Davenpete

Remember buying this and then being appalled with myself - went in the sales box pretty rapid- seem to remember there's another version also on Viva by a different group (not the one above) - ? Dx PS In fact I've just found it on youtube - Eternal Flame

I'm sure your box is packed with records LOTS of people don't like Daz! : ) Hope you're well mate. Dx

A few thoughts from my point of view: 1. On the rare occasion I get out nowadays I want to hear a spot that is imaginative, enjoyable, well constructed and danceable (even though I hardly ever dance nowadays) 2. In practice that tends to mean the spot is from people who will be playing from original vinyl, but that's because of the DJs I happen to rate 3. That could be Club Sounds, RnB (though of the rhythm n soul variety NOT jump blues!), pure northern, crossover, 70s, 80s or even modern modern - or better still a night that blends all of these 4. I would rather hear a really good £5 forgotten oldie or unknown sound that I really rate than fucking Get It Babe - even if it's on red issue - or any other sound that (whether or not it's a great record) I'm pig sick of - never mind Do I love you which is just not a very good record (and which I know FW himself was embarrassed by because he thought it was garbage) 5. Equally if it's a shite record it could be worth £millions - it's still shite 6. I have no interest in DJs doing a 'listen to my wallet' spot - only in spots I rate - cheque book collectors/DJ's are very, very rarely any good 7. If I hear 6 records in a night that are a] good and b] I don't know/hardly know at all I'm chuffed to fuck 8. I have no doubt whatsoever that almost every single DJ of any standing has at some point played a bootleg - though that may well have been accidentally 9. Afew years ago people were playing acetates all over the place that were blindly accepted (often even in the most high brow venues), even though most people with any knowledge were well aware they were simply cuts (NOT studio acetates) from CDs of stuff that was available on original vinyl - so they effectively became a way of DJs being 'allowed' to play bootlegs Dx

Just goes to show that in every era there's crap been played. Dx

It's a lovely soulful mid tempo floater... : ) Definitely makes Mitch Ryder sound like a shrinking violet.

F*cking wonderful - always absolutely loved this - I'm thinking the Mercury vinyl is laid down slow? Dx

Shirley Ellis' 'Soul Time' is very much part of the '60s club soul' period - first played between about 66 and 71 (before anyone mentions that the Wheel opened in 63 - I'm talking about when 'the sound' developed) - look for you tube clips mentioning the Twisted Wheel and you'll find A LOT of this type of stuff (similarly Twisted Wheel compilations). Mitch Ryder 'Devil With A Blue Dress', Don Covay 'See Saw', The Sheep 'Hide and Seek', Virginia Wolves 'Stay', Brooks & Jerry 'I Got What It Takes', Showmen 'Our Love Will Grow' and "Take it Baby', Art Freeman 'Slipping Around', Wilson Pickett 'Three Time Loser' etc etc sound like things you're likely to enjoy. You'll love the Twisted Wheel revivals in Manchester. Dx

Drill down into YouTube - you'll find vast numbers of tracks listed as Northern or streams of 'Northern Soul Classics' - that will give you a good opportunity to decide what you like and don't like... There's a very broad spectrum and one man's soulful gem is another's nightmare. Collecting original vinyl is nowadays an extremely expensive pass time - and one where you can easily find yourself spending a lot on something that turns out to be fake. Unless you REALLY know your stuff, the only way to minimise the risk is to buy from a top notch dealer or touch nothing without checking Manships bootleg guide - but that adds a premium. Of course you may merely be interested in simply owning a track on vinyl and aren't to bothered if it's a bootleg or reissue - in which case you can pick up virtually anything nowadays on seven inch. Pete Smith is a good chap for buying records off and very reasonably priced in the scheme of things. There are A LOT of CD compilations around - the straight Northern compilations from the likes of Kent you can't really go wrong with. (Though as something of a musical Nazi it's not really my cup of tea) A big venue like Stoke will certainly blow your socks off with a baptism of fire and will be worth the trip. You'll find mist local evening dos are fairly pedestrian musically - though that's not necessarily a bad thing starting out - just bear in mind that they are the tip of the iceberg musically and whilst you'll hear all the classics you'll love like The Precisions, DJs playing what to me is the really orgasmic stuff needs to be tracked down. Welcome aboard Dx

Wonderful AND the other side of What you gonna do - unfortunately I found that out AFTER I'd bought a double sided demo. Dx

FFS

Always really liked Her Am I by Linda Lyndell paid about for pence hapenny for it.

Bucket loads of Margie Joseph, headed up by What You Gonna Do and Medicine Bend (which I believe was played at Wigan - ?) Dx

Probably my all-time favourite record (I have two copies 'just in case'), along with The Whole Worlds A Picture Show by the Newcomers. Dx

...Too many to count really.

I think this loss of focus on 'is it good enough?', rather than lack of attendees is the biggest threat to the scene. Some of the stuff I hear (inc soul and RnB stuff) that gets lauded is pure shite - it absolutely does the boss' head in and is a big reason, compounding Pete's ill health, we ain't going out.. If it's not up to snuff it shouldn't be played, for years and years people have been saying 'what about forgotten oldies' but in practice that seems to mean 'what about fucking obvious stuff coz I as a DJ don't really know my stuff'. On top of that most DJs are spinning for the ego trip and so want to play unknowns, and that becomes so important that they play stuff that wasn't spun before coz it'd get booed off. I'm by no means really knowledgable, but back when I was DJing I often got people saying 'nice newies spot' when all I was playing was oldies, it just takes a bit of thinking and learning. Dx

The only British bands currently/recently playing 'Northern Soul' are show bands/fans playing covers - there's is very very little 'proper' Northern that was not recorded in the US. Most of the tracks that were recorded/played are by black americans recording in the UK, often ex-GIs doing the lead vocals in front of British bands; their tracks are CERTAINLY not stuff that's representative of the 'Northern Soul' as a whole, especially not currently... Looking at your play list, a real Northern Soul track would sound VERY out of place indeed I'm afraid. Dx

Sounds like Martin Brogan and Curley to me - remember Brian Rae dropping £100 out of the machine and then another £50 later on. Dx

Found the scan on the discs from when I did the Top 500 book - this is full print quality. Dx PS If there are any images from the Top 500 book (most of the memorabillia is either mine or Pete's, obviously I can't let you have things I don't own) - like the boss' Wigan membership #0217 give me a shout.

Remember one night sat in the corner with Pete in our usual state when two heavy types in donkey jackets came in. They took one look at us and made a bee-line, plonked themselves directly in front of us and kept looking round and staring - I was packed off to get a drink and see if anyone knew them - they didn't and everyone swore they were squad, in fact when I returned everyone else around us had 'drifted off' to get a drink and failed to return - like vampires cowering away from the light. I sat back down trying, prompting them to stand up, turn round and I expected to flash their warrant cards - instead they drunkenly blurted out 'Pete isn't it? Haven't seen you since the Torch' - turned out it was their first nighter since about 74 (Pete it turned out knew them well - forget their names - one was Joe). I always remember how there was a tide mark of states at the top of the stairs by the end of the night - us included - everyone used to bomb up their for verbals when they were flying high and then inevitably decided the long flights of threatening stone steps were simply too dangerous to make it down once they moved into the electric zombie stage after about 5.00am - even saw a few making their way down on their backsides one step at a time. Dx

I have the newspaper clipping from Melody Maker (or whatever it was - my brother got it). Dx

Eddie Holland is more than just LIKE Jackie Wilson - ask Matchy (!!!!!!). Dx

I would've thought it's the same reason most go for US local releases rather than US national releases or UK copies - it's the FIRST release. It IS remarkable just what DID get released on single/ep in Europe - even though it only contains a small slice of the total, the Daniel Delorme book features some amazing stuff. Dx