Tomangoes

Did any record produced on a shoestring in the style of Motown/Atlantic/Stax ever make it to a million seller? We heard all the stories of the guys and gals who spent every last cent making a disc and hoping it would hit gold. Did the dream come true for anybody? Ed

Great tune. Deffo a top 50 all time greatest NS tune. Had a pink issue way back when. Ed

Sad news indeed. Saw TC at Leeds central a few year back and was amazed at how packed it was with under 25s really into music. He was able to captivate a huge following of young and old soul and jazz lovers. His music will live on for many generations and at least he got to know in our world he was a superstar. Ed

Winter Gardens biggie! I asked about the same track years ago and did not know the title or artist. Some genious on here put me right straight away! Those were the days.........been to cleggy today for fish and chips at the leaking boot. If only we could turn back the hands of time! Ed

Its what makes the scene what it is! a twist of fate that creates a legend. Must be the most famous alternative motown record of all time. Maybe a film will be made about it one day! Ed

Wow. In LA now and just read this. Met FW in 2004 at the Soul USA first trip and what an incredible experience to be in his company. Thanks for the memories and next time Im down at the New York Stadium and the are playing DILYIID, for sure it will bring a tear at this sad news. Ed

Donny was and is a hotbed for all things Northern! Although in the 60's it was a hotbed for the real soul music.

A mate of mine had me searching for 'aint no soul left in these old shoes' by freeman hardy and willis. Took me a while to realise the joke! One thing for sure, you would need a few bob to own the 10 rarest northern soul records! ed

I'm going to work on the others.............. Ed

Cheers.....There are 4 of us so a taxi might not be bad!! Ed

Bragger.................. Doing the splits got you into the middle of the floor. If you could spin as well, you'd cracked it. Somebody played 'afternoon of the rhino' one night. That sorted the men from the boys! Amazed nobody had the head took off, Bruce Lee would have kept out of the way. Ed

Sorry its late and sorry if its the wrong place to ask, but just got roped into a 50th Birthday trip to the big E. Any soul events on this weekend? Even handbag nights? Ed

Was Northern Soul the term used in 1969? Anyway, for me it was proper northern soul, reaching for the best - exciters, the flasher - Mistura, and spellbound - tamiko jones, baileys nappy nights Doncaster 1975. Actually, God know what it was, just saw these 'bigger boys' clear the dancefloor and start doing backdrops, spins, high kicks, etc and thought 'what the f***' is this? Anyway the following week, we all had a go, as the girls seemed to be gooey eyed at these clever arses who could do the splits etc. We must have looked like real dicks as well as divs, but never the less, we got it in the end. Still cant do the splits though. Great times! Ed

I guess it is a bit of hit and miss for most folks involved. The Soul Survivors CD must have made a bit, the promoters at Wigan will have done well in its first 5 years, and for sure the pressings were flying off the shelves back then. The film wont make any money, assuming it actually gets completed. Soul Bowl must have had good years and the badge makers etc had a good run. Not sure today though that anybody is cleaning up, especially when there is so much competition and in lots of cases venues come and go. Ed

There has always been money to be made out of the scene, from record dealing, product dealing, door admissions, clothes, DJ ing, etc. Who made the most money? Promoters, record dealers, product dealers, DJ's ? I'm not against it in most cases, as a demand is satisfied, but has anybody actually got rich from it? Considering most venues close eventually, it hard to think promoters are rolling in it? What about the others? Ed

£600k is not going to go very far. Maybe a stage play could raise the funds and awareness. Once upon a time in Wigan is/was great when I saw it in Hull. It was only half full though, so I'm not sure how much the demand is for a film version. Half the records played in 1973 would not get a look in at a normal soul night, so apart from nostalgia, its unlikely to do what quadraphenia did for the mod revival, and therefore bomb at the box office. Probably dvd only apart from a very small number of independant cinemas, and that wont make any money. Its an honourable investment, but hardly likely to be a profitable one. Ed

Sheff city hall was great on the main floor. Ed

You can just imagine bumping into the Lady at the bar and she says 'hi, Im Pat Lewis' and you would say 'what? thee Pat Lewis, soul singer? You would be gobsmacked! Her voice is sublime and gets to all the right notes. What a brilliant experience for anybody who did bump into her. Ed

Just watching the funeral ceremony on TV. Very Sad indeed. Being famous can be a burden for sure. Expectation is relentless. Peace at last for a true Angel. RIP. Ed

Dont Pity Me - Joannie Summers

CB and THE PATH was so unique back then, RIP RD, Ed

Sorry, but Tim Tam is one record too far to admit liking, even a little bit. It caused more harm than good and along with the others like it, helped kill the scene as I had known it. Of course that's only my opinion.................. Ed

In the style of 'Life of Brian' what did Ian Levine do for 'Northern Soul' It could be argued more than most, but also damaged it more than most. One thing is for sure, he is probably recognised as an 'icon' of Northern Soul, more than any other individual. However the real stars are the records and he was very fortunate to have had the privelage of finding so many that are now part of the 'Holy Grail' I think in more recent years when these artists and writers and producers have been tracked down and been informed of the 'impact' these records have had on this scene, that's more where adulation should be directed. Ed

Minnie Ripperton - loving you Even better because it was a commercial success, as it spread the word of how soul can get right under your skin. Purely for voice alone, Linda Jones, as mentioned several times, has to be the best example of a soulful singer. Sad to think none of these two ladies are here to accept to applause. Ed

In another thread, I asked Lorraine Chandler if she performed I cant change, I cant hold on etc live in the USA when they were released. Lorraine said yes! so obviously some folks had exposure to some 'northern' tracks. Its been reported that Pittsburgh had plenty of R & B clubs that played uptempo black dance tracks, so as previously commented on, there was a certain demand locally. If you have ever been to the USA you will know that the distances between major cities is hundreds of miles, so unlike the UK, it would have been impossible for a scene to develop as we had. Radio was not national, so small labels would have struggled to get national exposure. Ed