A ONE TIME OPPORTUNITY..........................................
Way back in the summer of 1975 I had the good fortune one night to be on stage at the Wigan Casino club; even more fortunate in that I was also
one of the DJ's at the Casino.
The Casino was everyone's weekly destination - the pinnacle of northern soul. At the height of its popularity thousands flocked to the doors of the club every Saturday night and tonight was no exception!
Packed to the rafters the music boomed out on the heaving sweating dancers who gyrated and spun like dervishes. The beat of the backing tracks was echoed by the almighty coming together of 1000 sweaty palms in unison. This was Northern Soul!
In the gloom of this crazy scene the DJ sat solemn in his high alter observing the effects of every platter he selected. Then his next choice was
something very special, the announcement came "No Dean Courtney tonight I am going to spin the original version of I'll Always Need You"
Slight pause while everybody took a breath, the collectors in the down stairs bar knew something was afoot and strained their ears to catch what was coming next.
Then in an ear splitting second the opening bars of the song - sung by.......Len Barry! This was an original version much heavier and more pronounced that the version by Dean Courtney, almost tailor made for the scene...........
Did I imagine it; did all of us imagine it?
Why because it was never heard again on the scene, the best thing we had ever heard disappeared before our very eyes......or was I hallucinating?
Was the whole of Wigan on one huge mind bending trip that night?
Had we all had too much of Dave Mitchell?
This became a curse for me as the next ten years I looked for this elusive
album that it was played from. I was told by respected and knowledgeable parties that it had been released in the UK only, but nobody had ever seen the album sleeve......and on and on. Over the years some of the biggest names on the scene said, yes they agreed with the story.
The story became a legend in time and ranks alongside the elusive "vocal" of 6x6, eventually as it happens over time the legend went into a period of denial. "It just doesn't exist said one collector" backed by a number of nodding heads it almost became the pursuit of the Holy Grail!
Then in 2006, some four weeks ago a lonely figure sent out on a pilgrimage from Melton Mowbray in pursuit of a legend. This was no ordinary figure this was a man with an enormous amount of knowledge in the cataloguing of the Northern Soul phenomena.
Destined to meet John Madera, the guy who produced the Len Barry album
The hands sweated the hair stood up on the back of his neck as our intrepid traveller steps forward and places the stylus upon the acetate of this legendary studio album. Boom........its back, found after 30 years in the wilderness.
With a full history of the production and jaw dropping details of the backing artists.....wait for it.....the Tymes and the Sweet Three, our man arrives back in the UK.
With an additional four tracks never before heard on our shores the album motors through a full consultation process (2 bank managers, one intrepid traveller and one DJ) yes me!
And with a final turbo boost it makes its way to Sheffield, and yes guess what
first play at SAMANTHA'S NITER this Easter....just like the old day's.......see you there!!!!
A ONE TIME OPPORTUNITY..........................................
Way back in the summer of 1975 I had the good fortune one night to be on stage at the Wigan Casino club; even more fortunate in that I was also
one of the DJ's at the Casino.
The Casino was everyone's weekly destination - the pinnacle of northern soul. At the height of its popularity thousands flocked to the doors of the club every Saturday night and tonight was no exception!
Packed to the rafters the music boomed out on the heaving sweating dancers who gyrated and spun like dervishes. The beat of the backing tracks was echoed by the almighty coming together of 1000 sweaty palms in unison. This was Northern Soul!
In the gloom of this crazy scene the DJ sat solemn in his high alter observing the effects of every platter he selected. Then his next choice was
something very special, the announcement came "No Dean Courtney tonight I am going to spin the original version of I'll Always Need You"
Slight pause while everybody took a breath, the collectors in the down stairs bar knew something was afoot and strained their ears to catch what was coming next.
Then in an ear splitting second the opening bars of the song - sung by.......Len Barry! This was an original version much heavier and more pronounced that the version by Dean Courtney, almost tailor made for the scene...........
Did I imagine it; did all of us imagine it?
Why because it was never heard again on the scene, the best thing we had ever heard disappeared before our very eyes......or was I hallucinating?
Was the whole of Wigan on one huge mind bending trip that night?
Had we all had too much of Dave Mitchell?
This became a curse for me as the next ten years I looked for this elusive
album that it was played from. I was told by respected and knowledgeable parties that it had been released in the UK only, but nobody had ever seen the album sleeve......and on and on. Over the years some of the biggest names on the scene said, yes they agreed with the story.
The story became a legend in time and ranks alongside the elusive "vocal" of 6x6, eventually as it happens over time the legend went into a period of denial. "It just doesn't exist said one collector" backed by a number of nodding heads it almost became the pursuit of the Holy Grail!
Then in 2006, some four weeks ago a lonely figure sent out on a pilgrimage from Melton Mowbray in pursuit of a legend. This was no ordinary figure this was a man with an enormous amount of knowledge in the cataloguing of the Northern Soul phenomena.
Destined to meet John Madera, the guy who produced the Len Barry album
The hands sweated the hair stood up on the back of his neck as our intrepid traveller steps forward and places the stylus upon the acetate of this legendary studio album. Boom........its back, found after 30 years in the wilderness.
With a full history of the production and jaw dropping details of the backing artists.....wait for it.....the Tymes and the Sweet Three, our man arrives back in the UK.
With an additional four tracks never before heard on our shores the album motors through a full consultation process (2 bank managers, one intrepid traveller and one DJ) yes me!
And with a final turbo boost it makes its way to Sheffield, and yes guess what
first play at SAMANTHA'S NITER this Easter....just like the old day's.......see you there!!!!