Barry

"Burn The Witch!?" At the risk of once again causing a commotion by expressing my opinion - Would this scenario ever happened when Northern was an underground scene, policed by it's own integrity? I think not. Proof that when things get watered down and opened up for the 'greater good', they aren't always better? May I add that whoever the lass is, as has been said before, it isn't really her fault - she was expressing her love for her music in the only way she could afford. Not really reason for the dunking stool ay?

Picture yourself on a desert island (Discs)!? If the one thing you would take are your records, then you are doing it just for you - therefore you are living your living your lie (sic) correctly.

True, very cheap mate. And a side hobby I have is working out how much - per second - Northern tracks go for. And , is it, just short of two minutes? Got to be one of the big per second hitters!?

Flogged mine for about £150 to a French lass about 3 year back, lovely tracks. Don't know the current market value but although it is a great double sider, that does evoke that quality mid 70's sound (Vacate being the more appealing to me), I can't believe the price it commands - I can't see it being THAT scarce - in my eyes shouldn't command more than £30/40. I bought stuff like this, Arlene Bailey, Diane Jenkins et al for pennies in the early 80's - my last statement not at all demeaning quality by the amount paid for said tracks at all. The scene has changed, yes - but I can't see me spending that kind of money on 'time tracks' when there are 'memory tracks' to be bought for possibly less money.

I have to bring to the fore the 'Top Cat', era when I honestly would have killed for the then covered Larry Houston track - simply one of my dearest memories on a dancefloor. "WHOOO!"

Nightwatch Soul Boy - 'Robin Salter' - brought about a change on this scene that I feel his name should be mentioned within this thread. Also, may I mention Ion - my young ears were opened to a lot of stuff care of that lad.

We all know the tracks that upon initial play get stick for being played in a Northern room. Do they eventually gain acceptance due to the fact that jocks stick to their guns and continually play them, therefore on the hierachy scale make them less susceptible to bitching -'Suchabody (DJ) plays it so it msut be worthy of it's play'. Do they gain acceptance due to the old addage that exposure to any form of music eventually gives you an understanding of its merits. Or does it take a while for people to get out of the peer pressure that surrounds this scene, to find it within themselves to actually admit 'Yes, I do like it? My question at heart is, why does it take sooo long for obvious 70's and 80's quality records to be seen as Northern dancefloor standards. Write the list - there are bloody hundreds. Any views?

Peter. Bob on mate!

Cue me buttering Dickies arse but here we go - I can remember his selections and sets over the years almost crystal mate. How? Because of the way he built his set's. Era and style-wise they were all over the place, but the quality and underlying integrity of the records he utilised made era and style totally irrelavant - danceable, relevant soul music just flowed out seamlessly. The records he played always made me aware of the moment, almost stopped me in my tracks. Barry May (OBN)

Maybe you lose the urge to do a full nighter as you get older but I have always had a bit of a problem with booked jocks walking in 10 minutes before they go on and getting off 10 minutes after they've finished. I understand that on occasion they may have a couple of bookings but you get my general drift. I do feel that every night has a different feel, it's bound to. And you - as a bloke playing records to people within that - have to be available for some period during that night to soak some of that up,if only to be able to echo that nights particular feel within your set.

Perfectly put mate - and what he did to expand the boundaries of Northern in his position at the time wasn't at all the easy route to take - just the right one.

I concur, a simple and outstanding example of everything that a DJ should bring to the table - if I'm honest the bloke is just in a different league.

We attended Hinckley regularly but I must say that although musically enjoyable, I never got to grips with the Sports Hall feel/dancefloor thing. Worst Hinckley moment for me was being at the front of the queue on the Major Lance night and being up against those full glass doors, the queue was pressing forward that much that I remember being crushed against them and realising that the half inch toughened glass was bending to the point of shattering - it didn't thank God. The area upstairs were the record bar was was great - us Warrington lads used to go in matching blue T shirts with 'BHS BREWMASTERS' on the front (British Home Stores being our chosen seat for tea and talking sh*te when we got home [point of fact, Dave Withers missus, Wendy, was the manageress of our local BHS at the time, if I am not mistaken])

Searling Sam Brian Rae MAW Kev Edwards John Peel Francois Kevorkian Robin Salter Junior Vasquez Tony Humphries Larry Levan Keb Darge Curtis Graeme Park Persian Levine John Grant Sister Bliss Frankie Crocker Billy Davidson Pete Tong Tiesto Tony Blackburn Afrika Bambaataa Norman Cook Todd Terry Knuckles Quentin Harris Poke LTJ Bukem Chris Hill Hippie Torrales Justin Berkman Bob Jones Derrick May Erick Morillo Dave Lee ...not all what I would deem my personal choice but certainly people that manipulated an era, played stone-cold quality music, made a change or changed music's direction at their time.

I've brought the lads behind Phuture Sole Records in New Jersey over a few times over the years and I do see them as friends nowadays and not part of the networking shit that goes on, anyway the last time they were over for an OHS night was in May 07. This particular time one of House Music's mentors came with them - Hippie Torrales - whom I met when I was playing with him in Leeds (Bullshit statement but I felt the need for the story to state it). We ended up at an after party at my mates fancy pad (club in the basement an' all that stuff us working class lads can only dream of). Hippie, he's Hispanic and was a resident at the renowned Zanzibar Club in the 70's/80's (he's 54 now) was playing and reeled off so many 70's Northern classics, Frankie Crocker, Babe Ruth da di da in his set, it just blew me away - it was so organic, I could never reveal that history if I played them, he was there when they broke on that original scene To hear a man play stuff that he had heard first hand in it's true environment, was amazing...he was also taken aback and happy that a pissy skinny white bloke such as I knew them. In true Soulie manner I spent an hour following him, showing the lads that us pissy white soul boys can stand on the same level, if not as organically as they - but we they understood that the root of our love of those tracks were borne of the same truth. This post isn't a post aimed at US/UK division, as having re read it it could be misconstrued as such. It's just one that proves that when you get a room filled with people that have built their lives around music, even though they live their lives completely differently and live 3000 miles apart....respect for good music shines through - and great tracks are truly universal. I love music...I love how it breaks down barriers and I love how it manages to forge respect. I'm not sure if that is a worty response to your Q and I apolgise if it didn't meet your criteria.

You may as well have 'em on CD or tape for me - they look awful, probably don't sound much better and create and ugly pointless space when you're flicking through your records. But we've all done it to a degree when we were younger ay? Let he without doo dah, cast the first stone an' all that.

Lyrically enthralling.

Benny Spellman mate. "...and now I get my fortunes told for free!"

A small Evison moment of Modern brilliance.... Leicester 82/83 - dropping Janet Jackson's Ace cut from her debut album, "You'll Never Find (A Love Like Mine)". (Graham squirting talc everywhere and running on the dancefloor with his silver Kung Fu pants on and Preston Street Dancers head tie on - ha ha, the memories) I love what he did for dancefloors....and I love him.

'SITS' still gets all the Jam/Weller fans when you play it to a younger audience.

Just been had over with this one on Ebay - how TF can you state 'definate US original' if you don't know?

I apologise if I appeared arsey Rbman - but I think that the 'majority' you speak of are the people you know, the heavy posters on this board, there are a lot more that aren't 'inner circle' and 100's of lurkers....I wasn't aware of the shop but I was glad that Paddy pointed it out to me. I'll be happy for the lads if one person is glad that I pointed it out to them too!? Again, my apologies if I came across badly but I found your above quoted statement regarding 'the guys' a trifle silly.

One-upmanship doesn't become you Rbman. Just trying to be helpful - I'm sure the lads would rather me made this post than not. Correct?

My faux pars are well thought out, generally fairly well informed, ironic and aimed purely at getting a giggle Chrissie. Yours on the other hand have sorrily been learned over time, read poorly (for others view of you) and do you no favours. I'm only trying to help by pointing these little foibles of yours out love, honest. Anyway that drink we had planned next week! I think it's best we give it a miss, we just don't seem to get on.

I would take the afront to the 'avatar thing' serious, if I deemed it worthy of a serious reply. With my above entry, I have seemingly negated the reasoning behind same above pointless post and become party to what I hate most on boards such as this. Pointless posts. Please ignore it. (Don't worry, I'm off to bed in a mo')