Mickey Finn

Beautifully said, Dave. I take my hat off to the people at Kent for producing this sort of quality compilation time after time.

An apparently well-informed article in today's Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2021/apr/02/how-britfunk-overcame-racism-to-reinvigorate-uk-pop

I've still to make up my mind on that after having spent most of the year's holiday budget on music of all eras. I filled a lot of holes in my Kent cd collection and was very pleased to keep up with various reissues and never-before-issued stuff, but of the newies so far I'd also nominate Light of the World's comeback album Jazz Funk Power as a strong contender. Of the latest reissues the Kenny Carter and Little Ann collections are top notch, and a lot of earlier reissues from Numero, Light in the Attic, Jazzman and others have turned up suddenly heavily discounted, so once again filling in various gaps there. One thing 2020 underlined was the importance of good radio, along with the growing accumulation of podcasts and streams - Mixcloud is incredible for the sheer range of good quality output, new and old. BVAN has shown how the spirit of a proper rare soul gig can be preserved and enjoyed in real time with spinners and punters interacting and appreciating the music selections. I didn't do much of the FB home deejay stuff, but I made an exception for the Boomerang soul sessions with Maria O and Arthur Fenn - highly enjoyable and good to see and hear the music being played. Steve Stevlor's book on Dave Godin is a fine tribute in every way. And thanks to everyone involved in keeping this forum so active and informative.

Thank you to the SS team for continuing to put together this excellent forum. We can be a grumpy lot sometimes but as a source of knowledge about the best music in the world it is unsurpassed, and there is plenty of laughter and friendship to go along with that. Not a bad combo at all. Best wishes to everyone

Thank you to the SS team for continuing to put together this excellent forum. We can be a grumpy lot sometimes but as a source of knowledge about the best music in the world it is unsurpassed, and there is plenty of laughter and friendship to go along with that. Not a bad combo at all. Best wishes to everyone

I had missed this, thanks for posting. He appeared on various well-regarded east coast soul/boogie productions in the early 80s and his bass playing was certainly enough to qualify him for a more substantial recording career:

Stomp Radio on Fridays: Colin Brown 9-12 (40s to 60s, r&b, blues, jazz, doowop, ska, etc) Pete Collins 12-3 (mainly 70s soul) Stomp Radio on Wednesdays: Richard Soane 4-6 (mostly 70s soul with some jazzier stuff mixed in) Dave Smith 6-8 (eclectic across the board) also Terry Peters on London Music Radio Tue & Thu 10-1 (70s/early 80s soul, boogie, disco, reggae, northern, occasional new) Mick O'Donnell's show on TWR every second Saturday 4-6 as mentioned by Chalky above Shaun Louis on Solar Mondays 6-8 (on the mellower tip, 60s to current but mostly 70s soul) Nick Aravis on Solar Saturdays 6-8 (see Fish Fingers above) Eddy Edmondson on Epic Radio Sundays 8-10 (soulful 70s with some northern and newer thrown in)

I enjoyed the hardback. The stories about trips to NY and the records brought back (and subsequently "discovered" by others ) are amusing. Was pleased to see a nice word for Mark Roman, the original Crackers dj who sadly passed away in June this year. Unlike many other clubs at the time there was not a racist door policy there, while the playlist did much to attract a lot of regulars. Add to that all the stories about the various clubs and venues visited and you've got a very informed perspective on a large cross section of the UK soul scene at a crucial time in its development. Recommended.

I enjoyed the hardback. The stories about trips to NY and the records brought back (and subsequently "discovered" by others ) are amusing. Was pleased to see a nice word for Mark Roman, the original Crackers dj who sadly passed away in June this year. Unlike many other clubs at the time there was not a racist door policy there, while the playlist did much to attract a lot of regulars. Add to that all the stories about the various clubs and venues visited and you've got a very informed perspective on a large cross section of the UK soul scene at a crucial time in its development. Recommended.

Cooler in the fridge!

Cooler in the fridge!

Perhaps you'd have seen it sooner if you got a pair yourself. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

Perhaps you'd have seen it sooner if you got a pair yourself. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

Exactly. Looks like Manchester University Press is sharing the same marketing text book with the people responsible for Motown UK. Dave Godin was a much better intellectual than most, as was John Anderson. There's plenty of amazing archive work on this site and in releases by e.g. Kent that ranks with any academic history or social science re popular culture (and is often much better written). Glasses are cool.

Exactly. Looks like Manchester University Press is sharing the same marketing text book with the people responsible for Motown UK. Dave Godin was a much better intellectual than most, as was John Anderson. There's plenty of amazing archive work on this site and in releases by e.g. Kent that ranks with any academic history or social science re popular culture (and is often much better written). Glasses are cool.

It's unlikely that this book is aimed at the typical punter (at least by its publisher). It's a study by academics for academics, and written to current academic standards/fashions, published by an academic press and priced (somewhat optimistically these days) for academic library budgets. In a way it's a pity because it looks decently written and not overly stuffed with pretentious jargon. A paperback edition at 20ish quid would likely increase the total sales by a few hundred percent. The pricing policy belongs to the publisher however. And given the likely sales numbers for these editions, the authors won't be getting much in return for their efforts, so it was probably a labour of love, which is pretty much how it should be given the subject matter. It's unlikely to do much for the authors' academic career prospects because it is a book, rather than a series of high falutin articles in journals that nobody reads but which are used as indicators of "research excellence". Sadly the academic world is driven by all kinds of strangely twisted commercial logic these days, which forces academics to spend more time thinking about performance targets rather than helping their students actually learn. It's ironic in a way because the focus on targets and income generation means that a lot of stuff is produced that is of little use or interest to anyone except the bean counters appointed to various government quangos that decide who gets what. Aim your fire at successive governments, Tory and Labour, for turning learning into a giant bureaucracy that's good at talking business lingo while stifling as much as possible real creativity and originality - unless someone else agrees to pay for it, of course. Plenty could be said about pretentious academic twats in many places and subject areas, but this looks like a worthy project, let down rather badly by Manchester UP's decision to treat it as a highly specialised (and therefore expensive) research monograph, rather than an interesting, worthwhile and accessible piece of research suitable for a more general audience.

It's unlikely that this book is aimed at the typical punter (at least by its publisher). It's a study by academics for academics, and written to current academic standards/fashions, published by an academic press and priced (somewhat optimistically these days) for academic library budgets. In a way it's a pity because it looks decently written and not overly stuffed with pretentious jargon. A paperback edition at 20ish quid would likely increase the total sales by a few hundred percent. The pricing policy belongs to the publisher however. And given the likely sales numbers for these editions, the authors won't be getting much in return for their efforts, so it was probably a labour of love, which is pretty much how it should be given the subject matter. It's unlikely to do much for the authors' academic career prospects because it is a book, rather than a series of high falutin articles in journals that nobody reads but which are used as indicators of "research excellence". Sadly the academic world is driven by all kinds of strangely twisted commercial logic these days, which forces academics to spend more time thinking about performance targets rather than helping their students actually learn. It's ironic in a way because the focus on targets and income generation means that a lot of stuff is produced that is of little use or interest to anyone except the bean counters appointed to various government quangos that decide who gets what. Aim your fire at successive governments, Tory and Labour, for turning learning into a giant bureaucracy that's good at talking business lingo while stifling as much as possible real creativity and originality - unless someone else agrees to pay for it, of course. Plenty could be said about pretentious academic twats in many places and subject areas, but this looks like a worthy project, let down rather badly by Manchester UP's decision to treat it as a highly specialised (and therefore expensive) research monograph, rather than an interesting, worthwhile and accessible piece of research suitable for a more general audience.

Very sad news indeed. Few singers could match him for range and sheer depth of emotion. RIP and thank you.

Big Maybelle beats Beyoncé for me! And I can recommend the album for anyone who's interested

Dusty Groove in Chicago have been shipping this for at least a month already: https://www.dustygroove.com/item/930180?sf=scepter&incl_oos=1&incl_cs=1&kwfilter=scepter&sort_order=artist

Hi Robb, I guessed as much - it's an interesting thought experiment for sure. However there's a chance that Jackie at Motown may not have been such a brightly shining star, given all the talent already there and the quality control system (with its sometimes baffling decisions, as now 5 volumes of Cellarful of Motown plus other discoveries testify). Look what happened to Marv Johnson. Alternatively, Jackie might have shone brightly, but at the expense of someone else (e.g. Marvin). We'll never know of course, but the music he recorded in Chicago with Carl Davis and co was and remains top drawer, and if I wish anything, it is that there would be a stash of until now undiscovered goodies from that time for us to enjoy.

A decent obituary in today's Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/oct/07/johnny-nash-reggae-singer-best-known-for-i-can-see-clearly-now-dies-aged-80 This is probably my favourite of his: RIP

Yesterday my copy of Cellarful of Motown vol 5 arrived. In addition to the front cover where the art work of the series remains consistent, there's a new development on the back. UMG has gone except in the small print, but there is no logo associated with Motown. Instead there's this hippyish-designed "Caroline", which is UMG's reissue label covering all genres (not even just soul). And in that small print, there's a typo in the middle of all the terribly important detail about who licensed what to whom (and all within the same company ) For a company supposedly making such a number out of reviving a classic brand, this is a textbook case study of how not to do it.

The internet is full of stuff so no need to spend time with virtual djs not up to scratch, just as with events in "real life" . The Bury Virtual All Nighter has been fantastic and a very expensive education for me so far - in these times it has been a highlight of the month (formerly the week). When these things are done well they really lift the spirit. And I think with Bury especially we might have stumbled on a format worth keeping once this is all over. Thanks to all concerned.

Great group, great singers, and some great recordings, especially at Columbia with Maurice White at the helm, but also earlier for Volt and later when they released this classy number: RIP.