macca

Ted Heath floored by the miners in 1974, right? Labour government elected under Lord Jim who doggedly sticks it out till the famous winter of discontent (whingeing gits) of 1978. Maggie elected 1979 promising unity instead of division, harmony instead of strife etc, etc. Wigan limped on for less than two years, right? Shouldn't it really have been the Callaghan years? Where's Dan? It's get me coat time...

Seismic clapping at Wigan with this one, or what? One of those legendary intros as well, like Connie Clark, Checkerboard Squares etc;

I hadn't turned 15 when I first went to the Casino in february 75. I'd previously spent a couple of years under the wing of a few of the older lads (paul donnelly, smudge, gary spencer etc) who used to organise soul nights at the local youth club. Having grown up on a diet of motown & stax & not being too enamoured of funk & the philly sound, northern/rare soul was a natural, effortless progression for me. I think the same can be said for most of us, or am I wrong? I must be an intolerant git because in the early 80's, I viewed the invasion of pimply 15 year old mods & skins as something dreadful. Wigan was a necessary rite of passage, to use a well worn clich. I'll never forget it... Macca

of course, I'd prefer the tomangoes any day too, but the band did a very good version, in my opinion, of 'baby don't you do it', a marvin gaye song. I'm also of the opinion that white cover version doesn't always mean crap, necessarily. I doubt these guys are in the same league as levon & the boys though... M

why would some of us struggle to maintain our dignity and soul in similar circumstances? I would prefer to hear the original sound track, but there are some really good cover bands out there. anybody remember soul patrol, white boys from northampton, that toured with a stax tribute about 15 years ago? I'm sure they'd do the Tomangoes justice, or anything other kick ass northern classic for that matter. The Teenagers who supported Dean Parrish in Spain were excellent as well. As good an R&B band I've ever seen, and I've seen a few.

as ever, it's a question of taste, isn't it? I hated it then & still hate it now. a 78 sound, yeah? That means the next record would probably have been peggy march, barry benson, paul anka, kiki dee, teddy vann, jackie forrest etc; not surprised a lot of people drifted towards the modern/jazz funk scene that year...

well that settles it then. I wouldn't argue with JM.

right. but pete smith said that he'd had a few scratched in jobbies over the years, so not sure whether the stamped matrix is worth putting yer hand in the fire for, to quote a spanish saying.

I'd like to know if Pete B has conclusive proof that these vinyl copies are boots. Pete S, Sebastian & the others on the other thread seemed to think differently. best, macca

Thread here regarding this record. :-) /Vibrati...cca#entry518347

Could you contact me via PM please? Best, Macca

I could never hope to scale the heights I scaled back in 1976. But thankfully, the community thing is still there, alive & kicking. There's nothing better for me than combining my passion for this music with travel, even if it's within the confines of my adopted country, Spain. Soul + gastronomy. The Right Combination! I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but that's the way I like to live it these days.

I've no doubt that it was premiered at Blackpool or Cleethorpes. In 1977 I went almost exclusively to St. Ives, so it's normal that I associate all these Mecca, Wigan, Cleethorpes monsters with that venue.

where's mel brat when we need him? for me it's a st.ives tune! :-)

I don't remember either, sadly...

I remember going to a Notts Palais All-Dayer in 1978/9 & this oddly named DJ was supposedly on in the Jazz-Funk room. I didn't venture down there to check him out, but does anyone else remember him? Sounds like a casting reject from Bowie's Ashes To Ashes video!

How would you classify someone like Jesse Fuller, Tony? He could be folky, bluesy, country, ragtimey, anything you like... Not sure I understand the distinction between 'Country', and 'Western' either. Jimmie Rodgers is considered the Father of Country Music, yet a lot of his stuff was inspired by the Cowboy lifestyle. 'Way Out West When The Cactus Is In Bloom' is a good example. Then there's Hank Williams, who fills my soul as much as any Soul singer, alive or dead. & what about the Stanley Brothers, Uncle Dave Macon, Doc Boggs, Clarence Ashley etc? How does Mountain/Old Time/Bluegrass fit into the C&W equasion? I've tried to listen to the polished Nashville stuff, but I prefer the rabbit with its leg caught in gintrap kind of voice. Harry Smith's Anthology should be a compulsory purchase in my opinion. :-)

Mr. Gardner, you wouldn't have, by any chance, any copies of an old forgotten 45 of yours on the Sedgrick label lying around? I have all your records except that one, and it's proving quite elusive. Seriously speaking, is DG aware, like Frank Wilson, of the rarity of this record? ">

Barry's right about the northern lasses accepting you on face value. My first trip to Wigan coincided with a stage appearance of Freddie Mack, who, if I remember rightly, used to do ads for the PYE DD releases. The music had stopped & a heaving Wigan dancefloor was listening to this geezer's 'brothers & sisters of soul' rant. This very tall, willowy blonde next to me turned to me (then) & said in her inimitable lancs accent 'You know who this is, don't you?'. Freddie Mack? I ventured. That's right! I'm glad you know that! Are you enjoying yourself? Is this your first time up here? You're from down south, aren't you? What's your favourite sound? I couldn't believe it. I danced in her vicinity for the rest of the night, with her flashing the odd smile. Acceptance in the hall of the mountain king. I've been thinking about her, on & off, for years.

call me a cynic, but something about this post smells to me of a wind up. If I'm wrong, I'll unreservedly apologise. M

Frank Elson! Another Bob Dylan fan aboard! Your owning up to that in 197? in your B&S column meant a lot to me :-) There's a few of us here & we rattle our cages from time to time. Bienvenido! M

This is ain't no retro thing, it's Naomi Shelton. I think think this is feckin' amazing... Sorry mods, just realised this should be in the media section... ">

Christ, what a shot in the arm! And here's me moonlighting from the Soul Police :-)

Couldn't agree more Malc. In the case of the Spanish venues, the music is beyond reproach, so the classy approach to the promotion is an added bonus. They're passionate about the sounds, but also about the style & presentation of their events. I don't think that's a bad thing, myself.

Think that's the UK release on HI 408. I'm referring to the USA copy, HI 12029 Mono release. M