Hearts of Stone-If I could give you the world (VIP)

[eddie]

Well, this month is turning up some new discoveries like "If I could give you the world" by Hearts of Stone on Motown affiliated VIP records. It's from 1971 and northern soul with a definite shape of things to come as far as stacatto breaks and an early disco influence. The harmonies and vocals are tight and original and sung over a midtempo grove yet unlike anything else on the Motown roster. This 45 is listed on GEMM at over $90 and is included on Spectrum UK's Motown Connoisseurs Cd Volume 2.

This song to my knowledge was never covered by anyone else.

All opinions are welcomed as always! But do yourself a favor and listen to the sample from this CD.

[visuals]

Hey eddie:
imports,imports,imports! This collecting thing ain't cheap now is it?
The cover of this has me interested already! You've been pulling some rare ones here lately.

I haven't found any samples yet but I'm feeling a fever for soul coming on so I'll be checking into this one and some other soul selections soon.

[eddie]

There appears to be 2 pressings of this CD from Japan and it ain't cheap!
I see the Hearts of Stone ship in 4-6 weeks from Amazon and the other guys selling it don't look to reliable (drop shippers). I'm not going for this one since I think I got most of the cream. Too much wait and risk and its probably out of print. (Amazon doesn't change status until they get un unsuccessful order.)

I have the track on Motown Connoisseurs volume 2 with a bunch of other decent ones. The Hearts of Stone album had a very rough review on Allmusic and going be the track listing, one can tell that there's plenty of cover tunes. To add to this, that Motown version that I'm talking about may be a 45 only (mix). Sometimes the mixes and even versions are different. But I can't believe a reviewer could miss the quality of this track. Sometimes allmusic hits the nail on the head and other times they completely miss (ie their grades are high for funk and too low for smooth jazz).

Just recently I bought Phyllis Hyman's In between the heartaches:Soul of a Diva (Uk Expansion) for about $30 through Amazon directly. (It also is an import with 2 pressings. Actually there's just a sticker over original bar code.) It was decent service but was INSTOCK and shipped immediately. Originally I tried to get it off of a guy from Georgia using Ebay's Buy it now. He did not confirm as he said he would. So after 4 days I emailed him and yup "error in listing" and refund was issued later in the week. After having my money for 7 days, his company contacts ebay and says I'm a deadbeat buyer who hasn't paid. Currently I'm awaiting his feedback into this problem and there's a looming item strike that could go against my account because ebay has a problem with fantom bidders despite the fact I used "BUY IT NOW" and paid 2 minutes after purchase.

PS: Visuals- Go to allmusicguide and type in that track or view the album Motown Connoisseurs volume 2 and play the sound sample.

[visuals]

Hey eddie...This stuff is pretty cool too. There are quite a few here that I have never heard of but that Hearts Of Stone sample is great.8) Reminds me of that Northern Soul Masters 2 compilation I bought back in June.

Sorry to hear how things turned out with that ebay situation. I try my best to buy new whenever possible but there are those times when it is inevitable. I have never had any problems purchasing on ebay using the buy it now option but I only had to use them maybe 3-4 times. Most of my purchases come from either amazon/z-shops or dustygroove and sometimes gemm & musicstack. It is amazing to me how that "deadbeat buyer" policy is inforced. I haven't heard many horror stories about it but your experience was definately not a pleasant one as I would have been highly upset if I had to wait that long AND accept the blame for a mistake that was made on the behalf of the merchant. I feel that the BUYER should have every right to back out if desired without being penalized for making the seller miss a potential sale...That is the only reason I can figure they enforce that rule.
I personally get antsy while waiting for items to arrive myself. I try to always use priority shipping and anytime my orders been shipped and has not arrived by the 3-4 day, I am making calls and sending e-mails.

[eddie]

This probably one of the worst instances that I've had. About 1% of my used product orders end up defective. About 2% have writing on notes with no disclosure. About 2% end up cancelled. About 1% never show up.

My advice when buying is to either
1)Buy locally at a store (downside is poor selection)
2)Buy used online from a seller with extremely high ratings
3)Buy off Amazon directly if INSTOCK
4)Use mail order houses like Serenade, Collectors Choice, Ninas Discount Oldies, ect. (downside is that their physical catalogs are huge and may not be separated by era or genre). One time a had Collector's Choice make 20 errors on an order with 15 items. No joke. Ninas is an arm of Collectables from the western suburbs of Philly (near where I used to live).

Avoid buying anything NEW from a zseller especially an import. If you do, buy it and then immediately send an e-mail asking if its INSTOCK and ready to ship. Look for clues like it is a cut-out or has a crease in notes. That means its INSTOCK. Amazon and Ebay's policy states that the seller must initiate a refund within 48 if he can not ship the product.

Overall online purchasing has been a plus especially since I'm mostly into New Jack era ('87-94) Quiet Storm. These Cds have become tough too find locally but nationally there is very little interest. Alot of times I buy them for under a couple of bucks plus shipping. I find about a dozen sellers I like and then stick with them.