Agentsmith

as pete said, many of these were played at the catacombs & vava's in 73, probably getting booted throughout 74, though jnr walker got a legit u.k. motown release at the same time.

correct mark, colin covered it up as the new york city strings..not been heard for decades!

you see,.....you uttered the magic words and the undeniable truth.....that wigan's initial success was launched off the back of the legendary clubs, their dj's and their original playlists...with the innovation of the catacombs for instance, came the club's phenomenal dancers, who inspired many and the likes of whom, will never be witnessed again...these are words from a midlander who witnessed them with his own eyes and listened first to those tunes on that very hallowed turf.

BUT....you were pete,....you were

3 absolutely blinding tunes, from a white guy who had a voice that was embellished by black music, he must have got a great kick form recording them at the time, the symbolism being, that they have never fallen from popularity or have never been too far from people's thoughts or memories, evoking good times, they almost certainly have for a good many who frequented the scene way back and still do now...another icon laid to rest, but whose legacy will endure with this beloved scene. god bless and keep you bobby.

miss L. it's just a question of "where is that rainbow" as dee dee warwick might say. just spread the message to everyone to keep their heads up.

quintessential journalism by any other name lorraine, insightful and dispossessing of any notion that your once iconic city cannot snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

so does it still exists 32 years on, and are it's whereabouts still known and can it be seen?

or....on the other hand, for the hot, sweaty northern soulers with a bit of a cleethorpes theme: silvetti - spring rain east coast connection - summer in the parks todays people - sos babe ruth - elusive black nasty - cut your motor off summer 76 just got hot & funky.....boy, was that EVER a summer!

can anyone get up: crusaders - snowflake wilbert longmire - black is the colour rani harris - six million steps sun - sun is hear mystic merlin - just cant give you up aquarian dream - you're a star ******************** - pheonix saturday night band - come on dance, dance musique - in the bush george benson - love ballad summery sounds from 78 on and very much in the jazz funk/disco groove but right on the money

absolute classic jazz funk marauder form the dukester!

solid, consistant set there andy, well done that man, nice to see you out and about and ready for a chat with you this friday ( 12th )

THAT'LL BE ME THEN ANDY? TUNE!...or you wish you hadn't have done.....TWICE!!

"crying time" by brenda holloway?

well done that man!, not an unknown tune amongst them but all quality and nice variety....only thing i'd heard of in wetherby before, was the race course but this beats jumping over the sticks everyday!

some collectors stuff amongst their back catalogue as well, in particular the warner brothers lps. they really delighted in experimenting with musical styles, lurching from ballads, to shufflers, disco, jazz funk and those wonderfully weird 30-60 second instrumental interludes. they were a tour de force when pitted against that other big "battle of the bands" group, WAR...think it was either B & S or BLACK ECHOES that touted that front page around 77/78. they were in good company then though with the likes of CROWN HEIGHTS AFFAIR,BRASS CONSTRUCTION etc...big bands rule ok?

maurice white, drummer for ramsey lewis.....great learning curve there.

awesome group, the live visual thing was spectacular to say the least....so much so, that when they arrived in the u.k. on their world tour 79, i went to see them at bingley hall stafford...thursday evening it was, you didnt have to have tickets in those days...totally gobsmacked by their presence...levitation, exploding pyramids...magical as was the music...i couldn't believe it.......so i went back on the friday night to experience it all over again! first track i ever remember being played out was "happy feeling"...they sure gave that...

dave, it is a reference point, but i don't think that the lack of atmosphere, necessitates it becoming just another building, the loss of any identity may pertain to the actual avenue it stood on, but as with ventures in this country such as for instance, the black country museum, blist's hill, beamish or any other victorian element that has been saved for posterity,...the original brickwork gaurentees, lovingly restored, it's place in history and as a tourist attraction, so important is it's place in the development of black music, not just in detroit but throughout the world. it's obviously viewed over there as something of significant importance if they're prepared to have a change of heart...if it's so, then we have to thank them for seeing commonsense...after all, it is part of their heritage and isn't it relevant in this day and age that sufficient people's consciences are pricked to prevent so much history just being consigned to dust.

lp track very atmospheric but the 7" version cuts it for me....big tune at the lea manor and commanding some respectable money, i believe. fantastic brass section drives it along.

wow!....not heard this in eons, yes, its not soul, but its pop music going through the throws of not knowing what its identity was.....any chance of putting "going left, right " up?

have to point out karl, "where is that rainbow" is also a 7" on mercury but a different and far superior version to the lp track, which i have, but also used to have the single...which i want again!!

as mentioned, that special way, got a sort of cabaret feel about it but so classy with great orchestration...i was trying to think of the title of the romance watson tune that nancy did a version of, but you answered that for me.

end of our love don't look over your shoulder that special way uptight ocean of love just to mention a few.......want to add some?

when i were a lad,....all those years ago, by gum....there were a program on sunday lunchtimes called two way family favorites on the light service...where i remember hearing this as mam were cooking beef & yorkie pudding wi' ome made gravy....before we were rudely awakened by fluff freeman wi' pick of the pops and well before radio one ruined the innocense of youth. folk like nancy wilson were making classy tunes meant for cabaret clubs but still black n' soulful before gordy, motown and before the word "soul" had resonance. nancy wilson is a name that sits comfortably on that list of uniquely accomplished vocalists that old timers like us eulogize about,,,jones, terrell, holloway, weston, bass, franklin, lark, mcnair, dee dee warwick....how glad are we?