NEWSLETTER #133
Rhythm & Blues,
Soul & Doo-Wop
Richard Berry ->
Al Wilson
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BURN, BABY,
BURN! THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF MAGNIFICENT MONTAGUE |
University Of Illinois Press
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by Magnificent Montague with
Bob Baker |
● CD $24.95 |
Hardbound, 194 pages, counts as three CDs for shipping
purposes Autobiography Nathanial Montague - aka Magnificent Montague who
was one of the most charismatic of the R&B DJs of the 50s. Montague was
also the first African American to build his own radio station and since
the 50s had been amassing one of the largest private collections of books,
paintings and other artifacts by or about African Americans. This
autobiography touches on all aspects of his rich and varied life.
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| EARL BOSTIC |
Collectables 2886 |
The Very Best Of Earl Bostic |
● CD $15.98 |
25 tracks, 67 min, excellent All the hits for King
including Flamingo/ Sleep/ Temptation/ Hot Sauce Boss/ Earl Blows A
Fuse/ Choppin' It Down/ Don't You Do It/ Flamingo/ Always/ I Got Loaded/
Smoke Gets In Your Eyes/ Cherokee, etc. Typical Collectables package -
great selection, iffy sound minimal liner notes & no recording info. (GM)
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| RUTH BROWN |
Classics 5084 |
The Chronological Ruth Brown, 1951-1953 |
● CD $14.98 |
Continung on from Classics 5003 this disc presents 22
tracks recorded between February 1951 and December 1953. The material
ranges from torch singing with the Budd Johnson Orchestra to hard driving
blues and R&B. It includes her big R&B hits 5-10=15 Hours/ Daddy
Daddy/(Mam) He Treats Your Daughter Mean/ Wild Wild Wild Young Men and
Mend Your Ways as well as non-hits, flip-sides and album cuts like
Don't Cry/ It's All For You/ Shine On (BRight Moon)/ Have A Good Time/
Good For Nothin' Joe/ I Would If I Could/ The Tears Keepp Tumbling Down/
If I Had Any Sense/ Too Many Men and more. There are top New York
sidemen on these sessions like Willis Jackson, Harry an Walls, Taft
Jordan, Mickey Baker, Heywood Henry and others.
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| JAMES CARR |
Kent CDKEND 231 |
My Soul Is Satisfied - The Rest Of James
Carr |
● CD $18.98 |
Kent's final volume of James Carr spans nearly 25 years of
sessions and compiles all his remaining studio recordings. The 24 track CD
includes never before reissued (and issued!) sides from James' original
mid-'60s Goldwax sessions plus both sides of his lone Atlantic and River
City 45s from the 1970s (and an unissued "bonus demo" from the River City
sessions). It also features all the tracks from James' "comeback" years
with Soultrax Records that have never been on an Ace or Kent CD before
(again including a previously unheard demo, "Woman's Got The Power," from
James' final recording session) and the three gospel tracks he cut in 1994
as featured guest vocalist with the Jubilee Hummingbirds. Previous volumes
by Carr are Kent 202 ("The Goldwax Singles"), 211 ("You Got My Mind Messed
Up") and 215 ("A man Needs A Woman").
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| THE CHI-LITES |
Kent CDKEND 911 |
The Best Of The Chi-Lites |
● CD $18.98 |
Back in print after a long hiatus. The most extensive Chi-Lites
collection ever. 19 tunes from 1969's Give It Away to 1976's You
Don't Have To Go , running over 74 minutes long. Most tunes co-written
by Eugene Record and Barbara Acklin (they'd started out by writing Love
Makes A Woman ). All the biggies are here and sound great, including
Have You Seen Her?/ (For God's Sake) Give More Power To The People/
Homely Girl/ Let Me Be The Man My Daddy Was/ A Letter To Myself/ Stoned
Out Of My Mind, etc. (GM)
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| THE DEEP RIVER BOYS |
Acrobat 5001 |
London Harmony |
● CD $13.98 |
American black vocal quartet who were among the pioneering
R&B groups had a big following in England in the late 40s and the 50s and
toured there frequently. They also recorded there and this two CD set
features 43 sides recorded between 1949 and 1958 with the group
accompanied by various British bands. Material is mostly pop oriented
though do do some R&B and rock 'n' roll songs - includes a number of songs
composed by group's leader Harry Douglas. Includes That Lucky Old Sun/
Oh Yell Me Gypsy/ I Still Love You/ Mister And Mississippi/ My Yiddisher
Momma (!)/ I Won't Cry Anymore/ Don't Trade Your Love For Gold/
Tennessee News Boy/My Castle On The Nile/ Shake Rattle & Roll/ I Wonder
Why/ Rock A Beatin' Boogie/ Honey Honey/ Not Too Old To Rock And Roll/
Itchy Twitchy Feeling, etc.
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| THE DELLS |
Hip-O 02097 |
Ultimate Collection |
● CD $13.98 |
18 tracks, 78 min, essential 1st, as far as I know, career
spanning collection by one of the longest-lived groups in history - one
personnel change since 53! It's easier to say what ISN'T here - their 50s
VeeJay sides including the ethereal Oh What A Nite, but the
wonderful '69 Top 10 remake Oh What A Night, is here, as well as
all their fine Cadets hits '68-74 (There Is/ Stay In My Corner/ I Can
Sing A Rainbow/ Love Is Blue) plus their two Mercury singles from '75 (We
Got To Get Our Thing Together/ Our Love), their '78 comeback single for
ABC Super Woman, their '80 hit for Chi-Town I Touched A Dream, & their
amazing 1991 Top 20 hit for Virgin A Heart Is A House For Love. (GM)
THE DELLS: Always Together/ Give Your Baby a Standing Ovation/ Heart Is a
House for Love/ I Can Sing a Rainbow/Love Is Blue/ I Miss You/ I Touched a
Dream/ Learning to Love You Was Easy/ Love We Had (Stays on My Mind)/ My
Pretending Days Are Over/ O-O I Love You/ Oh, What a Day/ Oh, What a
Night/ Open Up My Heart/ Our Love/ Stay in My Corner/ Super Woman/ There
Is/ We Got to Get Our Thing Together
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| BO DIDDLEY |
Chess 01761 |
Is A Gunslinger |
● CD $9.98 |
15 tracks, 39 mins, highly recommended Newly remastered CD
issue of Checker 2977 from 1960 with 5 bonus cuts from around the same
time - three of them previously unissued. The wild & wacky adventures of
the True King of Rock & Roll continue with the classic title tune, &
keeping with the Western theme, Bo dishes us up Cheyenne/ 16 Tons/ Whoa
Mule (Shine) (the further adventures of Shine from Mule Skinner
Blues) along with Ride On Josephine/ Diddling/ Cadillac (covered
by The Kinks on their 1st LP). Two of the bonus tracks, the raw Working
Man and Do What I Say were first issued on the original CD
issue of this LP over ten years ago but the other three have never been
out before including the ballad Prisoner Of Love, Googlia Moo
and the I'm A Man flavored blues Better Watch Yourself. 12
page booklet features original cover art, new notes by Bud Scoppa and full
discographical info. (GM/FS)
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| THE FIVE ROYALES |
Collectables 2885 |
The Very Best Of The Five Royales |
● CD $15.98 |
25 tracks, 66 min, highly recommended The best of the King
recordings ('54-60) by this, one of my all-time fave groups, featuring the
guitar, bass voice & writing of the great Lowman Pauling & the lead vocals
for Johnny Tanner. Most of the tunes are Pauling originals, the remaining
few from the King stable of writers. Of course this includes their two
tunes best known for being cover hits for others, & both written by
Pauling, Think, a huge early hit for label-mate James Brown, &
Dedicated To The One I Love, which cuts the other versions to shame!
Also includes Monkey Hips & Rice/ I'm Gonna Run It Down/ The Slummer
The Slum, etc. Brief but good liner notes by Victor Pearlin with
recording info. (GM)
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| THE FOUR KNIGHTS |
Acrobat 4030 |
Best Of, Volume 1 - Oh Baby! |
● CD $12.98 |
22 tracks, 61 min, highly recommended According to the
liner notes, this is the 1st ever "legit" released by this pre-doo wop
harmony group, best known for providing backing vocals for Nat King Cole.
There are few early recordings as the group was extremely popular on
radio, most known for having a weekly residency on "Avalon Time" (usually
listed as The Red Skelton Show - they were also on the Red Skelton Show on
early TV). Their initial recordings were for Decca, but they hit their
stride on Capitol - this set covers the 1st half of their stay there. With
guitar strum backing & an easy Mills Bros/Ink Spots lope, the group had
hits such as Sentimental Fool/ Walkin' In The Sunshine & I Get
So Lonely (When I Dream About You), along with fine versions of
Glory Of Love/ Charmaine/ Oh Happy Day (not the Edwin Hawkins tune),
Anniversary Song and others. (GM)
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| ACE HARRIS |
Classics 5087 |
1937-1952 |
● CD $14.98 |
The first four tracks here by singer/pianist Ace Harris
are from a 1937 jazz session with his Sunset Royal Orchestra. He then
spent several years as pianist with the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra until
stepping out on his own again in 1945 with own smll group. The remaining
21 tracks cover the period 1945 through 1952 and show a bit of an R&B
influence though strongly jazz flavored. About two thirds of the tracks
are instrumentals with the rest featuring vocals by Harris or,
occasionally, Manhattan Paul. Most of the performances are pretty tame and
will be of only marginal interest to diehard blues or R&B fans.
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| JOE HOUSTON |
Ace CDCHD 994 |
Rockin' At The Drive In |
● CD $18.98 |
Hot unrelenting r&b saxophone from one of the legends,
born in Texas but based in L.A. since the early 50s. This collection
features 24 tracks and reissues the long out of print Ace LP with a couple
of the tracks replaced by alternate takes and 11 bpnus cuts. In addition
to all the hot honkin' the set features one vocal each by Joe, Boogie
Daniels and Sherman Booker.
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| BUDDY JOHNSON |
Acrobat 4028 |
Featuring Ella Johnson - Jukebox Hits,
1940-1951 |
● CD $12.98 |
21 tracks, 56 min, recommended 20 tunes that graced the
40s R&B charts (1 tune is 2 tracks - Because Pts 1 & 2) by this wonderful
boogie pianist/orch leader, done for Decca & many featuring the fine
vocals of his kid sister Ella Johnson. Many of the songs here will be
familiar from later cover versions, but these are the 1st versions of such
classics as Since I Fell For You/ Please Mr. Johnson/ Fine Brown Frame/
Baby Don't You Cry, all done for Decca, as was That's The Stuff You
Gotta Watch/ When My Man Comes Home & Did You See Jackie Robinson
Hit That Ball which crossed into the pop charts. Booklet contains full
liner notes, info on each song & even a few label pics. (GM)
BUDDY JOHNSON: Baby Don't You Cry/ Because - Part 1/ Because - Part 2/
Boogie Woogie's Mother-in-law/ Did You See Jackie Robinson Hit That Ball?/
Far Cry/ Fine Brown Frame/ I Ain't Mad With You/ I Don't Care Who Knows/ I
Still Love You/ I Wonder Who's Boogieing My Woogie Now/ I'm Gonna Jump In
The River/ Let's Beat Out Some Love/ Please Mr Johnson/ Since I Fell For
You/ That's The Stuff You Gotta Watch/ They All Say I'm The Biggest Fool/
Walk 'em/ When My Man Comes Home/ You Won't Let Me Go/ You'll Get Them
Blues
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| NELLIE LUTCHER |
Stateside 537 694-2 |
Real Gone Gal! |
● CD $11.98 |
Reissue of 1985 LP featuring 15 sides recorded for Capitol
between 1947 and 1950. She does a mixture of blues, boogie, jazz and pop
numbers - sometimes livening things up with some scat singing. Her singing
and piano playing are usually accompanied by a rhythm section though on
her duet with Nat "King" Cole on For You My Love they are
accompanied by a big band. Includes He's A Real Gone Guy/ My New Papa's
Got To have Everything/ There's Another Mule In You Stall/ Pa's Not Home,
Ma's Upstairs/ That'll Just About Knock Me Out/ Fine And Mellow/ Come On
And Get It Honey/ So Nice To See You Baby, etc.
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| THE MANHATTANS |
Kent CDKEND 229 |
There's No Me Without You/ That's How Much
I Love You |
● CD $18.98 |
This New Jersey soul group's first two Columbia albums from
1973 and '74.
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| JIMMY MCCRACKLIN |
Stateside 579 986-2 |
I Had To Get With It |
● CD $11.98 |
24 tracks, 67 mins, highly recommended A most welcome
reissue featuring 24 fine songs by this talented and versatile singer,
songwriter and piano player. Most of the tracks were recorded between 1965
and 1969 for Imperial and Minit along with a couple of tracks recorded for
Bob Geddins's Irma & Art-Tone labels in 1956 and 1961 including his
biggest R&B hit - the great Just Got To Know. It also includes some
of his Imperial hits - Think/ My Answer and Every Night, Every
Day. The material is a mixture of blues, R&B with a touch of soul and
the occasional novelty song. Almost all the songs are McCracklin originals
and includes a remake of his Checker hit The Walk plus That's
The Way It Goes/ I Did Wrong/Get Back/ I Don't Care/ Pretty Little Sweet
Thing/ Stinger/ Arkansas, Parts 1 & 2/ Get Together/ Let The Door Hit You
and others. Some of the novelty numbers are pretty forgettable but most of
it is very worthwhile. (FS)
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| THE METERS |
Sundazed 6211 |
Zony Mash |
● CD $11.98 |
13 tracks, 37 min, recommended This is The Meters from the
beginning, long before they became The Funky Meters & loved by jamband
fans. This is the original group with Art Neville, George Porter Jr, Ziggy
Modeliste & Leo Nocentelli, the latter two not with the "funky" version of
the band. These are non-LP singles & some vault stuff that turned up on
the Sundazed CD reissues, featuring hits A Message From The Meters
and the wonderfully titled (The World Is A Bit Under The Weather)
Doodle-Oop along with Good Old Funky Music/ Sassy Lady, the
title tune, even a version of The Look Of Love. (GM)
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|
BOBBY MOORE
& THE RHYTHM ACES |
RPM 275 |
Go Ahead And Burn |
● CD $16.98 |
24 track collection of soul and R&B by band from
Georgia
best known for their beautiful Southern soul hit ballad Searching For
My Love recorded for Checker in the FAME studios in 1966. Moore was
the band's leader and tenor saxist but the imploring vocals were by
guitarist Chico Jenkins. Although there is nothing else as strong as that
hit this is a fine collection of soul ballads and up tempo dance songs.
This reissues the group Checker LP, their non LP singles and tracks not
originally issued that first appeared on a P-Vine LP.
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| THE ORIOLES |
Acrobat 5000 |
1947-1955 |
● CD $13.98 |
2 CDs, 52 tracks, essential As the 4 LP Murray Hill box is
long out of print and you may not want to spring for the six CD Bear
Family box, this is the way to go to get some great Orioles in your
collection. Featuring the great lead of Sonny Til, this set has all the
hit singles as well as some rare vault tracks that only came out on the
above box sets. The Orioles were one of the founding fathers of doo-wop &
did something rare in that genre - covered blues! Includes their versions
of Baby Please Don't Go/ CC Rider & Irene Goodnight, as well
as such gems as It's Too Soon To Know/ What Are You Doing New Years
Eve/ Barfly & of course Crying In The Chapel. Liner notes
limited to a brief bio of the band & letting you know the personnel & year
each song came out. (GM)
THE ORIOLES: (it's Gonna Be A) Lonely Christmas/ A Kiss And A Rose/ A
Scandal/ Baby Please Don't Go/ Bad Little Girl/ Barbra Lee/ Barfly/ Blame
It On Yourself/ Crying In The Chapel/ Deacon Jones/ Don't Cry Baby/ Don't
Go To Strangers/ Don't Stop/ Every Dog-gone Time/ Fair Exchange/ For All
We Know/ Forgive And Forget/ Getting' Tired ,tired ,tired/ Goodnight
Irene/ Happy Go Lucky Local Blues/ Hold Me ! Squeeze Me!/ Hold Me Thrill
Me Kiss Me/ How Blind Can You Be/ I Challenge Your Kiss/ I Cover The
Waterfront/ I Cross My Fingers/ I May Be Wrong/ I Miss You So/ I Need You
Baby/ I Need You So/ I Only Have Eyes For You/ I'd Rather Have You Under
The Moon/ If It's To Be/ In The Chapel In The Moonlight/ In The Mission Of
St. Augustine/ It Ain't Gonna Be Like That/ It's Too Soon To Know/ My
Baby's Gonna Get It/ My Loved One/ No Other Love/ Once In Awhile/ Pretty
Pretty Rain/ Secret Love/ See See Rider/ Tell Me So/ The Night Has Come/
The Robe Of Calvary/ Waiting/ Walking By The River/ What Are You Doing New
Years Eve/ Why Did You Go/ Would I Love You(love You,love You)
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| DEWEY PHILLIPS |
Memphis Archives 7016 |
Red Hot & Blue - Live Radio Broadcasts
From 1952-1964 |
● CD $12.98 |
59 mins, highly recommended Available again. Reissue of Zu
Zazz 2012 with additional material. Absolutely hilarious madness from the
Memphis DJ who, according to Sun's Sam Phillips "... was responsible for
Elvis.". His "red Hot & Blue" show on WHBQ was the happening thing in 50s
Memphis blending R&B, blues, country, gospel and pop music into a mixture
seldom heard before or since. What really makes this a treat are the many,
many advertisements, station IDs, plugs and general nonsense interspersed
throughout the programs, all delivered in Dewey's unique downhome,
breathless, manic style. he talks a mile a minute, all the while doing his
homespun character impersonations when he's not making mincemeat out of his
sponsors commercials when he tries to read a page in 2 seconds! (AE)
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| THE RAVENS |
Savoy Jazz 17355 |
The Very Best Of The Ravens |
● CD $11.98 |
14 tracks, highly recommended Led by the lead bass voice
of Jimmy Ricks and featuring the silvery tenor of Maithe Marshall, The
Ravens were one of the earliest & most influential of the doo-wop groups,
the link between the Ink Spots & modern doo-wop. Some time ago Savoy Jazz
issued a three CD set (Savoy 17304 - 64 tracks - $28.98) featuring all
their recordings made for National between 1947 and 1950. This budget
priced collection features the cream of those recordings including most of
their hits and includes such fine performances as Ol' Man River/ Once
In A While/ Send For Me If You Need Me/ It's Too Soon To Know/ Rickey's
Blues/ Marie/ I Don't Have To Ride No More and others. Excellent sound
and informative notes by Billy Vera. (FS)
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| THE ROBINS |
Savoy Jazz 17357 |
Johnny Otis Presents The Robins |
● CD $11.98 |
12 tracks drawn from various 1949 and 1950 sessions by
Johnny Otis and his ensemble that feature the vocals of the fine West
Coast group The Robins. It includes the number 1 hit Double Crossing
Blues featuring a duet between Bobby Nunn of The Robins and Little
Esther. It also includes If It's So Baby/ If I Didn't Love You So/ The
Turkey Hop, Parts 1 & 2/ I'm Through/ There Ain't No Use Beggin'. If
you already have the great three CD box set "Johnny Otis's Blues Caravan"
(Savoy 17059 - $39.98) then you already have evrything here but if you're
just interested in the Robins then this is an inexpensive way to get those
tracks.
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| THE TRENIERS |
Collectables 7553 |
They Rock! They Roll! They Swing! |
● CD $13.98 |
29 tracks, 78 mins, highly recommended Reissue of Epic
66800 with nine additional tracks. If your taste in music runs to raucous
singing, frantic tempos, and jazzy honkin' accompaniments, then the
brothers Trenier may be your cup of tea. Coming into their own after the
end of World War II, the Treniers switched from Mercury to the newly
reformed Okeh label in 1951. While there, they scored a minor hit in 1951
with Go! Go! Go!, and put out many more high energy numbers which
attempted to capture the manic nature of their night club act. The tracks
recorded here were cut between 1951 and 1955 and while the original CD
issue (the first 20 tracks here), the bonus tracks includes a couple of
ballads and a slow blues. Tracks include This Is It/ Poon-Tang/ Rock-A-Beatin'
(their 1953 recording of the Bill Haley composition that Haley didn't
record for two more years)/ I Said No/ Everything's Wild In Wildwood/
Peace Bond Blues/ The Moondog/ Devil's Mambo/ Out Of The Bushes and
more. Sound quality is excellent but it's a real shame there are no notes.
(FS)
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| THE VIBRATIONS |
RPM 278 |
Out Of Sight |
● CD $16.98 |
Two CD set with 36 tracks of rockin' R&B and ballads
recorded from Checker in the early 60s. The songs feature the powerful
pipes of Jimmy Johnson who is equally at home with a soulful ballad or
rasping his way through a rocking dance number. Includes their hits The
Watusi and Peanut Butter - the latter when they moonlighted for
Argo as The Marathons. Includes three previously unissued tracks.
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|
JOHNNY
"GUITAR" WATSON |
Collectables 7619 |
The Best Of The Okeh Years |
● CD $13.98 |
20 sides recorded for Okeh in 1966 and 1967. The first 12
tracks are from sessions with his good friend Larry Williams who plays
piano and joins Johnny on several duets including the hits Mercy,
Mercy, Mercy and Nobody. The next six tracks are from the 1967
album "The Fantastic Piano And Guitar Of Johnny Watson - BAD" featuring
Johnny and a small band tackling instrumental versions of R&B favorites
like Fever/ Unchain My Heart/ Comin' Home Baby and others. The last
two tracks feature Johnny on piano and vocals accomapnied by bass and
drums doing rather tame performances of Makin' Whoopee and Ain't
Misbehavin' from Johnny's album "In A Fats Bag" - his tribute to the
great Fats Waller.
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| AL WILSON |
Acrobat 700 |
The Best Of |
● CD $12.98 |
20 tracks, 67 min, recommended First things first - this
is Al's 68-79 Rocky Road recordings, so his hit The Snake, which
was done for Soul City, is NOT here. What you do get is Al's wonderful #1
pop hit Show & Tell, as well as later hits like LaLa Peace Song/
Touch & Go plus I Won't Last A Day Without You/Let Me Be The One
and others. A lot of the tracks here remind me of what Boz Scaggs would be
doing later on in the mid-70s. (GM)
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