Frankie Crocker

P.M’d you.

Cheers George. I’ve sent a PM.

Hi there. I have Don Ray DJ in Excellent condition for £175 and Superlatives blue label in Excellent condition for £120 if you are still interested. UK postage would be £8.50. Let me know if you are still interested and I’ll provide further details.

A somewhat simplistic analysis I think. The last night saga was more down to the Casino owner trying to make a few more bob before closure. Media interest in the Casino can hardly be pinned on Russ. The TV crews visited during prime time and if anything, boosted interest and attendance. Many of the reasons behind the Casino’s demise have been mentioned already. The council’s plans to enforce closure were the final nail in the coffin. Before that, changes in musical direction lost diehard attenders. Many of us simply aged, grew up and moved on to revel in nostalgia. The dance scene reinvented itself during the 80’s and absorbed some of the younger Wigan crew who were hanging on in there at the end.

The punks at Wigan were not a factor. The only time I heard of them, they were chased up the lane by the Casino. On any given Saturday night in Wigan, there were hundreds of soulies arriving en masse, some of who were hardened criminals and the toughest guys from the towns they hailed from. Some of the Wigan goers were recent recruits from the football terraces and not averse to a bit of violence. That said, the presence of a Casino full of fit youngsters deterred the few scruff bags who called themselves punks from causing any real aggrevation.

Good question. Looking at a few YouTube clips, it’s hard to tell but it looks like the vinyl blanks start off with a small spindle hole, have a LP type label applied when the record is hot, then the large centre hole is dinked before the 45 slides off the press onto a stack. Assuming it’s possible to remove a record for quality control pre-dinking, this would explain the format of Richard’s 45. Are there any record pressing plants open to tours that would give further insight into the manufacturing process?

Been waiting for a nice clear clip for a while. Still one of my favourite sounds. On a 10 inch acetate so a tricky record to cart around. A true ‘one-off’ that I hope one day will be released on the Butch label, hint, hint...

Pat & Lolly Vegas released a half-decent Northern/Popcorn 45 called Robot Walk on the Apogee label. It looks like a Los Angeles pressing but the credits reveal no further information germane to this discussion. The singers definitely sound blue-eyed soulsters to me. Back in 1971, I quite liked Redbone’s ‘Witch Queen Of New Orleans’ listened to under the bed covers on a pocket sized transistor tuned into Radio Luxembourg. I have this in my pop collection in the basement, sadly displaced to make room for another box of Northern 45’s. I can still remember nights at Wigan when Danny Monday was one of the biggest and best records played.

Damian. You could check out Girl Crazy, a Goldmine CD (GsCD184). Twenty decent tracks but mainly medium-pace and a few up-tempo, but plenty of good listening featuring female vocals.

No, I can’t think of any DJ on the scene who is more deserving of an award. Sure, there are other very good DJ’s worthy of tribute in a thread on ‘Favourite DJ’s, but only a handful who have had a national impact. Moreover, this is not the time to make comparisons. Richard should be basking in the glory of what he has achieved. We are privileged to be in a position to admire Richard’s achievement from the sidelines. I have enjoyed Richard’s DJing, various compilations and more recently his book, for 45 years but his contributions stretch further back than that. To even consider making alternative suggestions at this juncture would be a heresy.

Fantastic achievement. Richly deserved recognition. All-round top man. Excellent taste in music...

Demo is commoner than the issue. Hard to value either at present as the chase is on to collect Top 500 classics at any price. Neither come to market frequently anyway so expect the price to keep rising. Even the UK 70’s release fetches a nice sum these days. Good tune and one that was huge at Wigan hence the continued interest in the record.

Massive spin for Butch in the 90’s. Still dead rare and virtually impossible to find. Great tune for dancing to. This is what rare soul is all about. Thanks for posting.

Snap. Me too. I was at the Mecca for the Sunday show - he was excellent. Also saw the Casino performance too. I was really into ‘Way Back Home’ in those days. ‘I Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere’ is still one of my favourite Motown tracks - spun on the main floor at the Casino in 1974.

Good sound, popular back in the mid 70’s. Released on the multi-colored label but also on a plain grey label, once thought to be a bootleg. Some of the grey copies have the labels reversed. Not sure why there are two versions of the label for this release.

So, why no credit for Snow White on lead vocals? Maybe Warwick Davis is bidding for the thing as he likes small records? Amazed this record is even worth a serious mention. Definitely a Guilty Pleasure. Never heard it played out. Do not anticipate ever hearing it in public. Some really bad records were played at Wigan but that’s no justification for reviving them. Actually, pleased that someone likes the record sufficiently to want to buy it.

The Nashville run-out stamp at first sight appears to read Mains on the genuine record. You really have to look hard at it before allowing it could read Matrix. In the case of the record under consideration, the word Matrix is etched so clearly, there is a possibility it has been scratched in by hand.

Ronnie - You’re The One...

We are drinking in the last chance saloon. If you don’t smash and grab the classics now, you ain’t gonna ever own them. Any aspiring DJ needs two dozen of these titles so it makes sense to splash the cash. I deeply regret not buying some of them when they were cheaper but sure ain’t paying thousands for records I can get by without.

‘Floorfiller’ suggests a record that prompts a mad-dash to a near-empty dancefloor, a real firestarter, rip-roaring dancer of a track, irresistible to the onlookers who stampede to strut their stuff. Constellations ‘I Don’t Know About You’ perhaps? Maybe ‘Seven Souls ‘I Still Love You’. Mel Britt, Joe Matthews, Del Larks, the list goes on. Not too sure of current floorfillers apart from Turley Richards, Barbara Lynn and Rubin but there must be others being spun up and down that we’d like to hear about.

Two very good tunes Ted but still outclassed by Martha Jean Love’s ‘Old Time Lover’, Joseph Webster, Walter and the Admerations, Parisians and a few others. Of course it depends on the tempo you prefer at whatever stage of the night you’re at, but whether it’s an exclusive to Butch or one of three known copies, he sure has the magic touch.

Available from Barnes and Noble bookshops in the US for $39.95 (and 10% off for members) make this a good buy in the States. Not yet taken the shrink-wrap off mine but it looks a top-notch production and superior to most Motown books I’ve come across.

Almost went to Liverpool uni but decided on Manchester in the end. Best choice really as 1975-1978 were great years at the Casino and Wigan was part of Greater Manchester. The last train from Victoria to Wigan Wallgate was a real buzz and amped up the mood nicely for the night ahead.

Cheers Billy. Long time no see. I was hopitalised and due to head off to university in 1975 so missed the second anniversary. Will always be a major regret as I was at the first, third and fourth. Off to college down south in 1978 so this meant the fifth anniversary was scuppered. Just got back from Texas with 100+ records so the flame’s still burning as strong as ever.

Ted Cassidy - The Lurch went for £84 - I saw a nice UK copy for $40 in Doc’s Records at Fort Worth on Record Store Day if this helps the underbidders. There were also two VG+ copies on Capitol for $40, perhaps a tad overpriced, but I took a third for a nice discount.