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Dissertation help! Looking for interviewees


gdsoul

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On 07/10/2021 at 12:34, gdsoul said:

Hi there!

 

I am a student at the University of Strathclyde, and I am looking for participants to be involved in research for my dissertation about Northern Soul. I am particularly looking to speak to anyone who was involved in the scene at the time and can share some of their memories! My research is specifically looking into the parallel between working class youths from northern towns in the 1970s and black American ‘Northern Soul’ music of the 1960s. Please feel free to ask any questions, and I look forward to hearing any responses! (Please note, these interviews will be conducted remotely, through telephone or zoom – can literally be less than 10 mins of your time!)

 

Thank you.

I would be happy to do the phone call. 

I grew up in a working class Northern town (Warrington) and got into Northern Soul in the mid 1970s.

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On 08/10/2021 at 11:08, Chalky said:

I guess she is focusing on the struggles of the majority of us growing up, yes I know not everyone struggled but most of us were working class and we all happened to follow a genre of music whereby the vast majority of the artists struggled with so many obstacles in their way to a better life.

You should all offer your services and be interviewed if you feel so strongly about the subject or leave her to get on with it. 

Sense as always.

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1 hour ago, Local said:

You had it easy in Cheshire ! we used to dream of being working class in Wigan.

When I were a lad, my dad used to have to pay the mill owner sixpence a day to work in't weaving sheds and if he was lucky get 10mins break in a sixteen hour shift for his bred & dripping. 

Only 16 hours. What did you do with rest of the day. Lazy bugger.🤣sorry.

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On 10/10/2021 at 12:41, Local said:

 

So by your definition  Joe 90 and Hawaii 50 , to name just two are part of Northern Soul musical genre ?

It's all subjective, the goal post are constantly changing with the passage of time.

Unfortunately yes. I cringed when they were first played, and still do now!

But if you look into any genre of music, you will find great records and really bad one's.

Edited by D9 Ktf
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On 10/10/2021 at 16:43, Chalky said:

But Soul Bros Inc and Eddie Parker are not Northern Soul records, well they weren’t recorded as Northern soul. They were however accepted by the Northern Soul scene, given wider prominence and rescued from failure and obscurity by the Northern Soul scene, a scene that has accepted just about every popular and not so popular musical genre going. 

I know fully well what you are saying, as I have been involved with Northern Soul for a long time.

But times have moved on.

I  think in 2021 the Northern Soul scene has been established long enough, and matured enough, for it's music to be called a genre. 

I think you are right that we should agree to differ on this, just different view points.

Edited by D9 Ktf
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I’ve just got to get into this one...... Good chat Chalky but was anyone else that intelligent back then?? And totally agree Northern Soul was and still is ‘a way of life ‘! The sounds came from all genres of records, and still does! One of my favourite ever plays is by Phil Coulter but who the heck thought to play it in the first place? He’s a country music piano player??? If the song worked it got played, end of! The ‘scene’ was just that. I said it before, you dressed how you wanted, only the shoes really mattered... if you couldn’t afford leather soles you used talc! You had to take something to keep you awake and dancing all night! It was pure escapism from the 70’s ...... no matter what your colour, class or creed. There was no racism. Not all the songs were by long suffering black Americans! Not all the participants were drug taking working class Northerners! It was a few years of excitement and despite all the clubs still doing their things it’ll never be the same again.

 I still do all-nighters. I still dance the same way. I still close my eyes and remember. 

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1 hour ago, Bus Pass Dancer said:

I’ve just got to get into this one...... Good chat Chalky but was anyone else that intelligent back then?? And totally agree Northern Soul was and still is ‘a way of life ‘! The sounds came from all genres of records, and still does! One of my favourite ever plays is by Phil Coulter but who the heck thought to play it in the first place? He’s a country music piano player??? If the song worked it got played, end of! The ‘scene’ was just that. I said it before, you dressed how you wanted, only the shoes really mattered... if you couldn’t afford leather soles you used talc! You had to take something to keep you awake and dancing all night! It was pure escapism from the 70’s ...... no matter what your colour, class or creed. There was no racism. Not all the songs were by long suffering black Americans! Not all the participants were drug taking working class Northerners! It was a few years of excitement and despite all the clubs still doing their things it’ll never be the same again.

 I still do all-nighters. I still dance the same way. I still close my eyes and remember. 

1 hour ago, Bus Pass Dancer said:

I’ve just got to get into this one...... Good chat Chalky but was anyone else that intelligent back then?? And totally agree Northern Soul was and still is ‘a way of life ‘! The sounds came from all genres of records, and still does! One of my favourite ever plays is by Phil Coulter but who the heck thought to play it in the first place? He’s a country music piano player??? If the song worked it got played, end of! The ‘scene’ was just that. I said it before, you dressed how you wanted, only the shoes really mattered... if you couldn’t afford leather soles you used talc! You had to take something to keep you awake and dancing all night! It was pure escapism from the 70’s ...... no matter what your colour, class or creed. There was no racism. Not all the songs were by long suffering black Americans! Not all the participants were drug taking working class Northerners! It was a few years of excitement and despite all the clubs still doing their things it’ll never be the same again.

 I still do all-nighters. I still dance the same way. I still close my eyes and remember. 

Phil Coulter is from my home town of Derry in the north of Ireland.. He's a composer and an accomplished pianist. He has 23 platinum discs, 39 gold and 52 silvers to his name plus 5 Ivor Novello awards. 

He co wrote Puppet on a String for Sandie Shaw and Congratulations for Cliff Richard. I think even he would agree that being part of NS history stretches the bounds of credibility just a wee bit. 

 

 

 

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On 13/10/2021 at 16:57, Bus Pass Dancer said:

I’ve just got to get into this one...... Good chat Chalky but was anyone else that intelligent back then?? And totally agree Northern Soul was and still is ‘a way of life ‘! The sounds came from all genres of records, and still does! One of my favourite ever plays is by Phil Coulter but who the heck thought to play it in the first place? He’s a country music piano player??? If the song worked it got played, end of! The ‘scene’ was just that. I said it before, you dressed how you wanted, only the shoes really mattered... if you couldn’t afford leather soles you used talc! You had to take something to keep you awake and dancing all night! It was pure escapism from the 70’s ...... no matter what your colour, class or creed. There was no racism. Not all the songs were by long suffering black Americans! Not all the participants were drug taking working class Northerners! It was a few years of excitement and despite all the clubs still doing their things it’ll never be the same again.

 I still do all-nighters. I still dance the same way. I still close my eyes and remember. 

I would disagree with a bit of that summary: There were fights (I saw a few), there were forms of racism that showed themselves in various ways, not explicitly, but implicitly. Thats not a judgement, but a fact of being working class and unaware of the consequences of the way we used language at the time.

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Paul-s. You are now obviously a very intelligent and observant person, but what I was trying to say was that back in the day I doubt anyone was that clever that they could analyse what was happening at the time? Maybe now we’re old and grey and have experienced life, our views differ.  I just prefer to look back and remember the good bits! The dancing. The music. The highs! (Even the come-downs). No doubt in a couple of years someone will be writing a dissertation on raves of the 2000’s.......... and everyone will remember something different. 

I’ll stand by the old maxim ‘if I had to explain, you wouldn’t understand ‘ KTF 

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2 hours ago, Bus Pass Dancer said:

Paul-s. You are now obviously a very intelligent and observant person, but what I was trying to say was that back in the day I doubt anyone was that clever that they could analyse what was happening at the time? Maybe now we’re old and grey and have experienced life, our views differ.  I just prefer to look back and remember the good bits! The dancing. The music. The highs! (Even the come-downs). No doubt in a couple of years someone will be writing a dissertation on raves of the 2000’s.......... and everyone will remember something different. 

I’ll stand by the old maxim ‘if I had to explain, you wouldn’t understand ‘ KTF 

I totally agree (not with the bit about my intelligence though🤓) with what you say about no-one was that clever and in a state to analyse anything at the time. Too busy having a great time to care or notice.

My comments are mostly retrospectively looking back and unpicking what I did, saw, heard etc. I can still viscerally feel the good bits and the bad (but at the time they all felt good), even surviving the ODing, the missing school and the frequent arrests. What a life changing experience! It stays with me through thick and thin. 

You won't be surprised to hear that they have already written much about the 2000's rave scene.

 

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One thing that must be understood and cannot be left out is all of the passion we feel towards this scene of ours. This can be hard to get to grips with if you've never heard music that brings a lump in your throat a tear to your eye and the goose bumps upon goose bumps all over. 

Hugh

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On 11/10/2021 at 04:03, Fish Fingers said:

I would be happy to do the phone call. 

I grew up in a working class Northern town (Warrington) and got into Northern Soul in the mid 1970s.

In those days, Warrington was in Lancashire. In my books, it still is. I was born in Warrington, and as it says Lancashire on my birth certificate, I consider myself a Lancashire Lad.

My father’s family came from Wigan. My grandmother worked at the Trencherfield Mill. My great-uncle died in the Maypole pit disaster at the age of 16. My father worked his rocks off to get to university, enabling me to follow the same path.

PM me with details and I’ll help out with your dissertation.

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4 hours ago, Tomangoes said:

If you attend a "across the board" Northern soul event, you can expect to hear every conceivable type of music ever tagged into the all encompassing modern Northern soul scene.

Ska, r & b, jazz, funk, disco, 60s soul, black and blue eyed through to today, and anything goes.

Thats why its not a genre.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ed,   Those genre's you mention,

"Ska, r & b, jazz, funk, disco, 60s soul, black and blue eyed"    are not pure!

Just like Northern Soul, they are each made up of a hodge podge/ mixture of music!

I know Northern Soul music is selected from those genre's, and others.   But that does not stop  Northern Soul music becoming a genre of it's own, when it all comes together! 

 

Edited by D9 Ktf
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On 15/10/2021 at 13:13, Bus Pass Dancer said:

Paul-s. You are now obviously a very intelligent and observant person, but what I was trying to say was that back in the day I doubt anyone was that clever that they could analyse what was happening at the time? Maybe now we’re old and grey and have experienced life, our views differ.  I just prefer to look back and remember the good bits! The dancing. The music. The highs! (Even the come-downs). No doubt in a couple of years someone will be writing a dissertation on raves of the 2000’s.......... and everyone will remember something different. 

I’ll stand by the old maxim ‘if I had to explain, you wouldn’t understand ‘ KTF 

Sorry, but I have to take issue with your opening statement. The Manchester University Northern Soul Club - Baz Lowe of Hyde, Lorraine from Corby, Pat Malloy of Cannock, Brenda from Prestatyn, Simon Millican of Kendal, Kate from Southport, Bill from Leeds (mate of Steve Caesar) and yours truly, analysed each and every record travelling to and from Wigan by car or train. We also went to Blackpool Mecca and The Ritz, so there was plenty more to analyse. As Manchester University was, and still is, the premier university in North-West England, I’d say we were fairly clever. The really smart move though was being based in Manchester as it was handy for travelling to Wigan Casino.

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2 hours ago, Frankie Crocker said:

Sorry, but I have to take issue with your opening statement. The Manchester University Northern Soul Club - Baz Lowe of Hyde, Lorraine from Corby, Pat Malloy of Cannock, Brenda from Prestatyn, Simon Millican of Kendal, Kate from Southport, Bill from Leeds (mate of Steve Caesar) and yours truly, analysed each and every record travelling to and from Wigan by car or train. We also went to Blackpool Mecca and The Ritz, so there was plenty more to analyse. As Manchester University was, and still is, the premier university in North-West England, I’d say we were fairly clever. The really smart move though was being based in Manchester as it was handy for travelling to Wigan Casino.

Nice to know. 

I was only a 15 year old apprentice at the time and travelling from a shit estate in Grantham. I had never even heard of Universities so a world away from me.

I guess you were obviously older and at University. To this day I didn't know there was a Manchester University Soul club in the 70's, so I've learnt something.

I would disagree with the statement that everyone at University is fairly clever though. 

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On 15/10/2021 at 16:10, Blackpoolsoul said:

I was waiting for rave to be mentioned as that is not a genre of music either but a scene too 😀

I was going to use that as another example. Well, initially at least. In 88/ 89 you would have heard; Belgian new beat, US house and freestyle, break beat, UK house, Italo house, new Jersey garage and even street soul at a rave. The genre didn't start till late 90/91, by then it was almost over for those that started the scene. 

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43 minutes ago, Paul-s said:

Nice to know. 

I was only a 15 year old apprentice at the time and travelling from a shit estate in Grantham. I had never even heard of Universities so a world away from me.

I guess you were obviously older and at University. To this day I didn't know there was a Manchester University Soul club in the 70's, so I've learnt something.

I would disagree with the statement that everyone at University is fairly clever though. 

Most of the people that I know that went to university are usually the ones that you have to explain things to more than once. ( Dartmouth Naval College) mostly.

Analysing the records and analysing what was happening at the time are two different things. 

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1 hour ago, Paul-s said:

Nice to know. 

I was only a 15 year old apprentice at the time and travelling from a shit estate in Grantham. I had never even heard of Universities so a world away from me.

I guess you were obviously older and at University. To this day I didn't know there was a Manchester University Soul club in the 70's, so I've learnt something.

I would disagree with the statement that everyone at University is fairly clever though. 

Hi Paul.

You are right as nowadays some can get into a university with two grade E’s at A Level. True scholarship is rare in Sixth Forms these days as most students do not read books or newspapers for pleasure, and rely on set texts and revision guides to ace the test. 

In the mid 70’s, Soul Night on Tuesdays at the Solem Bar in the Union was a humming event for students from colleges in Manchester, plus a sprinkling of outsiders.

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  • 5 months later...

Happy to receive an e-mail from Georgia this morning that she got a first in her studies.  Happy to have helped with her dissertation.

One quote from one who marked her paper was particularly satisfying...

Quote

One of the comments were "One of the key strengths of this dissertation are the fascinating and rich oral history that you have worked to uncover. Your interviewees offer a vivid account of their time in the Northern Soul scene and it was wonderful to have some of the joy of that time captured here, they also reflect on the complicated politics of the period and their commentary around race was especially interesting."

Well done Georgia

Edited by Chalky
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1 hour ago, Chalky said:

Happy to receive an e-mail from Georgia this morning that she got a first in her studies.  Happy to have helped with her dissertation.

One quote from one who marked her paper was particularly satisfying...

Well done Georgia

wow, hats off to Georgia and all on here who got involved

a smile inducing moment

well done

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