BVS

Where do you live "professorturnups" - Outer Mongolia? The Soul Scene has not been underground since the Wheel shut in 1971 and what followed (Wigan Casino et al) turned the scene overgound.

When I see debates like this one, I like to stick my 5 penn'orth in as an old soulie from the 60s scene (Mojo, Esquire, Twisted Wheel, Palais, Night Owl, Beachcomber, String O' Beads, et al). I love most of the Soul, RnB & Motown that I danced to at the allnighters in the 60s before Dave Godin (RIP) allegedly coined the phrase 'Northern Soul' in 1970. I think that my contempories and I have a slightly different opinion about what NS is / means, to most of the next generation who are likely to have started on the scene during the 70s and frequented such places as Wigan Casino and Blackpool Mecca. For what it's worth, I think that Dave Godin coined the phrase NS as a compliment to the strength of the soul scene in the North of England and testimony to the commitment of Northerners to soul music at that time. It was a great discovery for him to see for himself how vibrant it all was at the Wheel. The unique dancing styles of people there and most of all, the fantastic music, all of which blew him away. I suppose it was a bit like archimedes shouting 'Eureka' in the bath when he discovered displacement - Dave Godin saying 'this is Northern Soul' at the Twisted Wheel when he discovered the soul scene in the North because it was very much underground in those days, unlike today. My point is that NS is whatever it means to you because your opinion is as good as anyone elses even if it may not accord with theirs. Brett

The original question was "Where & when was the first ever Northern Soul All Nighter held ?". The clue is in the question i.e. 'Northern Soul'. Until it can be agreed what Northern Soul means, then we can only speculate on the answer. Of course Northern Soul means different things to different people, therefore it is unlikely there will ever be a satisfactory answer for everyone. I frequented the Mojo in Sheffield, the Twisted Wheel in Manchester and the many others that existed around the North Midlands, Lancashire & Yorkshire from 1967 - 1970. Setting aside the debate about how Dave Godin may or may not have coined the phrase, there was a definite shift in the scene around 1970. The smaller basement soul clubs of the sixties were beginning to disappear and the scene seemed to shift to much larger, ballroom type venues. The fashion changed to those baggy trousers, vests, beer towels for the men and those voluminous skirts and ankle socks for the girls. Although many of the sixties soul music played in the basement clubs migrated to this newer scene, a new, more stomping type of soul music became popular. For me, this is what defines Northern Soul - as much the shift in the scene as the music, which just happens to coincide with Dave Godin being credited with coining the phrase. If my assessment is accepted, then the answer to the question would be one of the larger soul venues that sprung up in the early 70s (e.g. Wigan Casino, Blackpool Mecca) but as I dropped out of the scene around the time the Wheel shut, I couldn't possibly say which was the first one!

Frank Wilson -Do I love You is over-played, over-rated, over-priced and in my opinion, soul pop music and rubbish.

That's helpful to know as I wouldn't mind going but unfortunately, it clashes with the Wheel. Who were the DJs and what time does it close?

No prizes for which way I voted! However, based on conversations with my contempories at soul venues, I do think many of those 21% who don't like it could be from the generation of soulies whose roots are in the 60s basement clubs and are therefore now aged in their late 50s and over. The reason I say this is that the Frank Wilson track is seen by many as an anthem for 'Northern Soul' of the 70s and many of the older soulies don't have much of a connection with this era. In particular they don't recognise the term 'Northern Soul' as it was coined after their heyday and feel therefore that it is more associated with the stomping beats of the dance hall venues of the 70s, which brought with it those dubious baggy trousers, vest, patches and beer towels! My point therefore is that in my opinion, many of those who, like me, think that it's overated and overplayed, do so as much because of what it represents than it's musical merits. HEALTH WARNING - If this posting reads like a dig at the 70s soul era, it is certainly not intended to be, no-one can help when they are born or the fashions of their generation (you should have seen me in a Kaftan with flowers in my hair - not much chance these days !) In fact, if it wasn't for the 70s scene and it's prominent DJs in particular, I'm sure I wouldn't be enjoying all the sounds that they unearthed during the 70s, even though they had, in the main, been first recorded in the 60s. So good on you 70s soulies, I will be forever in your debt.

Hi, My rugby team (Sheffield Tigers) are playing at Clifton on 21 March and I was checking out any soul venues in the area for the night before and I came across 'Go Go Children'. I'm a 60s Twisted Wheel (Manchester) veteran who still attends each Friday and Sunday session so you can imagine my taste is 60s soul and RnB but I liked the look of your playlists. Is it on for Friday 20 March? Can you recommend a decent/cheap local hotel? THanks, Big Brett Sheffield

I've seen 2 adverts for this event with different ticket prices - £10 & £15 - which is it? I've not been to the Palais since the 60s, hopefully meet up with some old faces from the 60s soul scene.

Soulacola, You talk the same language as me and not just because you're a Blade like me. I agree with everything you say, although I expect that the music at the Sheaf may be a bit 'Northern' for me as opposed to 60s. Anyway there's only one to find out and that means a visit to the Sheaf for a few pints , provided it doesn't clash with the Wheel dates.