Jump to content

Catacombs Story


Recommended Posts

OK - following on from the Graham Warr thread where I notice my old pal Simon Soussan gets a mention.

Picture the scene - I'm the first to see Simon when he arrives back from his trip to New York. Lots of in-demand and unknown 45s, so I get a good few off him for past favours i.e phoning him in the States to tell him what's being played/ been discovered that week etc. We meet in Chris Tippings apartment in Foxhill Court, Weetwood Lane Leeds (for those of you who know the area)

No sales list has been produced at the time, so his sponsor for the trip ( Chris Tipping - his dad owned Tipco Tools in Leeds and he had a Ferrari Dino reg LOV 750 - just a bit of useless information, strange how things stick in your memory) decided it would be nice to get some cash back asap and see what the NS scene was all about.

So, we set off Saturday night to the Cats. Good to see Graham, Pep, Max, Alan S etc on the night BUT things start to get a bit ugly ( don't think Simon had started to rip people off by then, I just think the locals decided it would be a good idea to 'roll' Simon for his sales box). Anyway I realised that it was time to beat a hasty retreat and dragged Simon out of there pretty damn quick!! Simon had brought a 'minder' with him - a big soft jewish lad who was neither use nor ornament who nearly sh-t himself and Chris Tipping was useless as well.See to remember running away from a bunch of these guys to our cars.

We then went to the Torch and the rest is history as they say!!!

Julian

(reminiscing)

Link to comment
Social source share

  • Replies 14
  • Views 2.6k
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Most active in this topic

Most active in this topic

OK - following on from the Graham Warr thread where I notice my old pal Simon Soussan gets a mention.

Picture the scene - I'm the first to see Simon when he arrives back from his trip to New York. Lots of in-demand and unknown 45s, so I get a good few off him for past favours i.e phoning him in the States to tell him what's being played/ been discovered that week etc. We meet in Chris Tippings apartment in Foxhill Court, Weetwood Lane Leeds (for those of you who know the area)

No sales list has been produced at the time, so his sponsor for the trip ( Chris Tipping - his dad owned Tipco Tools in Leeds and he had a Ferrari Dino reg LOV 750 - just a bit of useless information, strange how things stick in your memory) decided it would be nice to get some cash back asap and see what the NS scene was all about.

So, we set off Saturday night to the Cats. Good to see Graham, Pep, Max, Alan S etc on the night BUT things start to get a bit ugly ( don't think Simon had started to rip people off by then, I just think the locals decided it would be a good idea to 'roll' Simon for his sales box). Anyway I realised that it was time to beat a hasty retreat and dragged Simon out of there pretty damn quick!! Simon had brought a 'minder' with him - a big soft jewish lad who was neither use nor ornament who nearly sh-t himself and Chris Tipping was useless as well.See to remember running away from a bunch of these guys to our cars.

We then went to the Torch and the rest is history as they say!!!

Julian

(reminiscing)

Haha LOL. At least you didn't get a beer glass in your face like I did right in the middle of doing a swap deal with him @ the Mecca!

Mind you, those two black eyes and a bust nose got me a few nice things thereafter on the basis that I 'saved his life'.....

And more stories please! What did you sell, how much, how rare and to whom did you sell etc, etc......

Speak soon Julian.....

Best,

Ian D :lol:

Link to comment
Social source share


Guest Mrs Simsy

Haha LOL. At least you didn't get a beer glass in your face like I did right in the middle of doing a swap deal with him @ the Mecca!

Mind you, those two black eyes and a bust nose got me a few nice things thereafter on the basis that I 'saved his life'.....

And more stories please! What did you sell, how much, how rare and to whom did you sell etc, etc......

Speak soon Julian.....

Best,

Ian D :thumbup:

:lol: Really? Were you ok?

Yes please, more stories!

Link to comment
Social source share

Thought I might have got a few more replies to this.

Come on guys, you can remember Graham Warr's discoveries but cannot remember what actually, historically and factually happened the night Simon Sousaan went to the Cats?

Let's have some input please :lol:

Julian

Link to comment
Social source share

Thought I might have got a few more replies to this.

Come on guys, you can remember Graham Warr's discoveries but cannot remember what actually, historically and factually happened the night Simon Sousaan went to the Cats?

Let's have some input please :lol:

Julian

the records listed are what graham says he discovered they are his memories!

i do remember sousaan coming to the dj booth on i think 3 different nights to sell some records, then he left to go to the torch i believe! which time he supposedly nearly got rolled ,i wouldn't have a clue, he never metioned it to me on any of his later visits to my shop or my parents house! so sorry can't help you on that score!

MAX..

Link to comment
Social source share

incidently Max,do you remember the PP.Arnold/MaxineBrown emi disc with hand copied label? that came from me.

Steve

Catacombs ,definately one of the best venues of the past!

Steve, I still have an EMI of Mark Johnson/Stagemasters with the Cats stamp on it, came from Pep. And as for PP Arnold, I heard it on my only trip to the Torch (pretty sure you were on the coach as well): the next night I was Dj'ing at the Spa Lounge,went through their collection and found a copy. Played it to death for a while till Dave Chamberlain nicked it, took it oop north and sold it!

Hippo.

Link to comment
Social source share

Steve, I still have an EMI of Mark Johnson/Stagemasters with the Cats stamp on it, came from Pep. And as for PP Arnold, I heard it on my only trip to the Torch (pretty sure you were on the coach as well): the next night I was Dj'ing at the Spa Lounge,went through their collection and found a copy. Played it to death for a while till Dave Chamberlain nicked it, took it oop north and sold it!

Hippo.

Hi guys never got to the Cats but well remember being at the Howard Mallet in Cambridge when a coach load from the Cats came down, boy could those guys dance. the memory has stayed with me since must av been 73-74 ish. The Mallet badge (dinner plate) had sold out think the cost was 75p all embroidered to go on ya blazer, the Cats visitors were offering £5 plus to sell, i never sold mine but a fiver was a lot then. Best Kimbo... Love the old stories.

Link to comment
Social source share

Julian, is it not true that when Simon first went to the states,he financed it by "selling" records he didn´t have? or was that another myth?

Steve

Hi Steve

Simon was relatively new to soul music - he was a DJ at a club in Leeds playing pop music (can't remember the name but it was on East Parade and it was for 'rich' folk). Simon got to know Hunter Smith of Jumbo Records in Leeds ( and that's where I first met Simon) but he obviously had a love for our music and would quiz me as to what was being played at the Mecca, Torch etc and then would got out and find the english release stuff ( he was building up a collection of imports via Jumbo etc at the time as well).

He was definetly financed by Chris Tipping ( who he met at and may have been a co-owner of the aforementioned club).

He started ripping folk off soon after he returned and produced that list of known and unknown sounds ( Sweet & Easy, What would I do- The Tymes etc spring to mind as unknowns at the time). Either didn't send the records sold or swapped - he was a professional bullshitter when it came to getting out of trouble though.

Remember one night when Levine, Neil Mason, Dave Lowe and a few others came over to Leeds looking for him ( 'cause he'd done them). He lived in a flat in Headingley,but we were unsuccessful in breaking in ( it was on the second floor) and we were law abiding citizens ( apart from the odd spliff, gear etc).

Happy days

Julian

Link to comment
Social source share

OK - following on from the Graham Warr thread

We then went to the Torch and the rest is history as they say!!!

Julian

(reminiscing)

1st we went to the Cats, me Brucey, Hugh & Phil, there was only Alan S and some dopey bird

in there, all the rest decided to go the Mecca, most bizzare. Mind we didn't 'alf 'ear some great

sounds, plus that bird gave Phil a big bag of sweeties to get home with :rolleyes: "know what I mean?"

The rest, as they say........was spewing our guts up down the M1 shhh.gif

Chris L

Link to comment
Social source share

Remember one night when Levine, Neil Mason, Dave Lowe and a few others came over to Leeds looking for him ( 'cause he'd done them). He lived in a flat in Headingley,but we were unsuccessful in breaking in ( it was on the second floor) and we were law abiding citizens ( apart from the odd spliff, gear etc).

Happy days

Julian

Link to comment
Social source share

Guest gordon russell

Don´t know if i was there when Soussan was? but being relieved of records was a common occurence(if people are honest!) in those days,

one evening i arrived with my find of the saturday in london,(Lou Johnson) was approached by the notorious "Fiach" who introduced! himself so and said he "wanted" the record,luckily for me at the time he was scoring off a Gloucester girl at the time , "Hi Steve how are you?"....(she) "mate your all right,ow much do you want for it? didn´t know you knew Bernie"(he) (remember her Ezz ,Terry?) not what but who you know(luckily)

Also was leaing over the record booth when Pep´s sounds were passed over(stolen) really pissed off as i had been told to offer up to 40 quid for ski-ing in the snow (by Richard Selwood)and he was thinking about it!

buying sounds for cutting emi´s thats a whole new chapter!

incidently Max,do you remember the PP.Arnold/MaxineBrown emi disc with hand copied label? that came from me.

Steve

Catacombs ,definately one of the best venues of the past!

hello steve smith,how the devil are you .......yes the cats was a very good and very shady place indeed,we had some great times though..I very well remember mr fiach and his chums from derby...were you there the night they had a huge fight outside with john manship, poke(well hard) butch (not m.d) and their pals,same night little willy got stabbed.....scary or what. I think that was the one club that used to have the biggest concentration of dodgy bastards I ever went to.terry thompson,billy whizz,fenton, paul roberts,smokey,black robbo and click from leics........great times though

Link to comment
Social source share

Don´t know if i was there when Soussan was? but being relieved of records was a common occurence(if people are honest!) in those days,

one evening i arrived with my find of the saturday in london,(Lou Johnson) was approached by the notorious "Fiach" who introduced! himself so and said he "wanted" the record,luckily for me at the time he was scoring off a Gloucester girl at the time , "Hi Steve how are you?"....(she) "mate your all right,ow much do you want for it? didn´t know you knew Bernie"(he) (remember her Ezz ,Terry?) not what but who you know(luckily)

Also was leaing over the record booth when Pep´s sounds were passed over(stolen) really pissed off as i had been told to offer up to 40 quid for ski-ing in the snow (by Richard Selwood)and he was thinking about it!

buying sounds for cutting emi´s thats a whole new chapter!

incidently Max,do you remember the PP.Arnold/MaxineBrown emi disc with hand copied label? that came from me.

Steve

Catacombs ,definately one of the best venues of the past!

YEP! DO SEEM TO REMEMBER THAT EMI DISC! TALKIN OF PEOPLE BUYING SOUNDS TO GET PRESSED WAS JUST STARTING TO HAPPEN! SEEM TO THINK SOMEBODY WAS OUT BUYING FOR SELECTA DISC OR WAS IT ANOTHER COMPANY!

Link to comment
Social source share

YEP! DO SEEM TO REMEMBER THAT EMI DISC! TALKIN OF PEOPLE BUYING SOUNDS TO GET PRESSED WAS JUST STARTING TO HAPPEN! SEEM TO THINK SOMEBODY WAS OUT BUYING FOR SELECTA DISC OR WAS IT ANOTHER COMPANY!

HERE'S A GREAT TRUE LITTLE STORY FOR YOU!!

IT WOULD BE SUMMER OF 72' I THINK! I WAS GOING ON HOLIDAY FOR TWO WEEKS & GRAHAM SAID TO ME WHAT THE HELL ARE WE GONNA PLAY WHILE YOURE AWAY!! SO I LENT HIM 25 OF THE CURRENT FLOOR FILLERS TO HELP THEM OUT!! WHEN I GOT BACK SUITABLY TANNED & EAGER TO GET BACK TO DJ'ING GRAHAM COME UP & SAYS HERE YOU ARE MAX IVE SOLD ALL YOU'RE TUNES & GIVES ME A BAG OF MONEY!!!! I WAS MORTIFIED TO SAY THE LEAST!! MY BELOVED TUNES GONE!! I CAN LAUGH AT IT NOW!! BUT NOT AT ALL HAPPY WITH OUR GRAHAM THAT NIGHT!!!!!!!!!!

MAX...

Link to comment
Social source share

YEP! DO SEEM TO REMEMBER THAT EMI DISC! TALKIN OF PEOPLE BUYING SOUNDS TO GET PRESSED WAS JUST STARTING TO HAPPEN! SEEM TO THINK SOMEBODY WAS OUT BUYING FOR SELECTA DISC OR WAS IT ANOTHER COMPANY!

Ah curious objects these!!! I had one, dr love on one side and whats wrong with me baby on the flip came via selecta disc nottingham. Were these the last of this 'type' of pressing? reason I ask is it was like a dangerous weapon :yes: . Metal and quite heavy ;you could have some buggers head off if yer threw it, like oddjob :yes: I know sound quality wasn't brill and played havoc with the old stylus

Link to comment
Social source share

Ah curious objects these!!! I had one, dr love on one side and whats wrong with me baby on the flip came via selecta disc nottingham. Were these the last of this 'type' of pressing? reason I ask is it was like a dangerous weapon :yes: . Metal and quite heavy ;you could have some buggers head off if yer threw it, like oddjob :yes: I know sound quality wasn't brill and played havoc with the old stylus

had an old one in a collection last week, played ok really considering it was 35 yrs old

max..

Link to comment
Social source share

Get involved with Soul Source

Add your comments now

Join Soul Source

A free & easy soul music affair!

Join Soul Source now!

Log in to Soul Source

Jump right back in!

Log in now!



×
×
  • Create New...