Agentsmith

this is the dilemma, isn't it?.......DO YOU OPEN IT OR NOT?.....the "fors" will say, of course you do, you've just spent 40 odd pounds on it, it's there to be played and enjoyed...RIGHT!...the "againsts" will say once you take the cellophane wrap off....devalued, once played...devalued...IT IS INSTANTLY A COLLECTORS ITEM SIMPLY BECAUSE THERE ARE BUT 2200 COPIES and it won't get a second run " due to demand". of course, we can see an opt out in the use of a download....BUT IT'S STILL NOT THE VINYL IS IT?.....decisions, decisions!!....( sigh ) should have bought 3 COPIES, one to open & play, one to keep for the sake of having it, and one to sell later on when its value has zonked!!...but i didn't, so TOUGH!!

in case i've been misunderstood, the david ruffin track appeared on a CD, courtesy of hip-oselect, a u.s. release only at one time deleted but due to demand a second run was instituted....still available and for anyone that dosn't have it...YOU SHOULD!, IT'S A BRILLIANT CD!! and as regards the four tops track, this also appeared on a hipo dbl cd comp of 48 previously unissued tracks......though it was not at my behest, richard included it off the back of the copy i sent him some 6 years ago...that's how long it's been known, now thankfully available as a well deserved vinyl release.

volume two in the planning absolute standout tracks ( imho ) fourtops & david ruffin...how these never made a release will remain a complete mystery...thankfully richard saw fit to redress the balance.

that's providing of course, you've got your order in pronto....THIS WILL SELL OUT AND AS FAR AS THE LITERATURE IS CONCERNED, IT WON'T BE RE-BOOTED, 2200 ONLY...WITH WORLDWIDE DISTRIBUTION....the already mooted vol.2 is looking very interesting....but i'll say no more!

pete's on the ball guys,....it's all about enduring popularity, and that exists in one form or another through generations..."postioning" certainly isn't something that should govern a books format...because that's exactly the argument you don't want but will be if you try....NO-ONE, no matter who they are, can truly say or decide what is the number 1 record of all-time...and by the same token, the 500th...kev's book IS truly based on popularity but he's not claiming that frank wilson SHOULD be number one because it's the greatest record ever,..it became to most, at the most PIVOTAL time of the scene, when wigan was in it's zenith, THE popular northern soul tune to dance to, AND AS WE'VE SEEN OVER THE NEXT 3 DECADES, it still commands attention.of course we don't have to like it, we're entitled to tire of it or despise it...but it's there, isn't it? and it can't be denied. eddie parker isn't down there at 485 because it's ONLY ranked the 485th best record ever....IT'S ONE of 500 genuinely popular records to be played on the scene.....it can just as easily be claimed to be the best, it's personal opinion and choice, isn't it? if you want to add REAL extenuating circumstances why a certain record/ records don't appear in the book...it's exact;ly the same reason that stops rare/connoissuers soul nights from being the norm.......RAREITY......how many influential djs own exactly what and how few copies there are to go round....THAT'S why so many don't make kev's book...a record CANNOT be popular in 50 places on the same night if there are only 3 COPIES doing the rounds...the term LEGEND, applies to this theory, because people get to hear ABOUT the tune, but won't hear it unless they go to a certain venue. in this day & age we are fortunate ( or are we? ) that there are so many gigs to go to in the calender year and thus, chances of hearing something unique and different, are greatly enhanced....BUT it still dosn't mean they will become popular enough to make a book's references about the most popular sounds to ever be played on the scene....BECAUSE THEY'RE STILL JUST TOO RARE!. if you also take into account that kev did orchestrate a reappraisal of the first book to include a 100 of the most popular tunes since the beginning of the millenium, then he did go someway to addressing people's concerns. if you catch my drift from the earlier entry in this debate...a book collating the top 500 most popular discoveries of the last 3 decades is your answer, i'm sure it wouldn't discriminate, because i suspect that a lot of undervalued/underplayed cheapies would register in there ( think totw, yes these tunes were throwaways back then ) along with the detroit "hoard" and the dedication of messrs croasdell & rix, to name but two for putting unissued gems on the map......or what the heck,......we'll all just carry on arguing about this til the cows come home!...i don't see ANYONE sticking their neck on the block to produce ANYTHING of comparison to kev's book in our lifetime's that can be referred to as DEFINITIVE....OR DO YOU WANT TO SPEND A LIFETIME DOING IT?

3 great tracks there, classic oldies to the vast majority, completely new to the young generations grasping the nettle and in no mans land with the handbaggers, the vast majority of whom want the clubby tunes they grew up with,never allowed theirselves to be subjected to change or progress and generally...from my viewpoint ( and it's only my view ) are the types who have NEVER ventured out of their own back yard and experienced what other venues have to offer. i think that the top 500 book addresses several generations,selecting tunes that have been popular at one time or another but with one thing in common...they have not been forgotten, they are memorable and that even includes the dire...nobody danced to them all of the time, but they're in the book because they caused people to dance. of course there's no reason NOT to have another book..perhaps the top 500 discoveries of the last 3 decades ( since wigan )?

dionne warwick....." i think you need love"..quote: good b-side.......GOOD?, think you need a reappraisal there randy...AWESOME MORE LIKE!...you didn't list the credits for it,..why?...the orchestration is sublimnal!!, the voice is just...dionne.

total agreement there dave, huge tune a number of years before the actual vocal turned up on lp.

exus trek.....the vocal/isntr mix that nick brown used to play you mean?...i remember taking that into a studio and doing the same myself...it ended up almost 5 minutes long but totally brilliant...best of both worlds!!...you should ask mr. rushton why he's NEVER put that out as he has a copy ( i gave him it )

agree, monster tune waiting to happen again...couldn't envisage a vocal to this somehow, even though the title is a reference to darrell banks ( well sort of ). backstreet/detroit rhythm section....another awesome dancefloor killer...and how about guy's sweeter than the day before....when was the last time you heard that played anywhere? ( other than where guy gets to dj )

another venue whose sets i always look forward to browsing....ovo in full effect

lorraine, it's a shame that we may never see his likes in the u.k. again...think those who attended the concerts in 2004 were mighty privileged....i also believe that the in-fighting prevented the surviving members from giving us so much more, that we craved and will eternally regret. we have, of course, as our heritage, the musical soundtrack that was, and still is, their creation. eddie gave his heart, soul and long hours in the relentless pursuit of perfection, as a band the guys were an unstoppable force...berry gordy has taken a long time to give them recognition....perhaps now, more than ever, he should step in to help eddie in his time of need or will he never truly know, in such high esteem, his beloved musicians are held. what you are doing is honorable, it's the least you could do, you've known these people all your life long...if you decide to market a video of this showcase, i will most definitely contribute...i envy the folks who will still be able to see mr. willis in the flesh...i just have the treasured memory of 2004, when they finally came out of the shadows...god bless your man eddie. rob

didn't chris plant & steve porter ever dj there?

well rub it in bro!

spot on bro,...cockney mick, don't know why but i used to think that was a reference to mick smith but apparently not!...clive jones...now that's a name that ain't been heard on the scene for years..a bit of a mick.h of his day...had a great playbox...think THE tunes were with pep though. think edwin actually played the locarno all-dayers twice.

birmingham locarno all-dayers were run under several guises including the WEST MIDLAND SOUL CLUB and latterly, the NOTTS & LEICESTER SOUL CLUB.....in birmingham? which, was courtesy of TERRY SAMPSON & CHRIS KING. chris was also at the time running a gig in tamworth and was also prominent at the redditch all-nighters which were held at the queen vic ballroom ( correct? ). i distinctly remember two rooms...don't know about a modern room...or i simply wasn't aware...the BALI HI was a very popular back room with upfront jazz-funk, PEP would dj in there as well as the main room, along with NOEL TILLEY, can't recall the other djs. MICK DERRY used to get regular spots in the main room....this man had some unbelievable tunes...many of which found their way to the casino....but he played them FIRST...even remember seeing the late NEV WHERRY doing a spot in there...that was something!. the revival in the first decade of the millenium just didn't happen...personally i thought the decor had changed too significantly and lost much of it's atmosphere...remember this place used to get rammed on sundays. i don't think you can catagorize the locarno as a place which had big tunes associated with it...it was as much as anything, another place to go if you wanted something extra on top of your dose of weekly casino and, outside of the tiffany's ballrooms, the civic & wulfrun halls & the lafayette, the LOCARNO was probably the biggest deal in the midlands. ( the cats had shut several years earlier ) live acts included EDWIN STARR & JUNIOR WALKER.

crackin' crossover tune of some mention, "i gotta tell somebody" from an lp that got issued here on djm as well as canyon in the states...championed by mr. searling...great voice, another now silenced. r.i.p. gloria

phew!!...there's several mortgages in there!! HOW GOOD IS SOUL BROS INC. - MY PROPOSAL?

pm'd you

right about the startrek thing matt, that's where you, me and a billion other earth dwellers heard the term, but it's not fantasy, it's a proven scientific fact...however guys, i suggested the thread is about what actually pops into you head for no apparent reason....NOT WHAT YOU'VE BEEN DIGGIN' THROUGH YOU BOXES FOR!!

THE definition of motown?....read levi stubbs...so many great vocalists adorn the companies success story, but the stand-out is the top's frontman, and that's not to withhold the tortured genius of ruffin or gaye. stubbs voice and commitment was unfaltering throughout the top's residence. we can talk about the tunes we associate with readily yet, the exposure of archive material in recent years revealed a dirth of classics that would have given them a superior status and rewarded motown financially, had gordy had the foresight to have faith in their output. from the double cd collection released 7 years ago via hip-oselect, i have to nominate a track that has resounded with many similar minded folk and, courtesy of mr. searling, will become a stellar memory for years to come, pending it's imminent release for the first time EVER. CLIP MY WINGS...if you haven't already heard this masterpiece, you are in for a treat.

another great instrumental that keep going round in me 'ead, is LUCKY DAY - THEOCOFF INVASION on dearborn....a mega want for ages, finally purchased a mint issue off tim complete with smart company sleeve...i always say that the if the americans had created THE AVENGERS, this would have been the theme tune...i also think a lot of you agree with that remark as well!

of course it dosn't follow that what you end up singing is what you want or expect...have you noticed that this, tends to happen just as you are waking up from a night's sleep?..that's why it's impossible to figure out why it's any genre of music....don't you wish you could program your brain to just wake up with a northern soul tune, pounding in your brain?

a scientific anomaly, it's a fact that they exist in the human brain....hence the every day occurence of a tune or tunes popping into one's head for no rational reason resulting in them being sung to one's self over and over again......so WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN SINGING INCESSANTLY TODAY? ME?...quite simply one of the most iconic soul/funk tunes of all-time, so much so, that i youtuned it in its full glory then listened to the brilliant 1978 remix, followed by a huge cleethorpes anthem from the same man...and just to add a touch of banality, that tribute tune that was huge at the casino, early doors.... so WHO'S ON MY MIND? A. ISAAC HAYES - SHAFT ( full version ) - SHAFT II ( polydor records ) and...R.B. FREEMAN - I'M SHAFT ( YOU AIN'T SHAFT ) avco records 1973 and to cap today's sequence: another monster pier tune TODAY'S PEOPLE - S.O.S. ( all we need in time for love )

hi tracey, check out keith williams' soulsearcher website,...he has a copy priced at £100, in demand xover tune.