Sold Date: March 29, 2016
Start Date: March 22, 2016
Final Price: £47.00 (GBP)
Bid Count: 3
Seller Feedback: 4168
Buyer Feedback: 75

"BABY, PLEASE DON'T GO" (Big Joe Williams)

Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Down to New Orleans,
You know I love you so,
Baby, please don't go.

Baby, your mind done gone.
Well, your mind done gone,
Well, your mind done gone,
Left the county farm,
You had the shackles on,
Baby, please don't go.

Before I be your dog,
Before I be your dog,
Before I be your dog,
To get you way down here,
I make you walk alone,
Baby, please don't go.
Hey!

Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Down to New Orleans,
You know I love you so,
Baby, please don't go.

Before I be your dog,
Before I be your dog,
Before I be your dog,
Get you way down here,
Make you walk alone,
Baby, please don't go.

Know how I feel right now.
My baby leaving, on that midnight train.
And I'm crying.

Baby, please don't go,
Oh, baby, please don't go,
Baby, please don't go,
Down to New Orleans,
You know I love you so,
Baby, please don't go.
Let's go!

Before I be your dog,
Before I be your dog,
Before I be your dog,
To get you way down here,
I make you walk alone,
Baby, please don't go, yeah...
Alright!
"GLORIA"  (Van Morrison,1964 - First four verses before the main vocal improvisation.)

Wanna tell about my baby,
Lord, you know she comes around,
About five feet four,
From her head to the ground.

Well, she comes around here,
Just about midnight,
Make me feel so good,
Make me feel all right.,

And her name is G..... (G), L..... (L), O..... (O), R.... (R), I..... (I), A...... (Ay-ay-ay-ay-ay)
G.L.O.R.I.A. (Gloria),
G.L.O.R.I.A. (Gloria),
I'm wanna shout it every night, (Gloria),
I'm wanna shout it every day, (Gloria),
Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, all right.....

She comes around here,
'Til about midnight
Making me feel so good,
Make me feel all right.

Walking down my street,
Comes in my room,
Knocks upon my door
, Then she comes in my room......
THEM: "Baby, Please Don't Go" / "Gloria" 45. THE VERY FIRST UK PRESSING, 6th NOVEMBER,1964.
  My immediate comment has to be, how on earth could one of the greatest songs and performance of all time, start life as a B-side?
"Gloria" was written by a very young Van Morrison and although the purest r&b /blues, the song transformed into an anthem of
such intensity, it was custom made to be performed on stage.  Almost ignored in the UK when it was finally released as an A-side,
in America "Gloria" was recognised as garage / punk / rock of the earthiest incarnation, predating Velvet Underground and just
about every song written as early 1964.  Check out the Doors and Jimi Hendrix versions, Jim Morrison and Jimi Hendrix loved to
sing "Gloria" because Van left long improvising sections to fill, meanwhile the incessant r&b riff was so simple and effective,
  any amateur musician could play it.  The sleazy feel was perfect for a sexual injection in the vocal improvisations, no one took
that opportunity more than the Doors or I should say Jim Morrison, affectionially known as the 'Dirty Version', available to hear
on 'You Tube.'  Back to this sensational, 'live in the recording studio' 1964 original Them version, the A-side was so potent with
Van and the band breathing new life into Big Joe Williams' "Baby, Please Don't Go."   An inspired instrumental backing featured
a stinging blues lead guitar and a glorious r&b organ, with a prominent bass and tremendous drumming.  Van Morrison was once
again running on pure genius, playing a lethal blues harmonica and singing with unbelievable passion, "Baby, Please Don't Go"
simply had to be the A-side of any single.  That still left one of the greatest songs and performances relegated to the B-side,
becoming overlooked until "Gloria" was being performed by towering artists in the psychedelic era of the 1960's and ever since.
All were fantastic versions but nothing ever came close to the 1964 original mono only 45 RPM mix, even though Van performed
"Gloria" in every decade during virtually every tour, nothing bettered the 1964 mono recording.  An opinon formed when seing Van
  Morrison in concert, without intending to, I have described the content on both sides of the record, a very special record and far
    more important than the actual pressing details, which I will now give.
   
ON THE 'UNBOXED' BLUE AND SILVER DECCA LABEL, PLAYING AT 45 RPM, IN MONO.


DECCA LABEL:  F. 12018
  These are typical 60's textured labels, I cannot find any spindle traces, only natural paper grain, there is still substantial
micro film thin, vinyl shavings in and around the spindle hole.  I had decided not to play the record in case it would dislodge
that 'just pressed' appearance, that can be seen in my label pictures, along with the 'as new' condition of the labels and vinyl.

MAITRIX:  DRF - 34355 - T1 - 1C  / DRF - 33657 - T1 - 1C
The very first pressing ever made in 1964.

DECCA STAMPING CODES INDEXING;
A-SIDE:  CM at 3 o'clock and '1' machine stamped at 9 o'clock.

B-SIDE:  UC at 3 o'clock and '1' machine stamped at 9 o'clock.
Decca had 'Buckingham' for their coded letters;

CM = No. 30 record & '1' signifies the first mother used to press this side.
UC = No. 23 record & '1' signifies the first mother used to press this side.

Once again, a very first pressing ,I suspect the one play was made in the original 1964 record shop, still in Mint condition!


ORIGINAL 1964 DECCA SLEEVE IN EXCELLENT+++ / NEAR MINT CONDITION.
Once used, unsplit  and lightly aged, just the unavoidable record impression and related light creases and a few ruffles to the
die-cut centre hole edges.   52 years of age and stilll perfectly strong, fully protecting the as new record.


THE IMMACULATE LABELS DO NOT HAVE ANY SPINDLE ALIGNMENT TRACES, ANY FAINT FACTORY HANDLING IS
CERTAINLY NEAR INVISIBLE, IF NOT INVISIBLE!  
THE BEAUTIFUL RECORD IS COMPLETELY UNMARKED AND IN UNPLAYED MINT CONDITION.

In Van Morrison,Them had a vocalist and a songwriter with an extraordinary talent, naming Van a musical genius even this early
in such a long career, is something few would dispute.  He became much widely known around the world during  the 1970's decade
and beyond as a solo artist, his earliest 1960's music was just as exceptional as all that followed.  Any band would struggle to
  meet his musical talent as equals, which was really the story of Them, Van Morrison's genius outstripped the band's musicians
  to such an extent, for recording session men such as Jimmy Page, were used to supplement them. Heavily influenced by his father's
record collection of jazz and blues and particularly Leadbelly, aged only 13 years old, Van was playing the saxophone, guitar and
harmonica.  In 1960 aged 15, he left school with one burning desire, to become a professional musician, he formed an r&b band,
  The Monarchs immediately began touring the UK and Europe. Next, in 1963 with two of the Monarchs, Van formed the now legendary
Them, they were the first r&b/blues bands to emerge from his home country, Ireland, during this exciting first half of the 60's.

Them underwent several changes, the line up for ther first two singles and the first of only two LP's, were two brothers Patrick
and Jackie McCauley, Billy Harvison and Billy Harrison. After signing for Decca and moving to London in 1964, Them's first single
"Don't Start Crying Now" was paired with "One, Two Brown Eyes," it's failure to sell goes without saying.  The question could be
   asked, why such a towering talent was never respected or commercially successful during the 60's decade, when the lesser talented
   were?  Van Morrison had as much talent as his contemporaries, groups like The Animals, The Rolling Stones and The Yardbirds etc.
and with Van's genius to compose his own r&b songs, it could be argued he was in advance of all the others.  Personally I do not
   think Decca were prepared to promote their young artists enough, plus Van also had  a reputation as a very fiery character who
   was extremely difficult to work with.  The way Them members came and went is a testimony to that, ultimately perhaps he was only
   ever going to make it as a solo artist. Van Morrison and Them produced absolutely fantastic music but had very little success and
  that was late in 1964 with this "Baby, Please Don't Go" reaching No.10 in the UK charts.  Followed in March,1965  with the huge
   selling,"Here Comes The Night,", reaching No.2 in the UK, but a sting in the tail would be how "Here Comes The Night" was fated
   to became the final success with a single for Them.  Big selling singles cannot be called rare, but at 52 years of age now, this
   stunning Mint, very first pressing is very rare indeed.  I try very hard to find the precious 45's in top condition, but even when
   that is possible, I still can't believe how they somehow survived the 1960's decade, let alone made it through to today.
 
I was amused to find such varying dates given for the UK release of "Baby, Please Don't Go" stated on internet sites, including
   July, 1964, but that was the month Them were still working in Decca's West Hampstead recording studios!  Other 1964 dates were
    much too early and the 1965 dates are completely wrong.  Understandable to regard "Baby, Please Don't Go" as a 1965 single,
   because there was not a UK chart entry until 9th January,1965, but it was positively pressed in late 1964 and released on the
   6th November,1964.  Covering a blues song like "Baby, Please Don't Go" demonstrated the band's ability to create a whole new
   sound from that very basic solo acoustic record, while retaining the original despairing feel of the raw blues original version.
      However,Van wrote "Gloria" at the age of eighteen, such genius did not stop there, because during the first incarnation of Them,
    the band played "Gloria" when appearing live in Ireland, he was able to extend the song to nearly twenty minutes by improvising
    the lyrics.  You might have gathered I collected Them and stayed with Van, unplayed in 52 years seems unreal for this incredible
    pair of tracks, but I must resist an almost compulsion to hear this record, an astonishing true Mint condition very first pressing.
    {Roy}
  R & M RECORDS.

My lifetime's love of music and records began at a very young age, the arrival of the Beatles and the 1960's decade
  in general had a very profound effect. It was only natural to bring all my first hand experience of collecting vinyl
  into becoming a professional record seller.  Nearly thirty years ago we entered into the wonderful atmosphere
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