Frankie Crocker

Just got in from seeing the film. Absolutely brilliant. Better than a night at The Casino. Deserving of a BAFTA nomination for sheer realism, great acting, awesome soundtrack and all this achieved on a shoe-string budget.

Mark, shit happens and you've just gotta put up with it. The Post Office are not perfect as some of these comments testify, but the real problem is the chicanery some customers get up to, and on rare occasions, the odd dealer. I have never not had a record delivered and on the single occasion one went missing, it was stolen by a neighbour and seen in her flat. For records above a certain value, it makes sense to insure them against loss; to not do this increases the risk of losing out in terms of money, time and effort. I have been eBaying records with a partner for over three years and lost track of the excuses, wheezes, tricks and triple whammies. In fact, it's reaching the point when I don't want to sell via the mail, even though the vast majority of rare soul buyers are totally honest; the trouble is, just a small number of unscrupulous individuals spoil it for everyone else. Pick your customers with care and you won't go wrong.

Confirming what we already know that bootlegs are shameful, unethical and criminal. They deprive artists of their dues not to mention other people involved in the production. In the USA, piracy is a Federal offence and handled by the FBI - in Britain it is largely ignored by the authorities to the detriment of the music industry. Don't be a cheapskate - go out and buy the CD and the DVD.

Yes it's my considered opinion for what it's worth. All these top DJs have built their reputations playing the rarest and best classic sounds and rarities with a few of them spearheading the exposure of great new material from the 70's. Sure, they innovate and not all the records exposed hit the spot but my point was that there are inferior, poor dance potential sounds being pushed, mainly because they are rare and slightly-soundalike and no one else is attempting to break them. And are you telling me that every DJ plays exclusively for the crowd - some wannabe DJs play more for themselves or to an empty dance floor but we keep coming back for more...

Never said ALL new records were inferior but some, maybe plenty are. Nothing against new sounds either whether broken in on the main floor or the side rooms, providing they appeal more to the audience than the DJ and they can be danced to, after all, what's the point of records full of 'content' that no one wants to dance to. There are still plenty of good 60's and 70's tunes still to be revealed so why settle for third-rate, play-at-home-only records on a night out?

No, not at all as it's one of the better sounds of the genre. It is however being overwhelmed by more than a trickle of relatively inferior sounds of a pseudo-funk tempo...

Right On Ady. We now want payback and demand Northern Soul be the Christmas Day blockbuster followed by a two hour documentary on how the film was made. Surely Elaine should be mentioned in the New Year's Honours... Really enjoyed the Northern Soul Film Party at the 100 Club last night.

The Times Film Correspondent, Wendy Ide, nominates Northern Soul as her Top Pick today, Saturday 18th October. I don't recall anyone at the Casino doing head spins though.

I thought it was the other way round Nev with the Rare Soul merchants trying to take the scene forward with scarce but inferior tunes for a younger audience who don't know any better.

OK then, maybe a top collector with more money than sense.

No, this record is destined for one of the top DJs hence the sums involved.

Well spotted Nev. number of bids suggests a dealer rather than a collector or DJ. Bidding on twenty records a day is hard work but dealers have to do this. The number of bid retractions is highly suspicious. An auction bid would normally only occur in extreme circumstances so the bidding profile suggests this is highly unusual activity. I wonder if this sale will fall through? The private bidder in the lead must be having some doubts.

Yes, most unfortunately, such are the legalities of the sale. As mentioned above, ship the records to a connection in the States and collect them later or have them forwarded without the full insurance cover. Best to not bid with dealers who insist that you be levied with a tax, dealers who probably pay no sales or income tax anyway making the whole transaction an act of hypocrisy. Best to buy only from accommodating dealers offering optimal terms - blow the funds on tax-free records from flexible dealers and by-pass the surchargers.

Good up-tempo Billy. Copy on eBay right now with low starting price due to condition.

Proud of you Pete. The world of record dealing is a minefield for the unwary so it's good to see a man of principle maintaining high standards. If I had any records to sell, I would consign them to you.

The imminent release of the film has actually exposed the inadequacy of the film screening industry in the country. Here's a film that loads of people want to see but Odeon, Top Rank or whoever owns the multiplex chains are unable to respond to demand, probably because they are unaware of some events in the film industry. Last I heard, cinema receipts were down as fewer folk were watching films for a number of reasons. When will the multiplex chains such as Everyman, Vue, Cineworld, Picturehouse, Empire etc wake up to the potential of a paying audience out there?

Err, he was already in the media industry. Fairly high up, big cheese guy on some economics programme BUT had actually been to the Casino in it's heyday so ticked two boxes. Knew some steps - tick. Erudite, articulate, not a coal miner - tick, tick, tick... I think Paul's a good spokesman who has upheld the scene's values, embellished the tales with just enough mystique to keep the young readers interested and the critics animated. As long as he doesn't go the Sharon Finch route and start flogging dance CD's, he's one of the MVP's.

Cheers Steve. I should have said there were two good articles in tha Observer/Guardian. Thanks to correspondents for posting the links.

A well crafted article by Paul but disagree with the fourth paragraph from the end. Wigan was a pro-dance music movement, not an anti-chart backlash. Top of The Pops was fluff, pretty much overlooked or just a laugh on a wet Thursday. The movement became a way of life for some but it was the quest for better and better rare dance sounds that motivated most who graced the floor.

Bang on. Got my tickets for the Curzon already, a record breaking £18. As the missus is joining me, I daren't tell her there's no money left for a choc ice, let alone a tub of popcorn.

Nice article in today's Observer, Sunday 12th October. The author appears to draw on Soul Source comments and last weekend's Telegraph article. Things seem to be snowballing as more screenings are being scheduled. May the multiplex cinemas go forth and multiply so that Elaine can recoup her investment...

In response to the original question, I very much doubt it. Sure there will be more chatter and daft questions flying around. Maybe the film will get an early screening on the telly. The youth of today, don't you just love them, will share a few more sound-files downloaded for free but that's about it. No new Allnighter venues are about to spring up. Next aren't going to stock bowling shirts and Oxford bags anytime soon. HMV, where they still languish on, would rather sell headphones than records. In three months time, things will have quietened down and the film will be part of the nostalgia we revel in. I hope Elaine gets a financial return on her investment and the film industry plus other linked media enterprises pay their dues.

Four on Popsike from auctions over the last nine years, two of which were cracked and one mint copy. I vaguely recall Manship auctioned one a few years back for less than 4K. Whatever happened to the two copies Steve Chadwick had? Heard the one about a soulie on Cleethorpes Pier who threw his copy in the sea as he didn't like The Lady In Green... Sure, no one can ever keep tabs on big records changing hands, but when the biggest go through auctions, we're all watching closely.

Yes, well spotted. Next to nothing on the Soul Source feed at the moment. Since the major shutdown at the weekend about a month ago, all eBay searches I have made, records and assorted other things, throw up one page of selected items, often irrelevant to the search, instead of the five pages that previously came up. I can only assume that they are limiting access to each computer user as an increasing number of searchers are looking at eBay goods. I have messaged them several times about their rubbish provision but they couldn't give a damn.

Common record on a major label. Been around for decades. Compiled on too many CD's. Too up-tempo for some crowds nowadays. Sometimes better to play an unknown oldie of medium tempo and hope the dancers stay on the floor.