Godzilla

Just seen this and I'm genuinely, deeply shocked and saddened. We went to Chicago last year and Bob provided tons of interesting and useful information beforehand to ensure we made the most of our trip. When we got there he arranged to meet up, picked us up from the hotel and drove us around loads of the bits of Chicago that tourists wouldn't usually hit. He was an absolute mine of information about the city, which he loved and had immense pride in. He was also a really warm and funny guy. I'm about to tell Mrs G who will be equally saddened by this awful news. RIP Bob - they don't make many like you.

Here you go: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IBC_Studios

Do you know, I've been thinking about posting a similar topic for a while about the 'Northern Effect'. It struck me that there are hundreds (thousands more likely) of soul, funk, jazz, Latin gospel etc records that have been sought by collectors for years - I'm not talking about new discoveries here, clearly, just established records. When they start to get plays on the Northern scene the price generally rockets out of all proportion - you also see it happen with relatively new records like the Smoove and Turrell, Lefties Soul Connection 45s that have shot up in price in recent years. Meanwhile funk records that have a sort of classic status and some demand but aren't of interest to Northern collectors (such as Pull My Coat, Black Belt Jones for example) seem to find a value and more or less settle there. Same with those other genres. I was wondering if the unrealistic price hikes were related to the fact that that the Northern Soul scene was one of the first in the UK where it was commonplace to throw enormous amounts of money at 45s to secure them (and the fact that the majority of collectors these days are mature and financially secure). Average funk collectors, from my experience, aren't necessarily younger, or shorter of cash on the whole, but they tend not have come from that same big spending culture. Same thing you were saying from a slightly different perspective maybe? I still don't think that sellers describing their records as "funk/soul, funky soul" and so on are necessarily au fait with the ebbs and flows of Northern Soul fashion however.

Well! As far as it goes for offering the most minimal of apologies after using a really bad example to prove your point that's a cracker, Paul heheh. Seriously though, the funk/soul description has been used for years. Maybe people are just noticing it now because so called 'funk edged soul' is the flavour of the month? As an example of this, here's a Lee Moses track from Popsike in 2003 that's (accurately) described as "funk soul".

Doesn't sound like jazz funk to me Bob. Just heavily syncopated rhythm and blues ie funk. Mik Parry was right when he said it sounds like a New Orleans record. Probably why this Kansas recording got reissued on a Louisiana label: it feels like an Eddie Bo tune. Here he is by the way.

...but has misunderstood the topic under discussion...

In a final twist of fate, some pals of my who play in a band doing southern soul /funk type tunes are doing a few gigs with augmented by a sax player and they've decided to cover The Hen in their set. Strange world of dirty, funk edged, fonky Northern Soul eh?

The point you're missing , Mik, is that all listings on ebay are supposed to confirm to to what people into Northern Soul feel is their definition of the genre. And on this site, after god knows how many years we still can't agree whether the definition of soul music should include 50s R&B, white singers, instrumentals, disco records, soulful house, jazz, Latin, records made specifically for the scene or comedy 45s. (ok I made the last one up but you get the point).

Reissue from the 80s or European issue most likely.

*** Godzilla is befuddled and has left this conversation ***

I don't think anyone is suggesting that The Hen should be played at Northern nights in fairness Mal. And the point I was trying to make is that some people just like funk records and aren't on a crusade to get them played at Northern nights. I think you're missing the point, however, if you're claiming that people who have been buying funk 45s for many years have only done so in order to be considered 'trendy' by folks confined to the NS scene

I still like it. Moreover, it seems crazy to me that because some funkier records are now in favour on the Northern scene, a tune like the Louis Chachere record should stop being described as a funk record and shoe-horned into a made up genre that separates it from the twisted Northern Soul definition of funk. Aaaarrrrgggh!

Classic bubblegum tune. From the same production company as Christine Cooper - Heartaches Away My Boy too!

Not to mention some short-sighted googling....

Relax Robb - nothing of note has happened...

It looked better once I found my reading glasses, that's for sure

It's not Etta James - it's Etta Cameron Big in Denmark, it says here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etta_Cameron

It's a rare one the issue with "I Gotta Be Free" rather than "Soul Meetin" Rob. Not sure of price but it's gone higher in the past I think....

Plenty of legs in this wind-up thread yet!

Just out of interest, what shape do you reckon the earth is?

Yerrrrr! Mixing and cutting records together to make a unique and exciting dancing experience ain't for me. I pine for the old days when they played the records all the way through (only with the DJ rambling over the intro and the final third)

It was the acetate of Other Side I was referring to actually. Sorry for any confusion.

Can't see how replying to that is going to help matters in any way to be honest.

The one I had from California didn't look like that...

Pat Powdrill - Do It Dave Mitchell - The Trip Combinations - Whatcha Gonna Do That should just about finish off the night. And the punters...