Mickey Finn

Al Jarreau in 1976:

This spine-tingling performance by Phyllis Hyman looks like it was recorded in the early 80s:

A great performance by Nancy Wilson, backed by the Crusaders in 1987:

Really enjoyed his later music, including this gem from his last album. RIP Bill.

Don't see the logic of taking Richard off to provide more news updates but then playing pop. The people who normally tune in will turn off in droves and then won't get the updates - which are already coming thick and fast from a zillion other outlets anyway, and could easily be broadcast over whatever Richard and John are broadcasting. Not quite understanding the point of this editorial policy ... and causing people to worry that they might be ill is even irresponsible.

Sad to see confirmed that Manu Dibango has died of coronavirus: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2020/mar/24/manu-dibango-dies-coronavirus-cameroon-jazz-funk I had the pleasure of seeing this true gentleman perform 3 times, including once with the London Community Gospel Choir. He was as happy in person as he sounds on his records, and delighted to stop and chat with fans. RIP Lion of Africa.

As does David Peaston, "We're all in this together"

Garland Green, "I've quit running the streets" The Dells, "Run for cover" Tony Drake, "Suddenly" Jimmy Castor Bunch, "It's just begun" Sounds of Blackness, "The pressure (parts 1 and 2)" First Choice, "Armed and extremely dangerous" Eddie Holman, "Time will tell" Harold Melvin and the Bluenotes, "Get out" Ben E King, "Music trance" Eddie Kendricks, "Goin' up in smoke"

Many thanks for posting this. Just stumbled on it by accident and enjoyed it yesterday, just like the Sunday evenings of old. You defended the house corner very well, and it's ironic considering the stick that Mick took for defending Lou Johnson's "Keep that fire burning" against charges of disco dross - Mick was as correct about that as you were/are. Not much seems to have changed since your discussion, although it was good to see some youngsters at both Whitby and Bridlington summer weekenders last year, and some even behind the decks in Brid. But a widely applied OVO policy is going to have the same effect on young potential jocks as successive governments' housing policy has had on home ownership. Anyway, will enjoy that again on a few repeat plays

Ordered mine and very much looking forward to it. The quality of the package looks excellent, with typical Kent care and attention to the stories behind the music.

Terrible news, not so long after Colonel Abrams, another vocal powerhouse. "Deliver me" is such a fantastic record and for me his best, but this comes very close:

Any version of Hamilton Bohannon's "Let's start to dance"?

Some of the above artists and tunes he mentions in the interview. He also praises this obscurity from future Players Association man Chris Hills in 1969: And my apologies for careless misquote earlier. As the interview makes absolutely clear, his fulsome knowledge of the music was informed by a deep love for it, spanning a very wide spectrum.

Not sure it's accurate to say he didn't like northern. There's an interview conducted by Richard Searling and Ian Dewhirst on this: There John Anderson makes it clear he enjoyed soul music across a wide spectrum, and it was the narrow mindedness of some of the northern scene he didn't have much time for. He also points out how Cleethorpes seemed to break free of that. It's a very interesting interview that gives a taste of the sort of book that could have been written. Well done to the people who made it happen, especially now that its historical value is sadly much more obvious.

It's interesting to see how the ultra-affordable Backbeats titles that came out on cd about 10 years ago have fared. A few of those titles covering the rare soul end of things have become very hard to find or much less affordable. For instance this is nowhere on Discogs but there's a copy for 50 quid at Northern Soul Direct: Some of the French bootleg cds from 10-15 years ago ("Magnetik Soul") are also going for silly prices - this one for over 40 quid on Discogs and a good bit more on Amazon:

This might be what you're thinking of: It was released in 2004 on US Hip-O label, sold out quickly and went for stupid money. It was re-released in 2012 and fetches more reasonable sums. The 2 earlier Hip-O compilations of Motown solo LPs with b sides and unreleased tracks are now in 3 figures, with volume 1 harder to find:

A nice tribute here from Greg Wilson: https://blog.gregwilson.co.uk/2019/09/les-adams/#more-16352

The Sam Dees "Secret Admirer" album from 1989 goes for stupid money on cd. On Discogs right now there's a used copy G/G for $288.

Very sad to hear that broadcaster, producer, dj and jazz funk champion Les Adams died yesterday after a cardiac arrest. A summary of his career can be found on the Solar Radio website: https://www.solarradio.com/ In addition to hosting his own shows on Solar Radio, more recently Les had been presenting a weekly show on United DJs: https://www.uniteddj.com/members/les-adams/ I admired his professional approach to broadcasting and commitment to achieving the highest sound quality possible, whatever the venue or circumstances. He was also committed to playing the underplayed and otherwise forgotten, making his shows well worth a listen for serious music fans. Many of these fans helped to make his Friday request show much more than just a typical run through the same old weekender classics. It attracted a large following and the sheer quantity of requests each week made the process of putting the show together a major piece of work. I was a very occasional live listener to his Saturday night show "Dance Floor Classics", relying mainly on his generous provision of podcasts - again produced with careful attention to sound quality. But last year I couldn't believe my luck as I happened to tune in when he hosted Ian Dewhirst who had posted on FB how he had great records to play and nowhere to play 'em! Les replied promptly and the result can be enjoyed here: https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-mykzm-8ed7fe RIP to a great broadcaster and champion of our music.

Some goodies here - of the new Marta Ren gets my vote, and Shirley Wahls is just fantastic

Good to hear that Rick Sheppard tune

Same outfit from 1973:

State Department from 1976:

Welcome aboard, Shaun! And thanks for your postings so far. You might be familiar with these, but if not it's worth checking out the Tom Moulton "Philly Regrooved" series that was out on Harmless Records a few years back. Ian Dewhirst did much to bring these to the public and he's on this forum so who knows ... if Tom is still sitting on a lot of currently unreleased stuff, maybe we could get a volume 4 ....? https://www.discogs.com/label/561013-Philly-ReGrooved Since you mention Tom Moulton I've been digging recently through some of the TNT Productions he did with Tony Valor - some amazing, really classy material: