Thinksmart

Then the live version of B B King's take on Night Life is perfect. First heard on Kent LP 'Smart!' For me. Such a great theme for a set.

I like that track a lot, the way you hear it inside and outside the club. For years I never connected it being Spooner Oldham, which is obvious given the name and it being on Fame. I wish I had known it back as a youg Mod in the early 80s like so much I only heard later.

Sounds like Two In The Morning by Spooner's Crowd

Ordered this via Bandcamp and enjoyed two play throughs so far. Thanks for putting it together.

Yes I read it on Northern Soul Essential Story, the first Goldmine CD after their Soul Supply vinyl LPs. I must of re-read it many dozens of times. I bought it directly from Rob Smith in the shop, when Kev used to drop them off. I bought them for years that way. Any sold out I would get from Selectadisc round the corner if there instead. There are still a few songs only on Goldmine CDs (and related labels) contained on this such as Inticers, Bell Boys, Jimmy Mack.

Enjoying this while on holiday. Great 1970s Ronnie McNeir Soul perfect!

That's sad to hear and good to read your thoughts Ian.

Keep up the good work. Thanks for the diligence on it.

Ah I see! It might need a lateral shift into something adjacent but not the same. Best wishes with it.

That feels a good approach.

Are there any organisations you got close to or have personal relationships with that you can build on in making the career step? I've just accepted a position at a client of my consulting company that I got ever-closer to during the work and it lead to a natural conversation about joining. I've always wanted to and the role is excellent, but it emerged as many do, through the connection that was growing between us.

Oh this is similar to an experience of mine. I started a new role back in 2007 and was discussing my enjoyment of Soul music including the 'Modern Soul Scene' so was asked to do some CDrs for some young colleagues. Upon asking later how the CDrs were, I received embarrassed, confused faces who said 'this is all really old, it's not even Modern Soul or R&B and some of it is before I was born!'. Of course I'd compliled Modern Soul as we understand it, from 70s onwards through Philly, Disco, Boogie, through into early 2000s Modern sounds. But to them they wanted the R&B chart sound of that time, not really Soul music at all and definitely not.......old Modern Soul! I later found the Northern Soul advocates in the company of my own age, but these youngsters fifteen years younger than me didn't ask for any compilations again! However they are all now into their forties and definitely not into Modern R&B or Soul of any type now having followed the charts through genres as most people do.

And today's newie is tomorrow's oldie of course. Talking of Oldies, I've worked back through Northern Soul to R&B in all its forms and keeping digging. I now find myself enjoying 50s black Boogie Woogie, Jump Blues, Honking and Jiving R&B, uptempo Doo Wop, early New Orleans. Some of these were also early Mod plays too for such as Roger Eagle, Guy Stevens, Ian Samwell and at such as The Lyceum, Americana, Flamingo Clubs and first location of the Twisted Wheel. Some of it is the same Soul artists in their earlier career, some from Jazz, Blues. These really are oldies - a lot of it the music that led to Soul and Rock 'n' Roll. Ace has done many dozens of great complilations of it earlier in their history that I'm picking up for a few quid on CD. So what is the music too old and early to be an Oldie called?

Wonderful to celebrate Ace.Records 50th with their music. I am searching through and finding all the old Rhythm & Blues CDs from their catalogue having bought all the Soul, R&B, Mod Jazz, Jazz etc related releases and much more to date from the 80s to now. It is amazing how many pure Blues, black Swing, Doo Wop and so on that I didn't buy first time around. Their podcasts linked at the website are always interesting, I was listening to Keb this week and see he is DJing at the events (60s Garage now). Thanks to all at Ace Records.

Excellent reading, yes keep it coming. I was listening to Norman Jay talking recently and he was talking similarly about local Soul selections such as Archie Bell and the Drells 'Don't Let Love Get You Down' with its mid-tempo Philly Groove that were break-out plays for him separate to Reggae. Interesting about the CCR song too - that's a wonderful, deep song. The Ted Hawkins version is a particular favourite of mine: https://youtu.be/v8UsXFrfq7I?si=R8_XujQUsHHp0LHe

Welcome. Did your audience have any particular Soul style or selections?

By 1965 the Stones and Hollies were playing theatres, pier halls and cinemas as pop acts rather than club nights and 'rave ups', so likely 1964 latest. Their concert schedules of 1964 onwards are available online. One unofficial early nighter venue for trad jazz in 50s was Chislehurst Caves, in Kent. There were also reputedly allnight Jazz sessions alongside Festival of Britain in 1951. But it feels to me that Americana Club in 1955 was the first official nighter playing black Jazz and R&B we might enjoy.

Roburt seems busy so they look to be 1963-64.

The Americana club at The Mapleton was holding all nighters from 1955 prior to the same people doing so at the Flamingo. A lot more at https://flashbak.com/club-americana-on-coventry-street-in-1955-43350/ There is also this related vinyl below. I recommend the book mentioned in the article to explore London's other side and it's follow up. Northern Soul DirectClub Americana - All Night Dancing At The Mapleton - Vari...However, it is a little known fact that there was a second club, cloistered in the basement of the Mapleton, the ‘Americana’. The club was..

Fantasy Northern Soul.... pick your venue and DJs to receive points for new plays, reactivated oldies, attendance numbers etc....

The early CD era was great for me, I devoured them all and still do. Then that combined with legal downloads. By the early 1990s the Motown Northern Soul discoveries were starting to leak out on CD illegally and then legally. That coincided with lots more venues and nighters again. It's slowing down now in compilations but lots of new Soul music to enjoy as mentioned in the relevant thread here. Bandcamp is good now too I find.

I laid my hands on every cheap Soul complilation I could in the early 1980s... All the various Motown ones, Casino Classics, Out On The Floor by Inferno Records, the two Keepin' The Faith on PRT (https://www.discogs.com/release/2926498-Various-Keepin-The-Faith), the early GoldSoul, Rare Soul Uncovered and first Kent LPs. Some would even turn up in my local Woolworths which had rotating stock every week (a brilliant double LP of Veejay blues and soul I've never seen since and not listed anywhere). As soon as I got access, I'd raid Rob's Records in Nottingham every week, especially once I was a Saturday lad on the Victoria fish market about 1983 and had earnings. I'd also go downstairs into Pendulum Records and buy everything new that week, usually 2-3 Kent compilations and equivalent a week. Then once I caught up, it was onto collecting singles. Ah happy days!

Nice enough but Jessie's vocal is too high in the mix, at least in the online play. Is it a demo? What's the Yvonne Baker on it? I'd buy it on legal download (as I do a lot) but it seems to be vinyl only.

I've only heard this one once on Solar Radio and nowhere else or again there. It's from end of last year. Definitely not one for NS purists, it's kind of an update to 1970s Modern Soul style with nice Soul claps and definitely danceable. It has quite a distinct sound and a deliberately odd ending.... it intrigued me enough to buy it download and it often appears in my head, so embedded itself there. I like that it evokes but doesn't copy any particular style.

On Gina Sedman's new album 1972, the song 'Like A Whisper' stands out, a gentle mid-tempo song that doesn't try too hard and is all the more powerful for it.