two for me

1) the first backdrop routine i did at the casino in late 74. soooo proud i didn't mess it up!

2) my first benzidrex inhaler.... whooooosh! and for only 59p 'nuff said!

Walking into The Pendulum with Ricky in 1972- thinking I knew something about Soul.

And discovering I DIDN'T

What you could call an Epiphany!

Tony

Walking into The Pendulum with Ricky in 1972- thinking I knew something about Soul.

And discovering I DIDN'T

What you could call an Epiphany!

Tony

I remember a night at the Wheel spent with Les Cokell and Docker and realising the same!!!!

Nearly 40 years later and still don't!!! ( especially after reading Soul Source).

Saw both Brian Phillips and Phil Sax at the Greatstone on Saturday - good to reminisce.

Julian

Although it all started for me over 30 years ago, my most vivid memories are of

how, a great number of records were collected & the story behind the finds/the bartering/the venue or wherever it was you got em from & the many friends made along the way

Cannot really list a bestest memory too many

Stop it, im getting all nostalgic and then it hits me how old I am

Being on the dancefloor at Middleton a few months ago at around 7am, looking up & feeling something very special about everyone there. That we were all feeling the same...bit corny i know but i bet you've all had the same feeling!

I have lots of good memories but thats the one that springs to mind!

Said this before and I'll say it again.

Getting to the top of the stairs/escalator at the Mecca for the first time and hearing "Little Queenie" blasting out.

That feeling has stayed with me for 35 years or so and is certainly one which I would describe as one of the best memories.

Walking into the Highland Room for the first time in mid-late 1971, having just come 'up' from swallowing my first few'dex', and hearing Jackie Wilson's "I Don't Want To Lose You" coming through the speakers as I came through the doors...

...no no, they can't take that away from me...

Being on the dancefloor at Middleton a few months ago at around 7am, looking up & feeling something very special about everyone there. That we were all feeling the same...bit corny i know but i bet you've all had the same feeling!

i'm with you on that feeling, once in the 'oldies room' at st. ives (about 76) i just felt we were all connected as we were dancing there was no rhym or reason, just a feeling.

i'm with you on that feeling, once in the 'oldies room' at st. ives (about 76) i just felt we were all connected as we were dancing there was no rhym or reason, just a feeling.

That's it! I can't even remember the song that was playing. I just felt connected to everyone there. I've been going to nighters for 7 years & always loved northern but there was just something about that moment. I can still relieve it now & it makes me feel all warm inside!

i'm with you on that feeling, once in the 'oldies room' at st. ives (about 76) i just felt we were all connected as we were dancing there was no rhym or reason, just a feeling.

Yep, weird. Same thing for me - end of a Blackpool week- ender (Terry Jones DJing) 7am ish

Nobody wanted to leave, think Security pulled the plug in the end.

Yep, weird. Same thing for me - end of a Blackpool week- ender (Terry Jones DJing) 7am ish

Nobody wanted to leave, think Security pulled the plug in the end.

===============

Mine was also at a Cala Gran weekender. DJ's were slapping each other on the back but as I said at the time they had little to do with it, the atmosphere had been created by the punters. It was like the casino when everybody clapped in unison, sent shivers...........

The Celtic Soul Brothers events in the early 90's in Ireland as a young Soul fan. These events got me hooked on the music.

First UK allnighter in Hyde, Manchester around 92 or 93. Loved every minute of it. Huge hall great tunes and lots of friendly people.

First 100 club which was only in 2005. It was as good as my expectations. Blew me away. Loved the European night down there as well. Great night. Hopefully Ady will do it again.

Allnighter in Keele in the 90's middle of the night place rammed and about 300-400 people clapping in time to a classic oldie. Electrifying atmosphere.

So many good memories.

Walking up the stairs at the Top of the World, while the nightclub crowd still inside, hairs on the back of my neck standing to attention with every step, had been to soul nights and alldayers before, but this was my first allnighter and just blown away by the whole experience. Had many amazing nights after that but never quite that feeling of excitement, apprehension, the whole monty. Loved it

BEST-i havnt got just one where can you start? just everything, first record i bought, first dj spot, the wonderful friends i have met and meetin my hubby ov course, its just an amazin life ful ov fun and HAPPINESS

WORST-chuckin a massive whitey at the CIS after smokin a ciggarette i shouldnt have THANKS EILEEN haha

loadsa luv Di xxxxxxxx

Said this before and I'll say it again.

Getting to the top of the stairs/escalator at the Mecca for the first time and hearing "Little Queenie" blasting out.

That feeling has stayed with me for 35 years or so and is certainly one which I would describe as one of the best memories.

A memory that still makes me shiver. My SECOND PROPER soul club visit The Howard Mallet in cambridge ( l970'S 74? the first one blew my mind!) on a Friday night. This time a coach had travelled down from the catacombs. Boy could they dance, baratha blazers, one glove the whole cult thing taken up another level from the soul/ reggae played at commercial discos. This was/ is the coolest scene and in our time yeah we lived on the edge. All the crazy funny stories I read on here confirm this. It was a way of life it still is for me and that memory of coolness, excitment and just a pure love of soul music will always stay with me....ooh those shivers again.

Remember being at the Ritz (Manchester) a few years back for the Easter Sunday allnighter. Got to about 2.30 and the music was thumping, dancefloor was full, and I was thinking this is absolutely the nuts this scene and the people. All the "normal" people safely tucked up in bed at home and here we are having a whale of a time, just revelling in the atmosphere etc.

(mind, by 5.30, feeling knackered,the beer was wearing off and journey home to look forward to, remember then thinking what the fcuk am I doing in a place like this at this ungodly hour, wish I was safely tucked up at home in bed )

Edited January 23, 200817 yr by Stubbsy

Probably the most embarrasing moment of my life. At wigan in the record bar where i spent most of my time, was looking through a large box when i pulled out a record that i new the title of but didn`t know the artist of the lad who was looking over my shoulder gasped WOW! so i asked the lad how much? he was talking and just turned round and said "four mate" so i pulled out a fiver and offered it to him, to wich he replied "NO MATE FOUR HUNDRED" the dealer was JOHNATHAN WOODLIFFE, THE RECORD THE FRANK WILSON needless to say i quickly returned my money to my pocket and dissapeared out of the record bar totally embarrassed

Probably the most embarrasing moment of my life. At wigan in the record bar where i spent most of my time, was looking through a large box when i pulled out a record that i new the title of but didn`t know the artist of the lad who was looking over my shoulder gasped WOW! so i asked the lad how much? he was talking and just turned round and said "four mate" so i pulled out a fiver and offered it to him, to wich he replied "NO MATE FOUR HUNDRED" the dealer was JOHNATHAN WOODLIFFE, THE RECORD THE FRANK WILSON needless to say i quickly returned my money to my pocket and dissapeared out of the record bar totally embarrassed

think we've all been there and done that and.... i sometimes wear the t-shirt today OOOps!

My first allnighter at Yate, and the clapping along to ben Zine - Village Of Tears

Suspicion's first play at Stafford.

But best of all was seeing how the London scene rallied around in support of each other when the actions of an outsider tried its best to snap the cameraderie. It was fantastic to see the actions of so many. All done not as part of a little clique, but as part of a strong vibrant scene looking to protect itself.

First look over the balcony at a full seething dancefloor in the Casino would have to rank up there i think. Spine tingling !

Other fond memories for me though was just getting in to it at the local Nsoul nights at the Grandstand on Worcester racecourse.

Had heard little snippets at the youth discos, thought mmmm like this, but then to discover that there was so much more of it & all the dancing & record collecting that went with it was fantastic.

Must have only been 14/15 at the time, that age when the world is starting to open up, ah the memories ! First ever pint there too ! Mackey & coke

First look over the balcony at a full seething dancefloor in the Casino would have to rank up there i think. Spine tingling !

Agreed......... Awesome!...

74. soooo proud i didn't mess it up!

2) my first benzidrex inhaler.... whooooosh! and for only 59p 'nuff said!

I can smell them still.....where's the throwing up smiley

Edited January 23, 200817 yr by Val

too young and too far away to have any memories of wigan,torch or mecca....but still got lots of good ones of the scene,too hard to pin it down to one ! some are....

edwin starr live at iow scooter rally 84

snake davis live at newark scooter rally 84

sleepin in the early hours at the tiffanys alnighter yarmouth rally 84 amoungst lots of other bods before being woke by an airwair boot on the stomach from someone who couldnt be bothered to tip toe through the sleeping bods !! ouch !!

after doin alnighters at the fleet the size of the wirrina !...so many people

the pride at watcin my older bruv dancin at the samson in norwich,the whole club would watch in big circles arond the half a dozen or so top dancers

and more recently...

opening some tunes from ebay....crackin up over you for a fiver...expectin the orange reissue and finding the black issue ! was like charlies golden ticket !!!

and a couple of years back going to my first kings hall in july...wicked venue.....still got my first middleton to come ,hopefully soon but sadly not this weekend....

How to narrow it down?

Dean Parrish at cleethorps felt almost spiritual, like the first time i saw the Pistols, i thought how can i go out again and enjoy it when ive just witnessed this? Thankfully though i aint been spoiled, and every time i set foot in the 100 club im an over exited kid.

For some reason the 2.5 Anny at Stafford sticks out as a magic night. Prob cos it was really busy and one of the few times the turnout did the music justice.

Also coming back from China for t'undrids 25th, the hardship of getting there was repaid and some.

Got to be the first time looking over the balcony at Wigan.... Lou Pride at full volume. Up till then had only heard Northern at the local Village hall and being one of the only two Northern fans in the Village, it really was like Coming Home.

Me and my mate have this longstanding joke, DID ANYONE EVER EAT ONE OF THOSE PIE`S IN THOSE PIE WARMERS AT WIGAN ON THE END OF THE RECORD BAR & THAT ONE UPSTAIRS? seemed to be in the same position every week

Sitting on the balcony at Burnley Mecca on a Sunday Night in 1970, hearing all the Wheel sounds and watching the dancers.

Mick the Fed then played The Contours Its So Hard Being a Loser. I looked at the dancers, watched the spotlight reflecting off the globe of mirrors and listened to one of the most under rated records of all time, and I was lost for ever.

I still love that record, and have so many memories of the early scene, but that one always stands out for me.

Levi Sta Prest, black Baratheas, Royals, red socks, black or red jumpers, crombies, how cool were we?

I have the record on Gordy, UK Tamla Motown, the 16 Classics LP from around 69 and on CD and love every one of 'em!

Sitting on the balcony at Burnley Mecca on a Sunday Night in 1970, hearing all the Wheel sounds and watching the dancers.

Mick the Fed then played The Contours Its So Hard Being a Loser. I looked at the dancers, watched the spotlight reflecting off the globe of mirrors and listened to one of the most under rated records of all time, and I was lost for ever.

I still love that record, and have so many memories of the early scene, but that one always stands out for me.

Levi Sta Prest, black Baratheas, Royals, red socks, black or red jumpers, crombies, how cool were we?

I have the record on Gordy, UK Tamla Motown, the 16 Classics LP from around 69 and on CD and love every one of 'em!

With you on the clothes mate. Also original Skinner jeans, Flemmings super tough jeans. Did you know the original company that made (original) Harrington jkts is still going. Proper Harringtons with raglan sleeves and the back yoke £130 now a days for a real one. The clothes as cool as the music.

First look over the balcony at a full seething dancefloor in the Casino would have to rank up there i think. Spine tingling !

Being on the main hall dance floor at the Casino with the sunlight just starting to creep through the upstairs windows behind the bar........... & Mel Britt come blasting out of the speakers. Everyone around me with there eyes closed looking up to the heavens & mouthing every word of the song. Oneness is the only way i can discribe it........ everyone riding the same groove & vibe.

Very spirtuall moment in my life, still gives me goosebumps some 30 odd years later.

two for me

1) the first backdrop routine i did at the casino in late 74. soooo proud i didn't mess it up!

2) my first benzidrex inhaler.... whooooosh! and for only 59p 'nuff said!

Dear god , save me from the memory ........

Malc Burton

Gosh....going up the stairs at the Casino..... hearing the muffled sounds of the records..going thru those double doors...and whoosh.....heat...Brut...clapping.....feeling the floor thumping under ya...

going onto the balcony and looking at the packed dancefloor...

getting neck ache ...trying to watch all the moves being dropped on the dancefloor..

Hearing Cecil Washington for the first time at the Casino's 6th Anniversary...79

watching my sis Viki dance her heart out at some of the early 80s all nighters...totally surprised that she actually had an interest in the music,....Delxxxxx

Hearing Cecil Washington for the first time at the Casino's 6th Anniversary...79

Even after some 30 years that last guitar rift still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up......... What a Chooooon....

Even after some 30 years that last guitar rift still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up......... What a Chooooon....

From the first rift...that record had me hooked....i can still remeber coming thru them doors that night and hearing half of that record...stopping in my tracks,,,and being given an almighty shove with the words..."Keep fcuking moving...ya daft cow!!!" by some smooth talker behind me!!!!...i actually got to hear all of the record whilst up on the balcony looking down.. ..i just stood still...it really blew me away...and even tho ..over the years...on occasions i have heard it played out now and again....but nothing will ever touch the first time i heard it at Wigan.....Delxxx

First look over the balcony at a full seething dancefloor in the Casino would have to rank up there i think. Spine tingling !

I agree on my first visit this is where I went first, and as it was my first allnighter I thought I had really arrived. 2,000 people like me all liking the same music and all up and dancing when most divs were tucked up in their beds! a real sense of belonging.

Some great memories over the years, kinda hard to proritise them but I've narrowd i down to 2:

Concorde Soul Club 1978. 2nd Anniversary. DJ line up Searling/Sam/Brady mixing it up with the locals. We ran the club for 3 years. Little pub in the town centre. We had to clip the dance floor together! And we did it Friday, Sunday and Wednesdays! We sold tickets for the Anniversary at 50p each. My old Mate Alan Hughes (RIP) got the tickets printed at work gratis. We had over 300 through the door. I spent the lot on Meat pies, peas and bottles of Moet-Chandon champagne. When it came to paying the DJs (we'd had each one of them guesting once a week for the past 2 years). I told them it had all been spent on grub and champers for the punters. Pat's reply....'Dave, make sure I get a pie willya"? He He!...Happy Days.

The other one happened in New Jersey a couple of years ago when I was privy to the full rehearsal of Sammy Campbell and Sonny Turner's first performance in front of a group of fans who knew every note of their classic. Sammy was absolutely a complete professional as he worked the charts with the band, set up the structure of the song, introduced each part individually and them put it all together. So from scratch to full blown performance in 20 minutes! Fantastic. If I could have given him my 45 I would have but my bottle went and I selfishly kept it. Greatest performance I've ever witnessed. I never dreamed in a million years back in the day that I would see The Del Larks peform Job Opening. Blew me away. Filled me full of memories of Alan Hughes, Pete Lawson and a host of others....they'd have loved every minute of it.

Other fond memories for me though was just getting in to it at the local Nsoul nights at the Grandstand on Worcester racecourse.

Had heard little snippets at the youth discos, thought mmmm like this, but then to discover that there was so much more of it & all the dancing & record collecting that went with it was fantastic.

Must have only been 14/15 at the time, that age when the world is starting to open up, ah the memories ! First ever pint there too ! Mackey & coke

So I'm partly to blame then... ...how the heck did I manage to get to work every morning, what with Yate on Saturday, local do Sunday night and Worcester on a Monday! Mind you, there were variations, at one time it was the Dive Bar in Worcs on Sunday night, chips and curry sauce on the way back to Cheltenham and a few hours of "proper" sleep! And I'd willingly do it all again....

Edited January 24, 200817 yr by Jerry Hipkiss

Agreed......... Awesome!...

my worst memory going wigan for first time and getting a bluey stuck in my already dry throat! needless to say it ended down the already over flowing toilet that was 76! then watching a bouncer kick hell out of a lad who was barbed up on the balcony! oh happy days but what a magic night and many more that was to follow. i can remember my boob tube dropping down was bouncing to the music that night! but hey they dont bounce no more only swing in time to the music tee hee. just where has the years gone?.

So I'm partly to blame then... ...how the heck did I manage to get to work every morning, what with Yate on Saturday, local do Sunday night and Worcester on a Monday! Mind you, there were variations, at one time it was the Dive Bar in Worcs on Sunday night, chips and curry sauce on the way back to Cheltenham and a few hours of "proper" sleep! And I'd willingly do it all again....

Yep & for the 'seething mass of dancers' quote ! remember that series you seem so, & wrongly i might add, ashamed of ! Thouroughly summed it up though !

Can't remember any Monday night sessions at the Grandstand though ? Can only remember the Saturday nights, used to hate seeing the coach go off to Yate at the end ! Was too young & wasn't allowed

Good old days though !

Remember the Dive Bar too, the student union bar at Worcester University is named so in it's honour, if only they knew what a den of iniquity it really was !

Do you ever see anything of Clive Jones now ? I know he had that terrible tragedy with his lad, though i'm sure i saw his name on the DJ list at a local do recently ?

Edited January 24, 200817 yr by Bogue

Can't remember any Monday night sessions at the Grandstand though ? Can only remember the Saturday nights, used to hate seeing the coach go off to Yate at the end ! Was too young & wasn't allowed

Good old days though !

Remember the Dive Bar too, the student union bar at Worcester University is named so in it's honour, if only they knew what a den of iniquity it really was !

Do you ever see anything of Clive Jones now ? I know he had that terrible tragedy with his lad, though i'm sure i saw his name on the DJ list at a local do recently ?

Sure it was a Monday, might be wrong though, it was Mac, Joner, Paul O'B and myself , sure that now radio boss "Muff" Murfin was somehow involved as we were all envious of the Doris Troy UK Parkway issue he swore he'd never part with!...and he used to transport his mobile kit in a horsebox!

Haven't seen Clive Jones for some years, however as we know they all resurface after a while...

Sure it was a Monday, might be wrong though, it was Mac, Joner, Paul O'B and myself , sure that now radio boss "Muff" Murfin was somehow involved as we were all envious of the Doris Troy UK Parkway issue he swore he'd never part with!...and he used to transport his mobile kit in a horsebox!

Haven't seen Clive Jones for some years, however as we know they all resurface after a while...

Asked my mate, who is a little older than me & was friends with Mac, yesterday & he can't recall any Monday night sessions, apart from the odd bank holiday Jerry, though he couldn't swear to it.

He did say that they often used to go to a do at Bromsgroves baths on a Monday night & sometimes a place in Pershore, think it was the British Legion club ? So perhaps it was that you were thinking of ?

Yep, Muff Murfin used to run the regular disco downstairs whilst you guys did the Northern upstairs at first if i recall correctly, then it ended up being just the Northern sessions either upstairs or downstairs.

He's still in the music business i think, got a recording studio in Kempsy just outside Worcester. He was a teacher at our school before he ventured out into the music world too.

Edited January 26, 200817 yr by Bogue

two for me

1) the first backdrop routine i did at the casino in late 74. soooo proud i didn't mess it up!

2) my first benzidrex inhaler.... whooooosh! and for only 59p 'nuff said!

Blimey theres a blast from the past . I have never liked the taste of Coca Cola since. Mind you those evil little Do-Do's were just as bad . felt rough for days after them

I bet the chemists in those days thought there was an epidemic of asthma in the early 70's

Me and my mate have this longstanding joke, DID ANYONE EVER EAT ONE OF THOSE PIE`S IN THOSE PIE WARMERS AT WIGAN ON THE END OF THE RECORD BAR & THAT ONE UPSTAIRS? seemed to be in the same position every week

yes i loved those warmed upd pies i can remember buyin 3 at about ten 10 2 4 am summer 76 last orders i think they where cooked 2the bone with blak coffee and toby lark eddie foster chuck jacson betty baker etc etc blastin out they went down well

My strongest memory of the soul scene is Soul Bros Inc, the Pyramid starting and the dancefloor completely filling at either Parr Hall or Morecambe..magical...every time I hear those first few notes it comes back to me

Blimey theres a blast from the past . I have never liked the taste of Coca Cola since. Mind you those evil little Do-Do's were just as bad . felt rough for days after them

I bet the chemists in those days thought there was an epidemic of asthma in the early 70's

Do-Do's...lol I remember them & two or three of us woul all go in a buy a packet or two each leaving the assistant perplexed at the sale.

As for memories, too many & all mostly good, even the bad ones are good ones over time, the memories are still continuing to this day, although there's sadness for the friends that didn't make it through.

KTF

Baz