macca

and Ken Cox of Dawn Promotions got wind of the financial viability of NS...

I'd describe the Prophets record as odd, if anything. Musically, it seems to defy the premise that simple is best 'cos there's all sorts of stuff going on in there and it sounds as if each musician is reading from a different chart. The vocals are stunning though, and it makes you wonder how many run throughs they had to get that sound. It's certainly the kind of record that would have pricked my ears up years back. Reminds me of stuff by the esquires, but more 'cluttered'.

Right on both counts Martyn. I definitely remember attending an all-nighter at The Fleet well before November. The kilns had, shall we say, a trigger like effect on one's central nervous system. I also remember ornithological forays down to the water's edge where I would attempt to communicate with coots and mallards via rhyder hunt's duck warbler. Happy memories indeed. Does anyone remember weedgie john? he used to go out with stanground girl vicky brookbanks and only went to the fleet to get blocked. he used to wear a levi jacket with a UVF patch and once I was sitting next to him and James Coit came on, which was massive at the time, and I asked him what he thought of the record and his reply was 'it's no that bad, but it's not a gid as the f*** sash. I pissed myself. the fleet had a lot of characters, as did many venues...

Paul, that's not the Mick Parr from Peterborough who died earlier this year is it? I

I loved them and still love them. Admittedly there have been some clunkers over the years but the sheer exhilaration one felt when dancing to stuff like My Little Girl, Cigarette Ashes, My Sugar Baby, Double Cookin' when we were sprogs is something I'd never trade, not in a million years.

March 1975, a good two years before This England, which shows that Mike Walker didn't really give a toss about members' wishes on this issue.

Sorry, but I still think the term 'disco demand' was ill chosen. I don't think any of us went to 'discos' to hear rare soul back in 74/5. Ian Levine's PYE album was excellent. Nowt wrong with releasing records. But why did the PYE singles thing go the way it did? They had a wealth of material there from Wand & Scepter and we got things like The FlintNiks, The Sha Na Netts, Wayne Gibson and Wigan's Chosen Few instead. Admittedly there were a few decent things, but given the wealth of material it could have been a lot better. Was it due to Winstanley's tutelage? Rest assured McAleer would have been none the wiser. Far from giving it a rest, as it were, I stand by my comments. Saludos...

I think Wigan started to 'sell out' well before 'This England'. What about Dave McAleer from PYE being invited to The Casino? Before we knew it we had a UK label called, of all things, 'Disco Demand', a term repulsive to most of us. Russ Winstanley milked it for all it was worth, within 18 months of the first all-nighter. The Wigan's Chosen Few/Javells debacle came in 1974, with Wigan's Ovation hot on their heels in 1975 right? The arrival of the film crews in 1977 shouldn't taken anyone by surprise. I only attended The Casino two or three times that year, preferring St.Ives to an 8 hour cross-country train odyssey. Strangely enough, I find the documentary much more watchable today than back then. In answer to the question about letting in film crews today, I would say no.

When you say 'these people have to be told' I assume you're referring to these people who accused you of 'promoting the venue for regular monthly nights', not the people on this site. This thread has inevitably raised the transparency issue, or lack of it, at some so called charity events across the country. I think people are right to voice such concerns, it's got bugger all to do with cynicism in my opinion.

if we want to go really back, then there's the yiddish music for the jewish immigrants then flooding into NYC.

Beiderbeck and people like Eddie Lang were part of their Jazz series which fell nicely in step with the company's Race series of the 20s. I suppose Johnny Ray was your first 'pop artist' to record for the label. 'Cry' is a tremendous recording. Remember that 70s Okeh compilation? I only used to listen to stuff like Williams & Watson back then, skipping all the rest of it, which is a crime when you think about it. Otis Williams & the Charms 'Your Sweet Love Rained All Over me' off the same album is also gob-smacking. We were far too tribal for our own good back then... :-)

Then I'm a naive old git then Ged. I guess common sense must prevail in the end. After all, acts of charity can be simple gestures rather than giving the shirt off your back. The airline thing does work me up though... :-)

It would be difficult if we're talking about the calculation of profit, but I'm talking about a chuck jackson scenario of handing it over (the lot), even charging people a special fee to use the khasi. I'm serious. I'm involved with someone who gives a month of her annual holidays to improve the lives of the less fortunate and it pisses me off that the airlines don't donate the airfares and excess baggage fees for all the medical equipment for the group. they can afford it and so can we. :-)

Some promotors today use the charity tag as a lure though, don't they? If, as a result of hyping the charity aspect of the event, they get a bigger turnout than normal, diverting a given percentage of the kitty isn't really going to financially challenge them in any way. I'm of the opinion that all proceeds should be donated, from the booking fee for the hall to all DJ fees and all bar and door takings. Any other arrangement just smacks of opportunism to me.

I think it's another sign of approaching mortality. As we pass middle age and enter the third phase of our lives, we become more aware of the need for solidarity, compassion, altruism etc; After all, charity events were pretty thin on the ground in the 70's, weren't they? DJs should of course donate their fees if they decide to accept a booking where it's clear that all proceeds are going to a named charity. I also think that all bar takings/profits should be donated, then we'd really see how sincere people were, wouldn't we?

When I think of the garbage I had to sit through that day & night, & then you see this, criminally left off the DVD, it just makes you realise what kind of agenda the music industry has when it comes to black artists. I know Hall & Oates hauled out Kendricks & Ruffin, and Patti Labelle blew everybody away with her version of Dylan's Forever Young (well she blew me away) etc, but this powerhouse performance from the Tops is just wonderful. Levi is in fine form.

I would also dispute the Euroland clubbers tag James. Though I can only speak for Spain, I've attended events in Madrid (Magic Soul), Santiago (Modern Weekender) and Gijon (Sounds of Unity & Love) and the vast majority of the crowd are, to use a Spanish word, aficionados, not undiscerning 'wiggling clubbers'. Apart from The Boiler and Movin' On, there are other events across the country like Bilbao's Soul4Real (Aitor on here) and Valencia's VNSC nighters (Dani Herranz & Albert Petit on here), which I've yet to attend. To use a well worn clich, I'd say they were cutting-edge Rare Soul events. Not quite sure what 'Euroland' is either. I would have thought Rawtenstall, Levenshulme, Shoreditch, Stamford and Stotfold were also part of 'Euroland', but I could be wrong of course. ;-)

Syng McGowan is a great tune.

Chris Cerf 'Sweet Music' was a right clapper. Eddie Garrigan 'I Wish I Was' as well.

Tammi Terrell was very pretty in a wholesome way, but I don't think she exuded the raw sensuality of singers like Laura Lee, for example.

Am I to understand 'scene' in the 70's sense of the word? i.e. a handful of key venues strategically placed in the north west, the midlands, the east midlands, the south west and the capital?

They evidently danced so as to be less conspicuous then. Did they dance in the approved fashion?

A Carpetdancer is a variant of the carpetbagger. Their modus operandi is exactly the same, i.e. they move into an area with the sole purpose of extracting whatever is beneficial to them with no real committment to establishing roots. I think they should be given their marching orders, especially when they crowd tables and sweat profusely.

The Fleet in the early 80's most definitely served alcohol, but just for the first hour I think. Crisps, whatever the flavour, are the most sinful manifestion of all-nighter goer perversion I can think of. A few handfuls of millet was chickenfeed compared to being caught with cuttlefish bone, powdered or whole. This thread is going to spiral out of control.