Mark Bicknell

I took the camera but as ever did'nt take too many pictures, i have a few of people dancing and yes before anyone says anything i did get them dancing...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Shucks Steve...lol just got back from Milan mate, really whacked but well worth the trip, thanks for the kind words as ever, looking forward to November Orwell, give me a call mate and we must do another show leading up to that one if we can? got some good guests coming on in the next few shows, Danny Everard and Dave Thorley to name but two. Regards - Mark Bicknell. www.solarradio.com

Just trying to inject a little humour here....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Wow! that was quick, result all sorted thanks I love this site, hooks you up with those elusive tunes. Thanks - Mark Bicknell.

Wow, i have a Sheppards demo paid £8.00 i think for it off an early Tim Brown list very early 90's, has to be the hardest Mirwood 45 to locate either stock/issue or demo?, fantastic grass roots of the scene label, timeless!!! Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Wanted Please - Can anyone help with the following three big wants of mine, must be in good to knacked condition. Muriel Day - Nine Times Out Of Ten - Page One - Demo if possible please. Theme From Joe 90 - Casino Classics please Lorraine Silver - Lost Summer Love - Pye or Casino Classics please. Contact - bicknellmark@aol.com I'll even consider trades and a cash deal if anyone can help. I'm bored - Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I know it's difficult Tony and almost impossible to stop but we can only try i guess, been here since the year dot so i don't suspect it's ever gonna change? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Why don't Universal and some of the other companies go for these people? nothing is ever done, plenty of shouting by never any litigation, Ebay have a lot to answer for here, still they don't give a flying f*** do they of what is sold on there? get ripped off or stung and it's tuff luck from them at least, also do Vinyl Carvers have an obligation to check if people at least have permission to cut certain tracks, time for some action and accountability i feel. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

This is a joke right? a wind up right? another total load of bollocks, i despair i really do ffs. Mark Bicknell.

A voice of pure 'Ecstasy' performed with 'Love And Desire'. Sad, sad news. Regards - Mark Bicknell

Sean, Mark Bicknell.

From Mr Charles Diamond - Priceless Reply. Mark, Thank you for your letter. I did lead vocals on the 1977 re issue of No One Else Can Take Your Place. I don't know anything about the masters on the records and yes Joey Jefferson did produce the re issue as well. I have both versions on CD, but I am afraid that I don't have any extra 45's to spare. John Hennley recorded the first version. I was in the studio then as well. I was a back up vocalist on the original version, then years down the line, Joey asked me to re record it which I agreed to. So, Mark this is all of the information I can remember about both of the recordings. Please feel free to let me know if you need further information. Thank You for your interest in my music.Charles Diamond...

Fantastic!

Priceless Neil, thanks for your knowledge and time on this one. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Bugger off Mr Shard...lol Mark Bicknell.

I'll second that Pete, knowledge and a bloody nice bloke. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Below is the content from a couple of emails from Andy Rix, i trust his judgement on this as Andy's attention to detail and information is spot on i.e. his Shrine Records contributions and findings over the years, pretty much from the horses mouth you might say. Mark,Simon Twiddy popped round to see me last night & we had a conversation about the Inspirations on Breakthrough which you had raised on 'Soul Source'. I'm not a member of the site so unable to post anything but I thought I'd let you know what I know. Neil Rushton is really the person to ask about the deal on the 77 Charles Diamond version but I had a number of conversations with Joey Jefferson and these are my recollections of them. Joey said that he did still have the master tapes on the track having recorded at least 3 different versions with different group members on lead to see which take, using the same backing track, came out best. I have the group line up but can't look at it just now. He said that he pressed it up as a single sided 'promo' on Breakthrough to get some local interest and then decided he would use it as the flip of 'You'll Never Make The Grade' on Mutt n'Jeff ... in essence the Sunlovers & Inspirations were the same group. He never really gave a reason as to why this didn't happen other than "things change" My gut feeling, purely based on assumptions of mine, is that the Inspirations were a 4 man line-up, the pic of the Sunlovers shows a 3 man line-up. I wouldn't be surprised if Johnny Hendley departed to be a solo artist, on Mutt n'Jeff & then as John & Weirdest, and this led to a group name change and Joey's decision not to use the Johnny led version on a Sunlovers 45 ..... I don't know if this is true and I didn't ask Charles or Joey this specific question. It doesn't sound totally stupid though !!! The Inspirations did include Johnny Hendley and Charles Pennywell aka Charles Diamond aka Charles Perry (How Can I Keep From Crying) .... and it is Johnny Hendley who sings lead on the original version pressed (not released as promo only) at the end of 1967. The 77 Charles Diamond version, as I believe from my conversations with Joey Jefferson & Charles, was cut at the 60s session & is therefore one of the 3 different lead vocal versions recorded by Joey. It is not Joey getting Charles back in the studio some 10 years later. The 77 version is in stereo but if compared side by side is the same backing track as the Breakthrough version. It just sounds slightly different because it's been mixed in stereo etc etc.... this confirms the statement made by Joey regarding using different lead singers Charles has heard both versions & has confirmed Johnny as the lead on the Breakthrough version. The 77 version is therefore a legal issue, by the label owner, of a previously unreleased take and can therefore be viewed as an original, in its own right and certainly not a bootleg in any way shape or form. I was just thinking about the stereo mix comments I made ... just to clarify, when recorded in 67 it would have been a 3 or 4 or 8 track master ... this would have been mixed to mono for pressing as was totally common practie at that time. When the 77 version was released they would have of course taken the master & been able to mix a 'stereo', or non-mono, take as there were enough 'tracks' on the tape to do it ... does that make sense ?? Anyway to really know we need Neil Rushton to tell us what really happened :-) The Inspiratrions were Johnny, Charles, Robert Tisby & Eddie Le'Jay (deceased) Regards - Andy Rix.

Very well thank you very much Mr Shard, see you Saturday. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I know Pete thanks for your reply, i never had any doubt that the second version was recorded in the 60's and Andy Rix's comments and knowledge will confirm this, fun this ain't it, sad but fun....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Respect Dave, as always mate, the information from Andy Rix is first generation and from the source so i will be posting that up later, also we need to get Neil Rushton's input on this one as he seems to know the story behind this one.....Neil over to you? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Dave, I'm not seeking approval from anyone mate certainly not you and i mean that in the nicest possible way, i simply asked the question without commiting the crime of god forbid breaking the unwritten rules of a select few if infact this record breaks those rules?, it turns out that there were infact at least three takes of the song originally recorded, the one sided promo version 'Original' is a different mix with possibly a different lead singer? the 1977 re - issue or whatever you wish to call it was also recorded in the 60's but is a Stereo mix, when Andy Rix allows me to post the email he sent me it will all be a little clearer...lol Yes Dave of course i know the answer when it comes to the playing of non originals and you know i don't do that, again i was simply trying to find out if the 45 in question is authentic in terms of it's origin rather than being pressed up by any Tom, Dick, Harry or Simon...lol as most of the so called re - issues were in the past, and on reflection perhaps seeking feedback, opinion and yes maybe approval, a great mix of a great song is the basis of my original post. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Having listened to the 1977 re issue or whatever you want to call it, IMO there is no way that this record was recorded in 1977, the backing track is just not of that period, an email from Andy Rix who is not a member of 'Soul Source' pretty much confirms this and when he replies to my request to cut and paste his comments and observations i will do so. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

It would seem that most of us agree on this that it's a different mix from the original 66/67 'BreakThrough' issue and a bloody good one at that, not heard back from Mr Diamond with his comments, might not even get a reply....lol i think the comments raised about a disc dub from a tape of an exclusive record or one off is a very different issue? and does this go on? lol. I'm simply just trying to play by the rules if there are any? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Thanks Sean for your well thought out and very constructive comments here, like i said i'm not trying to move the goal posts here just trying to i guess justify the inclusion of a different and what seems to be a legit re - record, different mix or whatever, many unissued recordings have found there way onto the scene in recent years be it directly from a master tape via the likes of Ady Croasdell and Kent Records for example or from Dubs taken from CD's etc. with or without the consent or knowledge of the source of the material, the 'Chris Clark' track taken form the Universal Anthology springs to mind and was out there pretty quickly when the CD was issued......why? it's a top track is the answer, yes you could simply play it directly from the CD rather than a disc dub but that's the choice i guess of the person and the Northern ethic or playing something that resembles a record, stuff like Al Williams - 'Try Them' and The Servicemen - 'I'll Stop Loving You', Eddie Holman - 'Hold Me In Your Arms' put out by Grapevine are just three examples here of outstanding unissued material that simply need playing off any format simply again because this music needs playing, it gives the scene a different dimension, more music to go at and enjoy and is a seperate issue to the original versus bootleg debate i think. I have been DJ'ing on this scene for about twenty six years from about 1980/81 and after being pulled up one night at Hinckley way back for playing Jimmy Mack - 'My World Is On Fire' on Soul Galore from a well known DJ who was due on just after me and who is still around today who basically said "Why are you playing that as I have it on Palmer"????? For me the penny dropped and from that day to this i have never played anything less than a record on it's first generation USA Original at a live venue, out of respect to the point raised by the DJ, being true to myself as a Rare Soul DJ, basically if i wanted to continue DJ'ing then it had to be done correctly from my own personal perspective and i choose to do it the most authentic way i know how, i guess the point here is that in the main most DJ's if they are totally honest would rather play original 45's it's the nature of the game.Yes it's about entertainment, filling the floor and doing the best you can, but in the Northern Soul DJ world it's a lot to do with reputaion, depth and quality of collection, time served and yes original records i'm sorry but i don't care what anyone says this fact plays a major part and i'm sorry but saying it don't matter is simply a poor excuse and a way to justify cutting corners....bugger i did'nt want to turn this into what i've turned it into...lol I'm not talking about being anti bootleg here as this conversation and debate will continue as long as the scene lasts, i guess it's a personal issue. And this is why i basically asked the question on the Charles Diamond 45? is it authentic? it would seem yes, is it legit? it would seem yes, so do i play it out? maybe yes, or do i wait until 'Ted' sells me his first generation 60's Orange BreakThrough copy which will be when hell freezes over....lol or do i simply stick with the purist attitude and ethic and play something else? Regards - Mark Bicknell.