macca

Great stuff. Young journos today don't know how easy they've got it with digital photography, smartphones and e-mail!

What about the Isley Brothers - Livin' In The Life? I heard it at St.Ives in 1977 (Ginger) and I think it's a good example of the 'funk encroachment' of that time. People lapped up records like Babe Ruth, Black Nasty, Today's People etc, but by contrast the dancefloor reaction seemed mute to Livin' In The Life, maybe it was considered taking the Funk thing a bit too far? I've never really understood how Manifesto has been filed under 'Funk' either. When Colin Curtis came to Peterborough late 76, he and the people that came with him were subjected to flicked doggends throughout his set. In the end he relented, asking them what they wanted to hear/dance to and someone shouted Manifesto. This lot, perceived as a bunch of retrogrades by the Mecca crowd, would never have knowingly requested a Funk record, Christ no! When he left the decks, Brian Rae took over, playing 'Waterfall' and 'Like Adam & Eve', which had them flocking back to the floor. That was the first time I saw real division in the ranks, at least on my home turf. We're all friends now though... :-)

I don't think it's a case of rose tinted spectacles at all. People are just fondly remembering how much of an impact these articles had on their youth. What's so wrong with that? Most of us remember the sordid stuff only too well, the barb scourge and the overdoses that came with it, the deaths of friends along the way, the unscrupulous individuals knowingly knocking out strychnine laced blues, the record thieves, the coat thieves (are you on here you bastard!?), the dodgy roll you in bogs types, the criminal kind in general, morally and ethically challenged promoters ignoring fire regulations in order to pack a hundred morein, the locking of fire escapes, the whole week spent recovering from the excess till the nxt onslaught, academic failure at 16 and the doors closed as a result etc, etc. Regrets, I have a few, but then again, too few to mention, bla, bla, bla...

Good man.

Christ, how fortunate we were, eh? Amazing stuff... Pete, have you got any from early 75, first quarter say?

Dunno, but it's just had its premier in leicester square and a special flashmob was specially arranged for it. Appeared on my facebook wall a few minutes ago. Dunno what to think...

S'truth that's awful. I thought David was supposed to be David Huff?

I think scooterists helped widen the verballing material at all-nighters in the early 80s, with people jawing about ancilloti seats and delorto carbs instead of the usual anorak stuff. I bought a lambretta jet 200 as soon as I was 17 in 1977, basically because I thought it was a cool alternative to mopeds and those yamaha 'fizzies'. When the Mod revival came along I got another, a beaten up Li150 which I had overhauled a resprayed. On that I went up to the Scarborough rally of 1980. The place where we went to dance was definitely Northern dominated 'cos Bub was deejaying in his inimitable way. However, there were other types there that clearly wanted The Who, Small Faces, Two Tone, Madness, The Jam etc. I couldn't stand any of that, so my association with the Mod scene didn't last 18 months. I found it tedious to have to sit through.

sounds like the lady version of jimmy ruffin, over inflated ego, disparaging comments about fellow stablemates and the british scene (yet to come if she reads this)...

You lot must have good jobs, whines the poor teacher. This is one of my favourite sounds ever, as Dave says, it lacks nothing. G+/VG sounds unplayable though. If a minter is 2,500 pounds, are we talking 50-75% less for a beat up copy for a wall-mount then?

You Can Do Magic was a chart sound thoroughly rejected in Peterborough, and it showed in the audience's attitude, which bordered on rude. Ken Cox, as far as I'm aware, would have acted on recommendation, 'cos he was pretty clueless about NS, at least that's what I remember. I could be wrong of course.

Edwin Starr (76) and Jr. Walker (77) at the Wirrina P'boro were the most memorable. Billy Butler was a let down, but very often it's not the artist's fault. The pillheads only wanted to hear Right Track and not the gut wrenching ballads that most Soul singers love to get their teeth into. The most forgettable by far were Limmie & The Family Cookin', also at the Wirrina in 1976. What on earth was on Ken Cox's mind when he booked them? I also saw Eddie Holman at the Wirrina, 1982 perhaps? My recollection of the night is zero, sadly. Don't recall doing any other live acts away from Peterborough, not even St.Ives, as I missed Gloria Jones due to tonsilitis. Legend has it that Bolan was on drums and mingling with the crowd before, but I think it was speed talk. No pics have surfaced, as far as I'm aware.

I was 13 when I first heard (and was told that it was) 'NS' at my YC in 1973. Things like Landslide, Love On A Mountain Top, and Bok to Bach, plus lots of Motown like This Old Heart Of Mine. I was a year away from my first all-nighter (at the same YC!) and prior to attending that, the summer of 74 was crucial in my conversion, with records like The Joker, Furys I'm Satisfied With You, The Poppies He's Got Real Love, Faye Ross 'Faith Hope Trust', Al Kent 'You Gotta Pay The Price, Sam & Kitty etc - those were records I associate with the YC 'cos when I did attend my first all-nighter, with John Manship guesting, I obviously knew very few of the records played, and what an education it was! Brave new world!! p.s. So yeah, like Kev and Matt say, an age thing probably...

There's little point raising objections if the format of the progamme is based on requests from listeners, I mean what else are KR & RS supposed to do or say on a programme of this type? "Yes, I played this in 1976. It took a while to take off, but by the end of that hot summer it was one of the biggest sounds in the country." You'd have to be pretty inventive to make four hours of that interesting AND hold the listeners, but that's what they had to do and probably did well under the circumstances.

Well 1975 saw him perform at The Wirrina, so if he did periodically pop over, 1974 sounds as good a year as any...

Interesting stuff. I turned 50 in March and like Matt, was not yet 15 when I made my first trip to the country's number one all-nighter. From that first trip, I remember records like Wombat, Dena Barnes, Larry Santos, The Malibus, Johnny Bragg, Dean Courtney etc being played and that they were familiar to me, maybe because record collectors/djs in Peterborough like Smudge Smith, Gary Spencer and Paul Donnelly had already sought out those sounds and were playing them at local nights. Within two years oldies all-nighters and Wheel and Torch revival nights had sprung up across the country, so even then I'd say there was a crowd of people less than prepared to listen to new discoveries, and I don't believe the 60s vs 70s split had much bearing on this because the same people used to level criticism at Soul Sam before he switched to modern around 1980. By 1985 I was pretty much tired of the scene and consequently missed Stafford. I do remember hearing stuff like Doug Banks, Kurt Harris, Tommy Navarro early on at Peterborough and not 'getting' it and didn't in fact get it until many years later, by which time I'd moved to Spain. Next month I'm attending a weekend event in northern Spain, not far from where I live, Runaway Love Sessions which boasts a superb roster of British and Spanish talent. I'll most likely be clueless as to the records being spun, but that makes it all the more challenging wondering whether I'll be left cold or torn away from conversations with the time-honoured 'what the f*** is this!? The good thing is that twenty five years on people are still charting unknown seas and rolling back frontiers, which can't be a bad thing. If 'exhibition dancing' to Babe Ruth is your thing, then fine, but I know where I'd rather be.

I think the Cleethorpes piece was, as previously mentioned, at least a double page spread with pics. I think it was this one that broke the story of James Fountain going for 250 sovs. Anybody know the date it was published? I think it may have been early 76 as I'm sure I was still at school. B&S and Black Echoes were a part of growing up, like the cassettes we recorded at venues and listened to in the '5th year common room' at school, to the bemusement of teaching staff and fellow pupils. Yet another thing that set us apart.

Paul: I doubt very much that the word faggot would have been used in 1973. More like poufter. I remember the Reidy's. l was at school with Michael who probably went onto St. John Fisher's, which along with Eastholme, Stanground, was one of Peterborough's worst schools. Your brother Mick and I went to Orton Longueville of course, and it shows.

you may not like the record webby, but how can you compare the fabulous yvonne baker with shirley feckin' bassey? I happen to think YB is one of the most underrated vocalists ever. YDSAW for me is an era defining record and no other version for me comes close. I feel the same way about the Yum-Yums. I'm glad I was there, that's all...

Sorry guys, the last post was in response to someone mentioning barbs, I didn't realise I wasn't on the last page of the thread. :-)

They were a curse, and provided some of the grimmest sights I've ever seen at an all-nighter, people dribbling, pissing themselves and worse. The only fight I ever saw was also down to some oaf picking a fight barbed up. Seedy and sordid.

Pretty good harp break in that old Soul Sam spin from 77/8, Elliot Small I'm A Devil. No refo clip, so here's the one on youtube:

Yes, but events 35 years ago weren't attended by people well past middle age, were they? I went through exactly the same 'rites of passage' as you and thousands of others, but we weren't accompanied by anyone other than our own peer group, were we? If I'd have walked into the Wirrina with my uncle Lance (not necessarily my mum or dad), he'd have taken one look at all the 'startled rabbits' and decided it wasn't the place for a 14 year old to be. Another context: in 1971 at the age of 11, wearing my sister's ben sherman and my kid's levis and monkey boots, I followed a bunch of skins into my local pub. The landlord, on seeing me, burst out laughing and shouted to his also amused/bemused patrons 'we'll be letting prams in next!', urging me to bugger off back to the 'rec' where I belonged. I think he was right. In Spain this problem doesn't exist of course as punters are a generation younger, at least and might well resent the presence of so many 'old duffers' from England's shores.

This thread has taken a nasty, accusatory turn with threats and offering 'people outside'. The question 'should kids be allowed into all-nighters?', I think, is a valid one and has ellicited a lot of responses from folk both for and against. I just think Imber and Brent should air their differences privately. It looks ugly. Que haya paz!!

I didn't care for it but I didn't care for coalville tiffs either. I bought otis smith 'let her go' there off nev wherry who was a very nice guy. I left my new caramel bomber jacket there and had to go back for it, making me miss the train, causing my girlfriend to be quite dischuffed. I didn't get blocked but my girlfriend did and the train journey home wasn't very pleasant as a consequence 'cos I wanted to point things out and discuss them in depth.