur has launched a record label for “working class musicians” having already found success with his Lanes vintage store. Jack Ames is the co-owner of Lowell in Pottergate, a record and vintage clothing shop. He has now launched Lowell Records geared toward helping Norwich musicians have their music pressed to vinyl in an “affordable and sustainable way at the highest quality.” The shop, which opened early last year, has already proved a hit meaning Jack felt confident enough to move on to his next project. He said: “There needs to be someone who’s really trying to help new musicians get their leg up in an industry that’s growing exponentially every year. “For the time being we plan to 
Yuba City, CA | Show up and play: New open mic venue in Yuba City: Sound Annex in Yuba City is quickly approaching its one year anniversary. This 
