TheBigO

Surely he wouldnt fit Kev?!? I will get my coat.......

For me its a yes! I still get that sense of excitement that I used to get when I first started out way back when if I hear a new sound out or if the words unissued/unreleased/acetate etc are attached. Providing that its a great toon and not just a mediocre one I see no problem with spinning it out and trying to give it the exposure it deserves. After all, isn't this what the scene is about, bringing to the dance floor sounds that otherwise would never have seen the light of day? For me I have no problem if a sound that is only available on CD is played out and indeed we had many that were programmed from Kent CDs etc at The Plinston that packed the floor. I think back to the discovery of the Motown tapes and all the DJs that had emidiscs cut to promote them out and about in the 80's. Its always been the way. Problem is now the scene is so fractured with different opinions on just about everything that the central point, that is the music, is starting to suffer as debates rage over can you or can you not play it because its never issued, its only on CD etc etc etc. RussellGilbert above makes the point well: Great music unearthed from wherever deserves to be heard - end of story.

WOW indeed! Thanks for the heads up on this, will definitely be rushing forth to the cinema or checking Skys not showing it at same time (as they do with some films) Otis and Bobby - superb

I was going to mention that got called away last sec

Saw this today: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/film/film-news/11010589/Northern-Soul-first-pictures-of-new-British-film.html

I stand duly corrected :-) Clifton Hall was fantastic though but its all getting blurred as old age calls :-))

I visit my parents in the USA regularly and they are in a place called Walker Minn, right up North and between the Armish settlement and the Indian reservations and almost fell off my perch when I walked into the local bookstore and amongst the usual Harley Mags, romance novels and Harry Potter books was Manships Guide to Rare Soul! Jesus I think the population for the immediate area is less than 800 so christ knows why they got one in, or how! That said it pretty much screwed me for picking up the 45s in numbers as I had been doing for the previous 36 years!!!! Gutted

I think I vaguely recall but will have a look through the chest of memories in the loft to see if I can find and pull out anything. It does sound familiar

Morecombe was a huge venue in the early 80's (worthy of the list) and a MUST as far as the Letchworth crew were concerned and some of the best times I ever had were at the venue - can still see the Pier bouncing as you approached with the 1000s feet shuffling to the Modern or backdropping to the 6T's. The Starlight room that baked you as the sun came up, the cafe at the bottom where you all met up after to sort where you were all moving onto and getting lifts etc, Marc Farleys perm that made even Dave Thorleys look cool (no honestly it did!) lol Memories - I know That Shaun G took film of the nights ( I know this because I'm on one and so was Rob Kearney just as he span off the stage in the dance comp!) and it would be great if he could post those or the pics as we never took that many pics as we thought we'd be like that for ever - DOH!

As always Pete fantastic upload and capturing everything that made us all go to allnighters across the country week in and week out. Super mate and much appreciated. BTW had the same editing to do on my C90's way back for exactly the same reason. My Gran thought I knew someone called Speed for years as he was mentioned a lot by " your lovely friends" - oops

Spyder for me as brings back cherished memories of friends who couldn't run as fast as me in life and are no longer here and therefore holds a special place in my heart. HOWEVER I came across some years back and adore and love Richie's smooth Callier-esque vocals so it's a bit of a hard one really, theres no BOTH category damm you evil Mike!

So true then the real story of what a bunch of raciest c**ts we really are could have been told! I almost choked on my biccy when that piece of crap was broadcast

Stafford TOTW nighters still hold a special place in mine and many others heart. As Dave said often rammed and loads of great experiences there - and all this despite Daves stylish perm and tash at the time - who knew! The legacy of those stafford toons is still around today and along with the 100 Club and the whole 6Ts Newies movement carried the scene forward in the 80's. As did the Modern Soul scene flourishing at the time.

Actually I'd like a reminder of what happened from 78-2005 as I can't remember anything due to having a very good time -

Having given up the will to live mid way through the usual arguments on here I thought I'd just skip to the bit where i post my thoughts on the documentary and for what its worth I thought it was probably one of the better articulated ones, even Levine came across OK(!), and as a look at the scene in its 'glory days' I thought is was alright. Good toons, coverage of all the basics from fashion to drugs, music etc (and lets be honest, if you want to have a true representative historical documentary on the scene from birth to now you anit going to get it in a 1 hour documentary.) and overall ok. I enjoyed Ian D's comments throughout. total empathy for everything he said and thats the point to me, not really covered on the programme but true none the less - that is, no matter if you were a Wheeler, A Torchist, a Casino regular, A Mecca Ritz or Cleethorpes devotee or a 80's Soulie or present day clubber the general truth is still there, we all share the same collective experiences throughout the decades, that same passion for the music and that feeling of being part of a collective movement that makes you different from all the Div's. We may argue endlessly about the state of the scene and the politics but at the end of it all we all just Soulies obsessed with the music. I was interviewed in the press in the 80s and the question asked was 'can you explain what is it about Northern Soul that arouses such passion and fanatical dedication?' My answer was simple: if you can put into words the feeling Northern Soul generates in you then you anit truly feeling it! So, we are always going to be fighting a losing battle when it comes to trying to explain it in the media IMHO. That said enjoyed the doc, lovely tribute to Fran, looking forward to the film as Elaine is a top girl and passionate as we all are and if this doc or film or the CD releases get a younger generation to take their first footsteps into the twilight world we have known and loved then its all good.

October 17th best for me as my birthday x

OOOOOH that's going to be heading its way to TheBigO manor asap! Top work fella

Great news!

Thanks Dave, great article

Sherlock Holmes - Standing At A Standstill - Part III I must be underwater 'cause my eyes are such a blur BTW intro reminds me of a Charlie Brown cartoon intro weirdly on the same theme, The Parliments - Heart Trouble and he (the plumber) took a look and much to my surprise, he said my son its not your sink its the teardrops from your eyes The PFunk man strikes again

And actually I think you will find in our world the Discoverer was often not the DJ, Pete Lawson been a very good example, and indeed Butch before he started DJing, and off course the daddy of them all John Anderson. In many ways in the 80’s they held far higher esteem than the DJ. Agree 100% with this Jocko and what Steve G says above too. When I was doing the whole Stafford 6T's Mafia thing I was getting tapes through the door on a daily basis from collectors etc packed with sounds, many of which went on to become monsters so i feel that its the collectors that have always been the ones pushing the scene forward. On the subject of Steve G he's been a major influence on me over the years and his taste in soul is fantastic, only today I've added another slew of TOONS! to that never ending Wants list that he's put me on to via his radio shows, damm the Soulful Silver Fox that he is!!!!

BTW I often see the term first played or my other fave, unknown, and it always raises a smile because invariably the 'unknown' isn't (in some cases stone cold Stafford classic etc!) and the term first played is subjective because if you ask around, excluding the likes of Butch Ady with one-offs etc, someone somewhere usually has spun said disc at local venues. It a strange old world we rummage in

Winnie you made a very dark day a whole lot brighter mate!!! Genius x

Ta Malc. have sent you email to your inbox on here mate :-)