Agentsmith

wow.....it's sadly becoming a record year for losses...father time waits for no one, has never rung so true. this gent wrote, produced and sang so many great songs, most, essentially attributed to the northern soul scene. fortunately cody was made aware of this, though be it late in life. it perhaps, was the realisation of a lifetime's ambition, and though it would never be of monatary satisfaction, the pure pleasure of knowing that his catalogue was appreciated literally worldwide, must have been a great comfort...to know your creations were worth the effort.....slowly moulding a new fan club upstairs i bet...amen......r.i.p. cody black

you know, i look forward to seeing these playlists more than anyone else's, and that's with respect to our own offerings and that of those grumpy folk & dab....i bet everyone on here does!! and there are probably a multitude of soulies saying exactly the same thing...."must get there"...including me. dave mate,....throw something really off the wall into the melting pot you did there bro,.....E.W.& F. "THAT'S THE WAY OF THE WORLD"...it's 1979 all over again, the world tour and a double take at bingley hall, stafford...WHAT A TUNE!! and why not?...it's all soul, it's all good! Q. how long is the waiting list to dj?

great set there gerry, and thanks to the rest of the crew for chipping in all the way from north wales, well worthwhile the visit...hope everybody else gets their's up so people can see just what they're missing.

a complete genius, lauded for his talent, a great exponent of jazz in all it's formats...a travesty of justice to die at such a young age...67?, not even time to spit in the wind. i think for most jazz funk fans, brazilian love affair is a trademark by which others are judged, is easily in my top ten of that genre, yet that alone dosn't scratch the surface of what george had achieved in his brief lifetime. his legacy is a university of knowledge for those who want to follow his lead. may i also suggest a wonderful modern soul classic he cut for epic in 1980 "i want you for myself", at the time, right up richard's street.

get to reuben howell aka sandy linzer and yes....there it is, the legendary clapping in unison....if that dosn't make the hairs stand up on the back of your neck...rigor mortis must have set in!!

wow pete....quality sound but WAAAAAAAAY too fast!!....thats the drained battery syndrome, all too familiar with cassette recorders....can i do anything on a laptop to slow it down?, then transfer it to a cd?

no arguments about heritage tez, plain-as-day fact is, the venue is no longer standing, so it has to be purely a memorial......perhaps it's our generation who were responsible for opening the wider public's eyes to the fact so many heritage sites were demolished without forethought from the beginning of the last century. there have been many varied documentaries about literally thousands of what would have been in our lifetime, classified as listed buildings that were just raised to the ground, unbelievably ornate architecture, that through decay & ruin, wasn't considered worth saving, be it because of, for instance, the depression of the 20's/30's and probably the intermittent years between the second world war and 60's consumerism. apart from photographs to prove their existance, these grandios and palatial edifices are not even distant memories for us, so long ago gone are they, but if you put that into context of what happened with redevelopement on a massive scale in the late 60's and throughout the 70's, it's comparison is all too similar. i think ray davis's eulogy "come dancing" summed that up perfect...about the things and places you remember in childhood and how wide eyed you could be, and the sadness at seeing them being torn down and disappearing as years flew by......

rosey jones...great tune ed, jm auctioned one last year, in the right hands a monster in the making!

no probs pete, looks like the hand of richard anyway, and most of these he had. shame the len barry wasn't in there but oh,...i forgot......that disappeared down the road on the roof of his car!!

destroy us?....surely we're older and wiser....our cynicism has strengthened our resolve to ensure no one can sell us short, we don't suffer fools gladly anymore...we're awaiting the release of a film with measured assurity, because the right people want to strike the right chord, portrayal has always been a difficult obstacle to overcome, such is the complex nature of the scene....exactly what has always set it aside from any other musical format. no one yet is talking about making a documentary about the unveiling of a plaque in remembrance to the casino and i really doubt, out of respect, that such an idea would be suseptable to commercial exploitation. a blue plaque undoubtedly is deserving, though ultimately late as already stated and before its too late for the vast majority of us middle agers...i was proud to be in temple street, wolverhampton when the catacombs dedication took place....i believe an even wider audience would show their appreciation for a venue that for many, was their schooling in northern soul.

get round to listening to it soon... but i have a big grin on my face because richard must also be the master of the art of deception.....modern tune at the start?...all of a sudden its whammy!! 7 to 8 mega bucks tunes then some relatively expensive tunes, then,.....some classic oldies...lulled into a false sense of security or what??!!...then the last four go something like £800 - "£2k - £4k - £8k...WOW!...that's pulling the rabbit out of the hat, a masterful flourish....proving yet again, there are very few people in our lifetimes on the scene who have this capacity to engage an audience ( butch & ginger accepted and thats with total unreserved respect for everyone else ) like richard did, does and will continue to do as long as he maintains his enthusiasm.

just wondered, on your travels dave, you've probably been and seen the exhibit in dundee?

to all intents and purposes, the bricks and mortar were long standing, victorian era...anything over 100 years old represents an artifact of interest, weather still standing or not, it's about it's history. like you say the building in station road had other usages,therefore it had a historically interesting background...it was part of the town's make-up and as it's latter days brought it fame and notoriety, so should it be recognized...even if long overdue. the catacombs was part of a complex, a victorian building with a cobblestone yard and whilst it may only have played a small part in the building's long history, it was significant for a lot of folk and not just soulies. wolverhampton eventually got the message, possibly because of it's city status, it decided to recognise it's heritage both past and present. of course, i stated the plaque came about because of the passing of its most famous dj, but that's not to say wolverhampton mbc weren't aware of this as max's family name were synonemous with the town, as it was from the 50's and the plaque stands on the exact site of the once hallowed venue. i think every site of historic value to the scene should have this bestowed on them as it's part of OUR history, yes, we have the memories, bu we can also visit these places now without feeling we're just standing on an empty street...and stare at a plaque??...yes, why not?...we have a right to.....they can't take that privilage away from us.

well, young sir, bearing in mind you are a fully qualified lancastrian, i stand corrected!

soon as i looked at it pete, it said RICHARD SEARLING, it's trademark isn't it? and changing times for the man, pushing the boundaries in many ways akin to colin & ian a few years earlier and also very much reminiscent of what he was doing with neil under the H.E.S.C.banner...you're probably right in as much as a lot of the new stuff may have cleared the floor, perhaps the place was full, but they were all sitting on the sidelines, waiting for some good old fashion northern to get their teeth,talc & shoes into. i don't think that the masses today are quite so keen on turning their noses up at particular tunes when they've paid good money for what they hope is a good night out, they generally aren't disappointed...and richard is by far and away, one of the best djs to grab people's attention.

that's a sad state of affairs mark, and no way to show proper respect, distant memories of the past stuffed away from daylight in some dingy refractory. but although it's long overdue and minus the element of council obligation to honour it's most famous landmark, a plaque IS symbolism in the face of indifference. of course, it's then a question as you would probably propose, of exactly how many soul folk would be remotely interested in viewing it, surprisingly, i think quite a large contingent, and in particular younger generations who want to get their bearings..the fact that it will stand on the precise site should stir a few ghosts and raise the hairs on a few necks. next project: a museum...all artifacts and donations gratefully received...oh, and yes, that quite possibly could be done as well, if you've ever been to dundee natural history museum you'll know it's not just simply a notion.

fine....question is,...when it comes to impartiality, who's going to be asked to make any dedication?..or do you ask, russ, kev & richard to put aside differences for the sense of occasion and do it jointly?. sad fact about the catacombs dedication was, it only came about in the aftermath of the untimely death of it's principle dj, blue max, a pioneer who was revered by many other djs in the 70's...sad, because it should have happened many years before and he should have presided over it.

well timed....puttin' the list up and a quick nudge for aug 9th....cheers! look forward to meeting you all on the door and it's may's birthday as well so a quick kiss won't go amiss i suspect.... well done gerry...millionaires picking up some spins now i see, nice on a white demo ( used to have one ) but classic oldie anyway, and the dealers in there as well, been meaning to play that in the main room....

completely right pete, folk were right in the groove back then, an innate appreciation, complimenting the effortless dancing...think now only the supremely busy all-nighters bear any semblence of that mannerism and it has to be the right record...back then everything got the treatment.

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.