Agentsmith

HELLO.....SEEN THE FRONT PAGE MIKE.....am i surprised or not?. considering i put the post up no more than 10 days ago about how we should all search our drawers, wardrobes, garages and attics for wigan memorabilia and should the notion of unseen film footage be filed under the subject: paranormal, this pops up. well i can see at a glance that it takes a woman's touch to inspire people so maybe i should change sex e.g. debs already has countless pics attracted to her post and apologies, as i didnt realise that was already in place. nevertheless, there is a burning issue for all to witness now....that of the unseen 2 hours worth of outtakes that genuinly exist. why then, have these not materialised on this dvd...the whole package instead of the flogged-dead-horse-30 mins that even god must have got tired with? or is the saving grace, the fact that our advanced technology has presented us with a remastered master that should keep the masses quiet....no i dont possess it yet and the apparent glossy presentation does appeal, but im spouting because theyve presented the ammunition visually and if its not me who critises the same ole, same ole, then it will be somebody else wont it? ill buy it, but i wont be the only one screaming mark lester's immortal words "please sir,...i want more" SO.....you home counties anoraks......JUST WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO THIS INDEPENDANT FILM FOOTAGE THATS ABIDING IN,...DID YOU SAY LETCHWORTH?, has anyone located the man and his movie?. rob.h

WOW! just thought of a brill one and it fits with the day as well......BETTYE SWANN - "I WANT SUNDAY BACK AGAIN" you better believe it vol.2. well done richard searling! AND!....TOWER OF POWER - "SO VERY HARD TO GO" both wea classics. sorry not a sound clip geek!, sure somebody else could put them up though. rob.h

on behalf of may and myself, i would like to thank dave, martin and tony for allowing us to share with you the service in memory of marge. i am sure that all of our mutual friends who attended yesterday will wish to pass on their personal messages to the family this way and that dave and the lads can take great comfort from knowing that they have the support of their friends at all times. may and rob.

bbbbbbby eck arkwright...tha'll need soothin haaaands of gladis emmanuel to help thee get ooooover passin on tha sssssounds! ggggggranville ( rob.h)

it certainly brings it home dosnt it?. the clincher is you just dont know when your number is up and for whatever unexpected reason. i know it dosnt just break your kins hearts but the many friends youve made down the years feel like a bombshell has hit them. this month is traumatic, to say the least and tomorrow at marge's funeral, the stress and the personal turmoil will show. the comments are spot on...a record collection NOW, as opposed to 30 years ago, is a valuable asset, much in the same way as antiques...and should the worst come to the worst, if it benefits the well being of your nearest then you just have to take the necessary steps to make sure your loved one/s get the maximum financial payback that theyre worth...it can be a brilliant insurance policy, difference is youre the sole broker and no company gets there hands on anything. rob.h

wish i knew as well mate, think he has one as he used to talk about emailing peoplewhen he was on smooth but, then again, he may have done that from the studio...even ginger dosnt bother with these things. rob.h

bloody hell mike, you cant be serious?. ill tell you now in the 70s/80/s a typical exchange and mart couldnt sell you one of these for 10p....honestly....there were 1000's of copies. then tobi bowe came to prominence and all of a sudden there was a suitably inexpensive version available that no-one ever wanted, unfortunately, as so often is the case....shops close, junk shops become a thing of the past and car boots are flogged to death and besides that, those 1000's were probably skipped as well....which leads us to present day and...well, well, well, how the worm has turned!. personally, i have always preferrred mamie lee's version...tobi bowe's is a pale comparison but obviously rarer. never mind! get it while you can because soon itll become another auction item. rob.h

cheers mate, if you've been following this, a lot of people have posted photo's and more people need to be made aware of this fact. its getting close to 2000 views however, its essential that more posts are made. id hate to think that a large proportion just cant be bothered because they figure they've seen it all before. i have to reference back to my initial comments about whats staring us back from our bookshelves and it aint the whole story. consider the fact that we are witnessing a dismaying loss of people we love and cherish, many of them long time soulies...its ironic we may never know what treasures of the scene they've left behind...close family and friends may consider these of little relevance...so its too late to step in and save them. were all gonna be in that situation sooner or later and thats not nice....so it would be great for the majority who were involved in the history of the casino to share something special that other generations can look at in wonder. the history of wigan casino in photographic and literal form in the shape of a definitive book is the only thing we have missing to complete to circle, to bring us all together. hopefully, critical film evidence will emerge in the course of time but it cant wait forever. rob.h

appologies john, missed your mail, but one i cast my beady eyes over was a demo keele xmas 2007 so i was a year out, didnt realise it was that long!. then last year j.m. had one @ auction and the sound clip was pristine!!....never seen an issue. anyway, how are you and your family? all well we hope may and rob

italian pic sleeve 45 only quite rare, j.m. auctioned one last year but it can be found elsewhere around £150. the lp is a fraction.....same story with oz rareity marcia hines....single on wizard impossible, lp $20! rob.h

right on bro! thats the ticket, everyone get off their backsides and keep coming up with ways to chisel out the nuggets, a flyer would certainly help, even if its just photocopied.

Can i add fuel to this fire if you please...it may or may not have escaped wiganite's attention but december 2011 sees the 30th anniversary of the closure of the casino, another means by which to put this project into perspective. youve had celebratory cds and records and revival all-nighters...isnt it right there should be THAT BOOK, THAT FILM, THAT LIVE RECORDING?. it not only completes the circle, it confirms to the faithful that the casino fulfilled our musics aspirations to be recognised and everything that has come and gone since has been inspired by wigan's breaking of the mould, bringing northern soul to the attention of a global audience. rob.h

over 1500 views...good keep it going and more posts please. the subject of tapes: i reason a small proportion would have got: trashed chewed lost erased etc., lets say for instance: 10,000 still exist and amongst them several 100 have good audible quality...in other words you can decifer the tunes and the djs amongst the distortion, then, lets say at least one person has a complete set of tapes pertaining to one whole all-nighter....and this could be cleaned up in a hi-tech studio...voila! a live performance at wigan casino.it could be on any given night in those eight years but wouldnt that be something....another record to savour. so, everybody on the planet....re-evaluate what you have in your posession and see if it corresponds!. rob.h

hi steve, absolutely no quarrel with the valid points you and jez have put. i think the twist is there though, and dont get me wrong....i loved the cats....theres an arguement in there that wigan was responsible for its demise, but the council had other plans for the piece of land it stood on anyway. as it is we were so young, just starting out on the scene that is so little to reference other than peoples memories....add to that, the sad fact that so few people who went to our preliminary venues are still on the scene and,...many sadly departed, the best way to gauge the scene in depth....and remember this is only my view....would be to concentrate on the venue that took our scene to a higher plain, with bigger attendances, breaking more records, making the scene more socially acceptable and, where the vast majority of memorabilia has been created necessary to make a "project" like this possible. im stating the obvious, when i say to you im no expert and it is a monumental undertaking but because its wigan we have the necessary tools to work with that were not even thought of or contemplated as being significant where our other magnificent heritages are concerned. i'll put this into perspective if you like: neil rushton will probably bear me out on this one...i know of only one person ( who i havent met in over 30 years) who took a "set", yes, set of photographs at the catacombs. his name was graham hawkins....they were in COLOUR!. outside of that, the only other tokens were the adverts in the express and star and the memberships. i cant vouch for the torch, wheel, blue orchid, mojo, dungeon, va-vas, night owl, kieghley, mr. georges, chateau impney...im not old enough...but ive heard of, and read about them with as much excitement as anyone else in their soul infancy and these venues get their due in many publications. please dont concieve that i am being biased towards a venue that i visited so little, im not politicising the casino like it was an election. the fact is, withstanding everything else it is our scenes greatest point of reference to the past...its where the scene took a giant leap forward from being a sub-culture to a global phenomenon and yes, all the trash, sneering remarks and press over-hype that it carried as baggage..... ITS LIKE THIS....IN THE A-Z THERES A "W" if you ask a soulie what sums up w....the answer would be: WIGAN...every time guys, im not here to argue with you, what i am saying is there isnt a definitive of wigan in hard cold currency that everyone can have right now because until WE make it so it dosnt exist!.whilst the tides in lets float our boats full of souveniers so they reach a safe haven coz when the tides out and were all long gone who's gonna be interested in the message in a bottle on the beach? rob.h

hi mike, back reading posts, think after almost a week people are getting the idea whats involved here anda seperate entity on soulsource where all the photographic evidence could be collated, including peoples identities is a concrete idea...plus testimonies as to when pics might have been taken. put this page/s under a working title which could also apply to a book. remember, tapes are a sountrack ( they were recorded live...yes?) whereas records are a response to hearing those tunes and the want and need of the soulfan to purchase them...yes?. finally, as far as the triumverate is concerned, cinefilm has to be the piece-de-resistance, the holy grail if you like, this is why i consider "the outsider" or the "ex-pat" to be a good place to hunt, folks who are no longer on the scene or gave up when wigan closed and emigrated or the "tourist" who added it to their porfolio off the back of the casino/studio 54 battle 78....remember...who's the best in the world?. and yes of course, to put flesh to the bones, there are soulies in all walks of life in hi-tech industry who are graphic designers, dvd/audio sound specialists,book production,etc.....so with soulsource as the virtual source these people can come together under their various guises, to make reality happen...a book for the people, by the people....its not rocket science is it?. no one individual takes credit for it there's no financial ulterior motive, certainly not for me...this is something i would want to own....AND I CURRENTLY DONT HAVE...LIKE THE REST OF THE WORLD. im building a nice little collection of books, mainly on motown but i want a wigan bible, not just casino, soul survivor, nightshift, they are individual testimonies that give you the taste for wanting more, something completist...if everyone provides their artifacts, thats their piece of the pie, no quibbling, no need or room for critisism. p.s. come on mike im dumb, help me here, what the bloody hell is feedback and where do i click on it and what am i supposed to do next? rob.h

spiders web tonight, eddie wish we were there, pass on our best to rona & ken ( may & rob) rob.h

aye up pete, im old, im goin to bed....you know ian must be watchin and no moneys been offered yet so no nearer knowing if its gonna sell but youre the dealer so even tho prices on this have proved erratic youve probably got a better idea about what its worth...ill leave it with you but you nkow now that its something ive always wanted and if you persue it all well and good. rob.h

aye up lad, follow "wigans chosen few" post...they dont breed wolverhampton dancers like they used to!....best of it is, paul derby never appeared on it and he was a truely outstanding dancer but you can see him on "soul function" rob.h

if you do, can i have first refusal please?

cut to the chase me lad, are you going to bag it?...oi! by the way....how do you keep getting thes icons up and what do i click on to put the wigan thing in feedback?....still so much i dont know pal. rob.h

mike, sorry if its causing confusion, naturally im composing this as i go along and some of the strong statements i feel have to be voiced in capitals, almost in bold type like trying to make people sit up and notice without doing it aurally, with the pretense that it actually is. it certainly seems to work as over a 1000+ people have viewed it and now we are getting a response from our antipodean brothers. the fact that you have responded suggests that the snowball effect has every chance of succeeding....if it does, it'll need somebody bigger than this ordinary joe to turn it into a serious workable project. to everyone else out there, pics and tapes are of great relevance now so it goes to show they are not in scant supply and some of you are posting them, maybe now others wont find it so hard to reveal their previously hidden or forgotten past especially if they think its for the greater good of the scene......oh look........no capitals....im an observant person!. so keep it going, lets have 1500 views and 100 posts by sunday and next week, 2000 views and 200 posts hopefully by that time somebody influential will jump in and say " lets get it on". can i just add ( on the vicky baines thread ) to me the epitome of spine-tingling, hairs standing up on the back of your neck dancers. 1978 could never be more vivid, amongst some of the mediocrity, this was a beacon to show wigan could still dish the tunes.....stand on the balcony?....come on malc where's yer 40 inchers?....on the floor mate, on the floor! rob.h

you know everyone thinks you can only play this at all nighters....im sorry this is northern soul a-la-wigan, how can anyone deny it being played anywhere? it has everything that qualifies it as a true great, the bass intro, tambourine, steamtrain rythmn and percussion, wailing girlie backing vocals and vicky sounding for all the world like an american negro.....well it was covered as christine cooper, ironic she was a stablemate.personally, its in my all-time top 10 and to be there and witness its religeous popularity with the casino breatheren was breathtaking i can assure you!( ref my thread about wigan) WOULDNT THIS HAVE LOOKED GOOD ON A CINEFILM? ROB.H

WHEN THEY SAY "YOU CAN COUNT EM ON ONE HAND" I THINK THAT SAYS IT ALL......ANYWAY PETE, YOU YOUNG UPSTART, I WAS HERE FIRST....GIVE AN OLD BLOKE SOME LEEWAY! ROB.H

HAS HE AUCTIONED IT? ROB.H