Philt

I know, I know Still makes me chuckle when I think of their faces though, WTF ...

Eyup Franco, hope you're well mate, been a while. Funnily enough was having that very 'conversation' with a small person from round here maybe a couple of months ago; you know the script, been out, wee small hours, [i was] talking tosh and the subject got around to taste and records inevitably. I was singing, even shouting LOL, the praises of Guy in particular and some of the stuff from that era whilst, at the same time - much to my embarassment in the very cold light of day - describing things like E Laskey on Thelma as rather tired and boring Guess you could say I was maybe guilty of donning the old rose-tinteds when it came to the quality of some of the stuff that was getting an airing round that time. Some of the greatest records ever played in the mix of course but I did eventually have to admit that a good number of those 'dramatic' - great descriptor that - tunes from that mid-late 80s period simply don't cut it in the final analysis, in terms of their real quality. As my wee friend kindly pointed out, they were absolutely of their time and that time but they'd maybe not be first out of your box these days; the odd one even brings on the cringe you mentioned too I've still got loads of em and they're largely obselete in terms of playability and, in many cases, have no tangible market value it seems. (I'm thinking of things like Bobby Mac on Vended, Dave Blocker, Don and Juan ...). Still love em all dearly in their own way but more about fantastic memories than anything else. Unsurprisingly, however, as the scene has diversified, some might say fragmented, still further, you do start to hear things getting spins again and it's great when they receive a favourable response. One of the things that made that time so exciting for me as a yoof was the newness and difference of the stuff I was hearing when I travelled further afield than the oldies bashes my peers generally frequented. Suppose some would call it progressive and others might curl a lip at it; as I say, of it's time and it was a bloody great time but if you want to talk about their respective and individual merit as soul records that's probably a different story. Still, takes all sorts and good luck to anyone who is trying to keep things fresh. I do feel like a real old fart though on occasion these days, you must feel like you've been dug up mate atb Phil

I once played it - along with Gino on Golden Crest and the slow side of Stewart Ames - at what [i wasn't told ... just play what you want ...] was a proper oldies bash Was on first to "set the tone" for the evening and certainly did that, you've never seen a pie n peas queue form faster in your life LOL. I'd have a heart attack now after about 15 seconds!

All of em Chris Over the years Gwen Owens - mystery man has always done that particular trick, tough one to dance to I think. Bobby Guitar Bennett - you did it again has also created some clusters of smokers in my experience.

Think Dave Thorley had a Combinations Tony - searcb topdogrecords cheers

Can't help with the flight cases Froggy but I've a spare cage in the garage if you need one, will hold two plus the ref easily See you tomorrow mate

Limelights £1500 in my experience and good luck sir

sold mine due to poverty last year. Awesome and proper rare IMHO. Now where's that piggybank

All good that! Sonics on Almon

Cheers Phil, nice to be able to play the odd thing that I don't usually get out, enjoyed it. (Maria insisted on the Del Tours getting an airing but it wasn't much of a hardship on my part to be honest ) Been a while mate, hope to catch up and bore you sh*tless somewhere soon.

As requested, e-doors, 11.15 - 12. Adventurers - nobody can save me (Blue Rock) Manhattans - all I need is your love (Carnival) Shades of Love - such good friends (Delon) Eddie Campbell - contagious love (Artco) Young Mods - who you going to run ... (Everblack) Alcon Shades - all is forgiven (Blue Rock) Maurice Jackson - lucky fellow (Candle Lite) Talmadge Armstrong - give it up (Spindletop) Timothy Wilson - hey girl do you love me (Veep) Bros of Soul - hurry don't linger (Criss-Cross) Intrepids - to make you love me (Cotillion) Pee Wee Shuck etc - beside myself (Flagg) Del Tours - sweet and lovely (Starville) Precisions - what would you do (Wild) Shades of Jade - is it wrong (Cenco) Two Plus Two - love will conquer all (Ditto) Celebrities - didn't tell the truth (Boss)

Absolute nightmare. I'd be having cold sweats about that blighter Not in that league but did manage to snap a nice mint issue of Gino Washington on Mala into two pieces last year. Irony was I'd dropped and caught it and was congratulating myself / breathing a sigh of relief when I heard it crunch against my leg

Spares of these two great tunes up for grabs: Maajestees - take back all those things / let her go (Mutt) ON HOLD Two absolutely tremendous sides. One proper uptempo dancer and real high quality mid tempo flip Sophisticates - I can't stand it / I need you (Mutt) Ex+ £80 Another high class double sider. I need you is slower paced but equally as good IMHO Following still hanging around and need to raise some cash by moving them on so prices reduced. All are strictly graded to be at least Ex unless stated. Sensible offers and/or decent trades welcome: Monclairs - wait for me (Sunburst) £20 Howard Tate - you're looking good (Utopia) v. light label wear, vinyl great £175 (a steal!!!) Gladys Knight - stop and get a hold (Maxx) £35 Ila Van - get to Jim Johnson (Roulette w/d) £25 Fiats - speak words of love (Universal w/d) £75 (another give away!) Betty Swann - the heartache is gone (Money) £30 Betty Everett - too hot to hold (Vee Jay) £30 Eddie Hill - nothing sweeter (M-S) vg+++ / Ex £100 (cheap as chips?) Standard UK post, overseas I'll check but it'll be signed for. Cheers Phil

Cheers Bob, you're unbelievable Great stuff that atb Phil

Keith, what I do in my time is my own business mate Box looks like it's been shuffled as per, not least because of a somewhat shambolic session with Mr and Mrs L and Betsy when we got back to Preston (should have played out of T's sales box; that Hi-Fi White is just the ticket ) Anyway, here's a few I [think i] remember playing in no order whatsoever. Incs a few things folk asked for hopefully but my memory ain't what it was so if I made a balls of it sincere apologies: Romona Collins - you've been cheating (Clark's) Young Mods - who you going to run, where you going to hide (Everblack) Soulful Illusion - to get your love (Mercury) Royal Imperials - this heart of mine (Mellow Town) Little Curtis and the Blues - please keep me (Vanco) - once I'd sussed how to work the turntable thingy Les Chansonettes - don't let him hurt you (Shrine) Wooden Nickels - nobody but you (Vault) Ray Agee - I'm losing again (Soultown) Del Tours - sweet and lovely (Starville) Trent Sisters - a letter a day (Gogate) Drake and the Ensolids - please leave me (Alteen) Chryslers with the Monarchs - I'm not gonna lose you (Je-Jody) Citations - (to win the race) keep the faith (Ballad) Startones - lovin you baby (Billie Fran) The Invaders - the best is yet to come (Brewtown) Patti Austin - too much a part of me (Coral) Universals - diamonds and pearls (Cooking) Pee Wee Shuck and Huey - beside myself (Flagg) James Dockery - my faith in you is all gone (Soul Craft) Turbines - we got to start over (Cenco) Monique - if you love me (show me) (Maurci) Stunners - nobody but me (Renfro) atb Phil

Few 45s up for grabs. All very strictly graded; no dramas of course if you're unhappy. Anything over £30 will need to be sent signed for unless you're prepared to take the risk -standard UK postage, overseas I'll check. If you think I'm miles out on price let me know. 1. Blenders - tale of sadness (DJO) Ex+ £300 Absolutely superb uptempo Chicago group dancer. Hard record! 2. Jesse Davis - gonna hang on in there girl (Era demo) vg+/+ £500 Lots of light marks which dnap and some wol. Very brief hiss right at the begiining then away you go. Half price or not far off and a chance to own one of the great dancers for less than daft money IMHO 3. The Tears - good luck my love / what are you doing to me (Smash w/d) Ex+ £100 Magnificent double-sider of course and immaculate apart from some very, very slight discolouring to label around centre hole. 4. The Fiats - speak words of love (Universal w/d) Ex/+ £100 Superb and pretty hard Detroit group 45 from 1964; never seem to see this anymore 5. Eddie Hill - nothing sweeter (M-S) vg++ £125 Just brilliant! The odd light mark dnap. Nice clean labels. 6. Gladys Knight & Pips - stop and get a hold of myself (Maxx) Ex+ £45 Underplayed, massive production booming dancer, as close to mint as you'll get 7. Carl Hall - you're so qualified (Mercury red issue) £80 Really rate this uptempo dancer. Great vocals and yet to have its day IMHO 8. Mel Vena Allen - the bigger your heart (Salvador) Ex+ £75 Mean, moody builder from the early 80s period. Fetched something mad not that long ago at auction but not an easy record to pick up these days 9. Les Watson - soul man blues (Pompeii) Ex+ £45 Tipped recently and about time! Superb mid-tempo with a x-over feel 10. The Creations - just remember me (Globe) Ex+ £45 Absolute steal for this superb group dancer. Old Searling c/u and great condition 11. Maurice Jackson - lucky fellow (Candle-Lite) Ex £70 Absolutely fantastic haunting mid-tempo Chicago x-over styleee dancer. Magic!!! 12. JJ Daniels - mr lonesome (Sure-Shot promo) Ex+ £40 Really good uptempo dancer! Chalky spin from time to time as I recall, always goes down well. 13. Ila Van - your love / got to get to Jim Johnson (Roulette w/d) Ex+ £25 Well worth a punt is this 14. Monclairs - wait for me (Sunburst 106) Ex+ £25 Sublime group mid tempo. Love this to bits, spare copy. 15. The Pacesetters - I'm gonna make it (Minit promo) Ex £45 Pounding west coast dancer; proper! 16. Bettye Swann - the heartache is gone (Money) Ex+ £30 Soooo underrated IMHO. Another worthy effort like all her Money stuff 17. Tymes - what would I do (MGM yellow demo) Ex- £40 A couple of marks dictate [tight] grade, nothing major. Banging oldie of course 18. Betty Everett - too hot to hold (Vee Jay) Ex+ £35 Total stormer and needs playing out more IMHO 19. Fred Hughes - I keep trying (Exodus) Ex £40 As above: storming dancer which needs more action. Don't know many bad uns by Fred 20. Carolyn Crawford - my smile is just a frown / I'll come running (Motown) vg+ £40 Last time I'm listing this bugger! Plays great, have djd with it, and an absolute steal for two great sides That'll do for now. PM if you're interested and we'll take it from there. Working for yourself is usually pretty good on the whole; it is a real pain in the ar*e when folk don't pay you when they should though! Hence these sales; ideally I'd be keeping these 45s so please don't make daft offers. Possible Trades: Would be interested in any or all of the following trades / px E Rodney Jones - peace of mind (Tuff) Four Tees - one more chance (Kent) Lovations - later baby (Cap City) - need a spare for a mate atb Phil

Erudite as ever Mr S Precisely the main point I was trying to make, you just said it better Also spot on with your reference to the playlist I put up a couple of months ago. That was absolutely the intention, thinking and driving force behind that night: come along and have a good night out listening and hoperfully dancing your socks off to what we think are really good records. Not trying to pidgeon-hole anyone or anything, avoided it like the plague in fact. I can remember having a chat with John Pugh on the night and saying I was worried in case it wasn't 'upfront' enough. He reckoned you'd be more likely to take folk with you if the steps were small and not too scary. I guess the issue then is, in the main, about compromises and balance? (oh aye, and having a good night out!)

It has always been a bit of escapism for me and to be honest I feel more like escaping from it at the moment. Virtually everytime you go out or read something on here it's negativity, egos, agendas and sh*te from what feels like a fair few folk. However much time/effort/money/passion or whatever you have [in]vested in it, its a hobby and about having a good time isn't it? I don't get it, really I don't ... - Labels attached to everything which serve no constructive purpose. To the contrary IMHO, just divides, fragments and fuels all the tired old arguments and preconceptions and narrows the minds of those who have small ones to begin with - Minute analysis of everything resulting in a plethora of what some folk seem to think are molten nuggets of bronzed wisdom (occasionally and entertainingly offered-up by those who have a vested interest or other agenda, never leave the house / haven't done so for twenty years, can't dress themself yet, were / still are completely off their tits) - Mind numbing preoccupations with what individual records cost. WTF has that got to do with anything? Its a total irrelevance in real terms isn't it, whether you're a punter, dj or whatever? It'll either be good enough or not and time and the dancefloor reaction to it will tell you for sure - I've paid me money so I'll moan like f*ck. Please don't, I'll pay you to stay in

Bri how are you mate, well I hope. I've always stashed a bit of 'that old disco rubbish' on the quiet; a good record is a good record isn't it. (Plus it keeps the missus off my back if she hears the odd 70s thing played at home) Keep in touch pal - let me know if you're parting with those sandals, vest and whistle

Jamie tried leaving feedback via the 'official' link mate and failked miserably, I am truly an IT idiot! Thanks for getting back and everything else, top drawer Pleasure doing business mate

Hi Ron good to hear from you mate and thanks for the info Hey, keep your eye out for Grumpy dates in 2012 btw, we've finally got on the case and will put some info up v soon atb Phil

Need a clean copy of this please, not bothered which label but, unlike those I've found trawling the web, clean and at a reasonable price of poss. PM me if you have one Cheers Phil

thanks bud