We have digitised magazines in the past, Shades of Soul, Backbeat etc so I thought I'd do Rod Dearloves magazine from the early 80s, Midnight Express.

Here is issue 1, I'll do the others, well up to issue 7, as time allows.  Not sure if there were other issues after 7?

Midnight Express Issue 1.PDF

6 hours ago, Chalky said:

We have digitised magazines in the past, Shades of Soul, Backbeat etc so I thought I'd do Rod Dearloves magazine from the early 80s, Midnight Express.

Here is issue 1, I'll do the others, well up to issue 7, as time allows.  Not sure if there were other issues after 7?

Midnight Express Issue 1.PDF 39.38 MB · 78 downloads

Brilliant magazine Chalky,very upfront

 

1 hour ago, Wheelsville1 said:

Brilliant magazine Chalky,very upfront

 

The knowledge in those days was amazing, years before the internet.  How would todays generation manage?

2 minutes ago, Chalky said:

The knowledge in those days was amazing, years before the internet.  How would todays generation manage?

Defo,i learnt so much from them.

issue 2 for your perusal

Midnight Express Issue 2.PDF

and issue 3

Midnight Express Issue 3.PDF

I 'm unaware whether Rod is still active , but what a very knowledgeable as well as a genuinely nice guy.....  I subscribed to Midnight Express (I believe I wrote  an article on the South Wales Soul scene in one issue? If my memory seves me right).......He later went on to do the superb "Voices from the shadows" magazine! Indeed more  Great reading material......Thanks for the downloads of Midnight Express Karl !

4 hours ago, Wilxy said:

I 'm unaware whether Rod is still active , but what a very knowledgeable as well as a genuinely nice guy.....  I subscribed to Midnight Express (I believe I wrote  an article on the South Wales Soul scene in one issue? If my memory seves me right).......He later went on to do the superb "Voices from the shadows" magazine! Indeed more  Great reading material......Thanks for the downloads of Midnight Express Karl !

He has retired although he did recently buy a collection that he has been selling. 

6 hours ago, Wilxy said:

I 'm unaware whether Rod is still active , but what a very knowledgeable as well as a genuinely nice guy.....  I subscribed to Midnight Express (I believe I wrote  an article on the South Wales Soul scene in one issue? If my memory seves me right).......He later went on to do the superb "Voices from the shadows" magazine! Indeed more  Great reading material......Thanks for the downloads of Midnight Express Karl !

I think Steve Davis helped finance Voices from the shadows if my memory is correct.

51 minutes ago, Wheelsville1 said:

I think Steve Davis helped finance Voices from the shadows if my memory is correct.

He did

Thanks for these Chalky. 

Thought  Voices was the best soul mag , something for all lovers of soul music , northern,modern, crossover,clubs , albums 45s artist features etc. also some great regular lists off Rod to satisfy every soul lover, had some great stuff off those .

 

 

I think boxing promoter Barry Hearn was involved also ,probably with Steve Davis’s prompting 

Voices From The Shadows (What A Brilliant Name For A Mag) was a Great Magazine which i subscribed to from Rod, Yea Very Nice Guy As Was His Wife Loraine,

I missed out on the Midnight Express Mag so Thanks Chalky for making those available to us, nice one.

Spent many a great Nite Behind the Decks at Rods Modern / Crossover Soul Nites at the Canal Tavern (Thorne)

Seeing Sam Dees Live There and even Steve Davis Doing a wonderful Set there Too, so many great Memouries

To Cherish And read about them of course 🙂 

1 hour ago, Rick Scott said:

Voices From The Shadows (What A Brilliant Name For A Mag) was a Great Magazine which i subscribed to from Rod, Yea Very Nice Guy As Was His Wife Loraine,

I missed out on the Midnight Express Mag so Thanks Chalky for making those available to us, nice one.

Spent many a great Nite Behind the Decks at Rods Modern / Crossover Soul Nites at the Canal Tavern (Thorne)

Seeing Sam Dees Live There and even Steve Davis Doing a wonderful Set there Too, so many great Memouries

To Cherish And read about them of course 🙂 

I remember those days well Rick,i used go there with two other guys and frome there we would go over to the Queens Hall nighter in bradford.

21 hours ago, Chalky said:

issue 2 for your perusal

Midnight Express Issue 2.PDF 25.48 MB · 72 downloads

and issue 3

Midnight Express Issue 3.PDF 33.2 MB · 65 downloads

Brilliant thanks Chalky. I never got the magazine had one cassette tape with a tremendous selection of records from the mag. I always assumed a tape was issued with each one as by then I was also getting Love Music Review.

Was that correct? I don't even know where I got the cassette from!

2 hours ago, Rick Scott said:

Voices From The Shadows (What A Brilliant Name For A Mag) was a Great Magazine which i subscribed to from Rod, Yea Very Nice Guy As Was His Wife Loraine,

I missed out on the Midnight Express Mag so Thanks Chalky for making those available to us, nice one.

Spent many a great Nite Behind the Decks at Rods Modern / Crossover Soul Nites at the Canal Tavern (Thorne)

Seeing Sam Dees Live There and even Steve Davis Doing a wonderful Set there Too, so many great Memouries

To Cherish And read about them of course 🙂 

Hi Rick
Rod asked me six times to DJ at Thorne. Below are tracks I played a the time……Magic days 

Chantique “I know I’m falling in love” (AIP) 7’

The Mood “Get the love” / “So much love” (World Jam) 12’
Sweet Thunder “I leave you stronger”(Fantasy WMOT) LP
Robard Johnson “Slow drag with my baby”(Premo) 12’
Little Reuben “In the name of loneliness” (NR) 7’
Rocket “Here comes my love” (Quality) 7’
Ben Jackson The A.P.O. Band “Never get enough (of your love)” (A.P.O.) 12’
Chuck Roberson “I’ve got to have your love” (Bluesong) 7’
Bean Brothers “Without you” (Davida) 7’
Flowers “We could make it happen” / “For real” (LA expresso) 7’
Phil Kelly “Holding on” (Duck) 7’
Curtis Walker “I wanna be in your arms tonight” (Jigga Ray) 7’
Essex IV “My heart just can’t take it” (Wind Mill) 7’
Sideshow Featuring Arthur Ponder “Sexy Lady” (Muscadine Music) 7’
Hotliners “Cold hearted” (Budweiser) 12’
Sir Prize “Never can find the words” (Budweiser) 12’
Jon Paul Martines “With you” (Budweiser) 12’
Kooly “Count -2-3” (Budweiser) 12′
Axe Band  “Oh love” (Not on Label) 7’
Redd Davis “Love Doctor” / “What you gonna do”(Kealock) 7’
Front Page “I don’t need-I don’t want”  (Budweiser) 12’
Robert Owens  “In your lifetime” / “Must be loven you” (Budweiser) 12’
Traffic Jam “I can’t get over you” (Toeholt) 7’
Betty Fikes & The Passions “I can’t lie to my heart” (Southbound) 7’
New Way “Holding on” (Prestige) 7’
Fauns Bell and A Little Flavor “Gift of love” (Wave) 7’
John Vaughan “In your eyes” (Budweiser) 12’
Stan Ivory And His Omnificent Orchestra “Come live me” (Tese) 7’
California Executives “Can’t let you go” (Williams) 7’
Tim Murray “Thinking of you” (Detroit Tracks) 7’
Tavasco “Love is trying to get a hold of me” (Rampart) 7’
Brotherly Love “Whole lot of you in me”(Robinson & Son) 7’
Seville “Show me the way” (Kayo) 7’
John Pressley “It’s so easy loving you” (Harlem Int.) 12’
Randy Wilson “Something inside” / Patience” (Regal) 12’
Bobby Jonz “Just like a woman” (Crooked Road) 12’
Jay Player “Love is the answer” (Bevnik) 12’
Al Mason “Good lovin” (Fynal Vynal) 7’
H L Lincoln “Gonna take more love” (Kon Kord) 12’ …etc

Great days, well nights, at Thorne 

12 hours ago, Wheelsville1 said:

I think Steve Davis helped finance Voices from the shadows if my memory is correct.

Thanks for uploading these old mags Karl great reading. As someone has already said the knowledge that these guys had at the time was amazing!

I remember the Pat Brady Eula Cooper c/u, Pat Lewis Solid Hit at the time. I think it was Tony Coleby showed his copy of Pat Lewis to Brady and he was still adamant it was Eula Cooper!

Just got to mention my old friend Dave Porter regarding Voices from the shadows. I'm sure he helped out financing Voices for the first 5 issues then Rod went into partnership with Steve after that with the mag.

3 hours ago, Soul Discovery said:

Hi Rick
Rod asked me six times to DJ at Thorne. Below are tracks I played a the time……Magic days

With a track listing like that my friend you could not fail to have a Great Nite At Thorne, Magic Indeed!🙂

Thanks for posting these Karl, like others I did not get these, but Voices from no 4, was my reading of choice, then went back to 1-3.  Rod was in my opinion, the best writer re Soul after Dave Godin, even if he sometimes sold me a dummy when I bought new releases blind.  But so many others are still prized possessions.   I didn't see Sam Dee's at Thorne, but did catch him at the Jazz Cafe which is my favourite concert ever, for which I am ever grateful to Rod for bringing him over.

Issue 4

Midnight Express 4.PDF

issue 5

Midnight Express 5.PDF

Issue 6

Midnight Express 6.PDF

And finally issue 7

Midnight Express 7.PDF

8 hours ago, Chalky said:

And finally issue 7

Midnight Express 7.PDF 45.54 MB · 36 downloads

Absolute star Chalky. Amazing to have this set to read through.

I knew virtually nothing at the time of Rod Dearlove and so many other diehard pioneers of the documentation of the scene. Friends like @Eddie Hubbard put me onto some that I treasure, but I do think it's fair to say that without the dedication of both the DJs and those documenting the paper trail this music would have slipped into a quaint history.

What we have instead is an evolving and varied scene that both feeds and learns from the music around us.

Great fanzine. Thanks so much for uploading. Pile of records mentioned that I’d never heard or completely forgotten about. Fantastic!

George Sharp’s Rotters review in issue 5 is a premonition of what’s still being vocalised 40 years down the line!

Edited November 24, 20231 yr by Keamus

Rod Dearlove & Jan Barker shaped my life, two of the most emotive writers it's been my pleasure to read. Voices (for me personally) the Best Soul Magazine of them all.

Agree. Essential reading back in the day. The reviews and commentary had nearly as much emotion as the records under the spot light.

On 17/11/2023 at 07:45, Chalky said:

We have digitised magazines in the past, Shades of Soul, Backbeat etc so I thought I'd do Rod Dearloves magazine from the early 80s, Midnight Express.

Here is issue 1, I'll do the others, well up to issue 7, as time allows.  Not sure if there were other issues after 7?

Midnight Express Issue 1.PDF 39.38 MB · 633 downloads

Cracking work Chalky - you're the man. 🙂

There's Arin Demain on one of the sales list - wow. Great read and just on issue 1.

Thanks for doing this mate, a labour of love, you're one of the members on here that helps keep the site rolling. 

A big round of applause everyone for Mr Chalkmeister.

Peter

🙂

13 hours ago, Lamont said:

Rod Dearlove & Jan Barker shaped my life, two of the most emotive writers it's been my pleasure to read. Voices (for me personally) the Best Soul Magazine of them all.

Myself & Mick O'Donnell were having the same conversation yesterday definitely both Rod & Jan Barker totally shaped my future taste, my original full set of voices was lost in a divorce but I've just managed to get them back, first section i read in all of them was Jan's a man of the best taste to me.DJ wise seen all i consider the best but Rod will always be top of the pile. obvious to rare no one better

Big Thank you to Chalky on the midnight express had a good few of them to and nice to be reunited.

Cheers

And thanks to all the people who actually bought every issue of "Midnight Express" and "Voices From The Shadows" as they came out. They made both the magazine's a viable concern🤔 I used to look forward very keenly to every issue. 

Edited March 15, 20241 yr by Solidsoul