can i ask what the music policy is in valatone? 60s/70s/everything?

hoping to make it over in november...

thanks

can i ask what the music policy is in valatone? 60s/70s/everything?

hoping to make it over in november...

thanks

link

Wendy, you answered your own question. Its a bit of everything. More Xover than other London clubs, which makes it a refreshing place to visit. Well worth the tip alone, I often go even when not making it on to the 100 club.

Shame we can't make it either i really like the stuff that Dave and Steve play and that Spanpoochi bloke is no slouch either looks like a blast good luck not required i'm sure as you have deserved it, well steve did Dave is just an evil mastermind and you have just got to respect that

thanks mikey. now can someone PLEASE explain to me what the hell crossover is. i still cant figure it out....

Crossover is rubbish - that's what it is Wendy The rule I use is - if makes me shiver and feel sick then it's probably crossover.

For example: Skip Mahoney's Janice

Sorry Dave my reply to Wendy crossed with yours...

Kolla Rosie!! Some of my faves are now called crossover.

Never had a love so good, Happy, Independant woman.... All were called Northern Soul back when they were getting played first time, now they are stuck in another room often. Get down to the next Seriously Soulful young lady. Pure quality and no 50s stuff at all ;-)

Kolla Rosie!! Some of my faves are now called crossover.

Never had a love so good, Happy, Independant woman.... All were called Northern Soul back when they were getting played first time, now they are stuck in another room often. Get down to the next Seriously Soulful young lady. Pure quality and no 50s stuff at all  ;-)

link

I know mate funny that eh If i remember correctly the first two were wigan spins as new releases for Richard Searling and the Jan Jones was big for Arthur although that probably did start life in modernish venues back when modern meant seventies

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes................................

Crossover is rubbish - that's what it is Wendy The rule I use is - if makes me shiver and feel sick then it's probably crossover.

For example: Skip Mahoney's Janice

Sorry Dave my reply to Wendy crossed with yours...

link

Ho ho your evilness is spilling over into your day job Foo Yung

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes................................

Kolla Rosie!! Some of my faves are now called crossover.

Never had a love so good, Happy, Independant woman.... All were called Northern Soul back when they were getting played first time, now they are stuck in another room often. Get down to the next Seriously Soulful young lady. Pure quality and no 50s stuff at all  ;-)

link

:o No-one uses my surname bar my mum when she's angry

These songs you mention Mikey all make me feel seriously sick, not soulful! As far as I'm concerned they're very weak songs - like someone's taken a soulful record and drizzled some disco onto it. It's the sort of music Rocky would do his pre-match warm-ups too. I'm happy to discuss crossover more with ya though ... what say we take this into another thread though ?

Ho ho your evilness is spilling over into your day job Foo Yung   

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes................................

link

Laughing my head off... Stop it!

I think I'm one of those weirdos that can quite happily sit in both camps.

Kolla, that CD you did me was fantastic. I've even bought Cleo Randle and Valerie & Nick, still saving up for September Jones though

But I also love all the tracks Mikey mentioned and am lucky enough to own the Jan Jones track and Velvet Hammer, but again saving for the Charles Johnson.

You also put Ella Woods on that CD - surely you can't class that as Kitsch 60's???

Does anybody else 'crossover' into both era's??? Or is it just me

I think I'm one of those weirdos that can quite happily sit in both camps.

Kolla, that CD you did me was fantastic. I've even bought Cleo Randle and Valerie & Nick, still saving up for September Jones though 

But I also love all the tracks Mikey mentioned and am lucky enough to own the Jan Jones track and Velvet Hammer, but again saving for the Charles Johnson.

You also put Ella Woods on that CD - surely you can't class that as Kitsch 60's???

Does anybody else 'crossover' into both era's??? Or is it just me

link

why not crossing over to all eras? there's good soul music in the 60s 70s 80s 90s and yes, new stuff aswell..

Although if i have to choose the 70s is the best

best

Leo

Crossover for me means records that cross over two scenes and could fit into either genre.

eg The Crow is played as a funk record and a northern record.

Jan Jones as a modern and northern record.

Trace Of Smoke is modern and funk.

Or could it mean a record that sits inbetween sounds and doesn't fill either mold?

eg Ree Flores is funk and northern, but doesn't strictly sit in either.

Pure Funk "Nothing Left..." sits inbetween funk and modern, but can't be called either.

Brothers Gimore "I Feel A Song" is not exactly modern or northern, but it's played in both rooms.

Or maybe it means records that were made when artists were being a bit more experimental and gave up the four to the floor banging motown template.

eg. Norma and the Heartaches "Nice And Slow"

Cynthia Sheeler "I'll Cry Over You"

A pretty obscure term. But not as anoying as the "accross the board" that is often used by promoters.

Gareth et al do a "cross over" night at SMERSH, I'm sure they'll clear things up!

why not crossing over to all eras? there's good soul music in the 60s 70s 80s 90s and yes, new stuff aswell..

Leo

link

Absolutely agree ... and you forgot the 50s! I didn' say I disliked 70s anyway - I said I don't like what the soul scene describes as "crossover".

Jamie - you cheeky wee rascal - of course Ella Woods isn't '60s but i'll take the kitsch bit as a compliment

Absolutely agree ... and you forgot the 50s! I didn' say I disliked 70s anyway - I said I don't like what the soul scene describes as "crossover".

Jamie - you cheeky wee rascal - of course Ella Woods isn't '60s but i'll take the kitsch bit as a compliment

link

i didn't FORGET 50s , i just didn't think there were any good stuff from that period.. nah kidding Sam Cooke is one thing from the 50s that is superb

best

Leo

Absolutely agree ... and you forgot the 50s! I didn' say I disliked 70s anyway - I said I don't like what the soul scene describes as "crossover".

Jamie - you cheeky wee rascal - of course Ella Woods isn't '60s but i'll take the kitsch bit as a compliment

link

Guilty as charged!

So is it a particular type of 70's sound that you don't like - e.g. the 'Disco' influenced Hi-Hat sound in Janice, and say, 4 Below Zero 'ESP' type thing?

And is the more mid-tempo stuff like Ella Woods, Dee Dee Warwick and Debbie Taylor more palatable for you?

And is the more mid-tempo stuff like Ella Woods, Dee Dee Warwick and Debbie Taylor more palatable for you?

link

Got it in one.

I don't think "Crossover" as a genre is that helpful a term. Originally it was coined for records which were just good soul that couldn't actually be pigeon-holed as anything else by record dealers. I wouldn't really class Jan Jones, Charles Johnson or Velvet Hammer as Crossover. They all started life as dancefloor records on the old modern northern scene, at venues like Wigan, Bradford and Stafford, where a lot of records which were only a couple of years old (or newer) at the time were played and enjoyed by all.

As the 1980s moved on and contemporary production techniques overtook much iindependently produced soul (crashing drum machines, heavily synthesised strings and horns etc.) the modern sound split from the mainstream northern venues. Records like Jan Jones, Alfie Davison etc. continued to be played on the traditional northern scene, while the modern scene kind of dwindled and mutated into something else, that was not necessarily venue or dancefloor based.

Around the late 1980s and early 1990s what modern venues there were started programming a lot of older-sounding records: it was a kind of backlash against the vapid sounds of contemporary major label output and the diminishing returns of finding independents with the required sound. The older material sounded somehow fresher, and really served to kickstart a moribund collecting scene. A lot of forgotten Mecca and Cleethorpes obscurites got dusted down, together with more than a pinch of earthier southern soul.

Big records of this vintage were labelled Crossover: they appealed to punters from both 'modern' and 'northern' camps. Sounds I remember from this time were things like Willie Tee "First Taste Of Hurt", Cliff Nobles "This Feeling Of Lonlieness" John Edwards "The Look On Your Face", Bobby Reed "The Time Is Right For Love", Maurice Jackson "Lucky Fellow", Margie Joseph "One More Chance", Roz Ryan "You're My Only Temptation", Annette Snell "It's All Over Now", Vic Marcel "You Still Got Me" etc.

Most or all of these had a decidedly midtempo bent, but there was room for other types of sound: John Simeone "Who Do You Love", Tyrone St Germain "In A World So Cold", The Ghetto Children on Roulette and so on.

In summing up, I guess, the Crossover genre can really be pinned down to those records which sounded technologically older, yet still strongly appealed to modern soul fans, regardless of the records' age. I remember the incredible Stomp nights at Camden Dingwalls put on by Simon Dunmore and Ian Clark. Two of the biggest records there were Bill Wright "A Man In Love" and John & The Weirdest "No Time"; what was their common denominator? Quality, I guess.

Sticking my neck out, I'd say most of the current northern or rare soul scene are into Crossover, whether they know it or not. Tunes like The Vanguards "Good Times Bad Times", The Montclairs "Hey You!", The Royal Esquires "Ain't Gonna Run" are classic Crossover material. John Pugh played The Vanguards to acclaim on crossover floors over a decade ago, and the first person I ever heard play The Montclairs out was Garry Dennis, many, many moons ago. Records like "Pyramid" always appealed to fans of 60s, 70s, 80s whatever. Great records will always "cross over" in that they will be appreciated by anyone with a sufficiently adventurous palate.

I would have hoped by now we could have dispensed with any labels other than an umbrella term like "Rare Soul."

It's nothing to get Cross over after all......

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes................................

Spot on Gareth.

IMVFHO Crossover is a much abused and maligned term and ideally you would use a Rare Soul handle but the only problem with that is that, that term is already in use by some, and at the end of the day it doesn't have to be rare although it is always an added bonus when it is

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes................................

I heard Big O like's a bit of cross over sorry come to think of it that was cross dressing..

"I would have hoped by now we could have dispensed with any labels other than an umbrella term like "Rare Soul." "

I agree, but people do like to label music. It makes people feel safe. Like a fluffy pillow.

Have to agree with Troutsky, very well put Gareth.

I sometimes forget that people 'pidgeon hole' certain tracks, while for me they are just brilliant pieces of 'Soul' music.

Like you mentioned Gareth, some people have blinkers on and can only see in one direction.

Pity really.......

Jamie

but where does rare soulful house fit into all this it's rare, it's danceable, it's soulful and people get crossover it

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes................................

Kolla this is a wicked thread, yet more mounting evidence that you are indeed the epitomy of evil

ah right - now i get it (well - no i dont really). thanks kolla - i think your explanation sums it up nicely. crossover - it all those tunes that make me feel like my head's been crushed..that sinking feeling i get when i hear a record that doesnt go stomp stomp stomp sing sing sing bash bash bash.....the mystery is solved!

"I sometimes forget that people 'pidgeon hole' certain tracks, while for me they are just brilliant pieces of 'Soul' music."

To true..... what differnce does it make, call it what you will quality soul is quality soul.. And a good dancer is a good dancer...

My understanding of crossover is a soul record that is too late for a 60s northern sound and recorded too early to be considered modern. This is all regardless of what rooms they get played in. To me, "Just Loving You" by Ruby Andrews is just barely coming over into a crossover sound, even though the production still sounds a little bit 60s. The Ultimates "Girl I've Been Trying to Tell You" is quintessential crossover sounding soul to me. Flame n King "Oh Happy Day" is making its way over into the modern zone, in my opinion. Collins and Collins "Top of the Stairs" is one of the best modern tracks ever, as far as I'm concerned.

Personally, I think a lot of people's taste in soul music relies heavily on their introduction to it. As a child, I listened to 50s music almost exclusively, so that's why I've got a strong stomach for popcorn and really moldie oldie sounding stuff. Then, through adolescence, when I got into hip hop and electro, I was also listening to current black music on the radio, like Loose Ends, Mtume, D-Train, etc., which to my understanding, a lot of UK residents not affiliated with northern soul call "modern". I've also learned that a lot of people from Italy and other countries call my adolescent soul music "boogie". These would be artists like Active Force, High Fashion, Sadane, Kleer, Lilo Thomas, etc. Later on, I developed an appreciation for house music. And once the 90s rolled around and black radio was loaded with Puff Daddy's R&B junk, I declared to those that knew me that soul music was dead and it was reborn in deep house.

With all of that said, it's personally been easy for me to accept styles of soul music like crossover, modern, etc., because I've had a point of reference for it. If you don't, you probably won't relate to it. The mods would cringe when I played songs like "Because of You" by Jackie Wilson, and to a fan of northern soul, that's a floorfiller! You can't really blame people for their tastes I guess. If they can't relate, they won't like it. My DJ partner came from a totally whitebread environment and started with punk, went to ska, then went to real ska and reggae and then soul. So, to him, disco, crossover and modern soul can't be rootsy at all. It also seems to be human nature to criticize what we don't know about. There's lots of music I absolutely refuse to dance to and will never relate to either. My experience is when mods hear an out and out crossover record, it just sounds like disco. It's a shame about disco, too; over here, it gets a bad rap because of things like Saturday Night Fever and the Bee Gees and shit. Tons of great soulful disco records were being made before the whole thing exploded. Plus, people didn't even want to check it out after the stigma of the Village People and bad clothes were attached to it. Many great crossover soul numbers are also great disco numbers too. Four Below Zero is just one of many.

This is why I love northern soul so much. It encompasses all of the great danceable and musical aspects of all of my favorite music. Plus the dancing is great. It's like a perfect marriage of my breakdancing and house dancing, with a little Chicago stepping thrown in.

All I can say is sometimes your tastes can change if you give things a chance and hear it in the right environment. Just because a record doesn't sound as raw as an Eddie Parker, it doesn't mean that it lacks soul or lacks substance.

KTF

Jason

This is "crossover soul" to me... 2001: Black Essence

...but then again I don't give a f**k what the rest of the world would

classify it as... Just great soul music... nothing more - nothing less

Cheers,

Christian B

Crossover for me covers the period from say 1968 - 1973 when the music changesd from the traditional on the fours motown to the smoother philly sound.

The term has been so abused over the past few years that it now means nothing at all.

Derek

Chris

2001 Black Essence is an amazing record. The problem in all of this arises in that promoters in the UK find it very difficult to sell the concept of a club without resorting to arcane terminology. When you pick up a flyer for a club and it just states "Quality Soul" or whatever, people tend to get scared. The labels, unhelpful as they are, will stay for that very reason.

I always chuckle to myself when I see promotional material for Fish's "Without Boundaries" night in Staffordshire. I'm always tempted to go there just to ask for a record which I know they will refuse to play. Tee Hee...

I really do keep meaning to get down to Fish's doo but it always but always clashes with something we have planned

Trotsky

can i ask what the music policy is in valatone? 60s/70s/everything?

hoping to make it over in november...

thanks

link

Bit of everything...I played what I wanted with no restrictions from the Johnny and Phil. Really enjoyed it too, dunno about anyone else though

I don't think "Crossover" as a genre is that helpful a term. Originally it was coined for records which were just good soul that couldn't actually be pigeon-holed as anything else by record dealers. I wouldn't really class Jan Jones, Charles Johnson or Velvet Hammer as Crossover. They all started life as dancefloor records on the old modern northern scene, at venues like Wigan, Bradford and Stafford, where a lot of records which were only a couple of years old (or newer) at the time were played and enjoyed by all.

As the 1980s moved on and contemporary production techniques overtook much iindependently produced soul (crashing drum machines, heavily synthesised strings and horns etc.) the modern sound split from the mainstream northern venues. Records like Jan Jones, Alfie Davison etc. continued to be played on the traditional northern scene, while the modern scene kind of dwindled and mutated into something else, that was not necessarily venue or dancefloor based.

Around the late 1980s and early 1990s what modern venues there were started programming a lot of older-sounding records: it was a kind of backlash against the vapid sounds of contemporary major label output and the diminishing returns of finding independents with the required sound. The older material sounded somehow fresher, and really served to kickstart a moribund collecting scene. A lot of forgotten Mecca and Cleethorpes obscurites got dusted down, together with more than a pinch of earthier southern soul.

Big records of this vintage were labelled Crossover: they appealed to punters from both 'modern' and 'northern' camps. Sounds I remember from this time were things like Willie Tee "First Taste Of Hurt", Cliff Nobles "This Feeling Of Lonlieness" John Edwards "The Look On Your Face", Bobby Reed "The Time Is Right For Love", Maurice Jackson "Lucky Fellow", Margie Joseph "One More Chance", Roz Ryan "You're My Only Temptation", Annette Snell "It's All Over Now", Vic Marcel "You Still Got Me" etc.

Most or all of these had a decidedly midtempo bent, but there was room for other types of sound: John Simeone "Who Do You Love", Tyrone St Germain "In A World So Cold", The Ghetto Children on Roulette and so on.

In summing up, I guess, the Crossover genre can really be pinned down to those records which sounded technologically older, yet still strongly appealed to modern soul fans, regardless of the records' age. I remember the incredible Stomp nights at Camden Dingwalls put on by Simon Dunmore and Ian Clark. Two of the biggest records there were Bill Wright "A Man In Love" and John & The Weirdest "No Time"; what was their common denominator? Quality, I guess.

Sticking my neck out, I'd say most of the current northern or rare soul scene are into Crossover, whether they know it or not. Tunes like The Vanguards "Good Times Bad Times", The Montclairs "Hey You!", The Royal Esquires "Ain't Gonna Run" are classic Crossover material. John Pugh played The Vanguards to acclaim on crossover floors over a decade ago, and the first person I ever heard play The Montclairs out was Garry Dennis, many, many moons ago. Records like "Pyramid" always appealed to fans of 60s, 70s, 80s whatever. Great records will always "cross over" in that they will be appreciated by anyone with a sufficiently adventurous palate.

I would have hoped by now we could have dispensed with any labels other than an umbrella term like "Rare Soul."

link

Gareth i agree with a percentage of what you say, but i personally would not regard the Royal Esquires release as Crossover, but what the hell do i know,but i believe some of the best examples of this "Genre" (in my opinion) are to be heard at the Seriously Soulfull nights in London, which i have had the pleasure to attend, and also listen to your good self play( as you well know). So back to Wendy try make one of these events, they are an excellent night as indeed is the Valatone , which i always believe is another fine example of an across the board policy, that on the occasions of my visits, have heavily played "Crossover".......i'm a fan of this type of sound, hard to really pigeon hole it but i think that the fella BlackWhite sums it up best for me.

Brett

I heard Big O like's a bit of cross over sorry come to think of it that was cross dressing..

Oi Michief you cheeky bugger! Crossover is what's happend to you and Sean as I hear you've crossed over to bat for the other side :-O

Anyway have to rush home to rip the wife's knickers off.......bloody elastic is killing me and is chaffing my inner thigh!

Crossover is rubbish - that's what it is Wendy The rule I use is - if makes me shiver and feel sick then it's probably crossover.

For example: Skip Mahoney's Janice

Sorry Dave my reply to Wendy crossed with yours...

link

Don't I put fine rags on your back Kolla?

Wend, as a big HOUSE officianado I'd have thought you'd go for some of the really modern stuff. I'm afraid you won't get to Seriously Soulfull for a while as it's suspended for a while but as Brett said, George jackson down at Smersh is a must.

Don't I put fine rags on your back Kolla?

emmm yes you do.

But all I was trying to say was that i don't like what I believe is "crossover" music. I like a hell of a lot of modern (though it took me a few years to get there) and I love a lot of the old school house stuff ... but stuff like Never, never, never; Heaven in the Afternoon; that Lady in Red (or red dress song about a prostitute - don't know name), Take me Up to the top of the Stairs stuff just takes me to places I don't want to go to

This is only my opinion and judging by the views on this forum, I'm only a wee minority

Crossover for me covers the period from say 1968 - 1973 when the music changesd from the traditional on the fours motown to the smoother philly sound.

  The term has been so abused over the past few years that it now means nothing at all.

Derek

link

OOPS

Derek sums it up,to me crossover means the transitional period between the late sixties and early seventies.

What about the term 'Modern'

Lot's of people refer to Skip Mahoney,Charles Alston,Lew Kirton as Modern.How can they be Modern?they're 25 years old!They were Modern when they were first played,but not any more,I class them as Northern oldies.They'll probably get played on the main floor at Stoke this weekend,but they certainly won't get a play upstairs in the Modern room.I take 'Modern' to mean new and recent releases.

Hope this hasn't confused the issue too much!

Pete

Brett

Cheers for the plugs. You're probably right on The Royal Esquires. But while it was played at Wigan and is bloody fast, I've always thought of it as being a bit different to a traditional northern sound: there's a fair amount of jazz in there. The mainstream northern rooms probably weren't really ready for it twenty years ago.

Kolla

I think a fair proportion of people on the modern or crossover scenes would share your loathing of some of the records you mention: but these are, in the main, sounds that have stayed on the northern scene almost exclusively; they're as overplayed and played out as records can possibly be, and I class them alongside the 1960s northern oldies that we're all sick to death of hearing (insert your own choices here).

Brett

Cheers for the plugs. You're probably right on The Royal Esquires. But while it was played at Wigan and is bloody fast, I've always thought of it as being a bit different to a traditional northern sound: there's a fair amount of jazz in there. The mainstream northern rooms probably weren't really ready for it twenty years ago.

Kolla

I think a fair proportion of people on the modern or crossover scenes would share your loathing of some of the records you mention: but these are, in the main, sounds that have stayed on the northern scene almost exclusively; they're as overplayed and played out as records can possibly be, and I class them alongside the 1960s northern oldies that we're all sick to death of hearing (insert your own choices here).

link

Gareth do i not only respect your knowledge of soul music but i believe we are also in that small club who delight in wearing "Jack Purcell's" and also their legendary brother the (Leather) White Converse All Star

I heard Big O like's a bit of cross over sorry come to think of it that was cross dressing..

Oi Michief you cheeky bugger! Crossover is what's happend to you and Sean as I hear you've crossed over to bat for the other side :-O

Anyway have to rush home to rip the wife's knickers off.......bloody elastic is killing me and is chaffing my inner thigh!

link

BigO I gave my remark great thought and at first I thought I was out of line then I looked at your picture...(no not the one next to me bed)... looked at that blouse I mean shirt and your long hair..... no i'm sticking with my gut feeling on this one.

This is "crossover soul" to me... 2001: Black Essence 

...but then again I don't give a f**k what the rest of the world would

classify it as... Just great soul music... nothing more - nothing less 

Cheers,

Christian    B

link

I agree entirely with your description Derek. Also agree with later comment, just an excuse now for some sellers to sell shit records that have no place anywhere

       

BigO I gave my remark great thought and at first I thought I was out of line then I looked at your picture...(no not the one next to me bed)... looked at that blouse I mean shirt and your long hair..... no i'm sticking with my gut feeling on this one.

   

link

That shirt was a present from my muvver BITCH! :angry:

Back to the orig question, and hopefully to maybe offer a bit of guidance to Wendy, last time I played at Valatone this was roughly my playlist. The punters seemed happy, Johnny, Phil and co. seemed happy, I was happy ( or is that pissed??). Following the thread I suppose a lot of this would fall into the x-over camp, but who gives a shit. It's all soul....

Corey Blake - How Can I Go On Without You - Capitol

Keni Lewis - What's Her Name - Buddah

Montclairs - Hey You - Arch -

Delegates of Soul - I'll Come Running Back - Uplook

Choice Of Colour - Your Love - APT

Hamilton Movement - She's Gone - Look Out

Ascots - A Few Feet From The Gutter - Playboy

Ultimates - Girl I've Been Trying To Tell You - Br-roma

Earl White Jr - Very Special Girl - Cygnet

Marie Franklin - Being In Love Ain't Easy - Castle

Lynne Varnado - Wash and Wear Love - Sunshine Sound acetate

Isley Brothers - My Love is Your Love - That MFP album!!

Mel Britt - She'll Come Running Back - FIP

Anderson Brothers - I Can See Him Making Love - GSF

Flame n King - Oh Happy Day - NYCS

Al Hudson - Spread Love - ABC

Arthur Miles - Helping hand - FFRR

Way Of Life - Trippin on Your Love - Oh bugger can't remember label or is the label way of life as well??

Tony Troutman - What's the Use -Jerri

Al Green - Let's Stay Together (singalong to finish!)

It's amazing what you can remember from a great night (and from saving your e-mails from the week after!)! Then again, maybe the above is why I haven't been asked back. Johnny?! JOHHHNYY!

Steve

That shirt was a present from my muvver BITCH! :angry:

link

Big O don't call your mother a bitch

Me and a friend of mine Heikki 2 will be playing some soul sounds at a very trendy bar/restaurant and decided to call the night "Crossover goes Cross-kitchen" just to wind everybody up, including ourselves. Let's hope the yuppies won't choke on their lattes.

Heikki 1

I think there should be a campaign to get Gareth writing for a mag. I will admit right now to being a friend of his, but can anyone argue that he doesnt put across his views in a straight forward and knowledgeable way?

He is often one of the most sensible contributors to threads on here. if any of the mags employed him to write articles for them , then I'm sure they would be amongst the most interesting articles in the mag.

I think there should be a campaign to get Gareth writing for a mag. I will admit right now to being a friend of his, but can anyone argue that he doesnt put across his views in a straight forward and knowledgeable way?

He is often one of the most sensible contributors to threads on here. if any of the mags employed him to write articles for them , then I'm sure they would be amongst the most interesting articles in the mag.

link

Here, here!