Markw

Probably a fair assumption given that it was on Ian Levine's superb Pye compilation - a great introduction to the music for a lot of people.

Er........have you never heard of the Four Vandals my friend???

Mick Webb, known as Cockney Mick, from Slough used to do this. He also used to write stuff on the covers of his sales box items in an attempt to urge punters to buy. Things like "Is this brill or wot?" - old mate of mine took to collecting the covers.

Absolutely brilliant record. Beautiful tune.

How do you turn a duck into a soul singer?......................................put it in the oven until it's Bill Withers I'll get me coat

Absolutely Dave. You put me onto this some years back and I bought it blind off Tim Ashibende. Though when I got it onto the deck, I knew from an old sales tape. Definitely one that should have its day. MARK

Anyone remember Tony Gordon from Bournemouth. No acrobatics, totally superb on the spot footwork, no sliding around. Probably the coolest guy I ever met. He'd wear 50s style clothing. He could also hold conversations in rhyme. Finished up as sax player in Blue Rondo A La Turk in the early 80s with Mark Riley (a nifty jazz funk dancer himself), who went on to become Matt Bianco.

Sugar - Isonics With Another Guy - Del Counts

I think Mark Bicknell's comments summed up Ian's impact on a lot of people. But this one ads another dimension to describing what a great DJ Ian was and how much feeling he had for the music - totally unafraid to play common-or-garden cheapies alongside the big hitting stuff, simply because they were great records and fitted the set. For me, the cheapie in those early 80s 100 Club niters that exemplified Ian's impeccable taste was Deon Jackson's "I Can't Go On". Great DJ and, echoing other people's remarks on the collecting side, a total gentleman always willing to share his knowledge and experience.

Ha! I was there that night. It was mad. The club owners had varnished the dancefloor and the varnish was still sticky. It was a mess. Absolutely nuts. Hilarious. Not sure Leon saw it quite that way................

With you there Mike on the Johnnie Mae and Buddy Smith. Tough ones, very, very tough ones indeed in the circumstances. Hope you're keeping well Mate.

Not wrong there Dave. I loved it. The people, the atmosphere, the tunes. I'm sorry to all the guys who tried to keep it going after Greg and Flynny's final night.

Anyone who knew "Cockney Mick" Webb might remember his scribblings on record covers which matched the way he talked........."Is this brill or WHAT?"........."If you dont like this, you need your ears cleaned out"..............mate of mine took to collecting Mick Webb covers for a while. He'd borrow a few bits to tape and they'd come back with different covers because he'd taken the ones Mick had written. Quite a collection in the end. Better than the 45s if I recall.

So, is James playing this?

Was tuned in to Sounds of the Sixties this morning. Dear old Brian Matthews played a version of the Ray Pollard classic off a a Long John Baldry LP from '66 or '67 I think. Anybody else heard this? What do you think? I thought it was a great version - LBJ, despite being a fine singer himself, not up to the mighty Ray standard, the orchestration was fab (much in line with the original) but the version was more uptempo than the original.

errrrrr...........waltz?

I "appropriated" (or maybe liberated) my brother's Chartbusters Volumes 1, 2 and 3 when I was 13.

Very sad. My condolences to you Ady.

Agree. Secretly is good but Little Bit Longer is better. Old Butch cover up.

Another fun night at the Casino perhaps???

Great idea for a thread. A few years back, a car load of us from Cardiff and Bristol were heading into London - either Dome or 100 Club - one of our number was the small but perfectly formed Mod fella, Mark Thomas who only got into the music big time around 6/7 years ago. The rest of us in the car dated back to early 80s and that. As we were ploughing through the West End, I had the RCA CD comp on the player and we kept playing Peggy March, Beverley Ann and MVPs over and over and singin along - Mark was doing his nut whilst we were revelling in the pop classics of our past. I'd love to hear Kiki Dee - Magic Carpet out at a big do. Fab memories. Do it someone, do it.

Just edited list to show what's gone. Signing off now until tomorrow when I'm in the office, so if you don't get a prompt reply, that's why!! Keep in touch. Thanks. M

This has been a fantastic thread and to read those Mod reminiscences from those that were there over 40 years ago is just amazing, particularly from Dr Bob Jones - great to see him on here. These would make an absolutely brilliant book project. Does anybody remember Randy Cozens' Mod Top 100 in NME from about 1979 or 1980? NME ran an article looking back at the original Mod scene in the light of what was in 79/80 of course the massive revival. Randy was asked to compile a "true" Mod 100 faves and the list was superb and, at least for me and my mates, a shopping list of what to get! Some of us had the bloody thing stuck on the bedroom wall for reference!! As I recall, it was all authentic soul, r&b etc, by which I mean no English bands like the Who or Small Faces etc. The list covered all the top black music spectrum of the time (except the more commercially successful stuff, like Otis Redding, Tamla etc) from Howlin' Wolf and John lee Hooker to what now gets referred to as "club soul", i.e your gritty Howard Tate etc right across to what became (and still is now) regarded as evergreen "Northern" classics. Examples on the list as I recall included Sapphires - Gotta Have Your love Invitations - What's Wrong With Me Baby Fascinations - Girls Are Out To Get You Doris Troy - I'll Do Anything Candy & The Kisses - The 81 Bob Kuban & The In Men - The Cheater All were quoted as being on British labels, though as we all know, the clubs back then pushing soul music were already pioneering the import of more obscure stuff. Love to hear more fom Bob Jones about some of the sounds he was dancing to back then.

Likewise Kirsty

Got you message mate and PMd back. Thanks.