Mick Howard

Just got back from Vintage & have to say I enjoyed it immensely. The Soul Casino was great so thanks to the DJ's in there not least Ady, Jo & Val. Only caught one band on the Soul Stage although I didn't get their name. They were very good and it was a nice touch to have guests do some numbers with them. Beverley Knight guested with The Feeling on the main stage & she was as ever the professional. Enjoyed the rock tent too although very strange to hear Keb playing rockabilly! The best bit of the whole day for me was The Damned who were effin great but that's another story not for here. Only one gripe and that is the lack of WC's... Mick

Wot, no Stevie Wonder? Mick

Dave mate - hope Lou is fine. Anyway, The Persuaders - 11 out of 10 for that one - effin heartacheful (if that's a proper word - well it is now). Billy Paul - tremendous - reminds me of a gig I went to back in the mid 80's with Pete Lawson & Dave Molloy - think it was Oldham but not sure but anyway it was a TSOP revival with Billy Paul, The 3 Degrees and Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes - as Tony would say "they're ggggrrrrrrreeeeeeeeeeeaaaaatttttttttt" Mick

You know Jim, I often ponder Soul music in general & always agree with myself (strange geezer) that I just f***ing love it....................... Donny Hathaway is also one of my favourite artists and Love Love Love is ooooohhh as you say. Such a shame how his life ended. It's right that we 'showcase' the unknown, the forgotten etc. but there is no getting away from the humungous talent that the well know artists had & whilst I know you said top 3, I offer another 3: I Never Loved A Man (The Way I Love You) - Aretha Franklin (an effin orgasmic recording if there ever was one) Ain't Too Proud To Beg - The Temptations (my favourite male group of all time with or without Ruffin) Touch The Hem of His Garment - Sam Cooke (I know that its strictly Gospel but hey....) Mick

Jim Quite right asking this question. This is Soul Source after all, not Northern Soul Source and most of us entered the world of Northern via regular Soul. Hard to pick a 'top' three but certainly three of my favourites are: First Time Ever I Saw Your Face - Roberta Flack The Ghetto - Donny Hathaway Living For The City - Stevie Wonder Mick

Last one for now.... another regular feature Mick

74 before my time I'm afraid but Tony Cummings is well known for his er not quite so flattering musings about the Northern scene. He has, however, since changed his mind so I've read in Neil Rushtons book. Mick

Webby Indeed it was called Black Echoes. It changed early 80's I think. The Rambler I think was called Ramblings and I remember Stomping Ground too but I don't remember the authors. Do you remember (Pat) Brady Beat? Mick

I've collected some 'stuff' over the years not least a few extracts from Echoes which I think, more than Blues & Soul, was a must for all Northern fans from the mid 70's onwards. I still have copies of a couple of letters that I sent in that I am far too embarrassed to include here but some of the articles are worth reading again. Here's a start from Stuart Cosgrove who is now a football pundit on Scottish BBC... Anyone else got any interesting articles like this? Mick

Well, as promised here is that nostalgia trip Jock. I'm sure that a few others on here will remember this. This is the front page and your (I assume) resume of one of the Stafford anniversaries. I will post something else from this a lttile later. I will also start a new thread re some stuff from Echoes including a Stuart Cosgrove piece although sadly I can' find the one that you referred to. Enjoy:thumbsup: Mick

I'll be there on the Sunday along with 5 other freinds & family. We're on holiday in Dorset anyway so it's only a short drive. £55 for a day ticket 'aint that bad for what's actually on - Ali & I have been to many festivals over the years and they're extremely pricey these days. What's not listed in the programme which I heard today is that Johnnie Walkers Sounds of the Seventies show will be live with guests The Faces. I read recently that Rod the mod won't be re-joining and that Mick Hucknall is his replacement!! Might be interesting. Mick

Kenny Really don't know owt about it but would think that it must be 'rare' but what country in Africa is it from? Mick

Simon By jove I think you've got it Sir but did this actually get played out much? Far too fast then let alone now to dance to but a great tune nevertheless. Mick

Oh Tom You're not wrong mate. I used to do all sorts with it - pleats, extensions, crops, bleach, you name it. Sadly those days are gone so I've reverted to my first 'proper' haircut - a skinhead (c/w lambchops)..... Mick

Jock me old china Will have a route around & see what I can dig out re Cosgrove (St Johnstone - pah....) - fairly sure I have some stuff by him from back in the day. I do have something though that I'm going to scan some extracts from which will be a bit of a nostalgia trip not least to you young man. Between Flynny and Chalky all the C/U's I put up have been er..... uncovered The Carol Anderson & Larry Hale, however, still eludes. Mick Mick

Spot on. Knew you'd get most if not all of these Chalky.... Mick

You may still have a full head of hair Mr Thorley but most of us have lost some if not all of ours...... Re the C/U's I can't think of the Carol Anderson or Larry Hale either but here are a couple more from back in the day for a quiz (C/U artists only to make it a little more difficult)! Johnny Honeycut Big Joe's Ivory Brass Lou Pride Johnny Hendley The Agents (one of my favs from Keb then Rob Marriott) The Ambassadors (I believe Terry found a heap of these at Global in Manchester) Eddie Lyons Mick

I know that there was a huge number of pages that sprang up following Daves post about the Stafford re-union back in April but to honest I don't have time to sift through that lot to see if these were posted up. First is the flyer for the Eddie Parker & Lorraine Chandler gig (which was effin awesome) and the other an article from Echoes of 1985.

Webby Got yer tickets for St Ives yet? Anyway, 3 memories from the Casino: 1) First time there - not least being overwhelmed by it, the number of people, the absolutely precise clapping, not being able to get onto the dance-floor but most of all a feeling of being watched.... 2) Tobacco stains on my white t-shirt from the condensation drips off the ceiling.... 3) The quantity and colourfull array of gear being carried by the Birmingham crew when I travelled up with them on their coach one time (with a guy called Mick funnily enough from Chelmsley Wood) not to mention the driver who stashed it under the internal engine hood.... Mick

Effin brilliant tune. I remember Gaz Kellett getting me my copy & presenting it to me at a surprise party in Halifax organised by my ex when I came back from Saudi in 87 - I nearly burst into tears.... Obviously theres the other version by Marlena Mars (I think) on MGM but I also had an alternative vocal by Tommy Frontera called Merry-Go-Round on Palmer - its' not a great tune by any standards but unusual if only for the fair-ground organ type thing going on over the track. Mick

Really, really interesting but not being able to find out any info about a particular singer isn't very unusual. This is so true of a lot of tunes on the Soul scene. A guy whose friends lets say egg him on to cut an acetate following which no label where it's 'hawked' wants to take it up is surely doomed to failure as obviously this guy was. Granted, its a very nice blues but not that much different to many in the late 50's & early 60's so...... Mick

I have an old cassette tape of Jr Walker & The All Stars that I taped on a Bush recorder at St Ives (probably haven't even listened to it for 30 years and its probably rubbish - but I did manage to capture them doing I Ain't Going Nowhere - effin tremendous). Does anyone remember that gig and the year - think it might have been just before Christmas 76(ish)... It was absolutely rammed not only with UK soul folk but also a bunch of US servicemen and women from the bases in East Anglia. Mick

Sassy I think the previous release was called Skinny Jeans and it was also rather good. Still retro though and nothing like the real thing........ Mick

An offer of a decent job (i.e good salaries) in the North, East, West or even South of England for both me & Ali plus an offer we couldn't refuse on our current house to allow us to move from Scotland which is pretty much a desert these days for all-nighters & the cost of travelling is too much these days. Basically if I lived nearer to all nighter venues I would probably go more often. Mick

VM does everything on this record bar sing the bloomin' thing. Mick