Agentsmith

CARSTAIRS - "IT RELLY HURTS ME GIRL" BESSIE BANKS - "DONT YOU WORRY BABY ( THE BEST IS YET TO COME )" JAMES FOUNTAIN - "SEVEN DAY LOVER" MEL BRITT - "SHE'LL COME RUNNING BACK" ....SORRY ITS NOT 3.....YOU SHOULD HAVE PUT A ZERO ON THE END!!....THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN EVEN BETTER! BETS LIVE ACT?....THE MIRACLES 76 ROB.H

i think the side room at stoke dosnt lack anything that cant be created by the djs, the quality of the rare music they are playing are atmospheric in their own right. its elementary in this case that it dosnt matter what the room sounds or looks like, people will be drawn there because the music is first rate and there's no worry that a proportion of the playlist wont work its way into the main room because the crowd there are so up for it anyway that they will put their trust in the djs responsible without hesitiation...thats how i read it anyway, and whilst i know this subject has been aired before with some consternation, i believe the doubters will come round to that fact it will be probably the best side room in the country this year. rob.h

name the line-up please, i know ive seen this many times but usually in books and papers and...also how many of them had signature tunes and can you name the tunes? get your thinking caps on! personally, my fave was dlt's on sunday morning's, none other than "touch of velvet - sting of brass" by mood mosaic rob.h

seems to me that selling via SS is the best option for anyone as everyone knows everyone else...so to speak,...less of a minefield than ebay? rob.h

spot on mate!...knew she had a funny name rob.h

pete, sounds like a lady trying hard to sound like helen shapiro....and dave's right.....very chicken in the basket! rob.h

well laddie, let me tell you, as far as im aware richard played this at the casino 79/80 but to be sure, you'd have to ask him, anyway, yes its catchy disco and no reason why it shouldnt go. i have this myself on lp, remember it got u.s. release only however it also came out on a single which i used to have as well. when pep used to have his record shops in wolverhampton he was very prominent in bringing brand spanking new releases to the attention of the scene, he would ship in boat loads, probably one of the reasons why the scene is integrated with such cosmopolitan tastes for the last 35 years or so. rob.h

thats an eye opener, being able to look at the complete pink back catalogue, in that case is it possible to see the complete decca one as well? rob.h

do we have a sound clip?. i know this is a standard ( presuming of course, we are talking about mel torme's record) but i remember tony reynolds playing a female version around the start of the 80's as part of the 2nd mod movement. at the time he was djing at a pub called the outrigger near the bullring in birmingham. didnt get a look at the record but it may have been on decca...infact, perhaps he might be worth looking up to try and solve this one. rob.h

sorry im late with this thread! what a tune....lets not blether over the pop aspect and the fact its helen shapiro...it just has that quality. had an issue and had it on the 25th anniversary lp released in 85, wouldnt mind one now either and barry st john is class. both should be played right now! rob.h

lot of controversy over weather its liked or not but the starting bid isnt too far away from what it realistically should achieve....thats if someone's got 4.5 grand to spend rob.h

answer: vinyl carvers mate......( ssssh....slapped wrists! )

vinyl, no on cd, yes - universal dbl anthology

interesting to note: the bobby vee medley "sugar pie honey, i cant help myself" got booted on a single as by the detroit shakers...the irony is, its probably extremely collectable now....if you collect boots that is.. rob.h

hello mate, no, but i delivered that road sign to staffs highways depot in penkridge....that'll confuse the truckers!! rob.h

did i say anything about it being a moral obligation?,but people are free to search their consciences. im on this planet....dont you think that some seriously aren't??....whats been expressed here is payback time for all these potential djs being ignored by the few who want to closet northern soul, playing it, biting the hand that feeds them and being pally with their 40 rota listed mates in their corner. you wont stop the deluge of gigs until the one's who lord it over the scene stop being so blood minded and bloody selfish and give every dog his day. rob.h

cheers phil, id suggest few,but as ive not travelled the length and breadth of this country to study it, i couldnt confirm it...perhaps it would be best, and in a similar manner to dave rimmers calender advising about all-nighters, everyone who persues this angle( being a promotor solely - not dj) could make these details relevant here, thus creating a list of who does what and more importantly what their dj policy is: WHY THEY PREFER RESIDENTS DO THEY NEED TO HAVE SO MANY RESIDENTS DO THEY BELIEVE IN OPEN-HOUSE DO THEY ONLY TRUST FRIENDS WHO DJ DO THEY JUST PREFER DJS IN A LOCAL RADIUS WILL THEY NOT TAKE A PERSON AT FACE VALUE WHO HAS A COLLECTION, WHO WANTS TO DJ, EVEN THOUGH THEY MAY NOT KNOW HIM DOES THE COLLECTION HAVE TO BE OF A STRICTLY RARE QUALITY HOW OFTEN DOES A PROSPECTIVE DJ HAVE TO ATTEND A VENUE BEFORE BEING OFFERED A SPOT SHOULD A POTENTIAL DJ BE EXPECTED TO ATTEND REGULARLY BEFORE THEY ARE CONSIDERED IS THERE ANY DISCRIMINATION AGAINST AGE YOUNG OR OLD comments please from my stand point i see too much favouritism, not enough freedom of expression AND THATS NOT THE RECORDS, ITS DJS BEING ALLOWED OPPORTUNITIES TO PLAY....ITS YOUR FACE FITTING, ITS YOUR DEMEANOUR, ITS YOUR PERSONALITY. i like to see the big names on playlists, there are many held in high regard and they do have the records and personality to carry it off and they are also down to earth and in most cases are good friends.....but aren't there a lot who are playing at it, this is where the old pals act has arisen and from whence the frustration amongst the aspiring djs has grown...of course theyre not experienced promotors but they have no other course of action but to put on their own gig (weather it fails or not)...its their way of making a statement. the reality is, the unselfish dj/promotor who will give anyone a go is in a minority but they are out there. THE IRONY IS, WITH SO MANY PROMOTORS ADVERTISING FOR YOU TO COME AND SUPPORT THEM, THEY'D BE TRIPPING OVER EACH OTHER IN DESPAIRATION TO GET YOU THROUGH THE DOOR...IN WHICH CASE...( LEGIT BLACKMAIL AT HAND) " I'LL COME TO YOUR GIG IF YOU OFFER ME A SPOT....WEATHER YOU KNOW ME FROM ADAM...BUT I WONT SUPPORT YOU REGULAR AND WATCH YOU SWALLOW MY HARD EARNED MONEY IF YOU DONT...YOU DIG?". setting up more gigs will go on and on so long as selfishness riegns and there is lack of opportunity, a neverending vicious circle. rob.h

1999 reddington's,birmingham found a martha reeves - "no one there" for £3 already by then a monster tune - before that 1978 max millward's in wednesfield, found a stemmons express on karma, paid £8....big tune for ages then...fast forward 2010 j.m.'s auctioning it £400+....pity i dont still have that!! rob.h

barney lad, this is exactly the point ive been putting across but it appears there are plenty who want to ignore it....THERE ARE MORE GIGS BECAUSE MORE PEOPLE WANT TO DJ, CANT GET ON THE ONE'S THAT EXIST BECAUSE OF THE "OLD PALS ACT AND, AS I CALL IT WHITE COLLAR", WHICH IN OTHER WORDS IS SELFISHNESS, SO THEY START THEIR OWN NIGHT SO THEY CAN DJ....BUT INSTEAD OF BEING SELFISH THEY HAVE AN OPEN BOOK POLICY, WHERE ANYONE WHO ASKS, IS OFFERED A CHANCE AND IN RETURN THEY GET A GIG AT THE OTHER GUYS VENUE!!....cant everybody see?......THAT...IS THE WAY IT SHOULD WORK....OR IS EVERYBODY FOOKING BLIND!!! are the people who run the rare soul nights, for instance, just asking djs who they know collect rare records to gig AND BE RESIDENTS or....are they just asking them...BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEM?......OLD PALS ACT EH?? if someone who you know, turns up at your gig and you know they collect records and you know they want to dj....STOP PUTTING THEM OFF WITH EXCUSES.....instead of waiting for them to ask you, suprise them and do the opposite....GET RID OF YOUR INHIBITIONS and ask them!!. it may be the way to turn the scene round before it finally suffocates itself, which in most of YOUR opinions, it surely will do. KEY WORDS ALL THE WAY THROUGH THIS THREAD: TOO MANY RESIDENTS OLD PALS ACT SELFISHNESS just as a timely reminder, one thing that hasnt been mentioned throughout this thread: MONEY the root of all evil, no-one's makin any....FUNNY NO-ONE'S BOUGHT THAT UP? BUT THEN AGAIN, ISNT IT ABOUT SOUL MUSIC AT THE END OF THE DAY OR ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WORRYING ABOUT HOW THE INFLUX OF GIGS IS AFFECTING PROFFITS. FORGET IT!...THER'S NO ROOM FOR PROFFITEERING IN THIS GAME EITHER its about the music and our love of it. we all know this is a massive debate and many facets of it are continual bones of contention, but they will never be solved without complete openess. rob.h

legit release on goldmine connoisuers, think it was their very first release, long since deleted. rob.h

you know a lot of djs DO go and support gigs weather theyre djing or not but in their minds as always, being a dj, is making a pitch for a spot....problem is too many chiefs and not enough indians or too many cooks spoil the broth....it dosnt matter weather its chalky or anyone else on this planet, when you look at a line-up that reads RESIDENTS, you start thinking about THE BACK OF THE QUEUE and just how long its gonna be to get on a popular gig.....not as difficult for the RESIDENTS,...IS IT? EH?. chalky's not knocking burnley and neither am i , just pointing out a pertinent FACT. the other side of the fence is the reality we all face. to get to a gig we have to travel....FUEL, OVERNIGHT ACCOMODATION, FOOD, DRINKS AND THE DISCRETIONARY SPEND ON RECORDS. these do not always necessarily apply but we have to travel. of course chalky might not be bothered about getting a spot ( supposition). he might decide, like anyone else, that he's going to take a look because he's heard its so good. i havent been but got the vibe about it via ginger, roman, nige.g etc., and id have a distance to travel, but if i were making the trip with the hope of introducing myself and looking for an opportunity to do a spot, id think that guest room was in short supply and hence, the chances were remote. it really should have been an open door policy for djs, perhaps phil wouldnt have given up on it ( remember, he said on a particular occasion he couldnt get all his resident djs). to all intents and purposes the line-up played brill tunes.......but there are 1000's out there who share the same accolade.....and theyre all hunting for the opportunities that are being denied them by narrow mindedness. there's no worry they wont support the scene, they always have, they grew up with it as punters but made a key transition and they want to progress with it. i love the idea that people are allowed free expression with their playboxes which, have been lovingly compiled....just let all of them have their say, dont inhibit their optimism by sticking with your top dog residents. keeping the turnover eternal keeps punters interested...if they keep seeing DIFFERENT NAMES they keep wondering what wierd and wonderful tunes they are going to be treeated to. rob.

phil, can i make the point....why have an inordinate number of resident djs? maybe people get fed up with hearing the same people all of the time...it dosnt mean they aren'tgood but people like change. in my neck of the woods, lea manor was a breath of fresh air ALL THE TIME and although the attendances fluctuated through no fault of its own the punters were always bristling with expectation as to who was going to be on next, no rota, no residents, just everyone and anyone, known or unknown given a chance to put forward their interpretation of their playbox, but still with a mind to cater for the punters. music policy: obsolete, it went back and forth all the time covering all decades and genres AND it uniquely housed two crowds, the dancers and chinstrokers, who stood at the bar,drank,smoked,talked soul talk, browsed records BUT importantly had one ear on the tunes. everyone was happy, the people who were running it were looking after the punters the proper and fair way,and they did exactly the same with the djs. as ive already mentioned, terry and lynne did the same at tsop, although the music was more traditional and the venue was in the breeding ground of the northwest.only terry and ginger were residents, but terry always made room for 4 guests and every month without fail they were always different. dont you think this is a contributing factor in providing for a fresher scene? dont you think that the reason why there are so many gigs clogging the arteries is because so many wannabees feel disenfranchised, that they cant get a break, so the alternative is to start their own gig so they can dj? and what if these people have it in mind that to make a success of it, they'll be fair to other people by letting them dj on their gig? that they will refuse to recruit a host of residents, instead preferring to give anyone a shot who wants it? do you consider my accusation fair, that many promotors/djs/venues are closed shop? do you think from a dj point of view the whole spectrum( nighters, soul nights weekenders) is suffering from a creeping "old pals act"? do you think ANYONE should have residency bestowed on them, bad or good dj, especially when theyre not actually the promotor? heard good things about burnley through ginger and others so its not the quality of the music thats ever going to be a problem on the whole...its the diversity which the promotor employs: a cosmopolitan playlist enriched by a neverending conveyor belt of enthusiastic djs. i chose to direct my attention to the northwest as i thought people there would be more receptive to my efforts to get on the ladder, although i feel like ive been stuck on the bottom rung for ages, and thanks to terry, barry and ginger, ive been at the helm but its a mere scratch on the surface. ill not return to the west mids, the north is my spiritual home and ill be spinnin' at the tower...i call that fairness especially when the line-up is full of big names and there's me....if everyone took a leaf out of that book and swallowed some pride, we wouldnt all be on this thread trying to decipher a problem that really shouldnt exist. rob.h

unfortunately, simon soussan was THERE when the states were an aladdin's cave, the kid in the proverbial sweet shop who struck on the idea of making even more sweets quite illigitimately!, however he was responsible for bringing many great tunes to the wider attention of the public...and yes the quality of some of the boots were very good ( that includes the chunky vinyl he used...NEVER STYRENE and the sound quality) afterall, he had the pick of the recording studios. with reference to liberty bell, it must have been a natural choice as the label really exists and the butlers recorded " she tried to kiss me" on the label....an absolute torch stormer! rob.h

thepicture you see is how it stands at the moment. it is completely boarded up but if the pikeys have anything to do with it, it wont be for long. the green and gold billboard is still intact facing shifnal, whereas in the opposite direction, one half of it is missing. the carparks are visibly, falling into disrepair and the adjoining lodge which provided extra rooms when the manor was busy, is a sitting target for abuse as its windows are not boarded. "rode by the place" last saturday whilst visiting pete smith and it brings back the memories....just to cheer you up and remember how it was, check out soulfulkindamusic and the last all-nighter playlist.....its brill! rob.h

dont know this record personally, but the rare breed were a white group, along the same lines as the turtles and many other west coast groups. i had a record by them on dot, a uk issue and, for the life of me, i cant remember that title either!,but it was released around 67....of course i could be entirely mistaken and this group on mgm may have been black. rob.h