Roburt

Jim, along with Glen, were true soul gents ... he'll be much missed (as is Glen). ... back to 2009 ...

There are a few photos of the Clifton Halls (exterior) on-line but not all of them date from the 80's ... I'm also sure I've seen pics of the inside but they may have been old punta's photos.

We all live these days with 'rose coloured' glasses' on regarding the past ..... the rekkids spun were superior, the clubs were better, the crowd was more together, the ladies were sexier, ETC ETC. . . . BUT as we start to fade away, our memories become much cloudier .... I have an old diary from 1967, so I know what I did every weekend that year and seeing my old scribblings joggs the memory and I recall lots of info that was slipping slowly away .... HOWEVER ... in 1968, I didn't keep a diary and though that was a major year for allniter attending (Wheel etc), I have no idea which weekends I went or exactly who I saw .... very annoying. GETTING BACK TO THIS THREAD So, I thought ... there's loads of old soul articles posted up on the net, why not copy a few across to this thread to remind folk of some facts that were captured back when the memories were much fresher. If the thread proves popular, I'll post more stuff up from back in the day .... LET'S BEGIN ...

The silver plastic labels on UK Spring 45's started to appear (on later releases) around early 1979. So was "House For Sale" repressed at the end of the decade ... I guess so.

No idea, believe the plans for a #2 were scrapped years ago. . . . . BUT surely CHAPTER 6 of the existing book is enough compensation for everyone.

Well I can believe that you'd put a photoshopped pic out Kegsy, coz it's the sort of prank you'd do to wind everyone on the scene up. I like it when you go after soul folk just to get em riled-up.

So if the building was known as the Empress Ballroom in 1962 but had become the Wigan Casino by summer 1968, when did the name change occur ?? I know that had a decent few soul acts on live during that mid to late 60's time period (from UK acts like Harlem Jonns Reshuffle theu to US outfits like Ike & Tina Turner).

60's KING MOJO . . . >>> 70's (mainly off the scene but ) Rudy's, Scarboro ... >>> ... 80's >>> Clifton Halls . . .. 90's ... >>> 100 Club .. . Y2K . . . >>> Twisted Wheel (Whitworth St) ... this decade ... >>> Cleggy Weekender

I think I took these two pictures of Lou performing on his gig at the Queens Hall ... but we did so many shows in a short period & it was almost (exactly) 27 years ago, so I can't be sure. Can anyone confirm that this looks like the downstairs room at Queens Hall !!

I always found it weird that amongst the gold discs, US concert posters & assorted memorabilia Darryl Hall has hung on his studio walls, that there's a poster for a show staged in Coventry that he had nothing to do with !!

Most of those guys (or their reps) should be contactable via the BMI (music publishing) site ... https://www.bmi.com/

The Wigan Casino & the Bolton Casino must have come under the same ownership (or at least shared a booking agent) back in summer 68. I know this for sure as I have the actual contract booking Ike & Tina Turner to play at both venues on the same night back then. I know that Bolton Casino was still going in the 70's though it did change it's name to Copperfields (or so I understand). Anyone know if the venue was still booking soul acts into the 70's ??

Can't remember now (too long ago). I just know that one winters night (68-ish) we arrived at the Wheel too late and had to find an alternate local niter. We did, it was rekkids only, but I seem to recall we enjoyed ourselves.

What were some of the other decent soul venues in Lancs in the mid to late 60's. Obviously this place was. Then there was the T Wheel in Blackpool & the main un in Manc -- but I know if you missed the midnight (1am?) deadline to get into the Wheel and had to find an alternate venue, there were a couple of other Manc niter venues on around 67/ 68 (was one in Salford ?). But there were also places like Wigan Casino, Bolton Casino & the Imperial Ballroom in Nelson (all these booked live visiting US soul acts). In Liverpool there was the Sink Club, the Cavern (they held soul niters with US acts on live), the Peppermint Lounge & the Locarno Ballroom. But there must have been loads of others. I don't mean the little local clubs that just had a DJ who kept up with the latest UK soul releases but places that would book live acts and / or had DJ's who were spinning import 45's that hadn't also been released in the UK.

Well if Lou's appearance wasn't advertised, I must have dreamt the ad shown below . . . The deal to have Lou on @ Queens Hall was done some weeks before the show, I should know as I organised & ran that tour (which ran to about 8 shows in all). I have quite a few old photos (prints not digi copies) from that night somewhere around here.

Bur very few bootlegs have the deadwax details stamped in.

More info on Rio Records & their sub-label Siamese ... they even launched this label in the US, putting out tracks by UK outfit the Funk Masters (who's vocalist was Julie Roberts) ....

Found this piece on the label . . . . it dates from summer 1980 when the outfit had just been set up. The A side of your 45 is "Startin Again" and this also escaped on a Rio 12", though the number of that was DJR-1206 and it has the later label design. The 12" release seems to have only escaped with "Starting Again" on both sides (but I could be wrong on that). The A side track was also released on Profile in the US but with a different B side to Canada. The label mainly put out 12" releases in its early months, loads of them, so they were obviously going for the disco DJ market. Their numbering system seems all over the place as they put out a Rah Band track (also licensed from UK DJM) as DJR-1201 (12") and DJR- 702 (7"). So the DJR-12xx prefix was obviously for 12" releases and the DJR-7xx for 7" rekkids. There isn't a Grace Kennedy 7" with the number RIO 706 (to go along with her 12" #1206) as RIO 706 features cuts by Cream & Sugar. I'd guess that for the label's early releases, their 12" releases were pressed up in bulk and the 7's were a more limited release.

I like the new Calvin Richardson (available as a free download at the moment) -- TREAT HER RIGHT it's got an vintage Bobby W feel to it (IMO). ALSO like the new Walter Williams (O'Jays) track, not a dancer either but a classy ballad.

The early releases on Rio were numbered DJR 701, 702 etc no doubt standing for DJ(M) Rio = DJR From around # 704 or 705 they changed to be numbered RIO 704, Rio 705, etc ... not a major amendment.

That 45 is on a real Canadian record company and the design of that 45 label was used right thru 1980 and till September 81. From the 435 number, it seems to have been the 1st 45 issued on the label and would date (guessing) from 1980. That's a bit strange as the track didn't escape in the UK (on the LP) till 81. The date shown on the 45's label is 81 but that doesn't tie in with it being the 1st release on the label. What's the A side of the 45 ?? Rio did however release another Grace Kennedy record + stuff by the Gibson Bros & Ronnie Jones, so I'd say it's most likely kosha. She was signed to DJM in 79 and could well have recorded the cut that early with it remaining in DJM's vault in this country till 81.

Bought the recent Stone Foundation 45 just recently. The band are doing a great job, especially when they collaborate with old soul singers.

Sad times ..... https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/exclusive-shutting-electronics-store-article-1.1751239

As there is still lots of interest in record digging tales, 45 pricing via old sales lists and the like . . . thought I'd start this thread as there must be loads of great NY related stories (many UK soulies entering the US via one of the NY area airports). My son lived outside New York from 1998 for about 5/6 years but although I visited a few record label offices (existing + old & long gone), met with some old soul artists, went to a big record fair (thanx to neighbor Greg Tormo),went to J & R's a lot to buy new stuff & for their artist showcases plus was taken on rekkid shop visits to a few locations by Kim . . . I never really spent time visiting many old known record stores in the city (thinkin they'd long since been cleared out). Here's a piece from Billboard to get us started .... So, please, lets have your old stories . . . .