Wigan Top 20 June 1975

[Kegsy]

1 hour ago, Winsford Soul said:

Only ever went the to the highland room twice. Couldn't see the point trying to get to Blackpool when I had enough trouble in 1975 at 16 years of age getting the 20 miles from Widnes to Wigan. Bus, train, hitch a lift , cadge a lift 

Steve

Good God man were you the only 16 year old in Widnes who didn't know how to nick a car. ☺

[Winsford Soul]

3 minutes ago, Kegsy said:

Good God man were you the only 16 year old in Widnes who didn't know how to nick a car. ☺

My girlfriend taught me. 

Steve 

[Kegsy]

2 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

My girlfriend taught me. 

Steve 

Why doesn't that surprise me ?

[Winsford Soul]

10 minutes ago, Kegsy said:

Why doesn't that surprise me ?

because it's Widnes and you obviously know what sort of place it used to be in the 70.s 

Steve 

[Kegsy]

26 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

because it's Widnes and you obviously know what sort of place it used to be in the 70.s 

Steve 

I may have crashed there occasionally but I'll plead the fifth on it if asked. Happy daze (no spelling mistake) mate.

[Zed1]

On 23/03/2018 at 17:34, dylan said:

Coming late to the soul scene at least i dont have to look through rose tinted specs at some of the pop music that got played.

 

quality control seems much better now if you pick venues with the right dj's or promotors.

No 'Rose tinted" here, and for many thousands of others as well,  don't take one VERY bias playlist from one month in one year and come up with all the Sweeping generalisations that others have posted on here. 

For many of us Station Rd was the start of our Northern soul journey and despite just being referred to as 'Divvys' we were actually able to filter out the crap being played and what was left was some of the finest music  ever played on the scene. Don't take my word for it, there are plenty of Northern Soul years playlists on here covering this time so instead of believing all the second hand bollocks, take a listen and I'll think you'll actually find that Wigan wasn't 'just' 8 weekly hours of "Pop music" as you put it.

Also, I've been to every type of Nite in 40+ years on the scene from the VERY same old-same old to the Rarest of the rare and you'll just have to trust me on this, but they ALL play crap, even if some Willy Waving DJ tell's you his latest overpriced rare ebay purchase is total quality and the next best thing.... so arriving late really doesn't mean you've missed the Shite..... honest.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Zed1

[Gold Band]

On 23/03/2018 at 23:23, Joey said:

You are missing the point completely. I tried to explain why so many people left the scene at the time, and did so with great frustration and anger. At no point have I ever tried to belittle anyone's time on the scene. I say again, that we all enjoyed our time, regardless of when it was. FYI, although an attendee at all the clubs recognised as being the top venues in Northern souls heyday, my very best experiences were in that first year or so at the Casino. Until a group of people changed things for their own reasons. If you weren't there prior to this, then it's absolutely impossible for me to get across what happened, and what it meant to people. Or at least most of them anyway. I also came back into the scene later in life, and like yourself once again enjoyed myself immensely. That however, doesn't change what happened, nor how I still feel about the whole affair. Easy on the sarcasm next time, eh? 

The point I was trying to get over was that all though it was over for some it was the beginning for people like me who had only just entered the Northern Soul Arena, so what is shite to yourself were the tracks we were enjoying as the next generation of what was rapidly becoming a dare I say a popular scene as youth clubs across the country had started playing a different kind of music where I witnessed boys dancing on their own on the dancefloor in a magical fashion to a music that was Alien from the Glam Rock of the era. I myself was drawn into a great new Music that is called Northern Soul today & tho my tastes have evolved & changed over the years I still look back at those years after 74 as magical, so your statement seemed to attempt to crush my feelings for the beginning of my journey. On a brighter note it does feel great to be to YOUNG for something I haven't had that feeling for a few years & it's made me feel alot better so thank you Joey & that's not sarcasm it's euphoria. 

Kirsty

[Dylan]

24 minutes ago, Zed1 said:

No 'Rose tinted" here, and for many thousands of others as well,  don't take one VERY bias playlist from one month in one year and come up with all the Sweeping generalisations that others have posted on here. 

For many of us Station Rd was the start of our Northern soul journey and despite just being referred to as 'Divvys' we were actually able to filter out the crap being played and what was left was some of the finest music  ever played on the scene. Don't take my word for it, there are plenty of Northern Soul years playlists on here covering this time so instead of believing all the second hand crap, take a listen and I'll think you'll actually find that Wigan wasn't 8 weekly hours of "Pop music" as you put it.

Also, I've been to every type of Nite in 40+ years on the scene from VERY same old-same old to the Rarest of the rare and you'll just have to trust me on this, but they ALL play crap, even if some Willy Waving DJ tell's you his latest overpriced rare ebay purchase is total quality and the next best thing.... so arriving late really doesn't mean you'll missed the Shite..... honest.

Fair enough my post was a bit generic and obviously not telling Anything like the full story.

There are plenty of oldies that I love.

and yes there is some dross played still.

 

if i’m Told a record is rare or great i’m Curious enough to check it out but that doesn’t mean i’ll Like it.

 

i like to think i’m Able to decide what I like for myself not rely on others to tell me.

[Zed1]

17 minutes ago, dylan said:

 

 

i like to think i’m Able to decide what I like for myself not rely on others to tell me.

In many ways I envy you, just imagine being able to listen to some of these fantastic tracks through fresh ears.  I can still remember hearing Uncle Dickie playing CW for the first time in late 78.... an almost life changing experience.

Enjoy the Journey.

 

Edited March 25, 2018 by Zed1

[Dylan]

32 minutes ago, Zed1 said:

In many ways I envy you, just imagine being able to listen to some of these fantastic tracks through fresh ears.  I can still remember hearing Uncle Dickie playing CW for the first time in late 78.... an almost life changing experience.

Enjoy the Journey.

 

My fresh ear days were about 22 ish years ago but yes it was fantastic.

 

hearing things like Jimmie rays “philly dog” for the first time and thinking wow !!! How did I not listen to this until now.

 

when I watch the old Wigan footage I could also be envious for the atmosphere.  It looks incredible.

 

i have never been in a northern club with an atmosphere to match that.

 

closest I came was early 90s house clubs 

Edited March 25, 2018 by dylan

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Gold Band said:

The point I was trying to get over was that all though it was over for some it was the beginning for people like me who had only just entered the Northern Soul Arena, so what is shite to yourself were the tracks we were enjoying as the next generation of what was rapidly becoming a dare I say a popular scene as youth clubs across the country had started playing a different kind of music where I witnessed boys dancing on their own on the dancefloor in a magical fashion to a music that was Alien from the Glam Rock of the era. I myself was drawn into a great new Music that is called Northern Soul today & tho my tastes have evolved & changed over the years I still look back at those years after 74 as magical, so your statement seemed to attempt to crush my feelings for the beginning of my journey. On a brighter note it does feel great to be to YOUNG for something I haven't had that feeling for a few years & it's made me feel alot better so thank you Joey & that's not sarcasm it's euphoria. 

Kirsty

Kirsty,

There was absolutely no attempt to either belittle or crush anyones feelings or memories. Sometimes, it is extremely difficult to convey thoughts and feelings in text form, rather than face to face and by word of mouth. This post, and others I have made, is by no means an attempt at one-upmanship or anything else. It's an attempt to get across to people who may not have been there at the time, exactly what happened, as seen and felt by many of the kids on the scene back then. Your time on the scene, although different to mine, and at a different time and place, would have seen you have just as much fun as I did. Neither of us could have had a "better" or "worse" time than the other. You, and others who have probably not been happy with what I have previously written, will know how much joy the scene has given you over the years, and continues to give to this day. Imagine then, feeling as we did back then, having that scene seemingly ripped apart, and virtually taken away from you. And against your wishes. It was all some of us had. Back then, in addition to not having money, or jobs, we didn't even have any bloody hope either. The weekend was all we had. Think about this, and try to understand the feelings. In 1975, some incredibly major changes were brought about by a few influential people. This wasn't just at the Casino, but also elsewhere. The changes wrought at Wigan were made for purely commercial reasons, not to enhance the scene or move it forward. Over the course of just a few months, many, many people who had been on the scene since its very earliest years were so dispirited that they left, most never to return. They were replaced by a newer, younger set of kids, much like ourselves had been years earlier. Nothing wrong with that, its progress after all, and ultimately ensured that the scene actually survived. Unfortunately, the whole Divvy subject does have to be addressed. Divvies weren't ALL new faces. If they had been, we'd never have had a scene, would we? Some people on this forum seem to believe that anyone mentioning the Divvies is trying to have a go at anyone who came onto the scene after they did. Not so. Not nearly so. But, for every one such as yourself, who entered the scene, loved it, became a part of it, and stayed, there were, in that year, dozens and dozens of others who turned up by the coachload every week, spent the entire night slumped asleep over a table, half pissed, and never returned again. It tended to change the atmosphere a bit, as I'm sure you can understand, and didn't go down very well at all. Many have written books on this period, and this subject has been touched on multiple times. It happened, it wasn't liked, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Another of the changes was in music policy. No, the above list isn't truly representative of what was being played at the time, and as you say, even the more pop orientated tunes were far better than The Sweet, Mud, Rubettes and Alvin Stardust garbage being force fed to the rest of the UK population in 1975. But, the percentage of pop stuff being played most definitely did increase markedly. As did certain tunes which were actually being manufactured purely for the Casino dance floor. At times it felt that as long as something was 100mph, and the drugs kicked in well enough for the floor to be full, Russ and Richard would probably play it. Compared to what had been played only twelve months earlier, it was indeed viewed as crap by many people. Of course, this was balanced out by some exceptional new discoveries, and the above list, as I have already said, was not terribly representative. (Published, once again, for commercial reasons probably).

Now allow me to try to elaborate on the "underground' aspect, and why it was so important to us. As I've written above, most kids had nothing back then. Its easy to forget just how bloody drab and horrid it was for working class kids in the early part of the decade. The scene, being unknown to 99% of the population, actually made us feel special for the first time in our young lives. No hopes, no dreams, but at least for a few hours every Saturday night/Sunday morning, we could be somebody, and forget everything else. The decision to drag the scene kicking and screaming into the full glare of the mainstream media was traumatising. There was a vote one night at the Casino, regarding whether or not to allow the cameras in. It was a resounding "NO", by just about 100%. Completely ignored of course! Now, some, like yourself, will maintain that this actually helped you to discover and become a part of the scene. I maintain thats nonsense. How do you think we all got into it? Through the very way that you did, via the youth clubs and influences of older kids already on the scene. It didn't need the publicity of the BBC and Daily Mirror. It could, in most peoples opinions, have stayed as an underground scene, and would still have had new people arriving every week. Then again, no money to be made that way, was there? 

As you can see, multiple reasons for the way I feel, and with them all happening at more or less the very same time, it just compounded everything. My best friends for many years weren't the kids I grew up and went to school with, but like minded souls from far away exotic places such as Stoke, Leeds and Wolverhampton. In just a few months, I lost most of them. They left, never to reappear, and that was the last I heard of them. It really did suck. Believe me.

But, like many others, I returned one day. Older, wiser, and more easy going. The scene has survived. No, not nearly as edgy and groundbreaking as it was in the early days, but survived nonetheless. And as long as people enjoy it, and the music, then can we complain too much? I have my memories, as everyone does, and they keep me warm at night, as I'm sure yours do also.

I hope that in my elderly, ham-fisted and gauche way, I have managed to get across my feelings and memories, and also been able to flesh out some of the details that soulies who were not on the scene then, can now, finally, understand. There is no "right" nor is there any "wrong" to this. Just the scene. Different tunes, different clubs, different times, but still, in many ways, the same. Long may it remain so.

Keep on keeping on,

Joey.

Edited March 25, 2018 by Guest

[Guest Soulatthedale]

1 hour ago, Joey said:

Kirsty,

There was absolutely no attempt to either belittle or crush anyones feelings or memories. Sometimes, it is extremely difficult to convey thoughts and feelings in text form, rather than face to face and by word of mouth. This post, and others I have made, is by no means an attempt at one-upmanship or anything else. It's an attempt to get across to people who may not have been there at the time, exactly what happened, as seen and felt by many of the kids on the scene back then. Your time on the scene, although different to mine, and at a different time and place, would have seen you have just as much fun as I did. Neither of us could have had a "better" or "worse" time than the other. You, and others who have probably not been happy with what I have previously written, will know how much joy the scene has given you over the years, and continues to give to this day. Imagine then, feeling as we did back then, having that scene seemingly ripped apart, and virtually taken away from you. And against your wishes. It was all some of us had. Back then, in addition to not having money, or jobs, we didn't even have any bloody hope either. The weekend was all we had. Think about this, and try to understand the feelings. In 1975, some incredibly major changes were brought about by a few influential people. This wasn't just at the Casino, but also elsewhere. The changes wrought at Wigan were made for purely commercial reasons, not to enhance the scene or move it forward. Over the course of just a few months, many, many people who had been on the scene since its very earliest years were so dispirited that they left, most never to return. They were replaced by a newer, younger set of kids, much like ourselves had been years earlier. Nothing wrong with that, its progress after all, and ultimately ensured that the scene actually survived. Unfortunately, the whole Divvy subject does have to be addressed. Divvies weren't ALL new faces. If they had been, we'd never have had a scene, would we? Some people on this forum seem to believe that anyone mentioning the Divvies is trying to have a go at anyone who came onto the scene after they did. Not so. Not nearly so. But, for every one such as yourself, who entered the scene, loved it, became a part of it, and stayed, there were, in that year, dozens and dozens of others who turned up by the coachload every week, spent the entire night slumped asleep over a table, half pissed, and never returned again. It tended to change the atmosphere a bit, as I'm sure you can understand, and didn't go down very well at all. Many have written books on this period, and this subject has been touched on multiple times. It happened, it wasn't liked, but there was nothing that could be done about it. Another of the changes was in music policy. No, the above list isn't truly representative of what was being played at the time, and as you say, even the more pop orientated tunes were far better than The Sweet, Mud, Rubettes and Alvin Stardust garbage being force fed to the rest of the UK population in 1975. But, the percentage of pop stuff being played most definitely did increase markedly. As did certain tunes which were actually being manufactured purely for the Casino dance floor. At times it felt that as long as something was 100mph, and the drugs kicked in well enough for the floor to be full, Russ and Richard would probably play it. Compared to what had been played only twelve months earlier, it was indeed viewed as crap by many people. Of course, this was balanced out by some exceptional new discoveries, and the above list, as I have already said, was not terribly representative. (Published, once again, for commercial reasons probably).

Now allow me to try to elaborate on the "underground' aspect, and why it was so important to us. As I've written above, most kids had nothing back then. Its easy to forget just how bloody drab and horrid it was for working class kids in the early part of the decade. The scene, being unknown to 99% of the population, actually made us feel special for the first time in our young lives. No hopes, no dreams, but at least for a few hours every Saturday night/Sunday morning, we could be somebody, and forget everything else. The decision to drag the scene kicking and screaming into the full glare of the mainstream media was traumatising. There was a vote one night at the Casino, regarding whether or not to allow the cameras in. It was a resounding "NO", by just about 100%. Completely ignored of course! Now, some, like yourself, will maintain that this actually helped you to discover and become a part of the scene. I maintain thats nonsense. How do you think we all got into it? Through the very way that you did, via the youth clubs and influences of older kids already on the scene. It didn't need the publicity of the BBC and Daily Mirror. It could, in most peoples opinions, have stayed as an underground scene, and would still have had new people arriving every week. Then again, no money to be made that way, was there? 

As you can see, multiple reasons for the way I feel, and with them all happening at more or less the very same time, it just compounded everything. My best friends for many years weren't the kids I grew up and went to school with, but like minded souls from far away exotic places such as Stoke, Leeds and Wolverhampton. In just a few months, I lost most of them. They left, never to reappear, and that was the last I heard of them. It really did suck. Believe me.

But, like many others, I returned one day. Older, wiser, and more easy going. The scene has survived. No, not nearly as edgy and groundbreaking as it was in the early days, but survived nonetheless. And as long as people enjoy it, and the music, then can we complain too much? I have my memories, as everyone does, and they keep me warm at night, as I'm sure yours do also.

I hope that in my elderly, ham-fisted and gauche way, I have managed to get across my feelings and memories, and also been able to flesh out some of the details that soulies who were not on the scene then, can now, finally, understand. There is no "right" nor is there any "wrong" to this. Just the scene. Different tunes, different clubs, different times, but still, in many ways, the same. Long may it remain so.

Keep on keeping on,

Joey.

Perfectly put, that's exactly how it was.

[Zed1]

4 hours ago, soulatthedale said:

 that's exactly how it was.

Yep!. 

 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Zed1 said:

Yep!. 

 

Funnily enough, I really did think about mentioning the Python sketch as I was tapping away. All the best comedy has a large element of truth embedded in it.

[Zed1]

On 24/03/2018 at 18:14, Kegsy said:

Good God man were you the only 16 year old in Widnes who didn't know how to nick a car. ☺

This was Widnes remember - there were no Cars, and the only other local transport available had a nosebag and if he'd have nicked that no one in the town would have got their Coal. 

Edited March 25, 2018 by Zed1

[Zed1]

Shamelessly nicked this podcast with many of the big sounds from 75ish just to show it wasn't all doom & gloom (hope you don't mind Pete).

We all might be well used to them now, but just imagine what it must have been like hearing them for the first time......

 

Edited March 25, 2018 by Zed1

[Winsford Soul]

1 hour ago, Zed1 said:

This was Widnes remember - there were no Cars, and the only other local transport available had a nosebag and if he'd have nicked that no one in the town would have got their Coal. 

Gaz. How very dare you. Our coal man had a van. The rag and bone man still used a horse though . 

Steve 

[Guest]

2 hours ago, Zed1 said:

Shamelessly nicked this podcast with many of the big sounds from 75ish just to show it wasn't all doom & gloom (hope you don't mind Pete).

We all might be well used to them now, but just imagine what it must have been like hearing them for the first time......

 

A very interesting and enjoyable set of high quality tunes. About 45 of them could, by the middle of 1975, be legitimately considered as "oldies". Several of these 45 were broken the previous year, at the Casino, but at least 25 of them were old Torch/Mecca/Catacombs monsters, from well before the Casino was even considered as a venue. Two or three even older than that, and played extensively at the Wheel.  Kinda puts that Record Mirror list in a different light, and possibly confirms suspicions that it really was no more than a marketing ploy to rake in cash for some people?

And yes, on first hearing these, it really did blow your mind. Very much so. They still make the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. Even without chemical assistance. 

Edited March 25, 2018 by Guest

[Guest]

On 24/03/2018 at 16:31, Winsford Soul said:

Only ever went the to the highland room twice. Couldn't see the point trying to get to Blackpool when I had enough trouble in 1975 at 16 years of age getting the 20 miles from Widnes to Wigan. Bus, train, hitch a lift , cadge a lift 

Steve

I can certainly relate to that, as it was the same trying to get to Blackpool from Oldham. Unless you knew someone with a motor, (unlikely back then), you were pretty much snookered. Meant that visits to the Mecca were few and far between. Even if you went by bus or train, you still had a hell of a wait on the Sunday before starting the journey home. 

[Back Street Blue]

9 hours ago, Joey said:

I can certainly relate to that, as it was the same trying to get to Blackpool from Oldham. Unless you knew someone with a motor, (unlikely back then), you were pretty much snookered. Meant that visits to the Mecca were few and far between. Even if you went by bus or train, you still had a hell of a wait on the Sunday before starting the journey home. 

Yellow Ways Coaches got me to the Mecca 

[Guest]

1 hour ago, back street blue said:

Yellow Ways Coaches got me to the Mecca 

Christ, YellowWays Charabancs. I haven't thought of them for decades. Me and Dave Howe used them to go to Blackpool for our weeks holiday prior to joining the Navy in 74. Usually tried to use the train, but did on one occasion have to utilise local bus services to get there and back. I think it was seven buses in each bloody direction! Orange and cream colour, was it "Selnec" who were the operators back then? The bloody lengths we used to go to, just to dance!!!!!! 

Edited March 26, 2018 by Guest

[Back Street Blue]

4 minutes ago, Joey said:

Christ, YellowWays Charabancs. I haven't thought of them for decades. Me and Dave Howe used them to go to Blackpool for our weeks holiday prior to going the Navy in 74. Usually tried to use the train, but did on one occasion have to utilise local bus services to get there and back. I think it was seven buses in each bloody direction! Orange and cream colour, was it "Selnec" who were the operators back then? The bloody lengths we used to go to, just to dance!!!!!! 

......us young 'uns used the Trans Lancs Express to get to Wigan, party bus......2p to Bolton, then 2p to wigan from there!!!

 

[Guest]

26 minutes ago, back street blue said:

......us young 'uns used the Trans Lancs Express to get to Wigan, party bus......2p to Bolton, then 2p to wigan from there!!!

 

Aah, the old Trans Lancs Express. Most uncomfortable buses I ever rode on. Never used it to get TO Wigan, but did travel on it late Sundays after spending the day after the Niter with my then girlfriend, Mandy, from Ashton in Makerfield. Bloody uncomfortable journey when solidly blocked up, and a head like a cabbage.

[Godzilla]

52 minutes ago, back street blue said:

......us young 'uns used the Trans Lancs Express to get to Wigan, party bus......2p to Bolton, then 2p to wigan from there!!!

 

Chatting to the pensioners on their way to play bingo in Bolton...

[Back Street Blue]

1 minute ago, Godzilla said:

Chatting to the pensioners on their way to play bingo in Bolton...

[Guest Soulatthedale]

58 minutes ago, Godzilla said:

Chatting to the pensioners on their way to play bingo in Bolton...

[Zed1]

21 hours ago, Winsford Soul said:

Gaz. How very dare you. Our coal man had a van. The rag and bone man still used a horse though . 

Steve 

Usual route for us on the right side of the bridge was the last bus to Warrington, hang around in the Patten Arms for an hour then jump the last train from Bank Quay to Wigan. We did (Debs & me) go on my RD250 one week and left it parked in the high Rise over the road fully expecting it to have gone the following morning. 

Edited March 26, 2018 by Zed1

[Winsford Soul]

39 minutes ago, Zed1 said:

Usual route for us on the right side of the bridge was the last bus to Warrington, hang around in the Patten Arms for an hour then jump the last train from Bank Quay to Wigan. We did (Debs & me) go on my RD250 one week and left it parked in the high Rise over the road fully expecting it to have gone the following morning. 

Very similar mate. Jump the last bus to Warrington.  Patten Arms. Where I first met you I think. Kim. Chrissie Jones.  Dusty. Yogo.  Eddie Whiteside.  The Merrells. Mike n Ste Dean. Ufo. Neil Mercer  etc.   Jump train to Wigan. Good times my friend. 

Steve 

[Zed1]

34 minutes ago, Winsford Soul said:

Very similar mate. Jump the last bus to Warrington.  Patten Arms. Where I first met you I think. Kim. Chrissie Jones.  Dusty. Yogo.  Eddie Whiteside.  The Merrells. Mike n Ste Dean. Ufo. Neil Mercer  etc.   Jump train to Wigan. Good times my friend. 

Steve 

And sadly Ste there are a fair few of those no longer with us. 

[Winsford Soul]

40 minutes ago, Zed1 said:

And sadly Ste there are a fair few of those no longer with us. 

Too many my friend in fact about half of those have been taken to the big all nighter in the sky. R.I. P

Steve 

[Geeselad]

On 25/03/2018 at 12:41, dylan said:

My fresh ear days were about 22 ish years ago but yes it was fantastic.

 

hearing things like Jimmie rays “philly dog” for the first time and thinking wow !!! How did I not listen to this until now.

 

when I watch the old Wigan footage I could also be envious for the atmosphere.  It looks incredible.

 

i have never been in a northern club with an atmosphere to match that.

 

closest I came was early 90s house clubs 

A few old boys I know thought the atmosphere in the hacienda and shelly's betterd  that of both the torch and wigan. Personally burnley , go go and soulfunction could be up there with some of the best nights I've had for atmosphere. 

Edited March 27, 2018 by geeselad

[Dylan]

40 minutes ago, geeselad said:

A few old boys I know thought the atmosphere in the hacienda and shelly's betterd  that of both the torch and wigan. Personally burnley , go go and soulfunction could be up there with some of the best nights I've had for atmosphere. 

Do you ever envisage the classic house music of that era commanding really high prices ?

 

and some kind of revival in the way northern did ?

My time was roughly 93 to 97 so a bit after the clubs you mentioned but I have a stack of records from my time and still enjoy some of them even now.

 

there was plenty of rubbish as well though.

Edited March 27, 2018 by dylan

[Geeselad]

1 hour ago, dylan said:

Do you ever envisage the classic house music of that era commanding really high prices ?

 

and some kind of revival in the way northern did ?

My time was roughly 93 to 97 so a bit after the clubs you mentioned but I have a stack of records from my time and still enjoy some of them even now.

 

there was plenty of rubbish as well though.

Potentially a lot of its collectable. Some of the early UK independents, new Jersey stuff, early Chicago House has already started to rise in price.

As for a scene we'll there a are plenty of revivals around and just a few, that as we used to do at lovehouse, push the boundaries a bit. It was always great to see the expressions on faces when I played one they'd forgotten, but a recollection was secretly stashed somewhere in the ghettos of their minds.