Twoshoes

Ian, a good resource on here thinking about your other top five thread for finding music is the Playlist's section.There you'll find Djs from various events put up what they played over the weekend. You'll find some great tunes there and it will also give you an insight into venues you might possibly want to visit . You also get a broad spectrum of soul with play lists from the likes of the Horse and Groom Sunday Chill out where the music is not necessarily 100% Northern but covers other genres of Black Music .If you follow the thread you'll get an email when a new list is posted. Guaranteed to find some fabulous music .

.No idea how popular it is but I first heard it about eighteen months ,heard it a few times since but nothing regular.

As has been said by other responders to the thread it's an ever changing list this top five, ten or whatever number you choose, my five for tonight off the top of my head and thinking about tunes that always make me smile or have given me endless pleasure Jerry Butler Moody Woman Little bit Hurt Julian Covay Funky Stuff Kool and the Gang (not Northern but I did say off the top of my head) Wade in the Water Ramsey Lewis Stranger in my Arms Lynne Randell , kills me every time I hear it played out cos' I just can't dance to it and would possibly be in any top five I compiled. ............................ tomorrow would be another story altogether

Funny how threads like this bring the memories flooding back, I too had forgotten Bobby Womack,think it was either the International or Hard Rock Manchester where I saw the great man. This thread also shows what a broad spectrum we soul fans have to choose from.

Tower of Power gig was a great gig,again at the FTH, they were in a promotional tour of Warner Bros acts,two nights,acts included Tower, Bonaroo, Little Feet, Doobie brothers,Graham Central Station, couple of others I think, we had tickets fir the Friday,couldn't afford the Thursday fir Tower of Power then on a whim thought can't miss this set of six to catch bus into Manchester,they say timing is everything,got to the FTH guy says to us got tickets, I ask how much he puts two in my hand says compliments of Warner Bros, six rows from the front. Near the end of the gig American road sign drops down above the stage for Oakland. Brass section leave the stage and come into the audience up and down the centre aisle playing their instruments, a magic memory for me. Doobie Bros were non too shabby night after either.

Kool and the Gang at the Free Trade Hall was the last soul related gig held there until Denise Williams supported by Lenny Williams some years after, at the Kool gig they invited people up on the stage to dance and I got out of hand , they had several instrument's stolen ,one if my memory is correct a gold flute worth quite a lot of money. The management banned Soul artists from appearing there until the Williams gig. Lenny blew Denise out of the water but as she was topping the charts at that time few in the audience knew who Lenny was, he promoted his first solo album but did a great version of So Very Hard To go as a tribute to his time with Tower of Power who I also sat at the FTH.

I wasn't a great fan of Santana only went for EWF, from memory wasn't it the year EWF had the drummer going up in the air and the drum kit spinning round still playing? Looks like we went to a few of the same gigs War and Kool if yours were at the Free Trade Hall,

Tough question which if I was to answer again I'd probably give a different answer. First name to spring to mind was Phillip Mitchell, saw him early 70's when he took Al Greene's place on a tour for a couple of nights, I'd never heard of him but he was so good that night he more than made up for the disappointment of no Al Greene. Maybe a false memory . I used to go to quite a lot of gigs in Manchester one memorable one not soul related was seeing Hot Chocolate at the Free Trade Hall ,they had a power cut just as the boys were about to come on stage, Errol and the guitarist, can't think of his name came on and did about half an hour of an acoustic set that was brilliant while the problem was fixed well before unplugged became a thing. if pushed to go for just the one Gladys Knight circa 71 Odeon Manchester.

Welcome to the scene Ian, just get out there, too many first timers I've spoken to over the years get concerned about what others think and feel they have to dance a certain way. Just get out there and your own steps will flow with the music,Christ I hate to think what I look like on the floor but who cares, if you have got into the music purely off CDs and YouTube getting out and about will blow you away.

Always loved this, cheers for the reminder

Spot on , I've been wearing Meindl's for the last ten years or so both boots and shoes ,first pair down as you say to the half sizes for a super comfy fit.

Why do they have to make it look so bloody easy!!

Don't know if you like walking but there is a circular walk that starts as you enter the Abbey grounds ,it's about seven kilometres and follows the river on one side going out ,over the bridge to the other side coming back, some great photo opportunities, like a prat I forgot my camera on the day and had to make do with the one on my phone.

A walk around Bolton Abbey a few weeks ago

This is a mate of mine, he's a bit of a fruit

Isn't that the difference between someone like yourself and some of the other people producing boots etc, you pay a royalty to the artist and I assume licence the tunes making them a legit issue if I'm right. My views on boots changed a few years ago, there was a time when I couldn't have cared less whether I was listening to an original , boot ,first Uk issue whatever, my views changed when I got friendly with a few dj's who played ovo and found how disheartening it can be to have your set lined up and about to play an in demand tune on ov when the dj leaving the stage plays the record on a ten quid boot.. I think if you know your events you know what more or less what you are going to be listening to, for me what the eye doesn't see the heart doesn't know about, I'd love to think every record played was ovo but I'm not stupid, buying a shit load of boots won't make anyone a great dj, research and imagination do that , just my opinion of course.

You can talk about dance styles all day long, what is and what isn't "proper" dancing, who is and isn't a good dancer if it comes down to it take anyone from a Northern floor and plonk them in the middle of say a wedding disco and people there would say "what the ***** are they doing, they might think they can dance but in my opinion good or bad they would stand out on a non northern dancefloor . Someone I know I used to think was a pretty good dancer, always had that look at me kind of attitude then they started to copy various moves off other dancers and now from thinking they were pretty good I think they look ridiculous incorporating all kinds of flicks and spins ,waving of the arms yet when they kept it simple it looked so natural. Lost the point I was trying to make not for the first time.

Christ I feel really old now, was it really that long ago, just checked my ticket as I thought that can't be the same concert I went to and bugger me it is, wishful thinking had it much later in my old head , funny how time plays it's tricks.

I'm always impressed when I see someone dancing to the actual record,by that I mean they stray from their normal style and follow the rhythm pattern of the record,speeding up when the record does,clever foot moves to say a sax break or drum beat,not explaining it very well but I know it when I see it

There used to be a woman attended one of the regular nights I used to go to, she stayed more or less on the same spot, no flamboyant moves just a very slow shuffle of the feet and I mean slow,I said to my mate I love watching her dance,you call that dancing he replied, to her it is was my retort, I've rarely seen anyone more in the zone,that personal bubble where no one and nothing else exists but the music, just magic watching herk knowing how she was feeling inside.

Currently a pair of leather soled brogues with a high shine upper which I was unsure about when I bought them but have grown to love, fav bit of memorabilia would have to be a framed Blues and Soul Special Otis Redding edition which is surrounded by the ticket stubs from all the gigs I went to from 71 through to late 80' ranging from Gladys Knight Odeon Theatre Manchester, a trio of Blues Legends tours at the Holdsworth Hall ,several Temps, Tops gigs, WAR at the FreeTrade Hall ,Ohio Players, Stylistics, George and Gwen McRae plus many more ending with Luther Vandross at the Apollo Manchester 1987, a real mix I've always been open to all genres of Black Music as you can see. A lot of memories in a two by two frame.

Sometimes l wonder whether l am on the right site here, l thought the whole idea of being on here was to discuss soul music not the rights and wrongs of how someone builds there own music collection. for what its worth l get a lot of mine from you tube and mixcloud that's how l keep the faith Funny thing this Keep the Faith, , much like Northern Soul is a way of Life, is it really a way of life or just another slogan that allows people to make a bit of cash, on the faith aspect I've never actually considered the dictionary definition of faith and guess what it throws up an interesting slant with regard to boots etc. Lets disregard the religious meaning though it is too many akin to a religion. The definition is 1. confidence or trust in a person or thing: Boots destroy confidence, lead to loss of trust, I use the old Tube prodigiously but I don't think that in any way relates to keeping any sort of faith, surely the only way we can keep the so called "faith" is by getting out there and supporting events not by finding the cheapest option. Just my opinion.

My new gardener, started today, trimmed a few bushes, cut the grass, won't be having her back she left a fair few holes in the lawn

I've seen Soulful House on YouTube so whether that's where they cull appropriate sounds from I don't know. I have nothing against trying new stuff on the scene, good luck to em' though I can't honestly see myself shuffling to whatever it is they play

I can't remember on which event post I saw it but two of the younger Dj's in one of the rooms were down to play Northern House, not sure what that is or if it is the future but it is a new one to me. I guess sometime in the future whoever takes over will be debating whether certain tunes are Northern House, Northern trance and the Dj's in question maybe will be pilloried for taking the scene in a whole new direction while those still playing the nighter sounds of today which by then will be oldies will be told to get with it. I don't think it will be just those on the scene popping their clogs that will see declining numbers, call me an old codger if you like but recent events have kept me and Lou from attending events and on quite a few Saturday nights we have both said we were glad not to be going out. A week of hard physical work is not as easy to get over as it once was and a Saturday night with the feet up is welcome. With so many events on in our area there's always next week. I'm not going to worry who takes over, although I've been into all aspects of black music since my early teens I've never been as active on the scene as I am now, if my records end up on a car boot or charity shop I say good luck to whoever finds them, in fact I quite like the idea of someone discovering Northern Soul that way or one of the younger generation having the thrill we once got in what where then second hand shops, rummaging through I guess what will be heaps of 80's picture cover pop singles and coming across a few choice Northern tunes in a charity shop of the future. I still look through records occasionally in charity shops and I am always reminded of thrill I used to get aged fourteen by the Blue Stax label, for me the sight of that little stack of records on a blue background made my heart jump......I'm glad it still does.