I'm not joking, I went to Wigan every single week in 1978 until the middle of August, and I remember it as being pretty good, not as good as 76 and 77 but still good, but I just got a "fresh" Wigan live tape and I'm listening to one of the worst spots I've ever heard - not all bad, but some of the choices are spectacularly bad, needless to say I spent most of those 78 nights gabbing to people rather than dancing.

 

AD LIBS - NY IN THE DARK

CHARLIE GRACIE - HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU LIKE I DO

GERRI THOMAS - LOOK WHAT I GOT

PEGGY MARCH - IF YOU LOVED ME

PALLBEARERS - MUSIC WITH SOUL

RAL DONNER - DON'T LET IT SLIP AWAY

RON GRAINER - THEME FROM JOE 90

STEMMONS EXPRESS - WOMAN LOVE THIEF

EDDIE FOSTER (sic) - DO I LOVE YOU

RAINBOW PEOPLE - LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD

DIANE NEWBY - EVERYTHING'S WRONG

LESLEY GORE - WE KNOW WE'RE IN LOVE

KAREN YOUNG - TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

THE NEWBEATS - DON'T TURN ME LOOSE

FAMILY AFFAIR - LOVE HUSTLE

 

 

anyone care to guess the DJ?

What is this, about June 78?

Edited March 17, 201411 yr by Pete S

Actually I have a Keith Minshull spot from Mach 11th 78 as bad as this featuring Black Power, Tim Tam, loads of UK versions of things..

I'm pleased I wasn't there.

I'm not joking, I went to Wigan every single week in 1978 until the middle of August, and I remember it as being pretty good, not as good as 76 and 77 but still good, but I just got a "fresh" Wigan live tape and I'm listening to one of the worst spots I've ever heard - not all bad, but some of the choices are spectacularly bad, needless to say I spent most of those 78 nights gabbing to people rather than dancing.

 

AD LIBS - NY IN THE DARK

CHARLIE GRACIE - HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU LIKE I DO

GERRI THOMAS - LOOK WHAT I GOT

PEGGY MARCH - IF YOU LOVED ME

PALLBEARERS - MUSIC WITH SOUL

RAL DONNER - DON'T LET IT SLIP AWAY

RON GRAINER - THEME FROM JOE 90

STEMMONS EXPRESS - WOMAN LOVE THIEF

EDDIE FOSTER (sic) - DO I LOVE YOU

RAINBOW PEOPLE - LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD

DIANE NEWBY - EVERYTHING'S WRONG

LESLEY GORE - WE KNOW WE'RE IN LOVE

KAREN YOUNG - TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

THE NEWBEATS - DON'T TURN ME LOOSE

FAMILY AFFAIR - LOVE HUSTLE

 

 

anyone care to guess the DJ?

What is this, about June 78?

 

I wanna say Russ....... cant really remember any of the others playing Joe 90

It's a Russ or a Keith set and yes it was that bad. Stopped going in 78.

I'm not joking, I went to Wigan every single week in 1978 until the middle of August, and I remember it as being pretty good, not as good as 76 and 77 but still good, but I just got a "fresh" Wigan live tape and I'm listening to one of the worst spots I've ever heard - not all bad, but some of the choices are spectacularly bad, needless to say I spent most of those 78 nights gabbing to people rather than dancing.

 

AD LIBS - NY IN THE DARK

CHARLIE GRACIE - HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU LIKE I DO

GERRI THOMAS - LOOK WHAT I GOT

PEGGY MARCH - IF YOU LOVED ME

PALLBEARERS - MUSIC WITH SOUL

RAL DONNER - DON'T LET IT SLIP AWAY

RON GRAINER - THEME FROM JOE 90

STEMMONS EXPRESS - WOMAN LOVE THIEF

EDDIE FOSTER (sic) - DO I LOVE YOU

RAINBOW PEOPLE - LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD

DIANE NEWBY - EVERYTHING'S WRONG

LESLEY GORE - WE KNOW WE'RE IN LOVE

KAREN YOUNG - TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING

THE NEWBEATS - DON'T TURN ME LOOSE

FAMILY AFFAIR - LOVE HUSTLE

 

 

anyone care to guess the DJ?

What is this, about June 78?

Russ Winstanley

Actually I have a Keith Minshull spot from Mach 11th 78 as bad as this featuring Black Power, Tim Tam, loads of UK versions of things

Keith Minshull was my cue to f*ck off to M's he played some dreadful sh*te

Edited March 17, 201411 yr by wicked

.....don't know.....I was in M's missing out on all the new discoveries 

Glad I went to Cleethorpes

Yeah it was a Russ set.  Also played Esko Affair and Helen Shapiro.

I'm pretty sure it wasn't all that bad though. Me and Mr C used to enjoy Alan Rhodes' spots I remember.

Not exclusive to Wigan pop was everywhere!!!!

Glad I went to Cleethorpes

yeh man..............pier woz a breath of fresh air!!!

Don't care what anyone says, even with that pop music, WC still the number one soul venue in my book.

Wasn't all bad, no one took RW seriously at that stage anyway, he was a sellout joke, everyone knew it, you never had to wait very long to hear some class soul if you were there for the night.

The exact reason I stopped going in 78.... As well as getting married that June,....Russ,s spots used to go right over my head..

I went last three to four years enjoyed every one of them

I'd just started going then so it was all new and fantastic for me although looking at that list I can understand people thinking it was shite. I'm sure there would have been plenty of good records played that night as well. Fortunately as has been mentioned many times, searlings late Wigan golden period was just around the corner

I don't know anyone who went to hear Russ do you ?

The exact reason I stopped going in 78.... As well as getting married that June,....Russ,s spots used to go right over my head..

 

Same here..once in Feb and then March..

bet the atmospheres brill pete isnt it?

bet the atmospheres brill pete isnt it?

 

It's not bad but hearing people clapping at the end of Love Hustle does make you think..actually Mark, big disappointment today, old mate of mine said he had ten or so Wigan tapes and they arrived today, unfortunately, at least 5 of them were recorded by - ME!

My time was late '77 to early '81. Enjoyed ALL my visits for one reason or another. Usually some sort of adventure or incident going on!

 

Where are Teddy Vann and James Coit anyway!!

I stopped going late 77 early 78,why? cos' of the bleedin' commercialism!

I'm sure there was none of that crap in the Wheel days (although i was too young back then)

I know that promoters/dj's had a duty to please so many tastes but me, i used to cringe inside at all the NONE-SOUL

Most of the soul clubs of the day included a smattering of poppy type northern, but Wigan took it too far!     All those gems waiting to be discovered too.

Stemmons Express is about the only saveable track in that lot for me. Though I prefer The Precisions these days, it was Stemmons Express I heard first. Peggy March and Jackie Trent were the straw that broke the camel's back for me... I didn't go back to Wigan till mid 1980... Trouble was, you couldn't escape it anywhere else either. It was either the Funk room or the record room...

That's sad playlist, Early doors, I'd either track through the record bar, talk shite, or sit on the stage waiting for something better. I don't think RW ever knew he'd become a warm-up jock by '77. From 3:00 am it got better, some good off-the-wall stuff in the main room.

As soon as I saw "love hustle" in the playlist it had to be RW.

I'd gone over to the east coast, venue wise, when the Pier opened, but in 1978 a mate came round to borrow some records to tape.

After he'd about got enough for this time (he made about 5 / 6 visits) he started looking through some bits I'd put to one side which were market stall 'blind buys' - he picked up a copy of Love Hustle and said that it was getting plays at Wigan by RW.

I said are you sure it's that record, not something else? He then played it on the record player and confirmed it was that one.

 

That convinced me not to rush back for another visit in the near future! 

 

Agreed though, the pop aspect was spreading almost everywhere for the next few years! 

"‹I was in the record bar snapping up all the despondent peoples  soul records cheaply !! lol

9 times out of ten and Lou Christie were regular Minshull spins then !

I think everyone is forgetting the impact Ad Libs - 'New York in the dark "had. Well it did on me.

Edited March 19, 201411 yr by KevH

I don't know anyone who went to hear Russ do you ?

 

As soon as I saw "love hustle" in the playlist it had to be RW.

I'd gone over to the east coast, venue wise, when the Pier opened, but in 1978 a mate came round to borrow some records to tape.

After he'd about got enough for this time (he made about 5 / 6 visits) he started looking through some bits I'd put to one side which were market stall 'blind buys' - he picked up a copy of Love Hustle and said that it was getting plays at Wigan by RW.

 

 

Love Hussle was massive for a few weeks - four spins a night…..

I think everyone is forgetting the impact Ad Libs - 'ny I'm the dark "had. Well it did on me.

 

I really like that.  And I really like Stemmons Express.

It's all relative really. These tunes were deemed OK at the time. They were better than some of the 70's Newies played around then. Compared to today's wealth of excellent sounds, sure most of these are insignificant, but the Ad Libs were big then and still a Classic Oldie now, likewise, Stemmons Express. I have no complaints about the Wigan playlists - they were simply what was being turned up as the Tomangoes, Shaun Robinson, Velvet Satins etc were sidelined. Is the tape a selection of tunes recorded stop-start or a solid 30 or 45 minutes; if the former then obviously someone liked them, if the latter then it is weaker, commercially oriented set? For me, Russ was the main man and he made the Casino the number one all-time allnighter.

It's all relative really. These tunes were deemed OK at the time. They were better than some of the 70's Newies played around then. Compared to today's wealth of excellent sounds, sure most of these are insignificant, but the Ad Libs were big then and still a Classic Oldie now, likewise, Stemmons Express. I have no complaints about the Wigan playlists - they were simply what was being turned up as the Tomangoes, Shaun Robinson, Velvet Satins etc were sidelined. Is the tape a selection of tunes recorded stop-start or a solid 30 or 45 minutes; if the former then obviously someone liked them, if the latter then it is weaker, commercially oriented set? For me, Russ was the main man and he made the Casino the number one all-time allnighter.

 

No it's a straight run through of Russ' first hour set.  Bobby Paris was on there as well (I Walked Away), about the best track (apart from Stemmens)

It's all relative really. These tunes were deemed OK at the time. They were better than some of the 70's Newies played around then. Compared to today's wealth of excellent sounds, sure most of these are insignificant, but the Ad Libs were big then and still a Classic Oldie now, likewise, Stemmons Express. I have no complaints about the Wigan playlists - they were simply what was being turned up as the Tomangoes, Shaun Robinson, Velvet Satins etc were sidelined. Is the tape a selection of tunes recorded stop-start or a solid 30 or 45 minutes; if the former then obviously someone liked them, if the latter then it is weaker, commercially oriented set? For me, Russ was the main man and he made the Casino the number one all-time allnighter.

Those tunes were about as divisive for many folk as the 70s newies were. They were deemed ok only by the folk that played them or danced to them, and you can apply that to both camps. 

No it's a straight run through of Russ' first hour set.  Bobby Paris was on there as well (I Walked Away), about the best track (apart from Stemmens)

Not his finest set perhaps and one that should have been better given it was the first hour and punters would have expected the unveiling of the next big sound...

Apart from Ad-Libs and Stemmons Express all seem really dire and best forgotten so why do some still get played today. Just because you've paid a load for a first issue UK demo of Peggy March you don't have to play in your DJ spot. Listen to it at hone,in a darkened room, with headphones on then file it away, forever. Same goes for Charlie Gracie.

Rick

If Bobby Paris "I Walked Away" is the best record or joint record of that time....than thank God I had jacked.

He had two "oldies" that were far better.......was it that bad????

I'm not joking, I went to Wigan every single week in 1978 until the middle of August, and I remember it as being pretty good, not as good as 76 and 77 but still good, but I just got a "fresh" Wigan live tape and I'm listening to one of the worst spots I've ever heard - not all bad, but some of the choices are spectacularly bad, needless to say I spent most of those 78 nights gabbing to people rather than dancing.

 

AD LIBS - NY IN THE DARK

CHARLIE GRACIE - HE'LL NEVER LOVE YOU LIKE I DO

GERRI THOMAS - LOOK WHAT I GOT

PEGGY MARCH - IF YOU LOVED ME

 

RAL DONNER - DON'T LET IT SLIP AWAY

 

STEMMONS EXPRESS - WOMAN LOVE THIEF

 

RAINBOW PEOPLE - LIVING IN A DREAM WORLD

 

 

 

THE NEWBEATS - DON'T TURN ME LOOSE

FAMILY AFFAIR - LOVE HUSTLE

 

That's a lot better with a few deleted.  Many happy times spent dancing to above tunes. And not afraid to admit it to the soul police. Steve

Just out of interest,when was DILY first played,

I know my visits tailed off in 78-not sure when, but I can't ever remember hearing it played,

May be more than one reason for that of course...

Ouch! Glad I was in short trousers.

    :shhh:Hi All... Wigan 78 was the same thing over & over again, I liked most of the records, we all no that the crap should never been played, for me Wigan turned into a money making kids playground, young kids walking around all  night after they had taken a £10 wrap of bad gear (pink sulphate)   yep I to dropped of the scene in 78 for a 5 year rest?   

 DAVE K

You all seem to forget that where started is not where we were going to end up!!. In 1978 i would have danced to these tracks and i would bet that a lot of would have but now don't want to admit it.

You all seem to forget that where started is not where we were going to end up!!. In 1978 i would have danced to these tracks and i would bet that a lot of would have but now don't want to admit it.

 

I'd still pick 75% of it over some of the modern shite! some Dj's play today.And it was still far better than anything being played in the Nightclubs of the day Get over it 

OK all you "thank f*ck I'd stopped going by then" types

What about Footsee, Wayne Gibson, Javells etc etc…….1974/5 wasn't it? No it can't have been cos everything was perfect then

OK all you "thank f*ck I'd stopped going by then" types

What about Footsee, Wayne Gibson, Javells etc etc…….1974/5 wasn't it? No it can't have been cos everything was perfect then

 

It was Steve. .Nowt wrong with Wayne Gibson.

 

And it was still far better than anything being played in the Nightclubs of the day Get over it 

 

Depends which nightclubs you went to. Scarborough Tiffs Bali Hai room was playing some deadly northern, funk and disco and I'm sure many other nightclubs up and down the country played much better music also. I'm glad that I didn't hear much of that Russ/Keith rubbish when I started to go to Wigan as it would have put me off for good. Richard Searling was the man who put the soul into northern for me and it was his sets that stoked the Casino for me.

Depends which nightclubs you went to. Scarborough Tiffs Bali Hai room was playing some deadly northern, funk and disco and I'm sure many other nightclubs up and down the country played much better music also. I'm glad that I didn't hear much of that Russ/Keith rubbish when I started to go to Wigan as it would have put me off for good. Richard Searling was the man who put the soul into northern for me and it was his sets that stoked the Casino for me.

 

We were made of tough stuff Jordi.Some still seek therapy for what was inflicted on them by Russ/Keith.When Richard came on it was like waiting at Lexington 125 for the man.

You all seem to forget that where started is not where we were going to end up!!. In 1978 i would have danced to these tracks and i would bet that a lot of would have but now don't want to admit it.

 

I must admit that at times like this Keb's quote from C4 "Chasing Rainbows" (Stafford) rings in my ears............" I wasn't born a purist, ken?"

 

 

Cheers,

Mark R

We were made of tough stuff Jordi.Some still seek therapy for what was inflicted on them by Russ/Keith.When Richard came on it was like waiting at Lexington 125 for the man.

 

Richard was playing some not so great stuff at this time as well, Wakefield Sun, Harley Hatcher, John Gary, Paul Anka for a start

Richard was playing some not so great stuff at this time as well, Wakefield Sun, Harley Hatcher, John Gary, Paul Anka for a start

 

True.

True.

 

79 was where the comeback started I think.  Quality of records in unbelievable compared to 78.