Dayo

Nobody has asked and I'm sure no-one cares, but... A doughnut has a hole in the middle. Mike Raven used the "holes" in the track to deliver his standard greeting... Ding, da ding, ding, ding "Hi I'm Mike Raven" Ding, da ding, ding, ding This is my R and B show" Ding, da ding, ding, ding Oh I give up!

Yes it was Mike Cotton - in one! Always used the same intro, something like: Hi I'm Mike Raven.... This is my R&B show... watch out... here we go!

In the soul starved seventies wasteland of radio Mike Raven's show was an absolute must listen for devotees. His taste in soul was sometimes odd and it was obvious his deep love was reserved for the Blues, but the mearest chance of hearing the latest JayBoy or Mojo release was enough to keep us glued on those early Saturday evenings. Rosko was the only other guy who came close to being a radio soul champ in those days. Quick trivia question; anyone remember Mike Raven's theme tune? Title and artist....

Hi everyone Haven't been posting too much lately as it's a busy time work wise leading up to Christmas, but I have kept in touch with the threads and read them with interest. Not that I presume you've missed me! We get a bit steamed up on this Forum from time to time, and lively debate is always good fun. But we have far more in common than that which divides us; not least a shared love of the greatest music devised by humankind. So this note is just wanted to say hi to all fellow soul fans, send you warm regards and wish you peace and happiness over the festive season. Colin

Amazing to me that no-one has sampled this Wheel monster.

Yaaaaay! A man with great taste! I'll go for that one too, plus the Willie Hutch thing and yes Mr. Banks takes a lot beating!

Two classics from the Torch: Right Direction - Clara Ward Mighty Good Way - Robert Banks Anyone agree that the Clara Ward track is borderline sublime?

Duke Browner Fabulous Jades The Liquidator (Hey I'm a West Brom Fan - ok?!)

Thanks very much Mark - really appreciate that. Nice record, but maybe chorus seems a bit weak though to my ears.

I've never heard this track; is it a goodie?

Making a transparant attempt to bring this back toward the top of the postings - still hoping for an answer!

Wasn't Lynne Randell a honey!? If memory serves, was she a Miss World contestant/Miss Australia or somesuch? As an aside, back in '73 a mate of mine found the most beat up CBS demo of this in a junk shop. The merest mention of it's existence back in his box caused a bidding war at Wigan, and a skinny kid in yellow jumper wanted to hitch a lift on our mini bus back to Worcester that Sunday morning - just so he could could get his hands on it. My mate thought he'd be disappointed in the condition so we hightailed it back to the Midlands without the disappointed DJ. Whatever happened to Kev Roberts anyway?! ;-) PS Mate eventually swapped said knackered demo for a clutch of fine records including a Landslide issue and a Brice Colefield demo.

Help me with another (all too frequent) knowledge gap? When was "Gonna love you a long time" first discovered/played? Sounds like it ought to have been a Wheel spin and it feels like it's been around forever, but was it?

Come on you Baggies!!!!

Fenman is right. No-one is more passionate about their music than soul fans - especially rare soul. Maybe it's because we've always been a minority?

Used to love that Steve track on Merry Xmas from Motown - in 1972 I even wrote an indignant letter to EMI insisting they single release "What Christmas means to me." Still waiting for the reply.

In my memory both Jr. Walker AND Thelma were played at Wigan. Must have been '74.

I guess I'm thinking back to around 1974 when I first heard it; it was just one of many killer sounds, but my feeling was that it should have made "monster" status. Memory is cloudy though so I could be 100% wrong!

One of the joys of this Forum is when you get reminded of great records that you'd forgotten. What a great record, should have been much bigger.

Jas Briliant post - we all appreciate the time and effort you put in. Thank you. As an aside, in the mid tempo CD swap, your's was top class, and I know we were all blown away by the cover art. To put it in the '60's vernacular; man this cat's got soul! Colin

Thanks Frank That lyric rings a (sleigh) bell; escaped my radar all these years though. Wasn't on Merry Xmas from Motown. What's the story?

Blow me, I walk into River Island last night - Mrs. Dayo insists I need a "party shirt" for the festive season Anyway, as we go in we are both stopped in our tracks by a lovely, familiar descending melody on the shop muzak system; it's Marvin Gaye's Pretty Little Baby. Warm smiles all round; thirty years ago this was one of "our tunes" - though God knows why, it's rather a sad song don't you think? But hang on, it's not how I remember it. There's sleigh bells and yuletide leyrics. It sounds like Marvin, but it can't be? Can it? As the man himself said, What's going on?

No-one mentioned the Stairsteps.....

Jerry - I'm sure we're acquainted. Back in the early eighties I was doing a soul show on Radio Wyvern - Colin Day? If I'm right you were quite encouraging? I'm from Worcester originally. Used to hang with people like Polo, Dick Warburton, Don Palmer et al.

This one is going to run and run. Suspect we'll never achieve consensus. Still at least we can all agree on the greatest FEMALE singer; Gladys Knight.