Mark Bicknell

Gee shucks mate ...lol thanks for that. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Not sure if I can add anything here really but what I will say is there is a huge amount of very good DJ's out there and only so many venues to go around, I don't do as many gigs as I once did but still enjoy getting out there to play a few tunes, there is something very special and magical about playing records to a room full of people, get it right and the rewards are huge, my DJ ethic if there are any are as follows, solid collection and or DJ box, presentation, attitude, passion, entertainment value with this in time comes a 'name' and reputation, of course luck comes into breaking into DJ'ing on this scene but I also feel you have to serve your time and DJ apprentership which does not evolve overnight but work at it and the gigs do start to come your way. Thus far this year I've been invited to DJ in Warrington, Leeds, Bournemouth, Wellingborough, Lowton, Glouster etc. and it's such a joy to be asked and still an honour to do events, good luck to all DJ's this year on the scene...give it to em' big time....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

A case of Sam 'Slipping through your finger's' there then Taffy....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Very good point Taffy also I've said it on here before there is already a 'Record Mountain' out there from the major dealers in the UK, not forgetting America and the rest of the world, you only have to study Ebay to see the vast amount of records on offer many of which we thought were hard to find and rare but there not, then you have all the established collectors and DJ's to consider which adds up to a huge amount of records. I tend to buy, sell, swap, trade these days like many of us do but when I look at the two main 100 count DJ boxes I tend to take to gigs well it's scary if I was to actually sit down and work out the book prices Jacqui would have a new house, car etc.records are never an investment are they until you come to sell them....lol all I can say is if there is a crash in prices and values looming I'm glad I don't really through that much cash into it anymore but can still drop a couple of hundred quid here and there a month on stuff, face it guys and girls we are addict's and in this for the duration...lol Sam Williams will still sound brilliant to me be it at £800.00 or £8.00 no less soulful and no less a record whatever the price. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

What's it's value? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Hi Jerri, I have a spare stock/issue of this in one of the boxes, drop me an email bicknellmark@aol.com Regards - Mark Bicknell.

This is going round in circles, do us all a favour and change the record just as long as it's original.....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Not my best on Sunday morning...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I know....lol old farts think alike. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

All doom and gloom on here ain't it? both venues and DJ's being constantly slagged off at the drop of a hat, quite frankly and I'm serious when I say this it matters very little to me how x,y, z DJ's present themselves all I bother about is how I set my stall out, authentic and real simple as that, there are so many negatives going off with this scene it's getting to the stage that I'm sure many of us don't really give a flying fig anymore regarding this petty simply not important stuff, far too much negative opinion for my liking and it's driving a massive wedge into the very heart of this scene and it's not a pretty site, how come I'm made to feel like I really can't be bothered with it anymore on a full on basis? why? I'll tell you why it's because of this 'I know better than you attitude' far too much debate and little else is said or done to actually improve things, simply don't book the pretender DJ's or if you do then don't moan or complain when it goes tit's up like this example, also why is it that the negative threads get loads of hits and comments, replies etc. yet the real deal interesting factual threads on artists, records etc. sometimes are hardly viewed? perhaps having a pop and a dig gives more satisfaction to some than actually making a constructive contribution to something that people can actually benifit from, do something about to change and improve things, no far easier to have a go! the amount of people who no longer come onto forums like this is pretty big and I'm sure because of this constant barrage of the same old arguments and debates, it's boring people big time! Sure debate is important but so is a resolution and suggestions to correct and improve the scene in general, I'm sure the DJ in question here feels pretty shitty because of the comments here and her only intention was to entertain for an hour, however standing up behind a set of decks on a stage seems to be open season if you can't present the real deal? perhaps we need to get back to the very foundation of the art of DJ'ing and play authentic set's from first generation original authentic 45's then there would be no argument regarding the authentisity of the records at least. Like I say myself and many other DJ's choose to do it via the original only route but believe me over the years I've seen first hand many DJ boxes with shall we say a real hotch-potch content in terms of 100% authenticity of original records, again from my own personal perspective alongside a good few other DJ's can challenge anyone to find anththing less than original 45's in my DJ boxes, could this be said of everyone out there DJ'ing? I think not. but is it really important? yes to me it is but from the top of this reply it's how I choose to conduct myself and with the way I apply what I do then this commands, respect, reputation, entertainment value etc. as a rare soul DJ because deep down that's what we are dealing with here a rare soul scene, rare means hard to find, not often seen, hard to find etc. and there I will leave it. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

1. Tony Blackburn 2. Dave Lee Travis 3.Simon Bates 4.Noel Edmonds 5. Alan Freeman 6. Bruno Brooks 7.Mike Reed 8. Pete Murry 9. Jimmy Young 10. Diddy David Hamilton Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Del mentioned me lol so I think I've got at least one vote....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

List updated January 9th 2008, more titles to follow. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

No I was lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Well done Mike we had every faith in you mate and knew there must have been a major problem. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I think some of you are missing the point here, as a form of entertainment the show was good for what it was, as for Mr Charles being a true blue Northern Soul fan and collector then he's simply not and I would suggest if he was asked he would confirm that. Speaking from someone who has been around radio for a good few years now I wonder if you realise how difficult it is to present a show? and how much work goes into it? ok my show's come across as being slung together and they often are but I record and produce myself, one thing that does get me through and other's who present on the specialist stations is a passion and knowledge of the subject and the music, pretty much any professional actor, presenter or media type could string a show together of some broadcastable quality given a script and a producer and I think this is the case with Craig Charles, the music was good, his presentation was first class but where it fell down for me were the links and it was very obvious to me that he was reading the information rather than actually knowing anything about it first hand, nothing wrong with that as it padded the show out, pretty much all mainstream radio is scripted it has to be it's the way they work however the edge specialist stations have is the freedom to let the presenters express themselves with a non scripted approach and a free hand to play what they want having faith in the presenters, knowledge, passion, collection etc. Very easy to big up the scene and the music with links saying this is worth a grand, two grand etc. quote the record labels etc. but a very different thing to actually understand the feeling of owning such records and being part of the scene. Mr Charles is however a professional actor/entertainer and he and others at the BBC and other companies perhaps have the edge over the specialist stations in terms of presentation and application of presenting first class quality radio but they lack any real passion, understanding of the subject, yes they may include it on their shows and yes they may have a genuine like of the music but the rare/northern soul scene is as we all know a very complex animal and to really do it justice you need to let the people who know it's workings, history etc. to be in control and perhaps given the chance to present such a show? as a few hours entertainment Craig Charles did the scene proud on New Years Eve but I wager all the tracks were taken from CD and not from his own personal collection but it was still fantastic to hear Elbie Parker, Earl Jackson, Jimmie Raye etc. played on BBC national radio so well done to Mr Charles I say. As it's already been said here fantastic for Northern Soul to be even played on mainstream radio and the BBC at that, he played numerous requests so people it would seem responded to the show in advance of the broadcast, I would imagine that the audience was pretty impressive...so how about a national weekly specialist show BBC? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

As I don't play Ebay anymore infact the last time I sold anything on there would have been March/April/May 2006? just to clear up a couple of points....lol Bigd66soul here...lol firstly it was a little longer than a year ago possibly closer to two or maybe even three years ago that I sold this, when I asked around the general opinion was that it was a rare record and two grand was the suggested asking price? I think I offered it 'set sale' at the two grand first asking price? then maybe £1500.00 however I actually ended up selling it for £1300.00 directly to a collector not a bad return on a record I paid £50.00 for around 1990/91 from Bradford based DJ/Collector Nigel Parker, swings and slides this record collecting lark, prices move, increase, decrease etc. hope this helps and good luck to whoever wins this one from Pat, two decent R'n'B sides but one I don't miss anymore as I moved away from that R'n'B hard edge sound a bit back and put the money into other tunes. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Gonna have to try me some of that Lucozade....lol have you ever heard such a quote in your life, rose tinted glasses or what?....lol, credit to Paul Sadot for telling it like it was. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Best wishes for 2008. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Bumped 30th December 2007. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I started this soul journey back in 1976 and many people around my age 47 now started their involvement around that time with a few exceptions most of us have been around this scene for thirty plus years, for me 1976 - 1980/81 was a huge learning curve simply taking it all in, I wager when we all first started out we did'nt know a Detroit record from a Chicago one? were very much guided and influenced by the top DJ's of the day, as time passed my knowledge and desire to collect the records grew so from my own personal perspective the rare soul scene was born around 1980/81, the desire to chase records, to hear new records was paramount and something I've alway's thought the scene was about? Stafford was a huge influence to many people and certainly opened my ears to some wonderful records which have now become classics and certainly cemented the style and quality of records I collect and desire, Sam Fletcher, Sam Dees, Freddie Houston, Empires, Larry Davis etc. etc. the list is endless, progression of the scenes music is above all the single most important fundemental point of it all to me, thank the Lord Ady discovered all those wonderful masters, thank the Lord Keb, Guy, Pat, Dave did their thing at Stafford and Richard at Wigan before them, to Mr Levine and Mr Curtis and all the maverick DJ's and collectors who have all done their bit to further the enjoyment and entertainment for everyone connected to this scene of ours. Without question the 80's was IMO the most influential decade musically on the scene, all styles and tempos were given the chance to shine and be enjoyed and collected oh and for what it's worth it matters very little to me what tempo a record is just as long as it's soulful, yes the scene is dance floor driven but that does not mean that we should dismiss a gut wrenching slab of down tempo emotion just because 'Sammy Stomper' don't like it or he simply does not get it? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I'll leave that to you professionals if it's all the same....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Not so much tumbleweed moments but more 'why do we bother sometimes moments' at a couple of event's recently I've had firstly "can you play something more commercial please we like that here" and "any chance of cranking it up a bit mate"? "sorry do you mean turn up the volume"? "no can you play some faster records" when Ty Karim - 'You Really Made It Good To Me' was banging out of the speakers, it's not the comments or requests so much but the way some people talk to you like it's their devine right to be rude to you. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Gloria Barnes - Uptown - Maple - Rare Lp, possibly one of the rarest soul albums ever, vinyl in superb clean condition, cover a little worn, includes 'You Don't Mean It' Serious offers around £300.00 (Reserve Price) contact bicknellmark@aol.com or telephone 0161 330 6267. All offers to bicknellmark@aol.com the auction will run for five day's, highest bidder will be contacted directly.

Post updated 29th December 2007. Regards - Mark Bicknell.