Blondel Calnek - Caltone productions. Part 3.

Caltone Reissues
Since this feature was first completed in 2004 there has been a significant growth in the availability of recordings associated with the Caltone stable.

Though it seems that the Blondel Calneck estate is not benefitting from these releases, a few of the producers who worked with him, and on some occassions the artists, are. As a number of precious master tapes were accidentally destroyed by Blondel's sister and mother a number of years ago we are perhaps lucky to have this amazing music available at all.

There have been three albums:
Safe Travel - Phill Pratt & friends (Pressure Sounds PSCD 47)
1. Safe Travel - Phil Pratt
2. No One To Give Me Love - Larry Marshall & Alvin Leslie
3. I Used To Be A Fool - Milton Boothe
4. Sweet Song For My Baby - Phil Pratt & Ken Boothe
5. Black Man's Country - Horace 'Andy' Hinds
6. Time Is Getting Harder - Peter Austin
7. Reach Out - Phil Pratt
8. What Kind Of Man - The Cool Cats
9. Little Things - Hemsley Morris & Phil Pratt
10. Bigger Things - Tommy McCook
11. Money Girl - Larry Marshall
12. You Left The Water Running - Ken Boothe
13. Book Of Books - Charlie Ace
14. Dirty Dozen - Vin Gordon
15. Love Is Strange - Hemsley Morris
16. The One I Love - Ken Boothe
17. Bye Bye Bye - The Clarendonians
18. Carltone Special - Tommy McCook
19. Suicide (Hang My Head & Cry) - Alva Lewis
20. Your Love - Peter Austin
21. I'm Restless - The Thrillers
22. Baby Baby - The Clarendonians
23. Victory - Phil Pratt All Stars

Safe Travel is the best re-issue of Caltone related material. Primarily because of the beautiful attention to detail both in both song selection and in the packaging.

Caltone Special (Attack CD 16)
1. Near to you - Yvonne Harrison
2. Do it to me baby - Lloyd Jackson Grovers
3. Meet me at the corner - Diplomats
4. I am lonely - Heptones
5. Soulful Music - Emotions
6. Get on the ball - Roy Shirley
7. Sound & Soul - Johhny Moore & Tommy McCook
8. The chase - Yvonne Harrison
9. Dreader than dread - Honey Boy Martin
10. The one I love - Ken Boothe
11. Don’t want to let you go - Emotions
12. Roses are red my love - Claudette Thomas
13. Caltone Special - Tommy McCook
14. Gunman coming to town - Heptones
15. No use to cry - Emotions
16. Take my hands - Yvonne Harrison
17. Sir Pratt special - Don Drummond Junior
18. Love is strange - Hemsley Morris
19. Careless hands - Emotions
20. You left the water running - Ken Boothe
21. Buy you a rainbow - Emotions
22. In the mood - Danny & Group
23. School Girls - Heptones
24. Ain’t that bad - Heptones

The sound quality on the above release is not great and the presentation is very poor in comparrison with the Pressure Sounds release.

Cool Down. Rock-A-Shacka - Volume 9

1. Dreader Than Dread - Honey Boy Martin
2. Do It To Me Baby - Lloyd And The Groovers
3. The Chase - Yvonne Harrison
4. Sound And Soul - Johnny Moore
5. Get On The Ball - Roy Shirley
6. Love Is Strange - Hemsley Morris
7. You Left The Water Running - Ken Boothe
8. Crying Over You - Heptones
9. Caltone Special - Tommy McCook
10. Careless Hands - The Emotions
11. Soulful Music - The Emotions
12. Take My Hand - Yvonne Harrison
13. Near To You - Yvonne Harrison
14. The One Love - Ken Boothe
15. Sir Pratt Special - Don Drummond And Tommy McCook

Rock-A-Shacka is a Japanese label. Their releases are hard to pick up in this part of the world and tend to be quite expensive if you are lucky enough to find them.