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Clap City Records, Clapton E5, London (2025)

29/10/2025

[CCR 012] The Roman & Weston Expo - Ain’t No Sense (In Goin’ On) 1973 Version.

Unearthed by , this incredible piece of unreleased funk is now available as a single-sided dubplate, limited to 35 copies and featuring reflective gold centre labels.

This original version of the song was recorded at D.C. Recording Studios during the same session We’d Better Quit was cut to tape. This was shortly before a tragic car accident left drummer Tom Atkinson paralysed and unable to finalise the recording. The loss forced the group to re-record the song the following year with a new drummer, which resulted in a complete rearrangement of the composition.

Robert Atkinson added:

“Ain’t No sense (In Goin’ On) needed to be re-recorded as a duo this time since Reggie was gone, [plus] the original master tape had been damaged by the studio and was unusable. Only a rough mix run-off tape was all that survived. After Tom’s recovery, he eventually learned keyboards and guitar, and could still do various types of percussion work for The Roman & Weston Expo and for his own recordings and productions.”

29/10/2025

[CCR 011] The Roman & Weston Expo - We’d Better Quit (While We’re Ahead) / Ain’t No Sense (In Goin’ On).

In anticipation of the fourth instalment of The Key To Our Love compilation series, this collaborative release with highlights an incredible piece of sweet soul from California, partnered with energetic funk on the flip side.

Exhibiting how two brothers turned heartbreak and hustle into rhythm and resilience, The Roman & Weston Expo comprised of Don Atkinson (aka Chris Roman) and Robert Atkinson (aka Marcus Weston), along with backing personnel Tom Atkinson (drums/percussionist), and Ramon Cordero (guitarist/bassist/vocalist).

Their journey began in 1968 as The Grand Prees, a five member vocal group moulded in the image of The Temptations. But after ten months of chasing record deals - and a vanishing manager - the dream nearly ended. Two members quit and only the Atkinson brothers pressed on, rebranding as The Roman & Weston Expo.

Originally written for a stage production that never materialised, We’d Better Quit (While We’re Ahead) and Ain’t No Sense (In Goin’ On) were too good to shelve. The brothers recorded and self released them through their own imprint, Double Scorpion Records Inc, with distribution handled by Horseshoe Distributors out of Tennessee.

The single saw modest chart success in the Midwest before slipping quietly into obscurity, until soul collectors rediscovered it decades later.

In a numbered edition of 500 copies. Preorders are now available on our website, with the main release on 31st October.

Swipe for audio clips ➡️➡️

11/07/2025

Five O’Clock - When The Cat’s Away / We’re Five O’Clock is now live on all streaming platforms, with physical copies available on our website.

In an edition of 500 numbered copies. Each copy comes with a poster insert that features musings from Tony Green, giving a great insight into the inception of the studio project, plus how it was in Detroit at the time.

07/07/2025

[CCR 010] Five O’Clock - Detroit 1983.

Featuring a slightly different lineup of individuals; Tony Green, Steven Hairston and Felix Washington. The cassette consists of eight unreleased boogie originals, that were created with the idea of taking them into the studio for a full production.

The collection of demos were all recorded on a 12-track portable tape recorder over a period of a few months, encapsulating the raw Detroit sound of the 1980s. When reminiscing, Tony recalled this:

“We cut some good stuff. I’m a candidate that if it’s good, it doesn’t matter what you cut it on. And if somebody really loved it and wanted us to cut ‘em over and took us in the studio, well it would’ve been just that much better. But of course that didn’t happen.”

Printed in an edition of 100 copies. Preorders are now available on our website, with the main release on 11th July.

07/07/2025

[CCR 009] Five O’Clock - When The Cat’s Away / We’re Five O’Clock.

Five O’Clock was a studio project created by Detroit native, Tony Green. He’d recently had a run of success with The Dramatics and Five Special, but was on the hunt for a new challenge to sink his teeth into - not to mention another pay cheque. After visiting a local club run by Johnnie O’Clock, he came across the house band called the Gentlemen and I. He pitched the idea of taking the group into the studio to produce a single for them, which is where the Five O’Clock story begins.

Tony, along with his cousin Felix Washington, went on to write and produce two singles for Johnnie O’Clock’s band, which were both released in 1983. The debut release of the two being When The Cat’s Away, alongside the introductory track We’re Five O’Clock on the B-side. Both cuts represent that classic Detroit boogie sound.

In an edition of 500 numbered copies. Preorders are now available on our website, with the main release on 11th July.

30/10/2024

In 1979, shortly before recording Never Knew and Mister Love, First Approach Band booked studio time at Nickel Recording in Hartford, CT. The aim was to lay down some original material and, as a result, a composition entitled Dance was created. Below is the remarkable series of events that led to this unreleased recording being later stolen and sampled in Deee-Lite’s Groove Is In The Heart.

At the time, the group was being managed by Sam Byrd; a well connected figure in the music industry, known for securing up-and-coming acts as support slots for major artists. He knew how to get through doors, and that attracted young talent.

Byrd loved First Approach Band’s style and sound, and was keen to have them work for him as songwriters. However, once the group expressed their sole desire to become recording artists, he suggested they book studio time instead.

Not long after this session, the group returned to the studio to have Dance mixed and mastered, only to find their multitrack reel was no longer there. Assuming he was part of the band, the studio had let Byrd take the tape after he paid the bill. He then took the reel to Casablanca Records in Los Angeles, and sold Dance to Vernon Burch who used it for his song Get Up. The only additional parts added to the song were vocals, keyboard and horns. The whole rhythm section, including the now famous slide-whistle, synth drum and percussion, were performed by Edward Henderson & Larry Graham during the First Approach Band session.

Whilst they still had the flow and energy, they decided to get straight back into the studio to record Never Knew & Mister Love. These were then privately pressed and released by the group in 1980. They would later find out that others under Byrd’s wing had experienced the exact same circumstances, with original recordings being unknowingly sold off to established artists.

Pictures of the original First Approach Band lineup have been difficult to track down. The first three included here feature members of the proto-version of the group called Good Vibes Band from the mid seventies, with the final image being of their second lineup in 1982.

28/10/2024

[CCR 008] First Approach Band - Never Knew b/w Mister Love. Brought to you in collaboration with .

First Approach Band formed in the late seventies and had several iterations during its lifespan. These particular recordings were completed during the group’s primary lineup, including Karen Santos. Both sides are hard hitters and not to be missed.

It was certainly a tricky one to restore, but Frank did an astounding job. The original masters utilised some pretty extreme sidechain compression, as a way of cutting the vocals through the instrumental mix. As a result, the music fluctuated considerably, with the bass line floating in and out. The remedial work included filtering out the bass, going through the notes and manually automating both the bass and kicks to get them more even. Next, he proceeded to reverse the process with the vocals to get them tamed, before putting it all back together. As a result, the music has never sounded better.

In a numbered edition of 500 copies. Preorders will be available on our website on 3rd November at 20:00 GMT, with the main release on 9th November.

27/08/2023

Preorders for Magic - Miss Lady / Miss Lady (Instrumental) are now live on our website.

In a numbered edition of 500 copies, housed in a J-card sleeve. Mixed, mastered and cut from the original 16-track studio tape and featuring a slightly extended version to the original, utilising a natural finish compared to a fade-out.

27/08/2023

Preorders for Aswads & The Naturall Band - I’m So Proud / There Was are now live on our website. Every copy comes with a 32 page zine that explores the origins of the two groups. Highlighting important moments that led them to local stardom in the state of Ohio during the 1970s. Built from interviews involving the original members and the people closest to them.

300 numbered copies with tip-on sleeve are available whilst stocks last, with an unsleeved run to follow.

18/08/2023

Shine Bright: A Visual History Of Aswads & The Naturall Band. The 32 page zine accompanying CCR006.

The state of Ohio was known for being a fertile environment for talent in the late 1960s and early 1970s, with streams of independent soul acts seeking stardom. Aswads & The Naturall Band were amongst these young hopefuls, using their unquestionable talent to build a dedicated fanbase that made them local stars.

Despite their story being relatively unknown, they had a huge impact in the areas around Springfield and Columbus, with sold out venues packed with screaming audiences being a staple in their weekly lives. This publication touches on their early years in Springfield, as well as many other twists, turns and pivotal moments that forged this story into the history books of soul music.

Extensive research has gone into the development of this publication, with most of the information built from interviews involving the original members and the people closest to them.

Preorders will be available on our website on 27th August at 20:00 GMT, with the main release on 1st September.

15/02/2023

We’re back in Sheffield on Saturday 18th February at , providing the selection from 9pm until 2am.

We’ve got a bunch of killa records packed, including some unreleased music from the archive. If you’re in the area, come on down and catch a vibe.

24/11/2022

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝘿𝙈𝙓 𝘼𝙛𝙛𝙖𝙞𝙧 - 𝙊𝙣𝙚 𝙏𝙞𝙢𝙚 𝙏𝙤 𝙈𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙄𝙩 𝙍𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩; the secondary unsleeved batch is now available to purchase on our website.

Every copy comes with a 24 page zine that explores the life and work of Denzil Miller, featuring never before published stories that detail pivotal moments in his musical career.

Clap City Records

29/10/2025

29/10/2025

11/07/2025

07/07/2025

07/07/2025

30/10/2024

28/10/2024

27/08/2023

27/08/2023

18/08/2023

15/02/2023

24/11/2022

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