Biggordy

Surely there's a place though for nights that play a bit of everything? Oldies fans will go to oldies venues and so on. I like all soul, except for stuff made from the late 70s onwards made with synthesisers, computers, etc (with the exception of tunes and albums recorded in analog with real instruments such as the last couple of Candi Staton albums). I don't understand why there's so much debate on this at times - no one is forcing any of us to go to a venue that we don't like!

Fair enough but don't many venues have oldies/northern in the main room and a second or even third room for R&B or modern or even ska/reggae in some places these days?

I'll be 44 in a few months and across the board IS the way. Life would be boring if we just liked one style of music or even one style of soul. Soul is soul whether it be deep, crossover, oldies stompers, rare, underplayed, modern, whatever. For the record, I used to hate modern with a passion but although my preference is still rare soul, I am coming over to the dark (modern) side more frequently now and even have a few dozen modern tunes in my collection now! Also sometimes I feel as if us younger ones who never came onto the scene until the 80s or in my case the 90s are treated like we don't know a thing about the music and should bow down to our elders.....

Agreed. People seem to forget that when UB40 began they were a bonafide UK roots reggae band. Signing Off is one of the classic UK reggae albums of all time.

There's another son of Alton called Chris who is making some great records these days, this is one of them:

Brilliant cut of the Soul Children classic on Stax. The Twinkle Bros went on to be a top roots reggae group. https://youtu.be/h-6BZ1OXfKA

Stunning Jamican cover of a Beatles song: https://youtu.be/l9HkKLkxcPQ

The Progressions - Are You Ready, great rock steady cover of Major Lance's Monkey Time. Sorry about the crappy sound quality, I have no idea why people are happy to post clips that sound bad.

Some nice choices, there's hundreds of great Jamaican covers of soul tunes. Here's Glen Brown and Hopeton Lewis doing "Man Oh Man" by The Impressions - Jamaican blank in the clip but it came on UK FAB. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6fOHIHs-_dY

There was a terrible reggae version of the Invitations' "What's Wrong With Me Baby" in the 90s too that sounded like the theme from Supermarket Sweep gone wrong. Luckily, it's not on Youtube.

And another great reggae version of a Northern Soul classic:

Here's a great reggae cut of a classic soul tune:

I'd sell a kidney for a copy of that Heptones double sider on UK S1 Pete mate. Two of the greatest tunes ever recorded in Jamaica.

Nice picks Dean! YT is brilliant. I know someone who can get me a dubplate from him but they're expensive - 150 notes for two tunes (they are custom made though and it's how a lot of artists make money nowadays).

Seeing as Pete's plugging his podcast I'll plug mine - https://www.djgreedyg.podomatic.com Lots of my old radio shows and a few mixes on there - ska, rocksteady, reggae old and new (but none of that Yardie crap that poses for reggae nowadays).

Great choices Nat. amazed to see someone posting modern stuff on here (modern reggae that is!). My fave Sizzla is "Solid As A Rock" but I hate how he's being a good Rasta on some records then talking about women in a sexist way on others. Saw Gregory a few years before he died, his voice wasn't the best due to the years of drug problems but he was okay and come on, it was Gregory right there before me! Also seen Horace Andy, Max Romeo, Morgan Heritage, Marcia Griffiths, Tarrus Riley (with his dad Jimmy) and many more, not seen Beres though - last time he was 50 quid to see and that's a ripoff! Have you heard of Romain Virgo? A great new singer who's been around for the last year or so.

Probably (B) I don't mind a few scratches as long as it doesn't jump and there's not a ton of hiss or distortion.

My Time - Bob Andy (Supreme) Let Him Try - Alton Ellis (Studio 1) There Comes A Time - The Techniques (UK Duke) Fight To The Top - The Heptones (Studio 1) A Change Is Gonna Come - The Heptones (Studio 1) You Hurt My Soul - Joe Higgs & Roy Wilson (UK Island) Talking Love - The Paragons (Merritone) Cool Collie - Hopeton Lewis (UK Island) Dog War aka Broadway Jungle - The Vikings (aka The Maytals) (UK Island) Downbeat Burial - Don Drummond (Prince Buster) Tired of the usual 30 or so records that get played at EVERY do like "Hold Down", "Monkey Man", etc and a lot of the UK recorded "Skinhead" reggae tunes on the likes of Torpedo, Joe, etc are amateurish crap to be honest compared to the Jamaican productions of the time (except for the dreadful instrumentals produced by Bunny Lee featuring Peter Tosh on organ....).

The Snake - Al Wilson Carbon Copy - Larry Trider Third Window From The Right - Dean Barlow The bottom two, well I like a bit of popcorn and early 60s stuff, but sick of hearing those two all the time.

A big distributor of bluebeat tunes back in the days outside of London was HR Taylor based in Birmingham. (My copy of Prince Busters Fabulous Greatest Hits on FAB has the address on the back).

Cheers mate. I had chronic back problems and have arthritis in my knees. I got gastric weight loss surgery a couple of months ago, have lost almost 4 stones already, the back pain is almost gone and the arthritis is manageable with pain killers. And I can't eat junk food anymore, so more money for records and going out!

Yes, after almost 4 years of ill health I managed to start going out again properly to some local nights and I hope to do a few nighters in 2013.

I saw Charles Bradley at Manchester's Band On The Wall last year, he tore the roof off the place. Best soul singer today and can't believe he only just got discovered a few years ago and had been working small bars only.

There's a great version of "Dumplins" by Byron Lee & The Dragonaires on a UK Bluebeat 45.

A lot of venues won't let you hire the place unless there's a certain amount guaranteed to be spent at the bar. As for personal drinking, I'm not allowed alcohol after having major surgery to have half of my stomach removed so drink orange juice or just bottled water at events I go to. The music's still great and I don't throw up when I get home!