Popcorn Records

[Shufflin 1,991]

Some of the Belgian popcorn stuff really appeals to me and there are lots tracks that x over between popcorn and rare soul scenes, any popcorn tracks you particularly like?

these are 2 records currently getting spins at home

 

 

 

[Ljblanken 408]

love this....

 

 

[The Yank 1,740]

Besides the obvious ones  (Kurt Harris, Betty O'brien, Sam Fletcher), I

like this 45 a lot!  I think both sides were played ( probably slowed 

down though) on the Popcorn scene - 

 

[Twoshoes 994]

Been a fan of Popcorn for quite a few years, 

 

 

[Scootboy 657]

2 hours ago, The Yank said:

Besides the obvious ones  (Kurt Harris, Betty O'brien, Sam Fletcher), I

like this 45 a lot!  I think both sides were played ( probably slowed 

down though) on the Popcorn scene - 

 

Excellent choice 

My favourite side

 

[Scootboy 657]

Another favourite, the video clip is mine

 

[Shufflin 1,991]

Danny Forrest never heard that before very nice

Edited February 7 by Shufflin

[The Yank 1,740]

This got plays on the Popcorn and Northern scenes - 

 

[Amsterdam Russ 3,548]

Someone, please define "Popcorn"...

[Johnny Jones 800]

Playing this out a bit at the minute, love it.

[Johnny Jones 800]

Another one I've been spinning over the last few months, superb. 

 

[Johnny Jones 800]

4 hours ago, Scootboy said:

Excellent choice 

My favourite side

 

Gets a few spins at our do's. Got it on the other 'Gina' Label. Excellent.

[Johnny Jones 800]

Another favourite, Bobby Day - Kings Highway 

 

[Twoshoes 994]

This thread reminded me I had a file of downloaded Popcorn from when I first became aware of it quite a few years ago, by coincidence one of the tunes from then I bought this week, not this one which I can imagine Chuck Jackson doing a great job on.

 

 

[Zanetti 124]

11 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Someone, please define "Popcorn"...

 

reference: popcornoldies.com

Edited February 8 by Zanetti

[Amsterdam Russ 3,548]

10 hours ago, Johnny Jones said:

Another one I've been spinning over the last few months, superb. 

 

If you were to play this at a Popcorn party, you'd need to pitch it down. The point is to play records at a consistent down-tempo beat, and even Milt Grayson's gem is too fast as is.

 

[Amsterdam Russ 3,548]

58 minutes ago, Zanetti said:

 

reference: popcornoldies.com

Thanks, Zanetti. I should have been more specific and asked what people here think Popcorn is. I get the impression that a lot of people think Popcorn is just mid-tempo tunes, but it's actually about playing them at a much slower beat than many realise.

[Amsterdam Russ 3,548]

10 hours ago, Johnny Jones said:

Another favourite, Bobby Day - Kings Highway 

 

Another one that would be pitched down when played at a Popcorn party...

 

[Zanetti 124]

6 hours ago, Zanetti said:

 

reference: popcornoldies.com

JIMMY CLANTON

JOYCE TROYANO

QUINN MILLER

 

[Soul16 334]

As Russ suspected, I thought Popcorn was a standard mid-tempo, sweet/cheesy, teeny pop take on what we call Northern Soul. I knew nothing about the pitching down business. However, to my ears at least, it sucks the life out of the Milt Grayson song. 

Amongst others, I have Vinnie Monte - I Don’t Have The Heart To Tell Her and Rick Fury - I’m So In Love With You. I’m not sure if they qualify as Popcorn now though. 

I’m guessing that Tommy Frontera - Leading Lady is a record that straddles the line between Northern and Popcorn. 

And I thought Northern Soul was difficult to define to the great unwashed!

I’ll get me coat...

[Johnny Jones 800]

1 hour ago, Soul16 said:

As Russ suspected, I thought Popcorn was a standard mid-tempo, sweet/cheesy, teeny pop take on what we call Northern Soul. I knew nothing about the pitching down business. However, to my ears at least, it sucks the life out of the Milt Grayson song. 

Amongst others, I have Vinnie Monte - I Don’t Have The Heart To Tell Her and Rick Fury - I’m So In Love With You. I’m not sure if they qualify as Popcorn now though. 

I’m guessing that Tommy Frontera - Leading Lady is a record that straddles the line between Northern and Popcorn. 

And I thought Northern Soul was difficult to define to the great unwashed!

I’ll get me coat...

I wouldn't slow down Milt Grayson either, I've got loads of popcorn stuff I play out and mostly play as is, just one or two I might pitch down a tad (Nat Wright - Fantasy which I posted being one). A few need pitching up a bit too, it's a minefield . Vinnie Monte a great record. At our Do's (Something Different Soul Club), Stopped putting Northern Soul on the flyers a few years ago, Soul, R&B & Popcorn + more, Gives the D.J's room to play what they want, seems to be working though, just into our 6th year. I like the popcorn stuff because it's difficult to define , a lot of musical genres in there - Soul, R&B, Jazz, Ska, Teen, Rock and Roll, Country, Exotic Etc. Etc. 

[Scootboy 657]

1 hour ago, Zanetti said:

JIMMY CLANTON

I had totally forgotten that I had this one untill I read your post 

 

[Mark Bicknell 829]

On 07/02/2020 at 18:01, The Yank said:

Besides the obvious ones  (Kurt Harris, Betty O'brien, Sam Fletcher), I

like this 45 a lot!  I think both sides were played ( probably slowed 

down though) on the Popcorn scene - 

 

Agreed.

[Tomangoes 2,184]

On 06/02/2020 at 18:32, Shufflin said:

Some of the Belgian popcorn stuff really appeals to me and there are lots tracks that x over between popcorn and rare soul scenes, any popcorn tracks you particularly like?

these are 2 records currently getting spins at home

 

 

 

Are any of the previous listed tunes ' rare soul' ? Even in the broadest sense?

I hope popcorn stays popcorn and does not infiltrate rare soul....borrowing the odd tune is ok, but never the Twain shall meet.

Ed

[Ficklefingers 167]

1 hour ago, Tomangoes said:

Are any of the previous listed tunes ' rare soul' ? Even in the broadest sense?

I hope popcorn stays popcorn and does not infiltrate rare soul....borrowing the odd tune is ok, but never the Twain shall meet.

Ed

In the sense of 'genre', I can liken 'Popcorn', and see some similarities, to 'Northern Soul'. Certainly.. not all records played on their respective scenes are anything remotely close to baring even a resemblence (or possess a single ounce) of 'Soul' !!  The appeal of such records laying more, I belive, within the tempo of these non-soul tunes - a common but very dominant factor relevant to both these music scenes

The actual 'Soul' records enjoyed on the Popcorn Scene - the likes of the above Milt Grayson on Derby or Roy Hamilton's 'Reach Out For Me', as examples, most certainly also enjoy recognition under the banner of 'Rare Soul'.. But, personally, my preference is to put them in a bracket I refer to as 'Transitional Soul'.. tunes that are in the throes of crossing over from, say, 1959 and the end of the doo-wop era, through to around 1964 - when the demand for a tempo that was more up-beat & danceable became more the trend

A personal favourite of mine from the period - and fitting the glove of all three genres of 'Popcorn', 'Rare Soul', and 'Transitionsl Soul', is this one.. and another 'Kev Fev Special' - a geezer with such great overall taste in Soul Music, and an incredible sense of foresight !!.. Enjoy....

 

[Scootboy 657]

Another favourite

 

[Polyvelts 1,192]

co written and produced by legendary Joey Jefferson ! 
I remember Ian used to play it at the 100 club, at 7 in the morning it would just about crack you up !

[Twoshoes 994]

When I first started listening to popcorn I was unaware of the pitching up and down to get the required beat until I came across this, those of us of a certain age may remember our parents listening to Anne Shelton, when I saw the name and listened to the tune I thought that doesn't sound right ,I then searched the title and found the original, posting as an example of pitching for those unfamiliar with popcorn not because I particularly like the tune, popcorn version first as I heard them.

 

 

 

[Amsterdam Russ 3,548]

1 hour ago, Polyvelts said:

co written and produced by legendary Joey Jefferson ! 
I remember Ian used to play it at the 100 club, at 7 in the morning it would just about crack you up !

That’s not Popcorn at all. Not unless you pitched it down a lot.

And while people associate Popcorn with slowing down the tempo of tunes, it also works the other way - such as in this speeded up recording of Big Dee Irwin’s classic beat ballad.

 

[Twoshoes 994]

1 hour ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

And while people associate Popcorn with slowing down the tempo of tunes, it also works the other way - such as in this speeded up recording of Big Dee Irwin’s classic beat ballad.

One of my all time favourite tunes Russ but don't care for it speeded up at all, thanks for posting an example of pitching up.

[Shufflin 1,991]

20 hours ago, Tomangoes said:

I hope popcorn stays popcorn and does not infiltrate rare soul....borrowing the odd tune is ok, but never the Twain shall meet.

the Gil Bernal one sounds great slightly pitched up (yes I know), it fits well in a NS set of 45's (obviously mix to next record before the dramatic ending)

quite a few NS tunes get played on the popcorn scene and vice versa, the Twain have already met

[Hooker1951 851]

Good popcorn will stand it’s corner in any Atmospheric Soul club against any other Soul music I always liked to play a few popcorn records in my spots if I felt the audience were ready for it and usually got a good reception dancing and listening it has a more vital part of Soul History than it gets credit for, I lived in Germany early seventies and it together with Club soul Stax and Atlantic ect was the backbone of the German Soul scene at their Soul nights and all nights besides obviously the German punters there were plenty of American Servicemen at the venues,British Squadies too great times of course we didn’t call it popcorn then it was good music for a great scene.

KR

ML

[The Yank 1,740]

Not in my Top 10 of Popcorn but, parts of  this sounds like it  could have been in 

a James Bond movie. From 1956 - 

 

Edited February 9 by The Yank

[Tomangoes 2,184]

2 hours ago, Shufflin said:

the Gil Bernal one sounds great slightly pitched up (yes I know), it fits well in a NS set of 45's (obviously mix to next record before the dramatic ending)

quite a few NS tunes get played on the popcorn scene and vice versa, the Twain have already met

I agree....northern soul and popcorn at the fringes overlap.

Particularly the ' wigan factor'.

But I did not say northern soul, I said rare soul...and never the Twain shall meet.

Ed

[Shufflin 1,991]

28 minutes ago, Tomangoes said:

But I did not say northern soul, I said rare soul...and never the Twain shall meet.

depends what you mean by rare soul, Tony Clarke, A Wrong Man is a popcorn scene record and rare, happy to be educated though

[Surfcity 205]

Marilyn Powell - only on the rare UK release as the B side and not on the Musicor USA 45 .

 

Edited February 9 by Surfcity
Typo

[Tomangoes 2,184]

10 minutes ago, Shufflin said:

depends what you mean by rare soul, Tony Clarke, A Wrong Man is a popcorn scene record and rare, happy to be educated though

I'm not familiar with the rarity of Tony Clarke, the wrong man. Was it a chess release? Maybe I need educating.

Ed

[Shufflin 1,991]

Ed - £1,000 plus

 

[Tomangoes 2,184]

A new rare 60s label to me for sure.

Ed

[Russoul1 533]

21 hours ago, Ficklefingers said:

In the sense of 'genre', I can liken 'Popcorn', and see some similarities, to 'Northern Soul'. Certainly.. not all records played on their respective scenes are anything remotely close to baring even a resemblence (or possess a single ounce) of 'Soul' !!  The appeal of such records laying more, I belive, within the tempo of these non-soul tunes - a common but very dominant factor relevant to both these music scenes

The actual 'Soul' records enjoyed on the Popcorn Scene - the likes of the above Milt Grayson on Derby or Roy Hamilton's 'Reach Out For Me', as examples, most certainly also enjoy recognition under the banner of 'Rare Soul'.. But, personally, my preference is to put them in a bracket I refer to as 'Transitional Soul'.. tunes that are in the throes of crossing over from, say, 1959 and the end of the doo-wop era, through to around 1964 - when the demand for a tempo that was more up-beat & danceable became more the trend

A personal favourite of mine from the period - and fitting the glove of all three genres of 'Popcorn', 'Rare Soul', and 'Transitionsl Soul', is this one.. and another 'Kev Fev Special' - a geezer with such great overall taste in Soul Music, and an incredible sense of foresight !!.. Enjoy....

 

the other side does it more for me

[Russoul1 533]

one I like from my collection

 

[Russoul1 533]

and this one

 

[Russoul1 533]

another from collection

 

[Majy 190]

Love this track.

Baby Washington - Hey lonely one

 

[Zanetti 124]

10 hours ago, The Yank said:

Not in my Top 10 of Popcorn but, parts of  this sounds like it  could have been in 

a James Bond movie. From 1956 - 

 

Yep - exactly!

[Majy 190]

12 hours ago, Russoul1 said:

one I like from my collection

 

I Really like this one. Thanks for posting it.

[Ljblanken 408]

On 08/02/2020 at 02:41, Zanetti said:

 

reference: popcornoldies.com

This says Troy Dodds sold for $935,000? 

[Ljblanken 408]

I heard this is considered a popcorn tune... (I spin it at rare soul nights)...

 

 

 

 

Edited February 10 by Ljblanken

[Soulstrutter 234]

Does anyone have a proper definition of what constitutes a 'popcorn' record?

Here's what is states on wiki ... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Popcorn_(music_style)

... which doesn't really help that much.  For me it's a bit like crossover, hard to define but you know it when you hear it. ... generally pre 1964/65, slow/mid tempo many have a sort of cha- cha-cha beat?

 

[Twoshoes 994]

One I loved from the first time I heard it, a million miles away from Northern or any kind of Soul, there's a great video somewhere showing them dancing to this,