Frankie Crocker

For sure, there are a lot of factors that make a good set - varying the tempo is indeed a key aspect that fills the floor and keeps the dancers moving after a string of up-tempo tracks. The DJ who overlooks crossover tunes is missing a trick as these now enhance an oldies set more than ever with their high ‘happiness’ quotient. Ultimately though, it is the tunes that make for a memorable set, the sequence they’re played in, their age and therefore genre etc; a few surprise tunes clinch it, that world premier, the overlooked B side, that something from out of left-field.

I remember it well as I was there. Seldom do you hear so many top tunes unleashed at once. Ady has a proven track record of introducing top-drawer sounds left on the master-tape shelf amongst sets of forgotten classics and Motown staples.

Sounds good to me. There’s loads of overlooked, obscure and highly playable tracks worth exposing. Full credit to the jocks who work hard at digging them up then taking the chance on spinning their discoveries in public.

Good point Chalkie. I can remember a set played by Gaz Kellett and most were unfamiliar but I would’ve been proud to own them all, they were that good. Perhaps it’s hard, maybe impossible, to spin 20 unknown sounds in a set and get a great reaction?

Sounds like some of us who went to the Mecca expecting 60’s sounds and left with a liking for some of the 70’s releases as well. Was the weekender in the Tower Ballroom? One of the best dancehalls in the land and sure to boost the success of any event.

I can still remember Russ DJing at the 100 Club in the mid 1990’s, it was that good a set and the energy levels were really something.

Was at the Dome Alldayer on Sunday 11th March. Ted Massey played a fantastic set, as good as any I’ve heard in years. Tomangoes on Washpan, Mello Souls, Parisians, Del Larks on Queen City, Hamilton Movement, Eddie Parker on Awake, Saxie Russell, Emanons Orchestra, finishing off with Timi Yuro. Plenty of others including some real obscurities ie no idea what they were... Great venue, big crowd, packed dancefloor and a brilliant spot from Ted. So, has anyone experienced a really memorable DJ set in the past or more recently? Not necessarily packed with rarities, but maybe some unknowns that went down well or a set of classics that raised the roof?

All of the previous reasons plus a few more. Price Guides kick-started the trend. eBay sales and private auctions by major dealers means fewer set-sales of high-end rarities. Databases such as Popsike and Collectors Frenzy have informed the USA dealers of the potential worth of their records. Collectors chasing the Top 500 classics, especially if they have an eye on a DJ spot and have to own the latest ‘in-sound’... The list goes on.

Probably fewer, but through no choice of my own. Just about everything is more expensive in recent years and there’s less up for sale in the USA. That said, the records bought in the past mean there’s fewer to be added to the collection so that’s a good thing. One day I might come to my senses and admit I’ll never get to own a copy of all the good Northern records out there... for the time being, I’m putting off that day.

I got the hardback copy cheaply from Amazon. Well worth picking up and dipping into. If we don’t buy proper books then publishers will stop making them... Look what's happened to the NME this week, very sad for music lovers... That said, reading it on a Kindle or another device is better than not reading it at all.

Err tough call, but the Mello Souls stands out above the Prophets on Shrine and a score of others I would like to own.

The Romark copy is priceless... Ty’s vocals are amongst the very best, quite probably in the Top Ten female singers on the soul scene. Anyone who owns this record is very fortunate indeed.

I very much doubt it. Can anyone in the Leeds area verify this? Sutcliffe was a psycho who cruised around red light districts in Manchester, Sheffield, Leeds etc. The very notion that he attended a soul event makes me nauseous...

Some interesting points here. Rare Northern isn’t necessarily the same as good Northern so some records will be less in demand. The rich seam of USA releases continues to throw up overlooked gems whilst the British releases are pretty well known and in finite supply. Tastes change so the future may well see converts buying the cheap USA sounds that no one wants right now. Once Amazon owns the rights to all on-line music, the savvier listeners will embrace all genres on vinyl and especially the sort of music that we like.

Same with Jay Traynor on DPG... sells for big money on original demo then goes for three figures on a bootleg. Buyer of Hi Keys maybe didn’t understand what ‘70’s press’ actually means?

The prices of the best tunes will continue to rise in the decades ahead. Given that we’re talking about the best music on the planet, that shouldn’t come as a surprise. The English speaking world will stumble across some of the better tunes sooner or later - even those who don’t speak much English will come across common releases and be impressed by them. As the world’s population heads towards 8 billion, it will only take a few dozen buyers to influence the market - not hard to appreciate as there were over 80 people following last night’s Record Jungle auction that realised another set of huge winning bids. If you keep hold of your records, their value will appreciate in years to come. By all means sell the odd record to fund some expense, but try to keep what’s precious to you. There are compelling reasons to sell a collection, but if you can hold on to the best bits, you won’t regret it.

I’m into Northern Soul in a big way but strongly deny any celebrity connection... Personally (sorry Bobby) I don’t care if anyone famous likes the same music as I do. Celebrity culture has now overwhelmed society to the point that it idolises a tiny number of musicians and actors - surely that can't be good for the music and film industries? If I saw someone famous at a soul-do, I would ignore them unless they spoke to me about the music or where the toilets were.

There is a special ink rubber out there with some sort of solvent in. I bought one in the States a few years back and it worked on graphics ink eg Rotring when on shiny paper/card. Trouble is, rubbing any coloured label is likely to remove the colour so best to try on white labels.

Absolute madness. Kenny should have known better. Still, I suppose you could file it in a sleeve with the other side facing up...

Wait until a mint copy comes along then sell the damaged copy to someone less concerned with aesthetics. Damage resulting from attempts to remove WOL reduces the appeal and value of the record so best to not bother getting involved with amateur DIY.

Yep, another batch of serious big-hitters, some of which were on offer earlier so presumably there are multiple copies of a few titles. Looks like a distributor buy-out given the breadth of titles. In the earlier batch, one buyer, e***e with a rating of 103, snagged 4 of the titles I was watching closely - Danny Monday, Gene Toones, Volcanos, and Larry Clinton. These cost $16,482, a colossal sum by any standards. The buyer may have had other winning bids also. So, who is the mystery bidder? Hollywood celebrity, top-dealer, Lottery Winner, avid collector blowing pension pot...answers on a postcard please...

Tranells £2,000 Larry Davis £100 Vibrations £200+ but could be more as an in-demand classic oldie Hope this helps. Are you buying or selling?

To enjoy this record at it’s best, you need to hear it in a dancehall, on a loud system, everyone up for it and in the mood to dance. This is not Ball Of Confusion, Papa Was A Rolling Stone etc, another Motown packaged tune on an oldies radio station. Neither is it James Brown screaming his head off demanding to be in the spotlight. This is Mr Cool, laid back, moonlighting in a Detroit studio with some of the best session men around - Dennis’ delivery is clear but not overpowering. Although a Detroit track, you wouldn’t know it because of the arrangement, the rat-a-tat-tat machine gun drumming which is pretty unique, the full-on backing singers, maybe even borrowed from Motown? Definitely one of the best tunes spun at the do’s promoted by Ion on Jermyn Street, London back in the 90’s - back then, it rattled the boards as a relatively new discovery, seldom played out due to rarity and was certainly appreciated by those in the know.

If you were impressed, that that counts as an excellent record in any language. If a record impresses on the first listening, it’s probably because it is very good and will sound better and better with further spins.

Pray tell me, which are Dennis’ best tracks? Remember, there’s no such thing as a bad soul record, it’s just that some are much better than others...