Paul-s

Hello all, I was hoping someone on here might have an image of the flyer from St Ives allnighter where Junior Walker played live. I'm sure it was 1976, but I may be wrong. I also think he played there more than once, but I'm after the 1976ish one. I hope that makes sense to someone and any help is very much appreciated. Best Paul

Terrible news. Sean sometimes gave me lifts home from the 100 club in the late 80's. The journey always took a while with detours etc😂. As many have said, a proper face and I used to love to see him dancing, he was indeed a force and a true one off character. A sad loss...

Once Upon A Time In Wigan (original production 2003-2005) didn't use live music (deliberately so) and was a celebration of collecting 45s, it used a soundtrack. I believe the playwright sold it off (sold it out) after that so The Flying Pickets bastardised it, apparently, with a live music. Not sure what happened to it after that. https://paul-sadot.squarespace.com/once-upon-a-time-in-wigan I choreographed all of the line dances on here and will continue to do so.....

Thats a bizarre statement...(the last part).

Superb....

Firstly, I don't pop on here much nowadays, but just read some great sharing of stuff, so thanks. Just saw this line up of mainly white lead vocalists and a statement that it's "Performed by one of the world's greatest and most authentic touring Live Band Northern Soul. shows" https://www.bradford-theatres.co.uk/whats-on/northern-live-do-i-love-you Interesting times and growing markets as the scenes original folk grow older. My questions are: How many touring Northern Soul bands are there to warrant such a statement of authenticity and what makes them authentic and great? Do the scenes original (or other) scene goers attend this stuff? Best Paul

A record is worth whatever someone is prepared to pay for it I guess.

Nice to know. I was only a 15 year old apprentice at the time and travelling from a shit estate in Grantham. I had never even heard of Universities so a world away from me. I guess you were obviously older and at University. To this day I didn't know there was a Manchester University Soul club in the 70's, so I've learnt something. I would disagree with the statement that everyone at University is fairly clever though.

I totally agree (not with the bit about my intelligence though🤓) with what you say about no-one was that clever and in a state to analyse anything at the time. Too busy having a great time to care or notice. My comments are mostly retrospectively looking back and unpicking what I did, saw, heard etc. I can still viscerally feel the good bits and the bad (but at the time they all felt good), even surviving the ODing, the missing school and the frequent arrests. What a life changing experience! It stays with me through thick and thin. You won't be surprised to hear that they have already written much about the 2000's rave scene.

I would disagree with a bit of that summary: There were fights (I saw a few), there were forms of racism that showed themselves in various ways, not explicitly, but implicitly. Thats not a judgement, but a fact of being working class and unaware of the consequences of the way we used language at the time.

We have to remember that the heavy marketing that has evolved over the decades has perpetuated a 'corporate' driven idea of what 'Northern Soul' is that is linked to its possibilities as a commercially viable asset. This of course plays a big part in perpetuating a fixed and dominating idea of what is encompassed by the term because if it wanders too much it endangers the asset. Take for instance a DJ who starts a venue that only batters the same few hundred tunes, linked to the Wigan era, he/she stopped going out when the scene evolved beyond Wigan and more incredible tunes carried on being discovered via other venues and emerging DJ's. They want to run a viable commercial Northern Soul event but do not buy records (not since Wigan closed) they don't even care/know what's emerging post Wigan. Enter the Top 500, fixed collection of records that some insist, erroneously, define Northern Soul. I would advise that you don't just interview 'I went to Wigan', then stopped when it closed' people. Unless you want to just reiterate a narrow lens, perpetuate the tired old myths that already exist, and a dominant narrative that is compromised by financial interests that have long been linked to cultural capital If you are a scholar doing a thesis in this field then you can/should check out Bourdieu and the various forms that drive capital - you will see it at play in the way that professional Wigan Myth marketers wheel out the same tired narrative in order to self serve. Lazy research and journalism supports these myths by always interviewing the same people, whose experience often never extended beyond the doors of the Casino: fine if its only about the Casino, but not if its about 'Northern Soul'. Best of luck.

About time this was undertaken. Well done. Joan (Jumpinjoan) would be a great person to interview.

I'm sure (assume), as its a dissertation, that they will define how they are applying the term within their argument. Additionally, the term is not limited to a general and accepted understanding or fixed interpretation. In fact its often highly contested: It's a term that is wide open to debate, (mis)interpretation and re-interpretation, a mixture of the objective and subjective.

Totally agree.

It's been a while! Here we are with a great set for Rob Ryan. It's always fantastic to hear how different collectors respond to the call out, and this is no exception. https://www.lookatyoursoul.org/thelisteningbooth/rob-ryan Massive thanks to all for contributing these great and thoughtful sets to the site. Please keep them coming and sharing you're incredible knowledge, passion and music. Best Paul & Kristen My Movie.mp4

Author and curator of the Cornell hip hop Collection, Johan Kugelber says that the history of hip hop is a “riddle wrapped inside an enigma stuffed inside a mystery hidden in a sock" and the same can be said of Northern Soul.

Yes, Leeds was a really incredible run and each night was like a brilliant soul night (like each night of the tour in fact) with audiences creating the atmosphere in synch with the productions soundtrack and staging. It really is an impossible task to try to replicate a 'production' that came from the soul of the director and hence re-mounts can never reach or realise that, no matter how hard they try. For instance, one production used a white band (The Flying Pickets) to create live music instead of using the original tracks. This was unbelievable to me and totally disrespectful of the plays roots, which was about a love of Black American music and a vinyl obsession. It totally missed the point, the narrative and the soul of the original. Anyway, its nothing to do with me and I am sure it will continue to be sold to anyone who wants to pay. It's great that the original moved so many people and also re-united many souls in the foyer. Thats my reward and payment for doing it and I disconnect with all the re-mounts. They have the same title, but are absolutely nothing to do with the original 'production'. Like poor bootleg pressings v original copies.

The next collector to deliver a superb set to us for the Look at Your Soul project is Callum Flack (Australia). Callum long.mp4 Unfortunately, we were tied up, me travelling and Kristen working, last week, so a little late advertising this one. But the set is up and you can listen to it here. It's a really fantastic, soulful and thoughtful contribution to the project. https://www.lookatyoursoul.org/thelisteningbooth/callum-flack Massive thanks to all who have supported so far and please keep the sets coming. Best Paul and Kristen

This week we have a collector who needs no introduction I think - Baz Atkinson: contributing a fantastic, soulful, set for the project! All our contributors have taken the time out to engage with the soul of the project, revisit their vinyl collections, and carefully consider song choice with the project’s purpose in mind! We are truly grateful for all of those contributions. It’s a project that we hope will bring rare soul music fans together, to listen, do some vinyl diggin' and to reflect. www.lookatyoursoul.org Respect and thanks for the support. Kristen & Paul Baz.mp4

You’re in for a treat this week as we go off in yet another direction! This Saturday we have a set from collector and DJ Taizo (Japan). He has curated a superb set of songs with a message that highlight Black Americans’ social, political and cultural struggle during the 60’s and 70s. All our contributors have taken the time out to engage with the soul of the project, revisit their vinyl collections, and carefully consider song choice with the project’s purpose in mind! We are truly grateful for all of those contributions. It’s a project that we hope will bring rare soul music fans together, to listen and reflect. To listen to Taizo’s set and catch up on the latest sets - go to our website www.lookatyoursoul.org Best Kristen & Paul Taizo.mp4

If anyone is interested in seeing some rare footage from the final show at Greenwich Theatre, London (2004) you can access it here: https://www.paulsadot.com/once-upon-a-time-in-wigan. (scroll to the bottom of the page) All copyright to the footage used in this film is owned by Paul Sadot and documents his personal work staging, choreographing and directing the play. No dialogue from the play is included. Contact: https://www.paulsadot.com/contact Commissioned, Produced, Directed and Choreographed by: Paul Sadot Written by: Mick Martin Original Urban Expansions Staging Concept by: Paul Sadot Set Design by Giuseppe & Emma Belli Scored Complied by: Paul Sadot

Just too reiterate...this production is the same only in title as the original that toured the UK under my direction in 2003-2005. It is absolutely nothing to do with the 'original production'. This will be a re-imagining of the script which was developed under a commission by my company in 2002/3. Good luck to them, but please avoid any confusion, they are totally different productions. Just to share some pettiness, that now, I realise might be related to this remount and a desire to erase the memory of the authentic original production. I was recently invited to created a small film about the making of the 'original' production for Wigan Museum. I was careful to only use footage of 'my' production at CONTACT theatre, footage that is copyrighted by my company and me. Footage that only shows my staging, direction and choreography. I used no dialogue as that could be viewed as infringing the playwright's copyright (if you were a petty person). I also narrated 'my' true story of the play coming into being, a respectful story that is backed up by the actors, and a documentary made during rehearsals, plus the original Arts Council funding document. Also, by the theatres and their artistic directors that hosted the rehearsal and premiers of the play. However, Wigan museum were asked by YouTube to remove it as the playwright had complained and said it infringed his copyright. Of course this is total fabrication. So, I shared who the copyright of the footage belonged to with the museum, but alas the playwright had persuaded YouTube that he had a case (which is very easy). It was taken down and Wigan Museum were gutted, as they are not in a position to challenge it as it is against council policy to become involved in legal disputes. I share this story to demonstrate the petty soullessness of such actions, actions that lead to questions of how a production might have genuine care, empathy and soul behind it if the prevalent desire is to re-write history.

No, it's absolutely nothing to do with the original and celebrated production by my company in 2003-2005. They often try to confuse re-mounts with the original though, as a marketing tool. This looks like a commercially motivated remount to me. Each to their own.....but accept no substitutes..😉