London Types

[Guest in town Mikey]

OK this happened once before, when extremely drunk.

I was standing at the bus stop opposite Angel tube station, heading towards Highbury corner. The coffee shop next to Lloyds bank was playing a tope of pap, when all of a sudden on comes: David & the Giants - 10 miles high. Being absolutely hammered I burst in and shouted 'TUNE', the the baffled looks of Islington's Latte set.

Now on Sunday, I was going to work from the same bus stop, and it comes on again. Being totally sober due to working saturday for 14 hours without a break!!, hence no 100 club hangover , I decided to go in and ask the 2 girls behind the counter, what the sketch is with this song being on a tape, with, amongst others, Crazy horses and Seasons in the sun.

Neither spoke particularly good english, but I did recognise the look on their faces. I had seen it before somewhere. Oh yeah, there. They couldnt remember me, could they???

Anyway. It is a total mystery to me, why this song should be on the tape. Was it covered by someone else? It seemed to be a near exact version, although, apart from the Coffee shop in Islington it has to be a couple of decades since I can remember hearing it, so it could be a cover I suppose.

Has anyone else had an odd experience like this. Hearing a Northern Soul track, in a strange place??

Mikey.

[Tony Smith]

Yes Mikey,

Perusing the racks in Thresher on Upper St., about to make a selection (Fleury, if anyones interested) and on comes The Belles "Don't Pretend", asked the chap behind the counter, who put it on, came the reply "dunno, it's the bosses I think?", he was more helpful with wine...

[Guest]

Yes!!!

Frank Beverly / Because of my heart ...... lounge pipe music at a Ramada Inn in Washington DC whilst on holiday 4 years ago.

Could have knocked me over with a feather. Weird.

Andy K

[Gene-R]

I was in Allied Carpets in Lewisham two Sundays ago when "Do I Love You" by Frank Wilson was aired over the shop - couldn't work out why!!

It was the original - not the shite remix that was given away with the Sunday People a while back, so wonder what their source was??

Gene

[Guest Johnny One Trout]

Just think of all the fun you could have if you applied this theory in reverse. So for the sake of argument Mr Croasdell is in full swing playing his heavy metal pressings of unreleased nuggets and vinyal rarities and for sake of arguement drops on the Latest Emma Bunton or a bn oldie from Geena Gee can you imagine the look on the faces of the punters ........ priceless

I know it's been done before as a wind up ....play this cover up it's great only to get Itsy bitsy teeny weeny yellow polka dot bikini but to do it intentionally that would be class ;o))

John

BTW Mikey i think you should really have a word with yourself exactly how much alcohol does it take before you can start to consider 10 miles high or even Superlove as a CHOOOON - Stop drinking so much it's bad for you ;o)

[Guest in town Mikey]

Gene you should have asked if they had a spare copy ;-)

Tont, I think we could have discovered a cheap way of hearing Northern Soul in London. Walk up and down Upper Street, listenening to the music coming out of shops. Have to hurry past the walkabout tho. All that Skippy the bush Kangaroo rubbish.

[Gene-R]

Good point Mikey - unless they told me it was the original version by Eddie Foster on the IN label!!

Johnny - I remember when Tony Ellis played a similar prank at the 100 Club in 1983. He faded in the intro to "Monkey Spanner" by Dave and Ansel Collins, much to everyone's confusion and to his mate peeing himself rolling up laughing!!

Gene

[Guest]

Didn't Randy cover up something like Nellie the elephant & give it to Pete Wid to play?

Dave G

[TheBigO]

Ah Johnny the old Northern jape of playing a cover-up .... Happend to me with Jacko at a local Sunday night event where in made me big said toon up, having rushed all the way back from Stafford with it, whereupon I, like any decent soulful DJ, slapped it on the decks only to be confronted with some mindless PAP that was drowned out by the even more mindless laughing of all the assembled soulies....needless to say I check EVERYTHING given to me before spinning these days.

[Guest marco]

I was standing in a ticket queu at Bury Metro station a few months ago when, lo and behold, over the tannoy system comes the sound of Cody Black, Mr Blue. There I was, lost in reverie, quietly singing along to myself for a couple of minutes. Suddenly I felt something poking me in the back and I turned round to find an old crone brandishing a walking stick. "Come on stars-in-yer-eyes, ye'll make me miss me train if yeh don't 'urry up. Corry's on in half an hour!"

[Guest in town Mikey]

Marco, I can picture it now. Great insult too. 'Stars-in-yer-eyes'!! Priceless.

And Johnny. My drinking is of legendary poorness, as obviously is my taste in oldies. I like to think of it being a case of'not heard in ages, great to hear again. No thanks, once is enough'.

i'd like to think that, but I do like a nice underplayed oldie. Even if there is a good reason for it being underplayed.

[Ady Croasdell]

Mikey, Ten Miles High is the bollocks, don't go apologising for it. Super Love is admittedly shite.

A-D

[Guest]

During the week I was shopping in Morrisons and Angie Stone came over the instore sounds singing Wish I Didnt Miss You. I know its not northern but it was nice to hear. Dont know what the OAPs in the store made of it.

[Supercorsa]

During the week I was shopping in Morrisons

I take it you're from Up North? ;-)

[Guest]

No I am from North London, Morrisons is one of my local supermarkets

[Supercorsa]

Obviously an EX-Safeways then! North London, my money's on Enfield or Stanmore.

[Guest]

Whats your money worth - go east not west

[tone5446]

Gene, I don't think it was me that played Monkey Spanner, at the 100 Club, it was more likely to have been Tony Rounce, who was prone to doing that sort of thing.

I did however, play Mrs Miller's Lovers Concerto, for a lark at Yate once, I had a full floor until the vocal started, then the slow handclaps started and I faded it. sharpish.

Tony Ellis

[Tony Smith]

I did however, play Mrs Miller's Lovers Concerto, for a lark at Yate once, I had a full floor until the vocal started, then the slow handclaps started and I faded it. sharpish.

Tony Ellis

How excellent!

I once gave Danny Everard an awful white stomper by Diana Dawn to play, extolling the virtues of Batman sidekick and youthful ward Robin, which he played all the way through bless him.

[Ady Croasdell]

I've just popped next door to grill Tony Rounce on said subject and he denies Monkey Spanner but remembers playing a 78 of Arthur Smith 'Guitar Boogie Shuffle' which was of course the original of the Bert Weedon smash. Bert was one of the early 6TS icons along with Woofer and Ian Ric Tic Popple. It shows how long ago it was that the decks had a 78 speed, though the amount some DJs "enhance" a slow record nowadays must be almost up to 78 rpm.

Tony remembers being at the Mecca the night Les Cockell and Tony Jebb got Levine to play 'Is This The Way To Amarillo' by Tony Christie.

Ady

[Guest Johnny One Trout]

What was the record that he got him back with?? Was it Mairzy Dotes and it went something like this......

Mairzy dotes and dozy dotes and little lamsy divey,

Dm7 G7 C G

A kiddly divey, too -- wouldn't you?

C G C Am C Gdim

Mairzy dotes and dozy dotes and little lamsy divey,

Dm7 G7 C Fm C

A kiddly divey, too -- wouldn't you?

Bridge:

Gm7 C7 Gm7 C7

Now if the words sound queer, and funny to your ear,

F Dm7 F

A little bit jumbled and jivey,

F7 Am7 D7 G/B D7

Just say, "Mares eat oats, and does eat oats,

G Dm7 G D7

And little lambs eat i - vy."

C G C Am C Gdim

Mairzy dotes and dozy dotes and little lamsy divey,

Dm7 G7 C C/B A7

A kiddly divey, too -- wouldn't you?

Dm7 G7 Em7 A7

A kiddly divey, too -- a kiddly divey,too,

Dm7 G7 C F C

A kiddly divey, too -- wouldn't you?

John

[Ady Croasdell]

Tony can't remember that one, I'm sure Mick Smith does. It doesn't sound like Levine, he wasn't noted for his sense of humour.

Tony says there's an apocryphal story about Ivor Jones being given a Black & Decker sanding disc to spin at Thorne and actually doing it, but no-one including Ivor can remember the details.

Ady

[Guest Johnny One Trout]

You are of course correct Ian had a humourectomy at an early age and most things (wooosh) go right over the top. But it is a story he tells maybe it was Shelvo or one of the other mischievous imps that were around at the time, that is probably a more likely scenario :o)))

John

[Guest Johnny One Trout]

Tony says there's an apocryphal story about Ivor Jones being given a Black & Decker sanding disc to spin at Thorne and actually doing it, but no-one including Ivor can remember the details.

Ady

I'm sure i read somewhere that Kev Murphy played that record in Wigan this weekend ;o))))))))))))) At least it sounded the same "Allegedly" ;o))

John

[Guest]

Tony can't remember that one, I'm sure Mick Smith does. It doesn't sound like Levine, he wasn't noted for his sense of humour.

Tony says there's an apocryphal story about Ivor Jones being given a Black & Decker sanding disc to spin at Thorne and actually doing it, but no-one including Ivor can remember the details.

Ady

............and remember that thing Brian Rae played one Sunday afternoon at one of the early Cleethorpes weekenders??

Something about wood-working tips?? And some folk danced as well.

I think it was that weekend when you passed off that bus driver from Peckham as Tony Middleton - or at least he was dressed like one.

Petal