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Catacombs, 1971.


Torch56
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There was talk of an all-nighter to be held at the Catacombs in early 1972. The Express and Star advert clearly shows that the idea was around from at least late 1971. The all-nighter eventually occurred in February or March, 1972, or rather it didn't. If you go on the Catacombs Stamped Records thread you can read all about the all-nighter that never was.

No flyer was produced, as far as I know. As I recall, the only flyer the Catacombs produced was for the final night in 1974.

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You are right about the 1974 all-nighter being the only one but my memory of that night is that the dance floor, corridors and alcoves were rammed throughout the entire event. There were some significantly high attendances post-Torch and pre-Wigan, twelve months earlier, but that particular night, July 13th, 1974, was on a different scale. Are you sure we are talking about the same night? Once Wigan opened attendances at the Cats nosedived, as they did when the Torch and Up the Junction were offering an all-night alternative. The coach to Wigan used to leave from outside the Cats so there were nights when there was a drop off as some headed north, but not on that particular night as I recall.

The advert I posted at the top of this thread is an advert from Wolverhampton's evening Newspaper, the Express and Star. Adverts like this appeared in the Entertainments and Leisure section every Thursday and Saturday throughout the period of the club's existence.

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10 hours ago, Torch56 said:

You are right about the 1974 all-nighter being the only one but my memory of that night is that the dance floor, corridors and alcoves were rammed throughout the entire event. There were some significantly high attendances post-Torch and pre-Wigan, twelve months earlier, but that particular night, July 13th, 1974, was on a different scale. Are you sure we are talking about the same night? Once Wigan opened attendances at the Cats nosedived, as they did when the Torch and Up the Junction were offering an all-night alternative. The coach to Wigan used to leave from outside the Cats so there were nights when there was a drop off as some headed north, but not on that particular night as I recall.

The advert I posted at the top of this thread is an advert from Wolverhampton's evening Newspaper, the Express and Star. Adverts like this appeared in the Entertainments and Leisure section every Thursday and Saturday throughout the period of the club's existence.

Ah well it was 47 years ago....but yes that's how I remember it....certainly packed through the evening, but later it thinned out....but I could be wrong...thought the first night at the casino was packed, but someone else said it was empty, so would like confirmation on that also, happy to be wrong...

We were travelling from afar, so in a car not a coach ..

Edited by Sheep
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9 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Did Richard Domar have a direct connection with the Cats or was he just a passionate punter at that club?

I don't believe Richard had any direct connection with the club. I don't even know that he went there but I suppose he is the right age to have attended at some point. I recall Richard was a record collector/dealer who was based at his parents house in Finchfield, Wolverhampton. Also dealt in Marvel comics. I bought some good records from him back in the day. I wish I had bought more.

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9 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Did Richard Domar have a direct connection with the Cats or was he just a passionate punter at that club?

pm.d Russ, ..he did attend, he recorded that podcast there, which i posted above.

Edited by Mach
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1st night at the Casino was marred by the fact pre-booked membership was required to get in. We came down from the Mecca to Wigan at about 1.00 AM to find a complete scrum around the door. Deciding to observe for a while and eventually joined the throng still jostling to get in. Remember there hadn't been a regular all-nighter except Hanley Top Rank since the Torch closed in March '73. 

1/2 hr. later and still among the crowd with people arriving from all over we decided to give it a swerve as the crowd looked like a youth club gathering and very few were faces I remembered from other venues and the few we did know had pretty much the same opinion. As to the overall attendance I can't comment as we didn't get in although the entrance requirements had created a very slow moving mass as most were turned back at the door.

Obviously it became the place to go but I've never bought into this Torch / Wigan sound rubbish as so many of the them were clapped out / played out sounds or played years previously at other venues - many Torch accredited sounds never got played there.

Always a subjective topic - what do the say - History is usually written by the survivors or winners.

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21 minutes ago, Vadnochka said:

1st night at the Casino was marred by the fact pre-booked membership was required to get in. We came down from the Mecca to Wigan at about 1.00 AM to find a complete scrum around the door. Deciding to observe for a while and eventually joined the throng still jostling to get in. Remember there hadn't been a regular all-nighter except Hanley Top Rank since the Torch closed in March '73. 

1/2 hr. later and still among the crowd with people arriving from all over we decided to give it a swerve as the crowd looked like a youth club gathering and very few were faces I remembered from other venues and the few we did know had pretty much the same opinion. As to the overall attendance I can't comment as we didn't get in although the entrance requirements had created a very slow moving mass as most were turned back at the door.

Obviously it became the place to go but I've never bought into this Torch / Wigan sound rubbish as so many of the them were clapped out / played out sounds or played years previously at other venues - many Torch accredited sounds never got played there.

Always a subjective topic - what do the say - History is usually written by the survivors or winners.

Yes was in that throng outside waiting to get in, I had a membership, which as you say you had to be pre-order, but my 3 friends including driver didn't, so waited outside with them, but we all got in, thought everybody outside did... so something I now know...

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re: Harvey Averne.

Unless somebody has a specific memory of it being played, it's almost impossible to say. From 8 to half past some lesser known records would be played before the big ticket items were unleashed. I have very little recall of the majority of items in the former category, mainly, I suspect, because they compared unfavourably with what was to follow. Indeed the description of a record as a '8 to half past sound' was a pejorative term and indicated it would likely remain in that category.

In 1971 Alan S did the early shift and when he was moved on, Max picked up that particular baton but the policy remained the same. One difference was that Max would signal the start of serious proceedings by playing a signature tune. The first one that I can recall was The Cat Walk by Gerry and Paul. At some point in 1973 this was replaced by Funky Chicken by The Fabulous Emotions.

 

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On 23/11/2021 at 21:48, Sheep said:

Many thanks....was at the nighter in 74....which emptied early due to everybody heading up to the casino.

Thought that was the only time fhere was a nightet....so was curious when I saw the flyer you posted :)

I never went to the Cats unfortunately, but I do remember the nighter. Pete Lawson and a few others definitely left early and turned up at Wigan in the middle of the night.

 

Paul

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On 26/11/2021 at 09:20, Paul R said:

I never went to the Cats unfortunately, but I do remember the nighter. Pete Lawson and a few others definitely left early and turned up at Wigan in the middle of the night.

 

Paul

Yes....remember seeing many from the Cats that night later at the Casino....that's where everybody wanted to be :)

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On 26/11/2021 at 09:20, Paul R said:

I never went to the Cats unfortunately, but I do remember the nighter. Pete Lawson and a few others definitely left early and turned up at Wigan in the middle of the night.

 

Paul

I remember Pete Lawson well, he was quite a character. Although once you met him you were not likely to forget him😉. He had Northern Soul DNA😀 . I sometimes wonder what he would have thought of the scene these days! 

 

Edited by D9 Ktf
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Back to Harvey Averne:

Normally, I would take claims of a record being played at a particular venue as simply a price-raising manoeuvre the part of the seller. However, if you have read any of the Owl's Effort fanzines produced by Richard in the late eighties, it cannot be denied that his knowledge of records was both impressive and extensive. As such, that does give the claim some credibility.

Paying six pounds for the record in the eighties was a bold move but, given its current value, now appears a shrewd investment.

Apologies: should read 'on the part'

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On 26/11/2021 at 09:34, Amsterdam Russ said:

Thanks for the insights - very informative. :thumbsup:

I asked because Richard Domar's name cropped up earlier. Like many, I got his sales lists back in the early/mid 80s. 

One 45 I bought from him was Harvey Averne. Knowing nothing about the history of the northern soul scene back then - but having heard mention of the Cats as a legendary venue of old - I bought the 45 blind solely on the strength of his description of it, which said "Catacombs secret sound". Curiosity got the better of me and I spent what was then - for me - a substantial sum for a 45.

Over the years, I've asked a number of knowledgable folk about whether Harvey Averne was indeed played there, and everyone has stated there's no way it could have been. But that means doubting Richard Domar's word and his knowledge of what was played at the Cats - something I've never had any reason to do. 

Scan attached from the relevant part of his sales list from 1985.

HarveyAverne-RichardDomar-SalesList1985.jpg.e4f5f25259fc3f540970603b586ffe4d.jpg

Domar knew his stuff so that looks like positive evidence at the very least that it was played back in the day.

But should that really surprise as the Cats has gone down in soul folklore as a venue that thought outside the square than most clubs from those golden years.

Also if it was a "secret sound" then presumably there was a cover up name ? Anyone ?

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Found this CD in a charity shop a couple of years ago. Really well put together compilation / package. But one inclusion I found very surprising is Victor Knight 'Chinatown'. Now I remember that very well from the 100 Club during the Stafford era. Was it really played at the Catacombs? Quite a downtempo / leftfield record considering the style of you associate with that era...image.thumb.png.ed17ec1dbc372a57d3e69b8e72fe57fc.png

Edited by Joesoap
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23 hours ago, Benji said:

There are a couple of tracks on that CD that I just can't imagine were played anywhere in the UK in the 70s:

Showmen - Wrong Girl
Dee Clark - That's my girl
Victor Knight - Chinatown
Kenny Young - Ain't it funny what love can do

The Kenny Young record may have been a fave of Dave Godin's and possibly name checked in one of his Blues and Soul columns '69-'71 so conceivably it might have been played as an ender at The Catacombs or Wheel during that same time frame. Showmen and Dee Clark too would have made sense at the Catacombs and  Wheel before stompers dominated the scene at the Torch from '72 onwards to the end of the seventies. As for Victor Knight, can't see that fitting in ... and, incidentally, it comes a distant second to Clyde McPhatter's version.🙂

 

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On 04/12/2021 at 08:54, Torch56 said:

 

image.png.56436a72d2b133e44ce666dc71d78aaf.png

Alan S and Froggy circa 1971. Alan was a key DJ at the Cats from its early days through to 1973. In March 1971 he was involved in the serious road accident that cost his fellow DJ, Bob Crocker, his life. Alan himself was months in hospital with broken legs, amongst other injuries. While Alan was recovering, Froggy took on the responsibility of keeping the show on the road until Alan rejoined the roster later in the year.

Bob and Alan also ran the R and A record shop in Stafford Street, Wolverhampton. By late 1971 Alan had re-opened the shop and was dealing in records. With no main stream means of acquiring knowledge about these obscure sounds, the shop, and the conversations therein, became an important supplement to the Catacombs itself, as a source of scarce information.

 

Great photo but judging by their hair styles and clothes, this would surely have to be post 1971 ?

Edited by Sunnysoul
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Yes, on reflection I think you're probably correct. The shirts are the best indicator. The penny round collars and the louder design of Froggy's shirt in particular suggest later than 1971. If I had to go for a particular year I'd opt for 1972. Froggy left the DJ roster at the Catacombs sometime in early 1972. He came from the Gloucester area so meeting up with Alan S would likely have occurred before their Saturday night duties. 

Who were/are the other two in the photograph? I have no idea or recollection of them. That picture is somebody's front room by the look of it so they were connected in some way to the two DJ's.

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On 04/12/2021 at 23:41, Joesoap said:

Found this CD in a charity shop a couple of years ago. Really well put together compilation / package. But one inclusion I found very surprising is Victor Knight 'Chinatown'. Now I remember that very well from the 100 Club during the Stafford era. Was it really played at the Catacombs? Quite a downtempo / leftfield record considering the style of you associate with that era...image.thumb.png.ed17ec1dbc372a57d3e69b8e72fe57fc.png

Mickey Nolds on the left. Dave Allen in the middle? 

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Can't help with the identities of any in the main photograph. However, the bearded dancer in the smaller photograph is Gary from Selly Oak, whose blue van found its way to all the major venues in the early 70s.

A keen surfer, he worked as a photographer for Birmingham Central Library. He had a good ear for a sound; Gloria Jones, Come Go With Me, was a particular favourite.

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i knew froggy slightly around those days..from soul does in gloucester area , going to  the royal william , the library , very  early stand out memories for me before cats , torch etc, the wax machine soul shop and other haunts, froggy  a figure to be looked up to by a sprog like me.....reckon the pic  was 72 or 3.......... always remember froggy had an afghan coat which looked like a dead sheep...........x

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1 hour ago, Eddie Hubbard said:

I’ve had this photo from The Cats on my pc for a while ,not sure who the source was or who the people are ,great photo though .

FFFA4A2F-6E67-4BF1-AA71-D24A449B6DB1.jpeg

Great photo ... and clearly from the Mod/Suedehead period '69-'72 .... c'mon Soul Source members: you must have more photos of the Cats from this era to post up on here .

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2 hours ago, Sunnysoul said:

Great photo ... and clearly from the Mod/Suedehead period '69-'72 .... c'mon Soul Source members: you must have more photos of the Cats from this era to post up on here .

Source Gallery has a few related albums and images

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/search/?q=catacombs&quick=1&type=gallery_album_item

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/search/?&q=catacombs&type=gallery_image&quick=1&search_and_or=and&sortby=relevancy

 

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/gallery/album/4386-197039s-torch-amp-catacombs/

maybe more untitled in the 70s albums

https://www.soul-source.co.uk/gallery/category/23-1970s-soul/

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8 hours ago, Torch56 said:

 

Starting on the right, the lad with the tatoo: I think his name was Johnny Daye, from Nottingham. I could be completely wrong. If anybody knows different, then please post.

The other lad in the black shirt. Again, sorry to be so uncertain, cannot give you a name but I remember his face from the Cats. Think he was a Stockport lad. That town must have had the highest number of Northern Soul aficianados per head of the population than any other place in the UK. A mate of Pete Tilsley, I think.

Can't give you a name for any of the girls but I remember the face of the one on the extreme left. I think she came from Codsall; a Cats regular 71/72.

The Sheriff of Nottingham look-a-like in the red sleeves is Gary from Birmingham. See earlier posts and pictures.

The lad about to be strangled is Ray Webster, a veritable wall of sound, from Wolverhampton who embraced all aspects of the scene with gusto. The first time I met him was in Alan S' shop on Stafford Street. He parted with two items from his collection and received the grand total of four pounds in return. Alan then played both records, one after the other. It was the first time I'd ever heard either of them. To say they sounded impressive would be something of an understatement. Just imagine, if you can, hearing both of these for the first time:

Gonna Get Along Without You Now.  The Vibrations.

Too Late.    Larry Williams and Johnny Watson.

This would have been in 1971. Both records were originals; the reissues with the small 45 motif came out in 1972.

Sadly, Ray passed away in 1978.

Many thanks for putting some names and adding stories to the photo  Torch56 .Yes ,you’re correct about Stockport ,I know and knew a huge amount of Soul fans from that area .Cheers Eddie 

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