Blue Rondo A'La Turk - Klacto Vee Sedstein

Northernsoul dancin on TV wayyyyyyyy back

I remember as a kid watching TV and seeing a fleeting glimpse of lads stomping, not on any Northernsoul program but on their music videos.

I remember Blue Rondo A'La Turk - Klacto Vee Sedstein dancing on Swap Shop? Any way I haven't seen the video since and I started to think that I may have imagined the whole thing, that was before today when I fond it on youtube! God bless youtube and all who sail in her as she inspires me and saved my sanity this day!

Also I remember Steve Strange stomping like a goodun !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLx-mdBett4

A nice track from / by BRALT ....... modern room possiblity ?

Malc Burton

ha! great stuff. I think Steve Strange went to Wigan a few times.

A nice track from / by BRALT ....... modern room possiblity ?

Malc Burton

Nice to see Soul sam on tambourine in his limber days! These guys are obviously influenced by the Jazz dance scene!

Blue Rondo A'La Turk - Klacto Vee Sedstein

Northernsoul dancin on TV wayyyyyyyy back

I remember as a kid watching TV and seeing a fleeting glimpse of lads stomping, not on any Northernsoul program but on their music videos.

I remember Blue Rondo A'La Turk - Klacto Vee Sedstein dancing on Swap Shop? Any way I haven't seen the video since and I started to think that I may have imagined the whole thing, that was before today when I fond it on youtube! God bless youtube and all who sail in her as she inspires me and saved my sanity this day!

Also I remember Steve Strange stomping like a goodun !

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLx-mdBett4

Ha, forgot about the BRALT track. Have the 7 inch on picture disc somewhere.

Nice to see Soul sam on tambourine in his limber days! These guys are obviously influenced by the Jazz dance scene!

BRALT on their formation in 1981 , were hailed as " the next big thing " , but did not live up to the hype .

As for Steve Strange Paul , I seem to recall reading he had ventured " oop north " to visit WC , in order to gain possible

" inspiration "

Malc Burton

As for BLUE RHONDO, the great dancer in the group was TONY GORDON who played saxaphone and was well known on the Northern Soul scene in the south in the mid-late 70s, TONY came from Bournemouth and I believe was still involved in organising a do down there a few years back but the Bournemouth crowd could probably tell you more about that. He got into playing his sax and that's what got him into BLUE RHONDO. TONY was a really cool dresser, 50s suits etc from '76 onwards and that obviously also helped being BR were a very image conscious band and the darlings of the 'Wag Club' London set. CHRIS SULLIVAN the lead singer from the group used to run the Wag and stand on the door inspecting the would be punters to see if their dress style was up to the level demanded inside the club. If he did not approve of your get-up, you did not get in, simple as that! ('The Wag Club' was originally the famous 'Whiskey-a-go go' club in the West End and so the club had a massive Soul history. I walked past it yesterday actually and thought how sad it is to see it as just another one of those bloody Irish chain pubs 'O'neils')...SULLIVAN was a pretty good shuffler too but TONY GORDON was a shit hot Soul Dancer in his younger days as any other Northern fans from the south and that era will testify.

Edited March 11, 201015 yr by chorleysoul

A nice track from / by BRALT ....... modern room possiblity ?

Malc Burton

Chuffin spiffing...cor....what a time that was...most of the geezers away from the northern scene...that my Sis and I knew at that time ..dressed like BRALT....what a great time...not a shell suit or tracckie/hoodie in sight!!!!!....and the underground music was brill as well..not to mentioned ultra fasionable as well.....!!!!!!

As for BLUE RHONDO, the great dancer in the group was TONY GORDON who played saxaphone and was well known on the Northern Soul scene in the south in the mid-late 70s, TONY came from Bournemouth and I believe was still involved in organising a do down there a few years back but the Bournemouth crowd could probably tell you more about that. He got into playing his sax and that's what got him into BLUE RHONDO. TONY was a really cool dresser, 50s suits etc from 76 0nwards and that obviously helped being BR were a very image conscious band and the darlings of the 'Wag Club' London set. CHRIS SULLIVAN from the group used to run the Wag and stand on the door inspecting the would be punters to see if there dress style was up to the level demanded inside the club. If he did not approve of your get-up, you did not get in, simple as that! ('The Wag Club' was originally the famous Whiskey-a-go go' club in the West End and so the club had a massive Soul history. I walked past it yesterday actually and thought how sad it is to see it as just another one of those bloody Irish chain pubs 'O'neils')...SULLIVAN was a pretty good shuffler too but TONY GORDON was a shit hot Soul Dancer in his younger days as any other Northern fans from the south and that era will testify.

Remember Tony well - sharp dresser, brilliant dancer and all round good guy. For those that don't know him, he's the dude in the brown jacket and black shirt in the '

' video.

As for BLUE RHONDO, the great dancer in the group was TONY GORDON who played saxaphone and was well known on the Northern Soul scene in the south in the mid-late 70s, TONY came from Bournemouth and I believe was still involved in organising a do down there a few years back but the Bournemouth crowd could probably tell you more about that. He got into playing his sax and that's what got him into BLUE RHONDO. TONY was a really cool dresser, 50s suits etc from '76 onwards and that obviously also helped being BR were a very image conscious band and the darlings of the 'Wag Club' London set. CHRIS SULLIVAN the lead singer from the group used to run the Wag and stand on the door inspecting the would be punters to see if their dress style was up to the level demanded inside the club. If he did not approve of your get-up, you did not get in, simple as that! ('The Wag Club' was originally the famous 'Whiskey-a-go go' club in the West End and so the club had a massive Soul history. I walked past it yesterday actually and thought how sad it is to see it as just another one of those bloody Irish chain pubs 'O'neils')...SULLIVAN was a pretty good shuffler too but TONY GORDON was a shit hot Soul Dancer in his younger days as any other Northern fans from the south and that era will testify.

Yes Tony was well known in the south , top guy, still gets out to a few dos, was a the Bmth Railway Club a little while back, i used to be at the same boxing club as him and remember him wearing sparkling socks there,when everyone else was wearing white ones, he was and still is kool as fook

Remember Tony well - sharp dresser, brilliant dancer and all round good guy. For those that don't know him, he's the dude in the brown jacket and black shirt in the '

' video.

Yeah, just watched the video it, thats Tony in the brown jacket, looking sharp there and throwing a few moves that give you a taste of how good he was. Nice one mate.

Matt bianco was in the group aswell

Edited March 11, 201015 yr by tim smithers

Yes Tony was well known in the south , top guy, still gets out to a few dos, was a the Bmth Railway Club a little while back, i used to be at the same boxing club as him and remember him wearing sparkling socks there,when everyone else was wearing white ones, he was and still is kool as fook

Good to hear he's alive and well. Legendary geezer and part of the Soul history of the South that a lot of people on here are unaware of given the geographical aspects.

Chuffin spiffing...cor....what a time that was...most of the geezers away from the northern scene...that my Sis and I knew at that time ..dressed like BRALT....what a great time...not a shell suit or tracckie/hoodie in sight!!!!!....and the underground music was brill as well..not to mentioned ultra fasionable as well.....!!!!!!

It was a great time and especially given the variety of fashion styles apparent. You are right, loads of us used to wear the 50s stuff and go to Soul do's down South...You hit the nail on the head too, this was the last period when youth culture was still functioning 'tribally' and there was still proper underground scenes going on where music and fashion was exciting as a dual entity. All that is dead now as the young people of the UK have been conditioned into surrendering totally to the Americanisation of British Street Fashion, which is VERY bloody sad. 8 million hoodies and baseball caps and the big sports brands coining in millions...Suggest to kids nowadays that they go looking for vintage clothes in Junk shops or Jumble sales and they look at you as if you are a lunatic...Perhaps we were, in which case I'm happy to be mad!

Quite a few bands influenced by the Jazz Dance scene, Matt Bianco, Animal Nightlife, Working Week.

I quite liked Big Sound Authority

Edited March 11, 201015 yr by Matt Male

ha! great stuff. I think Steve Strange went to Wigan a few times.

also think a member of blue rondo went

Quite a few bands influenced by the Jazz Dance scene, Matt Bianco, Animal Nightlife, Working Week.

I quite liked Big Sound Authority

Nae bad , but please no one post JoBoxers ......

Malc Burton

Nae bad , but please no one post JoBoxers ......

Malc Burton

You can feel it coming Malc!

Nae bad , but please no one post JoBoxers ......

Malc Burton

My ex-sister in law, went out with the singer for a short period and I can categorically state he knew nothing whatsoever about the Northern Soul scene!

I think that at least a couple of the BRALT guys went to Hinkley a few times - fairly sure I was sat next to them one time on those 'bleachers'.

Mick

I think that at least a couple of the BRALT guys went to Hinkley a few times - fairly sure I was sat next to them one time on those 'bleachers'.

Mick

Might have been me and two of my mates GUY COOCH and DIXIE CURTIS....We went to Hinkley a good few times dressed in our quiffs and 50s clothes and got some real strange looks and a few comments from quite a few people! As far as I recall, we were the only fookers there dressed like that! This was at the same time 'The Wag' was going in London and that 'look' was the 'in thing' on the London and Southern club scene. On the 50th Birthday CD I gave away at my recent party, there is a picture of the 3 of us well 'quiffed up' on the benches at Hinkley when CURTIS MAYFIELD played 'live'. Was never aware of the guys from the group actually going there though, I'm sure they were far too occupied with the whole London scene by then. We were there because we'd been into Northern, like TONY, before all that....

Knew Tony Gordon well, apart from being Ice cool as a dresser and dancer he is a top bloke, a real polite first class gentleman, not seen him in years since a soul do in London way back, alway's loved his company a top geezer.

Regards - Mark Bicknell

Might have been me and two of my mates GUY COOCH and DIXIE CURTIS....We went to Hinkley a good few times dressed in our quiffs and 50s clothes and got some real strange looks and a few comments from quite a few people! As far as I recall, we were the only fookers there dressed like that! This was at the same time 'The Wag' was going in London and that 'look' was the 'in thing' on the London and Southern club scene. On the 50th Birthday CD I gave away at my recent party, there is a picture of the 3 of us well 'quiffed up' on the benches at Hinkley when CURTIS MAYFIELD played 'live'. Was never aware of the guys from the group actually going there though, I'm sure they were far too occupied with the whole London scene by then. We were there because we'd been into Northern, like TONY, before all that....

Tony was involved in a soul club in London about that time, think it was called the country club, he took us all up there in a coach from Poole

Tony was involved in a soul club in London about that time, think it was called the country club, he took us all up there in a coach from Poole

'The Town and Country Club'

My ex-sister in law, went out with the singer for a short period and I can categorically state he knew nothing whatsoever about the Northern Soul scene!

If you mean the black guy, he was American and he certainly went to the 100 Club at least once 'cos I talked to him and remember him saying how old fashioned all this 60s soul music sounded to him!

If you mean the black guy, he was American and he certainly went to the 100 Club at least once 'cos I talked to him and remember him saying how old fashioned all this 60s soul music sounded to him!

Yes, he was from New York and his name was Dig! He went to the 100 Club as part of the whole image thing around the group, I remember that well, What I meant was that he knew absolutely nothing about it until he was shown it at that time and yes he did think it was all old fashioned but then so was the image they were flogging - or should I say their record company.

Nae bad , but please no one post JoBoxers ......

Malc Burton

Your fault this has become a talking point, you had to go and mention them!

Your fault this has become a talking point, you had to go and mention them!

Please accept my apologies : I am now standing in the corner , facing the wall .

Malc Burton

Tony was involved in a soul club in London about that time, think it was called the country club, he took us all up there in a coach from Poole

In Belsize Park

Travelled up with us from Gloucester in the back of Jon Willis´s van a couple of times, he fell out with(or run away from) Dennis or Rob Lee when his affections became known (His i might add)

Remember him doing the new style walking backwards and forwards shuffle to the flasher at Wigan just before his cross dressing phase.

The strange world of northern soul

Steve

I very much doubt that personalities such as Steve Strange , Marc Almond , Kevin Rowland and Charlie Drake , sorry Mick Hucknall , who went or allegedly went to WC , would now admit they did so , as it would damage to their " image " .

Malc Burton

Nae bad , but please no one post JoBoxers ......

Malc Burton

Come on, Just Got Lucky by JoBoxers is one of the best pseudo-Northern tracks ever made, what a stomper.

Come on, Just Got Lucky by JoBoxers is one of the best pseudo-Northern tracks ever made, what a stomper.

And they are me mate's.

The drummer Sean,dj'ing here with yours truely,and Keb and Ion dancing on the flier.

Edited March 12, 201015 yr by ken

Come on, Just Got Lucky by JoBoxers is one of the best pseudo-Northern tracks ever made, what a stomper.

I never cared for the sound they made , but I am not disputing that what they did was not good .

Malc Burton

I never cared for the sound they made , but I am not disputing that what they did was not good .

Malc Burton

Great bit of pop,played in every youth club in yorkshire. boxer beat is the best.

Quite a few bands influenced by the Jazz Dance scene, Matt Bianco, Animal Nightlife, Working Week.

I quite liked Big Sound Authority

These were originally "The Directions" from the late 70s Mod Scene "Three bands tonight" "weekend dancers" "it may be too late" etc

or has 30 years twisted my memory ?

Nice picture disc design

P

ha! great stuff. I think Steve Strange went to Wigan a few times.

Paul Weller was a regular also

Paul Weller was a regular also

That's just made up!

That's just made up!

I hope so !!

Might have been me and two of my mates GUY COOCH and DIXIE CURTIS....We went to Hinkley a good few times dressed in our quiffs and 50s clothes and got some real strange looks and a few comments from quite a few people! As far as I recall, we were the only fookers there dressed like that! This was at the same time 'The Wag' was going in London and that 'look' was the 'in thing' on the London and Southern club scene. On the 50th Birthday CD I gave away at my recent party, there is a picture of the 3 of us well 'quiffed up' on the benches at Hinkley when CURTIS MAYFIELD played 'live'. Was never aware of the guys from the group actually going there though, I'm sure they were far too occupied with the whole London scene by then. We were there because we'd been into Northern, like TONY, before all that....

I stand corrected - I think that it must have been you guys sitting on the benches 'cos I was at the Curtis Mayfield all nighter so perhaps it was that night after all.

Did admire your audacity to wear something totally outside of the Northern scene - I did like that 'look' at the time but I was too busy spending my money on other things to include clothes....

Mick

Matt bianco was in the group aswell

Matt Bianco was the name of the band .... Mark Reilly was the singer of Matt Bianco and the guitar and BV's in Blue Rondo .

Love Blue Rondo and their album is a regular in my house :-)

These were originally "The Directions" from the late 70s Mod Scene "Three bands tonight" "weekend dancers" "it may be too late" etc

or has 30 years twisted my memory ?

No, you're right mate. The lead singer was The Directions front man Tony Burke, not sure about the rest of the band.

I stand corrected - I think that it must have been you guys sitting on the benches 'cos I was at the Curtis Mayfield all nighter so perhaps it was that night after all.

Did admire your audacity to wear something totally outside of the Northern scene - I did like that 'look' at the time but I was too busy spending my money on other things to include clothes....

Mick

Some people admired it - others were less polite lol! The thing is with the clothes back then, they were not expensive really at all...I got most of mine in jumble sales and Charity shops so it was actually cheaper to dress like that than it was to buy in the High Street. Of course people in the groups like BR spent a lot of money getting customised Zoot suits and things made by tailors so that was a different league but that was all part of their promotional image...Most people who were into it did buy the second hand stuff, including people like TONY who was dressing in that style on the Southern Soul Scene long before BLUE RHONDO manifested...

As for money on other things, we have may have looked different but if you look at the photos from those nights you'll still see the ubiqutous 45s clutched in hands, fresh from sales boxes!....In fact on that particular night, there was a terrible row between two of my mates who were both 50s dressers. One of them, KEV, was a massive JERRY BUTLER fan and he spotted a certain record (THE ICE MAN COMETH LP) upstairs for sale from MR TIM ASHIBENDE. He had to go back outside to the car park to get some more money out of his motor but unfortunately, whilst he was gone DIXIE CURTIS slipped in and bought the record off of TIM, knowing full well KEV was on his way back to claim it...Cue a massive row between two very angry quiffs and they did not talk for months afterwards, so rest assurred the vinyl passions were still simmering amongst the Tweed overcoats and baggy suits brigade!

Edited March 12, 201015 yr by chorleysoul

I don't want to split hairs but Tony was from Poole...Parkstone to be even more precise, he was a icon to a lot of us when we were growing up, extremely cool guy, he has a younger brother Conny who is still involved with the scene (I'm sure Tim or Mike have more info) I can never remember his sister Shirley ever attending any soul do's but Pauline & Gloria did, they, again still probably do.

KTF

Baz

As for BLUE RHONDO, the great dancer in the group was TONY GORDON who played saxaphone and was well known on the Northern Soul scene in the south in the mid-late 70s, TONY came from Bournemouth and I believe was still involved in organising a do down there a few years back but the Bournemouth crowd could probably tell you more about that. He got into playing his sax and that's what got him into BLUE RHONDO. TONY was a really cool dresser, 50s suits etc from '76 onwards and that obviously also helped being BR were a very image conscious band and the darlings of the 'Wag Club' London set. CHRIS SULLIVAN the lead singer from the group used to run the Wag and stand on the door inspecting the would be punters to see if their dress style was up to the level demanded inside the club. If he did not approve of your get-up, you did not get in, simple as that! ('The Wag Club' was originally the famous 'Whiskey-a-go go' club in the West End and so the club had a massive Soul history. I walked past it yesterday actually and thought how sad it is to see it as just another one of those bloody Irish chain pubs 'O'neils')...SULLIVAN was a pretty good shuffler too but TONY GORDON was a shit hot Soul Dancer in his younger days as any other Northern fans from the south and that era will testify.

That's quite correct my learned friend and wasn't 'Just Got Lucky' a re-hash of 'Don't Stop Looking' by Andre ?

Must say though l actually a wedding where two members of Blue Rondo wwwere also there,her name was Heather Dann and his Rob ? in Aldershot in 81 l think?

Webby

I think you mean Ann Dandrea.....

But yes the two do sound similar

Mick

I don't want to split hairs but Tony was from Poole...Parkstone to be even more precise, he was a icon to a lot of us when we were growing up, extremely cool guy, he has a younger brother Conny who is still involved with the scene (I'm sure Tim or Mike have more info) I can never remember his sister Shirley ever attending any soul do's but Pauline & Gloria did, they, again still probably do.

KTF

Baz

Yeah, being from Southampton I always thought Poole was a part of Bournemouth until I reached a certain age! (About 35 I think...) I now understand that there is a sort of Manchester/Salford thing with Bournemouth/Poole albeit it a little less intense....Funny enough my daughter lives in Parkstone now, on the High Street and when I was down there at Christmas I found a lovely condition SUPERBS 45 in a junk shop there, although the actual second hand Record shop on that road was bloody crap for Soul. One Australian 2nd reissue of BOBBY PARIS 'Personally' on the wall for 25 quid I think and that was it.

She's married to the local Butcher but I think I am starting to digress....

Edited March 13, 201015 yr by chorleysoul

Matt Bianco was the name of the band .... Mark Reilly was the singer of Matt Bianco and the guitar and BV's in Blue Rondo .

Love Blue Rondo and their album is a regular in my house :-)

Don't you mean both thier Albums? "Chewing the fat" and " Bees Knees and Chickens Elbows" both great LP's.

Nice picture disc design

P

Designed by fellow Soul Sourcer Grahame Smith, who was also good friends with Chris Sullivan.

also think a member of blue rondo went

Correct Terry, Chris Sullivan regularly travelled from his South Wales home to Wigan, although he probably gained more of his dancing influences from the Jazz Funk clubs of London and Essex. The Goldmine, Lacy Lady and Crackers to name a few. Chris and Tommy Mac were some of the best dancers from that scene at that time.

If anyone has an interest in the Jazz dance scene, you should read Mark's most excellent book "From Jazz Funk & Fusion To Acid Jazz" a masterpeice and a verbatim account of the jazz dance scene in the uk and particuarly London and the home counties. A brilliant read even if Jazz is not your thing.

Yeah, being from Southampton I always thought Poole was a part of Bournemouth until I reached a certain age! (About 35 I think...) I now understand that there is a sort of Manchester/Salford thing with Bournemouth/Poole albeit it a little less intense....Funny enough my daughter lives in Parkstone now, on the High Street and when I was down there at Christmas I found a lovely condition SUPERBS 45 in a junk shop there, although the actual second hand Record shop on that road was bloody crap for Soul. One Australian 2nd reissue of BOBBY PARIS 'Personally' on the wall for 25 quid I think and that was it.

She's married to the local Butcher but I think I am starting to digress....

Rich

Just as a matter of interest do you know or have you met Pete McNulty from Poole? He's kind of my Brother in law - basically he's married to my partners Sister - he goes to many of the Northern do's in the Bournemouth/Poole area - re the rivalry it can't be that bad 'cos he's from Poole but is a staunch Bournemouth Utd fan....

Mick