Davenpete

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

That's the crux - the fact it made monkies out of supposed experts - gods know why, it stood out like a sore thumb to me. If you listen closely to the lyrics it could be taken as a 'fuck you' to exactly the people it hoodwinked. Dx

Can't find pics of em and sold em a while back but I love - Bomb (Fabulous Impact 'My Baby'), Sassy Kitten - I Don't Like IT But I Love You and Boogie Man Records 'Lady Lady Lady' (still got that one), prettiest label I ever had was Penn Records (You Don't Love Me Anymore - forget the female artist). Dx

Remember he had a copy of Vickie Baines up for about 2 years for a ton and just couldn't sell it back then. Used to buy a lot off him when I was at college in Hull (along with the ubiquitous Soul Bowl - King Tutt £10, Curtis £15, Sad Girl £8 etc etc etc). Hope you are dong fine AS - we're in hibernation as Pete ain't well. Dx

I'm probably wrong, but I was given to understand that Joshua Dillard didn't exist and was just invented coz it sounded good. How about Chubby & The Turnpikes or indeed the Isley Brothers. Dx PS Just a thin excuse to put this up...

Sticking with classic modern soul... Ashford & Simpson - It Seems to Hang On Brotherly Love - Whole Lotta You In Me Pockets Catch Me Tata Vega & GC Cameron - I've Got My Second Wind (absolute perfection, just wonderful)

Cheap as chips version

Best by the Fantastic Four though.