Agentsmith

iconic id say ed.....now tell me,...has someone dismantled this as well and hid it in their back garden?! rob.h

went once with little scotty and his crew in a traveller!. couldnt believe this place, just a doorway and up some stairs and ........the blackburn over 60's ladies and gents teadance were still up and running as we sidled into the adjoining light refreshments area...wow!, that was an eye opener....i dont think they hung around to see 40 inchers gliding round the dancefloor!!. what a crummy rundown venue, no doubt it had seen better days but atmospheric places are few and far between now and id say tony's is missed.......WONDER WHO HAD THE SIGN FROM OUTSIDE?. rob.h

basically outakes from the original SITSOM cd.....shame as all the material is historically important....if it hadnt been for this "unofficial", these tracks would still be consigned to the vaults. rob.h

pete,................IF HE WERE FEMALE................HE'D BE .............LINDA JONES.......yep, he's got the wailing voice but he dont hit a bum note and this clip is so refreshing instead of simon cowell and x-traordinarily boring, mind-numbingly, talentless, wrist slashing shite that calls itself the youth of today. get this guy on stage or theatre or a tvshow to expose just whats being overlooked for the sake of making a quick buck out of a load of nobheads. some of the comments here, nailed it with the fact for a busker he did a bloody good personal interpretation of a classic something todays youth are totally incapable of........geez, theyre no good at doing a decent copycat!!. rob,h

yep, thats a big FIND THIS MAN!, just goes to show which generations got the talent, because todays youth sure aint got any or any roots. rob.h

right!, so here's the mystery then,.....lets say jv had this record and when he started djing at the casino during 74/75 and a copy does not exist with the intro on it.....then he must have gone to a studio and had an acetate cut with the intro engineered onto it and if thats a fair presumption, then does john still posess it? rob.h

dont worry bout the bells malc,....you've mike terry's fookin saxbreak...could anyone want for more? rob.h

with respect, i think you'll find he did have it in 2001 as i witnessed it with my own eyes and if you're still not convinced check out soulfulkindamusic.co.uk and the albrighton p,aylist "last all-nighter" which was compiled, exhaustively by myself. #rob.h

been a while since i came to this thread having been given a theoretical earbashing but nevertheless, spot on with the observatoin about sam and albrighton so anyone else with silly notions of it being premiered elsewhere had better consult mr.barnfather himself! ( tongue out....na na nee na na!!) rob.h

WOULD YOU MIND PUTTING UP A SOUNDCLIP PLEASE? rob.h

right, so can you put me straight about this then,...the b-side is the same as the a-side, but with the wierd begining yes?. and shoestring is another version...but does that have the wierd begining?....either way can i get a copy of the record with THE WIERD BEGINING?. ive been advised about the one on 20th century but i want to be sure im getting the right record so if someone does have what i want and is willing to sell im waiting to do a deal. rob.h

yes, kieth minshull in the main room 79 got hammered...i suspect this particular period was when the casino was having a notorious lull in music quality, prior to the "messiah" richard's second coming with end of era tunes!. p.s. it even had its own particular dance moves.... very disco!! rob.h

and ive even got my glasses on and i still make mistakes!!! its east coast....sorry!

i stand corrected!, infact ive been talking to tim brown this afternoon about this record and he mentioned it was on cleopatra so ive got my facts wrong there. yes, it was covered up as the gladiators - "the miami sound" and john was yer man....odd-ball tune but in 74/75 massive floorpacker, but then it wasnt hard to please 1800 souls baying for stompers!....i still want a copy though...incidentally, tim tells me there exists another version....i wonder if it has the "clangers flute-whistle in an echo-chamber" intro?. yes, you're right its insane, its surf, west coast?, but 100mph and i want to see what it does at the tower!, so if someone can oblige i will be grateful. rob.h

anyone have a copy of this wigan instrumental and prepared to sell? rob.h

dunno about these dudes, but look at the spencer's!!, they all look wrecked...must have been end of the night. the "catacomb" pic looks great though....GOOD JOB IT WAS A CONCRETE BEAM AND NOT THAT STALAGMITE THAT MY HEAD HAD AN ARGUEMENT WITH!!.....just a thought, but the gig could have been held in a REAL greek cave...( authenticity you know!)....where's the bloke on the boat with the cat and dog?. rob.h

the unequivical list from malc, if i can add a sentiment to that, it is that sadly the aftermath of the surviving members reunion, which initially was presented as a joyous occasion, descended into bitter sqabbles over the root of all evil...money. as a result the first gathering here, at the apollo manchester and abroad proved to be the only one where the, then, 7 surviving members would play together. i was dismayed to hear first hand from allan slutsky about what went on...remember this is the guy who spent almost a quarter of a century, persueing this musicians in the cause of giving the spotlight belatedly to them, and rightly so for all the hard work they had put in creating "THE SOUND" that we have all come to know and love and is also imbued in many of the iconic northern soul records we dance to each week. i have to say, like so many others, that i will always feel privilaged to have witnessed their talent first hand when they set foot on these shores for the first time in 40 years and rolled back the pages of musical history, and the beloved autographs and pictures will be treasured always.maybe if they had resisted the temptation to become part of berry gordy's dream, they would have carried on plying thier trade as exponents of jazz, carried on earning a buck or two and been none the wiser about the big outside world, they may have survived just a little longer...and perhaps they may not have carried the burden of injustice and unfairness, which turned out to be the card dealt to them....but they didnt...instead they gave us all a musical phenomenon that is ingrained in our greycells and pumps the blood and adrenalin to all parts of the body as we rush to the dancefloor to acknowledge the motown sound and beat. so, it dosnt really come down to officialdom in the long run does it?, the generalisation is. that they all pulled together at one time or another, and over two frantic decades they established an empire that has dwarfed everything else, they put down a marker that no other musical style has ever been able to match, they broke down racial barriers with their global appeal and they made us all dance like never before. amen to that! rob.h

my memory's probably goin but......,it dosn't look like the cats to me,....certainly not where the dancefloor area is concerned...you see, to the rear of the small dance floor ( that would be rammed with 40 people on it ) there was a raised stage ( no more than a foot off the ground ), this is where you would get your rock bands as the catacombs provided entertainment other than northern soul, which took place on wednesdays and saturdays. immediately above the stage was a concrete beam, again, about 6-9" thickness, protruding from the ceiling. this area was not cavern shaped although i cant remember weather the in-house speakers were at floor level, mounted or inset. the catacombs was probably, originally a factory unit as it was above a cobbled courtyard and the rest of the buildings in this block were, infact factories. it consisted of a lot of alcoves and nooks and crannies, the windows were painted out and adorned with roadworks lamps with red and yellow glass. there was a fire exit and stairwell to thr right of the stage. facing the dance floor was the dj booth which had saloon-swing doors to the side for entry and a serving hatch at the front through which you could make requests. the corridor by which you reached the dance floor lead back to the bar area and ultimately, the dressing room/toilets and entrance where you provided your membership and payed in, no kiosk just a table manned by the manager and doorstaff as i remember. so....the pictures are a puzzle...theyre obviously from way back and i dont doubt their 70's authenticity and, im sure the girl, centre, on the 3rd pic is helen who married pep, one of the djs at the cats....but stalagmites?......im sorry that just dosnt fit......I ONLY WISH NEIL RUSHTON IS VIEWING THESE BECAUSE HIS MATE GRAHAM HAWKINS HAD SOME COLOUR PICS AND HE TOOK THEM WITH THE BACKROUND OF A WHITEWASHED WALL WHICH, WOULD BE IN THE VACINITY OF THE DJ BOOTH. so, tell me ive lost my marbles after infamously banging my head on THAT BEAM because im disorientated with thes pics. incidentally, ive heard that a plaque to commemorate the site of the catacombs is being erected at some point soon, that will be very poignant indeed for all soulies who frequented a venue known as "one of the legendary four". rob.h

RITZ FINISHED IN 2005 DEFFO, REMEMBER JOHNY PEARSON IN GOLD JACKET....HE PLAYED "BREAKIN DOWN THE WALLS OF HEARTACHES" BY JOHNY JOHNSON. SHIFTY PLAYED MELLOW SOULS AT RAREST OF THE RARE....WATCHED ORIGINALS DO REHEARSALS..THEN PERFORM LATER....WHAT A GIG!!!....GINGER AND HIS 50TH BIRTHDAY CAKE THAT WENT ON A UK TOUR!....1ST TIME IN 2001 VISITING AFTER 25 YEARS, DAVE THORLEY WAS ON..TREMENDOUS!...DENIS TAYLOR LIVE WITH TERRY JONES & ANDY DAVIES DOUBLE DECKIN'...SAM AND DEAN DOIN' THE SAME..... THE RITZ...FOR ME PERSONALLY, THE BEST VENUE....EVER!!! ROB.H

cheers to the big 'o', im amazed lots of people still reading and showing interest in this thread. literally 1000's of pics all over the uk and many taken with high quality cameras. i havent had a look but i presume many are now posted on ss and the possibility of a book seems genuine, as i said before, its the type of book that none of us have that is a direct reference to all of us and not just a privilaged few. i hope you all keep this up because it is of significantly vast importance to catalogue the past for everyone in the present to acknowledge and for future generations of youngsters to be educated by. rob.h

i know that the northern scene is full of sherlock holmes types, hence more copies of reputed rareities turning up years after and margaret little has now been around/played since2002 so its not totally impossible but with reference to sams purchase: this copy came out of a ghetto via a down and out who acted as a contact for des and adey, so the story went,a guy who went round knocking on doors asking if anyone had any records and this copy turned up in an area that was considered no-go to whites. when i first saw it you could see the ringwear on the label as it had been stacked in a pile, the vinyl looked battered but it played brill. a while later mick nailed a copy....so by now there's definitely 3 in uk...one on ebay so 4......this is a prickly subject isnt it?....IS 9 A MYTH OR NOT...GUESS WE'LL HAVE TO SHRUG IT OFF AS SPECULATION IF SOULIES OR NON-SOULIES DONT WANT TO DISCLOSE THE TRUTH. no, it dosnt matter who owns them, its the proof that they exist that matters. this record, to me, has the aurra of a needle in the haystack about it but i have to accept that 4 are now known to all but another five have turned up like a fleet of number nine buses?. do the sherlock holmes's confirm this? has j.a. found any of them?, not tim brown?, not john manship?. or is it just that some people wish they had a copy so they want to invent some mischief to relieve their frustration?. rob.h

thats one off the fence then joan but what about the rest of em'?.....put your cards on the table.....its not gonna alter its rareity or value in any way whatsoever. rob.h

second that emotion chalks, first time sam played it out: ritz manchester.....RAMMED THE FLOOR AT THE COUNTRY'S BEST VENUE 2nd: lea manor's last all-nighter hester/wylie combination...andrew "mike" terry production, brilliant sax break. rob.h

IF THERE ARE SIX OTHERS.....PUT YOUR MONEY WHERE YOUR MOUTHS ARE AND LETS SEE EM'.....DONT BE AFRAID NOW.....ITS LIKE THE "UNDISCOVERED WIGAN FOOTAGE" AND ALL THOSE THOUSANDS OF PICCYS THAT PEOPLE BEGRUDGINGLY DONT WANT TO DIVULGE OR DISCUSS.......WHY EVEN MENTION THE FACT IF YOU ARE NOT PREPARED TO SHOW THEM... AM I RIGHT SOULSOURCERS????? WE KNOW SAM GOT HIS OFF DES & ADEY, MICK AQQUIRED HIS SHORTLY AFTERWARDS......APPOLOGIES TO THE OTHER GUY WITH REGARDS TO THERE BEING THREE BUT IF THIS IS NOT A "3RD FRANK WILSON DISCOVERED BY TWO HIP-HOP COLLECTORS IN CHICAGO" WIND-UP......MAKE YOURSELF KNOWN BECAUSE RIDICULE IS A WORD VERY EASILY FURNISHED ON THIS SCENE!. ROB.H