Russ Vickers

There have been many venues & DJ's that have influenced me over the years, & still do, my ears & mind are open constantly, but some 20 years ago i met a lovely couple who had a huge influence on my musical journey. I think that i always had a leaning towards the dark side, cos even in the 7ts i danced to pretty much anything that i thought sounded any good, but MAXINE & KEITH WOON took this to another level completely, i think that because they hadnt followed the same musical journey that many of us have, thier outlook was very different & whilst embracing the Rare Soul Scene sounds, thier knowledge, collections & enthusiasm to pass on everything (i was/am a sponge)made me realise there was so much more to hear, even within that Rare Soul criteria, Modern & Crossover, whilst i had never excluded it, became as important to me as had Northern & Rare Soul. Two of the most unassuming, but fantastic people & soul music afficionados i have ever come across & great friends too. I know this isnt about venues, but i have to mention a couple. 100 Club Stafford Soul Essence There are many others, but these are the post 7ts clubs i think have influenced my musical journey more than most, together with the DJ's & the diggers n tastemakers in the record bars. HNY Russ

Exactly. Russ

Does anyone ever listen on here....the chances of anyone booting owt that would fool the scene long term are virtually nil....even back in the day, when all the materials were still available & some of the stampers they couldn't get it right...even when they used the same plant, stampers, paper & everything there were still tell tale indicators.....there have been recent cases were folk have tried & they still get found out.....OMG !!! Best Russ

A deliberate attempt to con people with a tailor made, then a big suck back to claim it was all part of a plan to prove a recently made record could become popular...now claimed on YT to be one of the biggest NS records of the last 20 years....oh my, great comedy writes itself...cant stop laughing...some people even believe this shite....lol Best Russ

I think I'm now sorted kids, thank you for all of your advise... Best Russ

Light blue mine, but as said earlier memberships were quite often ripped in half to give to mates... Russ

What is swarf please ?. Yes, it is a rare record, with few copies known currently & plays through very well for the grade to be honest, it is deffo not f*cked !, even if I fail to get a better playing sound from it, I will still be happy. I think most of the scratches are fine surface scratches & nothing too deep, no clicks or pops, just some background 'fizz', was just curious whether it could be improved & if so how, i probably wouldnt risk many of the suggestions on here so far, altho wood glue & a few other suggestions sound like they would be worth a punt without risking further damage. Thanks for all of the advise so far. Best Russ

Thanks all....keep the ideas coming pse. Russ

Thanks Pete, as I thought really....any ideas mate ?.

Do you think it will improve the sound made by fine scratches ?....I'd assumed the glue method was for removing ingrained dirt ?... Thanks Russ

Hi Gang, help needed please... Can you 'clean up' the sound on a record with heavy wear, say a G grade ?. There is the 'bacon frying' sound through out on the record in question, although it is not through being accesively dirty, more because of many fine scratches. The music can be heard quite well thru out all of this & there are no skips or jumps, i assume there are some deeper scratches too, which I know nothing can be done about. For the grade it plays quite well, but just wondered if the bacon can be removed or improved in any way....maybe 'skimming' ?, I hasten to add this is for myself & not for re sale, if the record was sold later, I would obviously make it clear that the record had been 'skimmed'. I assume that you can only 'skim' vinyl not styrene... Lastly, is there anyone in the UK that specializes in this kind of thing, I'm happy to pay for the service. Thanks in advance kids, best Russ....

Forgotten...what bit of forgotten dont you lot get, this could have been quite interesting, but then all the usual suspects & more get rolled out zzzzzz.... Best Russ

Its 2014....although I cant see in to the future, I dont think it will male a great deal of difference.... Russ

The film should be about a record. Starting with the group/artist...how they grew up & background to how they cut the one - off 45. How they pinned thier hopes on chart success & sank without trace. A UK digger finds the record years later, brings it back to the UK & it becomes a Northern Soul classic. The film should track the records history through different owners in the UK, DJ's, collectors etc, etc. The film should end in the present day with the record being re activated & becoming massive again, resulting in a search for the band members/artist, bringing them back to the UK to perform live at an Allnighter, which brings all the key players who have owned the record together. It could be called 'Stick By Me Baby' or some such thing !. Apart from being a brilliant way to weave a story, it would also put the emphasis on the music & the artists. I want a percentage please.... Best Russ

Hey Phil The easiest trip was an 8 hour train journey, yes, I said easiest. I could only really afford the train journey once a month, so t'other times i had to jump the train, hitch hike & raise money in other ways to afford the journey....i actually made Station Road my 'home' address, so I could get a free travel warrant when I was in the military... Roll on 30 plus years or more, when I travelled to Burnley when you promoted it on Fridays, I used to have to wag off from work early & the car journey was over 6 hours in the rush hour/weekend traffic....& I was travelling alone, so the cost alone was a nightmare. When attending Hitsville Weekender - I would hammer it to London, get a plane, drive an hour in a hire car, do two Nighters, 2 dayers, then do the same journey back & be at work bright eyed & bushy tailed first thing Monday morning....nothings changed really :-). BTW Loved the film... Best Russ

OFFERS SOLD

That snare tish tishing gives it that Northern Soul appeal....bloody love it ta bits... Russ

Me n Tony sorted this all out at the 100 Club Saturday....trouble is we couldn't remember afterwards...been looking for the Kool 45 for years, an absolutely cracking tune.... Best Russ

Any of our European friends have this, don't hesitate, smack me up guys !!! Best Russ

Yes mate, one & the same, but a 45. Best Russ

Skull Snaps - All of a Sudden -Fonit Cetra - 45rpm Money waiting for the right copy. PM me price & condition. Best Russ

Are there any cinemas on the South Coast, Portsmouth, Southampton, Bournemouth etc showing the film after the 25th October please, anyone ?. Best Russ

I'll be honest if a venue is charging £2/3 admission, I probably wouldnt even bother, doin it on the cheap in a crap venue, would be my immediate thoughts (not neccessarily true, but that is what I would be thinking first). £15 should be the absolute minimum entrance fee to an All Nighter IMHO. If folk are doing it right & making a slight profit, then that is the bare minimum that should be charged. Any other ordinary club is charging at least the above & if promoters are doing things right & putting the punter not the profit margin first then I have absolutely no problem with this. Food for thought, we were charging £5 admission 15 years ago to a soul night, it never became an issue with our punters because I believe we gave exceptional value for money. To do a soul night properly in 2014, I would want to charge £8 at least. I have never ever wanted to use scout huts, social clubs etc for venues, I want to give my punters much more than that & were possible use proper clubs & up market function rooms, with the best quality equipment & DJ's. Anyone can throw together a shoddy do in a dingy social club, with ya own dodgy equipment & mates DJing...oh yeah, thats pretty much what most do's are these days innit..... on the whole ya get what ya pay for generally. Russ

I have played at least 3 of these, the Jesse James particularly is a fantastic slab of dancefloor soul....found a load in Memphis years ago, its not a rare record but it deserves to be played because its brilliant.... Best Russ

In demand, rare play records have always been expensive, right back to day one....yea, back in the past you may have had a better chance of finding a copy cheap through digging, but thats about it really.... Whilst I would champion anyone who digs & finds great records at a good price, I thought that was the actual point.....Im not sure I am in agreement of putting prices on whats being played at venues TBH, the emphasis is that it should be a great record & get the place jumping...that should be the only criteria shouldnt it ???. Best Russ