Back Street Blue

One of my mates, who shall remain nameless but he's on here, used to go into yo-yo mode at Wigan. He liked to get off his tits on speed then as that started wearing off, he'd drop a barb before he came down (tewnal /chewnal/tunal?... not well up on barbs myself), then he'd drop some more speed, then another barb and repeat the process through the night. He used to have barbs stuck in chewing gum under tables strategically placed all over the gaff !

just had a nosey.............................how cool's that?

Wet dream, forgot about that one but it was the talk of the class room when we discovered it. What happened to the age of innocence? Its gone from "smack yo bitch up" to anything to do with drive-by's and ho's these days...serves me right for letting her go on her mate's "grand theft auto" I suppose!

Like her dad giggling at the Judge Dread songs on first hearing then as a nipper

well out of my depth here as I know little to fook all but these are the one's my 14 year old daughter knows all the words to / has been brainwashed to; john holt - ali baba clancy eccles - fattie fattie prince buster - whine & grine nora dene - barbwire toots & the maytals - funky kingston ( & Pressure Drop )

I can remember hearing somewhere that the style is derived from an old afro-american style from before the abolition of slavery, 1800's, which evolved into a style called Sloan dancing and which was practiced in the early blues clubs in the states. Artists in the Music Halls there danced in that style, wheeling, spinning, shuffling and sliding. It may be that the name "Sloan" is attributable to the dancer and choreographer, Lenwood Sloan who may have influenced the dancing styles in those blues clubs and it could be that that's where artists like James Brown and Major Lance etc had their roots. As to when and how that impacted on the style of dancing in the soul clubs here is hard to say. Did it come over with the American service men stationed over here, Gino Washington et al? I assume the early soul club goers where influenced by how the soul artists danced on stage and picked up some of the moves from them. That's my theory but that's all it is. My experience of how the dancing developed in the clubs I went to is that nearly everybody danced solo in the main stream clubs but congregated on the floor with their own group. The old guard that I know from the wheel used to say that they didn't have enough room on the floor to dance like we did at Wigan etc. Suspect we'll only ever be able to speculate about all this.

Looks and sounds ace but don't know what they'd make of it if we turned up mob handed with our bald heads, beer bellies and zimmer frames all bitchin' about ovo -v- boots, chin strokers - v -handbaggers etc. Be a shame to spoil it for 'em.

...Milnrow Youth Club, St Joseph's Youth Club Shaw & Cats Whiskers Oldham "Junior nights" '69/71 ish

Reading people's choices has been a real eye opener and shows just how diverse this music category is. What the replies actually indicate is that our personal tastes are often poles apart. Its one thing to get tired of hearing what is essentially a solid record but to actually hate a record from the off means it must not fit your personal criteria for what makes a good 'un. Hearing that Frank Beverley & the Butlers and the Detroit Executives are not just disliked for being over played but actually make some soul people's most hated tunes list makes me wonder what they are looking for in a record but I suppose that's because they're both right up there in my book as two of the best dance tracks ever played and which I cannot get tired of hearing. Now where did I put my hand bag!

Blimey some of you guys had very enlightened youth/ main-stream club DJ's !!! some of these lists have stuff on that I didn't hear 'til I went to pucka clubs. Motown was actually the initial hook for me cos that's what got played most at the type of venues in question in my experience. Suppose the ones that stick in my mind as the first non-motown soul sounds that I liked & bought are; Brooks & Jerry - I got what it takes Mel & Tim - Backfield in motion Mitch Ryder - Breakout Butch Baker - The Joker The Capitals - Cool Jerk (....not forgetting Ramsey Lewis - Wade in the water & Fontella Bass - Rescue me)

sorry its just too James Last Orchestra for me

love Milly Jackson especially house for sale cos it reminds me of when it broke in the clubs....but if you can't funky shuffle suppose its not for you. I hate.....roy hamilton - the panic is on .....tony middleton - to the ends of the earth .....break away and anything else by engleburt cohinkadopolis

our lass tried covering the snake but you could still see a bit near the bottom!!

.....its located at 1679 Getwell(?) Avenue......you can move in right away

House for sale is an album track and the lyrics fit with the story running through the preceding songs on the album. First time I heard it played out was by RS at a Ritz dayer and its a been a favorite of mine ever since. Great moody dance track which still stands out and which thank god has not been lambrynied to death like the song that kicked off this thread.

The old guard from round our way used to tell tales about buying a castella tube full of blueys for ten bob at the wheel and then necking their gear in full view of the squad 'cos they couldn't do you for internal possession back in the day.

Remember Mick the Fed from the Cats Whiskers in Oldham playing motown and soul in the early seventies. Thought he got the name as formerly dibble?

too young to comment on the original venue but have been going to this one throughout the last twelve years and it will be sorely missed. Boot leg my arse.

"if they don't dance to this they're either dead or deaf" courtesy of Nik Cheetham promoter of "Rude" garage nights in Manchester 1990's

Too young for the Ricky-Tick but Windsor was a soul-free zone when I worked there 1984/9, although I once did some work for Sheila Ferguson of the Three Degrees who lived there! I lived on Horton Road in Datchet and apart from hearing Gil Scott Heron the odd time at the Queens club in Colnebrook, I had to travel back up North to get my fix back then. Also, there was a Hell's Angels chapter house on Maidenhead Road in Windsor so I always had the district down as having a history of being more hairy than mod but I was obviously mistaken. Sounds like the Ricky-Tick was the twisted wheel of the South back in the day. You kept that one quiet lads, hope it wasn't to keep us northern monkeys out?

if mel torme, idle few and shane martin ain't soul, then neither is paul anka......but they are all great tracks that have kept me dancing to 'em for 40 years. I really must be missing something!!!

I've managed to brainwash my two step-daughters who are early twenties and my fourteen year old daughter, simply by constantly playing my stuff in the car! Trouble is, although they can sing a long word for word, vinyl will never be their medium of choice as they are from "the down load generation". There does seem to be a growing interest in the scene among the young uns though, even if they are in the minority in their demographic. Maybe they will become "the chosen few" of their generation?

What constitutes being a success? Does it mean (a) providing a good vibe and catering for the tastes of those in attendance and getting good feedback; or does it mean (b) making a profit for the promoters and the venue ? If the promoters are simply looking to cover their costs then you might manage to get enough folk to attend the odd temperance night at a small and cheap venue but I bet you would struggle to break even and keep the event running without selling alcohol. It seems to me that there are as many former gene genie/ soul converts out and about as there are old soulies and the former go for the social side rather than the music and who I would assume would not be as interested if there was no beer. That said, not many of my old "Riker Liker" mates would be coaxed out at the week end unless there was a cheap bar either. I think the scene would be a much smaller minority affair if it was restricted to alcohol free venues so the answer to the question raised in the original post is "No they wouldn't be a financial success and no they wouldn't be around long or large enough to be considered a success by the devotees.

don't think I qualify as a "chin stroker" really (unless feeding the pony counts?) but hearing any one of these when I'm out gets me off my bum little carl carlton - competition ain't nothing the four perfections - i'm not strong enough the jades - i'm where it's at wade flemons - jeanette flaming emeralds - have some everybody the dells - wear it on our face sam dees - lonely for you baby davis & tyler - hold on help is on the way gene chandler - there was a time harold melvin - get out (and let me cry) not for the asthmatic when played in succession though!

think it depended on whether or not you'd had your wheatabix