Des Crombie

Anyone bidding on this either hasn't clocked the edge chip or needs their head examined.

Cant remember exactly what I paid but it was over 200 but under 250 for a demo copy Ex earlier this year. So to me 600 seems high.

So given the title question "Just how many events are there?" is anyone prepared to give an estimate? I know up here in Scotland there are approximately 20 regular nights. Not all of these are every month, some are less regular every two or three months. On average I'd say there is about 12 nights in Scotland a month. Sometimes more sometimes less. So about 3 to 4 nights every weekend. I'd also say that most are original vinyl only. So given the size of the country and the distances between the nights I don't think this is too bad, though given the amount of people up here it's probably a bit high but I'd say about right. The major cities have more than one night but generally they never clash on dates so this isn't normally a problem. However, what's it like over the border in England? Given that England has a population 10 times that of Scotland does it match up that there are about 30 nights every weekend? Higher or lower? I often read post on here that make it sound like the scene down south is way over provided with poor nights and a big oldies vs newies split. So from a distance it sounds well f@@ked up and often makes me glad to live up here. And to be honest it doesn't inspire me to make the long journey south to attend any nights, apart from say a handful such as Lifeline and the 100 club. Rather go to mainland Europe. Or am I getting the wrong impression and in reality it is not as bad as some imply on here?

A couple of other things to consider that may go some way to explain why modern records don't sound as good. Firstly the song length, as for best loud punchy sound you need wide grooves played at a fast speed. So on a 7inch 45 rpm, two or three minute records sound best. From the sixties until present there has been a trend for songs to become longer, fitting these longer tracks onto 7inch reduces sound levals and punch. Hence the adoption of the 12inch single. Secondly, traditional Lacquer mastering gives a much warmer and deeper sound in contrast to cheaper Direct Metal mastering which I suspect is being used on many repros today. I'm no expert but I have also read that there is a difference in groove width and hence volume from mono to stereo with mono being wider and hence louder.

I doubt eBay wil ever set up such a list as they normally fall on the side of the buyer. Shame as it would be a good option for sellers if properly policed.

Good idea, I'm going to add the wife's and not tell her. No more handbags an other crap... I'm then going follow that with all the UK record dealers I know so we can get free range of the US Ebay stuff. Surly it would be better for a vetted system to be set up here on Soul Source?

So what's to stop someone posting eBay names of people they just don't like onto this list? On the face it seems to be something that could easily be abused.

Having lived in the US Texas last year and having employed people and set up an office there I had to learn all about medical insurance plans and the lack of cover. Anyway I came away shocked and disturbed by the medical insurance systems in practice there with no compassion and a lack of a decent safety net. Unlike the UK a serious illness can bankrupt you and your family. While some moan about the NHS, it's a god send compared to the insurance systems in the US. Eula states that her husband had cancer and that took everything. This holds true to what I know. Sorry not very soulfull but a fact of life in the US.

Hi Jim, you won't remember me from Shotts, I was but a shy quiet youngster back then, I spent most of the time on the dancefloor or in the record room. Went to most nights down on Ackys bus from Aberdeen. Anyway, just wanted to say how much Shotts influenced me, such fantastic nights and memories, great people, spine tingling sounds, records that I heard there first that Im still hunting down. Scotlands scene has never been the same since. Des

One technique I've used a couple of times when I've cleared the floor is not to fade the record or cut it, would never do a cut, but to get out from behind the decks and dance to it myself. Try it as others may join you lol :-) As for abuse, like Jocko said that's the time to play it twice and dedicate it to the abuser. D

No its not wrong the dancers shouldn't have to care what they are served. I'm probably going to get a slagging for this but I am sick of hearing the old "well the dancers don't care" statement. While this is probably true it's no different to other areas of society where few people question or indeed care where and how they get what they want, be it food, clothes, dance music or whatever. In such cases it is my belief that the responsibility lies with the supplier to supply ethical, good quality and legitimate goods. I know if I go to buy a pair of denim jeans I wouldn't expect the supplier to sell me fakes, bootlegs , or cheap poor quality ones made in a sweat shop or stolen from the back of a truck, MP3's ripped off from Youtube. In my mind the same should hold true here. Just because the dancers don't care is irrelevant. It's the responsibility of the promoters and then in turn the DJ's to supply a decent product that they can personally be proud of.

No records sound better because they are analogue and have not been compressed removing the dynamic range. As such they have a warmer more richer sound, to my ears anyway. The crackles, hiss and cue burn, as long as they are minor, adds to the experience and atmosphere when playing vinyl. Each record has its own unique history and tell a story like the wrinkles on our faces. Well that's what I think anyway.

Best post I have read on this OVO subject for a long time. Couldn't agree more. I would go further and say that MP3s in my opinion smacks of a lack of imagination and credibility. Plus, to my ears, MP3's have an inferior sound quality when compared to original vinyl, with a lack of atmospheric crackles pops and hiss. Same goes for bootlegs. For me MP3's should be used as they were intended for portable personal use or archiving and not on the bigger stage. Personally, I would not knowingly attend such a night. Each to their own though.

Well Steve, another now on its way to Aberdeen..

Are you sure that there is usually about 200k on US Records R&B & Soul? As only 76k now. Forget global warning, if this is correct then we need to take action to conserve this dwindling stocks so I suggest everyone on SS should stop bidding on and buying these records now for the next few months.

You are looking at CD's, there is 63 thousand under records. You need to go to Formats & Other then set to Records. Hope this helps

No I've never slept with a record, though cuming to think about it that large US 45 centre hole could possibly be appealling to some. LOL

I had one person who recently asked me if I wanted to buy a copy of Tony Colton from him. The same record I had given him for free as a Birthday present. Although I forgive him because he was and still is on hard times.

Jason, I am the same as you, I struggle to sell records even if I dont like them or have more than one copy. The few times I have sold records I get the urge to buy them back. Thing is my collection could really do with a clear out, running out of space. I sometimes give them away but the wife tends to give me grief for it. It does piss me off when I give someone a record that they then later sell.

I really dont know if this is unknown or not, wouldnt suggest it is an unknown but everytime I play it, it keeps the dancefloor filled and people always ask me what it is and who its by and when I've asked some others about it they dont know it. So I would say its lesser known, up here anyway. I like it. Please ignore the video and all the text as thats irrelevant, its the tune I'm posting. Not sure how to post a Youtube vid, so fingers crossed this works..

I personally really like playing a long set. Though the need for bladder control is one downside. Have played a few 2 hour sets as a guest. Think the longest was in Houston which was over 2 hours, though I was the only guest. Remember having a long set at Basics in Edinburgh. I always come away from a half an hour set a bit unsatisfied, one hour is much better for me. Perhaps I'm greedy. Don't see why short sets keep it fresh. DJ's with depth should be able to mix it up with different styles over two hours and keep the dancers happy.

I dont think there has been any names put forward from across the wall in Scotland. Though Allnighters are a rare occurrence up here. Anyway, I would suggest the following in no particular order: Lenny Harkins, Duce, Ray Parker and Keith Money. There are many more DJ's up here that could probably do the job but these are the four I would currently pick.

Personally prefer to hear a DJ that plays a mix of styles. Up here in Scotland I tend to place two or three funk edged tunes in with the others. Last year while living in the states I went to a number of funk nights and really enjoyed them. Not sure what you lot are playing down south as I rarely get down or read playlists. This YouTube clip is the sort of stuff I like (how to attach a Youtube link) Not sure you would call this pure funk but to me it's soulfull and not too funky. Each to there own though and I do get it that the funk stuff is more of an acquired taste and would not fit in a more traditional northern night. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak9Q7k6nkWk&feature=youtube_gdata_player

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So how many copies do people estimate are known? Manships Miliion Dollar Rare Soul book has it listed as "maybe less than ten".