macca

Or the British villain of The Patriot, the Mel Gibson movie. Apparently it was so distorted that his descendents decided to sue. Gibson's reply it's just a f*** movie for chrissakes!

Mickyb has opened a can of worms.

You should take to the stage Simon. I don't think this is exploitation. What is there to exploit? How can anyone relate a bunch of kids clapping along to Tainted Love on a film set with the sheer diversity of today's Rare Soul scene? The Northern Soul scene, as portrayed in the film (and I've only seen the trailer) is merely a period piece, a costume drama that captures a mere parenthesis in the lives of the film's characters. Nothing lasts forever, Wigan was a fleeting moment for many, and 8 years, when compared to what's been and what's to come is exactly that, a fleeting ephemeral moment. I visited a paleoarcheology exhibition yesterday and had the opportunity of peering into a very life-like (it's thought) reconstruction of the face of Atapuerca Man, Homo Antecessor. I speculated on his life 800,000 years ago, his triumphs, his failures and his ultimate destiny, that of extinction. Whether the director of this particular film manages to capture or not the essence of the Wigan era is largely irrelevant, he's not exactly going to challenge anything in the process, is he? Those that 'came out of the cave' remember what it was like inside, the damp, the baby's poo colour scheme, the ultra-violet lights, the flooded areas where one risked life and limb, the balcony that allowed us a glimpse of the cave's dome, stimulating our primitive minds into imagining herds of long extinct bovines etc. I can remember scoffing at the implausability of Quest For Fire. Three different Homo species sharing the planet at the same time? Absurd, but at the end of the day it's cinema, an imaginary world, a parenthesis (that word again) from the real world, an escape of sorts, for the want of a better word.

This has become so protracted that I've forgotten who the good guys and bad guys are. Could someone remind me or will I have to go trawling through all that bile from last year? Now we have a finished product, I think it's incumbent on us all to see it and then pontificate at length once we've drawn the necessary conclusions. I will ask one question though, are a film-makers connections to the subject matter of vital importance in regard to the veracity of the plot? Clint Eastwood 'Letters From Iwo Jima' and Ken Loach 'Land & Freedom' spring to mind. Who's at fault here? The director for having the audacity to tell the tale, or his advisors for leading him up the garden path? Or is it that this is a tale that can't be told in this particular medium?

Son House for many was the Delta Blues personified, the guy that had to put up with a precocious whippersnapper by the name of Robert Johnson pestering him to teach him slide technique and songs. Unfortunately, by the time of his 'rediscovery' his playing was seriously 'whiskey challenged', there's a clip on Youtube of him heckling, of all people, Howling Wolf, apparently resenting the fact that a younger guy should 'lecture' a roomfull of older black men on the blues. His 20's & 30's contemporary Skip James on the other hand was as stunning in 1964 as he was on those old 78s. A mean character by all accounts, and pretty dismissive of the Folk Blues Revival. His Devil Got My Woman album, recorded around 1968, is about as stark and foreboding as anything ever put on record, an absolute master on the guitar and equally compelling on the piano with a unique percussive style.

And it ain't gonna be first or last of its kind, is it? Quadrophenia, SNF, the Todd Haynes movie about Glam Rock, Stardust, etc, etc... The Bari Track sounds good, I must say... M

True, though many on here did cast apersions on it Ady, especially while Kenny's was up for auction. To me this is a form of revisionism. One thing is being weary of a sound, another is questioning its rightful place in NS lore etc; I perhaps hould have worded it 'whether a record is considered good or bad is often down to personal tastes. I never had any doubts about FW, though I must say it didn't grab me immediately back then, unlike other records that spring to mind.

I wonder if Frank himself is aware of the vampire and cross reaction. That's a good analogy you used Mark. Whether it's a 'good' or 'bad' record or not is entirely down to personal tastes, and they're like colours; i.e. lots of them, all different shades and hues.

I wonder if that Roger Earl Okin was the Earl Okin that I saw at my brother's comedy club 'the gaslight' in Peterborough in the mid 80s. This guy would have been in his 50s then, very suave, pin stripe suit, fedora and spats. He did a cabaret act, with a guitar, alternating blues and jazz standards with witty ramblings a la George Melly. The strange world of Northern Soul indeed!

In the last 4 years I've only attended two events in my former hometown, one at the City Club in December 2006 and the other at the DKOF Christmas 2007. I saw lots of old faces at both: Nogsy, Dave Reed , Gary DeRoux, Spike, Debbie Pierce, The Donnelly brothers, Chris Cousins, Gill, Phil O'Hearn, Bully twins etc, etc. but living out here means I'm a bit removed from it to tell the truth. 'corby john' and 'stangroundsoul' on here organise well attended events at The Fleet, and there's the Right Track at the Post Office club, but I've not attended either. I do get the impression that it's a very splintered scene there though, with lots of wailing and gnashing of teeth over music policy, promotor mud slinging and the like, which is a shame of course.

I probably paid over the odds, but bugger it, I've secured a faultless copy and that's what's important.

I'll try to keep this on topic by relating a dance style and clothes worn in 1975. The all nighters at the Wirrina Peterborough in 1975 would sometimes attract African-American US servicemen from RAF Alconbury. I can remember marvelling at their dance styles which was completely different from ours, naturally. Some of them happened to be wearing kaftans and I thought at the time, jesus, those geezers must be really comfortable in those flowing garments. The music was stuff like Ann Sexton, Betty Wright, Gil Scott Heron, Bataan, World Column etc and it all seemed very exciting. They stopped coming after a few sessions, maybe phased by all those English kids blocked out of their tits giving them patronising Soul brother salutes and having to endure inexplicable records like Barnaby Bye and Cats Eyes. I digress. Back to 2010. A kaftan or a linen Kashmiri long shirt with matching strides would be most comfortable in my opinion.

I wouldn't call it slagging off Ian, it's merely expressing opinions. For example, if I see a 'city gent' in 2010 wearing a bowler and dark pinstripe, five buttons, carrying a nicely furled umbrella and a freshly ironed copy of the Torygraph, he's going to spark interest and debate if I'm with friends/colleagues. As long as the comments aren't spiteful, I don't see there's any harm in passing comment. As to whether people 'make an effort', 'look scruffy', 'look smart', 'look cool, look daft etc, etc, it's all a matter of opinions, and as the Spanish say, opinions are like colours, there's lots of them, different shades, hues etc.

Spot on Trevski. I'd rather the levis, brogues, loafers, blazers and ben shermans of the 69/70 look than the abominations of 1974/5, even though I partook. The reason they choose this particular attire probably has something to do with what they perceive as the 'peak period' of NS, sadly ignoring the straight cords, dungarees, mohair jumpers and plastic sandals, and of course, great music, of the end of that decade. There's a whole seam they could exploit there! Interestingly enough, there are people leaving disparaging comments on the Leicester Oddfellows 80s videos about 'NS loving Eastern Europeans', so I can see why they'd rather not explore that period.

Heyup big Mick, Macky here, from Peterborough, perhaps you'll remember me. :-) You and Martyn should get over to Facebook and look at Jane Stryzkalo's (formerly Osborne) pics from the Scarborough and Yarmouth 1980 scooter runs. Johnny Cockerill's on there too and has tons of photos. Some of them will make you smile, some might even make you shed a wet one. :-) Best, M

Where did that the come from in 'Northern Soul'? It's a bit like 'they play records that were popular at The Wigan Casino. The Twisted Wheel yes. The Torch yes. But The Wigan Casino? NO!!! Linguistic aberrations like this are far more sinister than dance schools in Fylde.

I'm feeling very elated after managing to acquire, after much searching, a stone mint copy of this great Pied Piper produced album. The 'dynagroove mono recording' vinyl weighs a ton and that glorious black RCA Victor label gleams like it was pressed yesterday. It's so new looking, cover included, that it raised suspicions initially. It's been on my turntable all afternoon and is proving a thoroughly enjoyable listening experience. There's everything from Doo Wop (Blue Velvet), killer Detroit Soul (Time Changes Things, Do The Pied Piper, Since I Found My Baby, Till The End Of Time) to blues romps like 'I'm In It All The Way'. It cost me 85 euros including shipping, but I think it's a privilege to own such a slice of Detroit Soul history in perfect condition. A better trained eye might be able find a few faults with it, but to me it looks almost perfect, new even. Apart from Since I found My Baby and Sweetest One, which I believe was a big hit for them, what other tracks were released on 45 off this LP?

When we were attending venues in the 70s, the fashions went hand in glove with the music. People then were very dismissive about retro scenes like the R&R scene, which was made up largely of forty five year olds hankering after an idealised Elvis pre-army era. Most of us thought they were the height of tack and legitimate targets for sometimes merciless ridicule. From what I've seen of retro scenes today, for example Rob Bailey's New Untouchables events, I can't help thinking they've got it right. They'd probably argue the point that they're a retro scene at all, but I find it quite hard to have a conversation with a 25 year old beautifully dressed like Edie Sedgwick or Peter Tork circa 1967 and not draw that conclusion. The biggest difference, and correct me if I'm wrong, between the Untouchables punters/DJs and what I see as the more regressive side of the UK Soul scene is the undeniable fact that the Untouchables crowd continually push back boundaries in their search for new sounds/grooves. Es una opinion, as they say in Spain...

Very interesting Chalky. Both writers do little to hide their distaste for 'mods and scooterists', eh? :-)

The trailer. Feel free to carp, sorry, comment. Bari track sounds awesome! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEa1ODNzv2Q

Must be an emminently exportable product. According to her news section, 'workshops' at a weekender in Rome last month went so well that she's taking bookings from the Eternal City. Isn't she the blonde that's jumping around (literally) on the O'Grady programme by the way?

Fascinating. Keep up the detective work. Those red, yellow and black designs look decidedly pervy.

I think it would probably be prudent to say 'what's up with some French record buyers', that way you don't have to 'concede an apology' at the end of the post. I wonder what US and Japanese dealers have to say about UK buyers on this question. The volume of records flowing from the UK to continental Europe and vice versa' and across the Atlantic will determine the volume of 'bad apples', surely?

Mick, the shuffler you mention is Vaughan Atkinson, I think. He was a much admired dancer back then. Think he was from Boston or Spalding.

Fabulous version. Smokey in fine voice, thankfully...