WHO REALLY DESSSSERVESSS A DEGREE IN NORTHERN SOUL

WHO REALLY DESSSSERVESSS A DEGREE IN NORTHERN SOUL

No one does because we are always learning something new.

Edited February 28, 201114 yr by Guest

Dunno ..there seem to be an awful lot of acdemics on here...very fluent in bull crap!!!!!....and telling others how to dress .. act....and how to act oh so soulful...xxx

Dunno ..there seem to be an awful lot of acdemics on here...very fluent in bull crap!!!!!....and telling others how to dress .. act....and how to act oh so soulful...xxx

never a truer word spoken thats the wonderful aspect of this scene of ours, and sets it apart from all other music cultures, moreso, because the music we love is on the whole written, recorded and produced by artists we know so little about.....5 decades have been spent listening to and researching the records and its an ongoing challenge that in reality, will never end. just like the djs we aspire to who reinvent theirselves to suit the change in playlists, the scene just keeps evolving...the fact it hasnt been allowed to be over commercialized and because it symbolizes a by-gone era, it could never be written off as a passing fad...its the greatest underground movement in contemporary music history and in typical reverse psychology we, the desciples created it, the others.....the artists, producers and writers learned about their forgotten contributions through us and as a consequence have come to believe that what they did really counted for something...even if it was decades later. no other music phenomenon could or has replicated our blueprint and in all honesty, NEVER will.

Dunno ..there seem to be an awful lot of acdemics on here...very fluent in bull crap!!!!!....and telling others how to dress .. act....and how to act oh so soulful...xxx

where's all that then ?

sure we got people who are passionate about it all

and may have strong views about this or that

but don't see any of what you say going on

No one does because we are always learning something new.

Even academic professors are continually learning.

Well I'll never get one; I'm rubbish at remembering anything

never a truer word spoken thats the wonderful aspect of this scene of ours, and sets it apart from all other music cultures, moreso, because the music we love is on the whole written, recorded and produced by artists we know so little about.....5 decades have been spent listening to and researching the records and its an ongoing challenge that in reality, will never end. just like the djs we aspire to who reinvent theirselves to suit the change in playlists, the scene just keeps evolving...the fact it hasnt been allowed to be over commercialized and because it symbolizes a by-gone era, it could never be written off as a passing fad...its the greatest underground movement in contemporary music history and in typical reverse psychology we, the desciples created it, the others.....the artists, producers and writers learned about their forgotten contributions through us and as a consequence have come to believe that what they did really counted for something...even if it was decades later. no other music phenomenon could or has replicated our blueprint and in all honesty, NEVER will.

I agree.with what you say.

Also its the people involved that decide what is to be played and which direction things should go. It's good that it's not controlled by the marketing and music media business!

Edited March 5, 201114 yr by Guest

never a truer word spoken thats the wonderful aspect of this scene of ours, and sets it apart from all other music cultures, moreso, because the music we love is on the whole written, recorded and produced by artists we know so little about.....5 decades have been spent listening to and researching the records and its an ongoing challenge that in reality, will never end. just like the djs we aspire to who reinvent theirselves to suit the change in playlists, the scene just keeps evolving...the fact it hasnt been allowed to be over commercialized and because it symbolizes a by-gone era, it could never be written off as a passing fad...its the greatest underground movement in contemporary music history and in typical reverse psychology we, the desciples created it, the others.....the artists, producers and writers learned about their forgotten contributions through us and as a consequence have come to believe that what they did really counted for something...even if it was decades later. no other music phenomenon could or has replicated our blueprint and in all honesty, NEVER will.

I'd say blues aficionados are just as if not more obsessive about their music as rare soul /northern soul aficionados. Original 78 records by largely forgotten artists from a by-gone era can command astronomic sums. In addition to that, stacks of books have been written, academic chairs have been specially created at universities and careers have been revived as a result with the protagonists, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Skip James playing to white kids on the college circuit. Seminal rock bands in the UK owed their DNA to these men and women, and people who weren't musicians, like Dave Godin, before he progressed to Soul, would spend hours splitting hairs over whether white artists ploughing the same ground could be considered 'authentic' or not. The R&B Police at work. The only difference I can see is that it's not a dance scene, though arguably some Chicago Blues and R&B does swing, Elmore James, T-Bone Walker, Wynonie Harris spring to mind. There are similarities, but as far as I can see, we like to travel to venues, wear strange clothes (some of us) and get blocked and they don't. Or do they? Pill usage was rife at the Brazenose Street and the Flamingo, ostensibly blues hangouts in the beginning and people also wore 'a uniform'. The northern scene deserves heaps of praise for its longevity, ability to recycle itself, introduce new genres, but let's not get carried away.

never a truer word spoken thats the wonderful aspect of this scene of ours, and sets it apart from all other music cultures, moreso, because the music we love is on the whole written, recorded and produced by artists we know so little about.....5 decades have been spent listening to and researching the records and its an ongoing challenge that in reality, will never end. just like the djs we aspire to who reinvent theirselves to suit the change in playlists, the scene just keeps evolving...the fact it hasnt been allowed to be over commercialized and because it symbolizes a by-gone era, it could never be written off as a passing fad...its the greatest underground movement in contemporary music history and in typical reverse psychology we, the desciples created it, the others.....the artists, producers and writers learned about their forgotten contributions through us and as a consequence have come to believe that what they did really counted for something...even if it was decades later. no other music phenomenon could or has replicated our blueprint and in all honesty, NEVER will.

I'd agree with that. This has been an underground scene for almost almost 50 years and it's influence continues to captivate many different audiences. As an example, I spent last Thursday night with Dan who runs the Baltic Soul weekenders and he was telling me about his efforts to find Anne Sexton, which took years but eventually resulted in her playing her biggest ever shows some 30 odd years after her last 70's gig, to a highly enthusiastic 4,500 capacity audience (plus I got to see her last year @ Vintage too).

Without Colin playing that track all those years ago, initially to sparse initial appreciation believe it or not, then the course of Anne Sexton's career would have been very different!

Good post Agentsmith. Are you going for that Proffffessssssor gig then....?

Ian D

Macca's clarity of insight and well constructed points remind us that having a world view, or at least an historical view of the music we love and its context in the greater scheme of things, is absolutely essential. Anyone who has read Stephen Calt's sharply observed and highly cynical biography of 'lost blues legend' Skip James and what effectively was a man hunt of an effort to track him down (he wasn't lost at all, obsessed fans just couldn't find him), will shudder at the nefariously self-serving nature of blues fans.

Without a doubt, the Northern Soul scene is unique in so many ways, but let's not forget that the blues scene has a history that stretches 40 years further back in time (longer, depending on when and where you consider those roots to begin).

The musical genre 'blues' has had its own section in record shops years (decades) before Northern Soul went mainstream pre-millennium with its limited, but inspiring back catalogue in what were the high street entertainment emporiums of the day. And let's not forget Jazz. Without it, how would Motown have found its supremely talented musicians? How, 30 years later, could the 100 Club all-nighters exist - housed as it is in a jazz club that, courtesy of its progenitors, has its own roots in the London music scene that developed with the aid of radio and the 'Yanks' (over paid, over sexed, and over here) who came to be based here during WWII.

Northern Soul is unique and merits the mainstream praise heaped upon it, but as has been pointed out, Blues and Jazz have long been established as academic and musical fields worthy of serious study. 'Northern Soul' isn't even a musical genre, it's just a cult that has as it's essence all sorts of tribal indulgences, one of which is the music (see 'All Our Yesterday's').

Any professor of 'Northern Soul would need to specialise in the origins of the music and its many variations; the depth of its obscurity; it's peculiar resurgence 'only' in the North of England (cos, of course, nobody outside of 'the North' was ever listening to the same sort of music); the development of tribalism and factionalism in the cultures that brought the music back to life - fashion-wise and culturally ; the origins of negro and popular dance; organised crime and drug distribution - and its petty criminal consequences (have you read some of the threads in 'All our yesterdays'?).

And that's just for starters...

Oh, and as a professor you would be expected to author and get published a minimum of two academic papers on your chosen subject during your three-to-five year tenure. Could you imagine having to present that to the participants here for constructive comment?

Well the majority of folk on the scene are passionate and rightly so...however what sometimes gets me...is those who..will try and dictate to others just how they should be...what to wear...what venues to go to etc etc...i am not interested or ever been into the politics of northern soul...i just go where the music takes me...and if i dont like that venue...i wont go back..but that would be my own interepretation...same as the wearing of certain styles of clothes..i wouldnt and wont judge folk on that ...and the end of the day that is upto that particular individual....but there are plenty of those who will...and i think its wrong...we have got to be the most fortunate group of middle age people socially...i cant recall any point in past social history..and please tell me if i am wrong...where folk in their 40s and beyond are having more fun .sand still doing what they love.....than the younger generation...xxxx

Well the majority of folk on the scene are passionate and rightly so...however what sometimes gets me...is those who..will try and dictate to others just how they should be...what to wear...what venues to go to etc etc...i am not interested or ever been into the politics of northern soul...i just go where the music takes me...and if i dont like that venue...i wont go back..but that would be my own interepretation...same as the wearing of certain styles of clothes..i wouldnt and wont judge folk on that ...and the end of the day that is upto that particular individual....but there are plenty of those who will...and i think its wrong...we have got to be the most fortunate group of middle age people socially...i cant recall any point in past social history..and please tell me if i am wrong...where folk in their 40s and beyond are having more fun .sand still doing what they love.....than the younger generation...xxxx

but aren't you getting involved with the politics with saying what you are saying in this topic? I don't see too much where people tell others where they should go, yes some have an opinion on the retro clothing but so what, it's not as though they are directly insulting someone, simply expressing an opinion how naff or how good they look.?

And besides I think the topic is more about the anorak side and knowledge side of Northern Soul and not the politics, who wears what and goes wherever.

but aren't you getting involved with the politics with saying what you are saying in this topic? I don't see too much where people tell others where they should go, yes some have an opinion on the retro clothing but so what, it's not as though they are directly insulting someone, simply expressing an opinion how naff or how good they look.?

And besides I think the topic is more about the anorak side and knowledge side of Northern Soul and not the politics, who wears what and goes wherever.

chalky.

..we have got to be the most fortunate group of middle age people socially...i cant recall any point in past social history..and please tell me if i am wrong...where folk in their 40s and beyond are having more fun .sand still doing what they love.....than the younger generation...xxxx

That part ot it is so true, a lot of the kids that live around where I live are depressed and don't enjoy life at all.

But it's the old Bet Fred look a likes wearing cheap young kids anoraks, who owned little knowledge the first time around, revisiting there local soulnite scene, with tails of which clubs they attended and having a greater previous CV of earlier scene service. How many local of these "medal collectors" are so fucking scared of letting go of there past. Thank christ I am off this scene and do still collect 45's. But then it's so clear that everytime one logs in - its "both ends against the middle" and more divisional confliction. As for are you saying who you are.............no not me.

As for who is worthy of a scholarship in professing is it - knowledge "v" years of service................................Mr Searling . I'll drink to that .

Edited March 7, 201114 yr by Nick Harrison

but aren't you getting involved with the politics with saying what you are saying in this topic?

In what respect?.....we both know and it has blown up on here...many many times..i am ..and always just be interested in soul...in all its genres...so long as the floor and music is top notch...that is all that interests me...

I don't see too much where people tell others where they should go, yes some have an opinion on the retro clothing but so what, it's not as though they are directly insulting someone, simply expressing an opinion how naff or how good they look.?

Well it's me..simply expressing my opinion...but it does come across like it at times...spiteful..and very judgemental

And besides I think the topic is more about the anorak side and knowledge side of Northern Soul and not the politics, who wears what and goes wherever

My faux pa then...i stand truly corrected...Del...xxxx

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