Frankie Crocker

What a brilliant performance. The orchestra was spot on. The singers were excellent rotating from backing roles to read vocalists. The audience got more and more into the occasion as the evening progressed, especially after The Night. Some songs had been edited out - Bobby Paris, Eddie Holman, Just Brothers, Jimmy Beaumont, Luther Ingram, Carstairs, Edwin Starr all got the chop. All in all, a hugely enjoyable experience for everyone, lifelong soul fans and folk new to the music. Let’s hope the BBC repeat the format in years ahead such was the apparent success of the venture.

UK buyers only please. PM to reserve or request further info. Payment by bank transfer or PayPal F&F (or add fees). Special delivery postage is £8. Thanks for looking. Red Coats Revue Inc-Keep On Trying-Salem: £400 NM unplayed warehouse stock. Jimmey ‘Soul’ Clark-I’ll Be Your Champion-Soulhawk WD: £375 VG+, XOL, label off centre so priced accordingly. Little Melvin And The Boleros-Jealous Lover-Valarie:£350 VG some light scratches but plays with a few clicks.

TV listings have the Northern Soul Prom to be screened at 7.45 - 9.15 pm. The programme is sure to provoke much commentary so here’s a plea in advance to stick to what you hear and what you see! By all means make critical comments, but let’s keep them objective. Having been at the Albert Hall for the concert and heard it twice on iPlayer, I’m still full of praise for the event. Anyway, let’s hear what your thoughts are.

Thanks for posting. Really insightful. An excellent resource for future buyers and sellers.

Manship auction June 2022 realised £2,600. Another thread on Soul Source re this. Awesome pair of tunes - one of the best double-siders around.

I vaguely recall a copy in a Manship auction in the last year or two, but don’t remember the final value it went for. A copy was put in Soul-Source Sales a few years ago priced at £1,750. I reckon it’s a 2K record in excellent condition these days.

True, Steve. There are millionaires out there who have the reserves to buy anything without considering the cost. On the other hand, you don’t get to be a multi-millionaire by wasting money - some of the richest people in the world are amongst the most parsimonious. As mentioned earlier, the bids for the Carstairs could have been erroneous - just odd that at least two bidders went down that route...

True, you do a great job but plenty of people would look at the figure in total disbelief

Carstairs £1,115.00... a new level of lunacy for a very common record. Just in case anyone thought this was a typo, here’s the proof someone’s paid offered a thousand pounds more than they needed to.

Has anyone contacted Russ Winstanley - surely he’d have something constructive to add. What about checking the back-editions of Blues and Soul - maybe a venue report following the anniversaries. Guessing there might be some photos out there in the Wigan papers. Yes, it’s almost 50 years ago but there must be some sources that could be checked out.

How rare is this? Does anyone remember this being played out in public? would be interesting to know who owns the six copies!

Ascots was well down in previous figures. John acknowledged below par condition and the visual disfigurement of WOL surely put off some bidders. On the other hand, someone snagged a bargain that should be OK to DJ with.

Hi Janie. Thanks for this. Perhaps you’re a year younger than you thought you were? Great to be in the most iconic photo of the Casino regardless of the record in the picture sleeve. There are three lasses in patterned shirts - long hair, short hair and bunches...Which one are you? I’m in the Spotlight On Wigan Casino one but had moved for the Footsie one with just a bit of my patterned shirt showing at the top. I’m still kicking myself for moving🥵

My recollection too. I travelled from Leeds to Cleethorpes with Caesar in 1975 so it was something we chatted about.

Was Kim Gethro’s girlfriend? Just going on a vague recollection from reading Gethro’s book...

Photos taken at the first anniversary - one graced the back of the Footsie/Seven Days Too Long picture sleeve.

Hi Janie. How sure of the dates are you? I recall Steve Caesar of Leeds winning at the first anniversary in 1974. I missed the 1975 anniversary - could this be the one you won? If so, maybe Angie won the third anniversary in 1976. I was at the 1976 and 1977 anniversaries but can’t recall who won - hazarding a wild guess, maybe Sandy Holt from Bolton won in 1977 QED.

Bingo. I was well pleased to have a line in last night’s auction. paid Kev Draper £25 for Thelma Lindsay back in the early 90’s. Similar deal for Bob Relf. Not often I have a line come up in John’s auctions. Johnny Robinson was big at The 100 Club at the turn of the century - wish I’d gone for this one now.

Thanks for the heads up Benji. I’ve only found this one twice in 75+ trips to The States. Some of her other records are as common as muck.

Usually a set-sale record but is scarce these days.

Johnny Robinson a big bargain. Usually goes for double this figure.

Thanks Trev. Wasn’t aware - good version despite audio-quality.

Big thanks to Chalky for the track list. Other cover-ups are Royal Esquires - Ain’t Gonna Run, The Q - That’s The Way and Sam Williams - Love Slipped Through My Fingers. Little Ann was an acetate, now issued on Kent. What an awesome set from Richard - surely a knighthood awaits him?

It’s those Wigan clips Chalky. A few camera-hungry kids turned up on the night that most of us skipped deliberately. The continual focus of the media on spinning and backdropping does no justice to the scene as we’d like to remember it.

Northern Soul Dance can’t be taught - you’ve got to watch then pick it up. The so-called ’dance teachers’ should go to a few soul do’s to see how it’s done - then they can go away and practise as they are generally pretty rubbish...