bri phill

You're now talking about joke records surely John Fred wouldn't have been played in any decent Mnchester club apart from the really cheesy ones . Please don't besmurch the Wheel name with such shite. Brian

Remember Herbie from the Twisted Wheel he use to put a great show on and No 1 in your heart was played pretty regular at one time. He appeared there a few times as one of the guys who was always about on the scene going back even before my time. regards Brian

2 great tunes them Max big in the day and no way should they be forgotten. That young whipper snapper Ian will be scouring his boxes for 'em now if not I'm sure he will smell 'em out somewhere LOL. I don't want to put any tunes on this thread because if I start collecting again thats the sort of stuff I'll be after underplayed quality at reasonable money. Regards Brian

Thanks for bringing this to our attention and like a previous post just shows you how good this site is. O.V. was one of the most underrated singers of all time he certainly deserves any support we can give all be it 28 years after his death. Regards Brian

Rob, Just received the poster FANTASTIC cheers for that,the Bridlington ones look great aswell> Regards Brian

This thread has been fantastic reading and is getting addictive like looking for the bloody sounds itself SOME GREAT UK ONES THERE SEAN. What people may not realise about a lot of the clasic UK Northern tracks was that the older guys like Roger Eagle and Guy Stevens would have played these when they were new releases but by 1968 -69 they had got forgotten.A lot of the older guys had moved on from clubs like the Wheel to more upmarket nightclubs which sold booze,so we were rediscovering a lot of the sounds many of the classic of the day I bought without hearing them first but you'd heard of them in conversation with older guys. Anyway talking of demos I remember getting a load from the Daily Express what their reviewers were dumping mainly loads of EMI stuff circa 1968-69 my brother worked there and told me they had a load of stuff got it all for treating him to a few drinks in Yates accross the road. It was funny back then some people didn't like demos and didn't place the same value on them I couldn't get enough of 'em. Regards Brian

Ian,that day I described seem like being in heaven at the time,I could flog my guts out all wek and find nothing but the common club sounds what I struggled to get 5/- for but I couln't leave them for someone else to find could I?Then another week I could find boxes of stuff in the Co-ops around Manchester they had litteraly thousands of sounds over a period of time. The real excitement for me was putting stuff you have never heard on the decks and it being a winner either after taking a flyer on stuff in the uk or when I use to get shipments from the US. cheers Brian

Not a US one but a short story on hunting for sounds in the UK following on from my earlier first visit to London story. From early 1967 I become addicted to building up the best collection but with only earning £4/11s a week , wanting to club it most nights ,get to work etc.and I was suppose to give my parents 25/-it wasn't going to be easy. I was lucky enough to work in a office in Manchester City Centre which put me within striking distance of all the record shops ,stalls or any other place selling records.I managed to wangle my job (without the bosses knowledge)so I could do the rounds of every shop apart from the new record shops mid morning ,mid afternoon and on my way home,so I had the best chance when they were putting new stuff out. First call was Tony's record stall Shudehill he use to have recently released and older surplus stock next to him were book stalls who from time to time got records then onto another 7 or 8 outlets at full sprinting pace. Saturdays took me all over the surrounding towns and eventually from !968 all over the country by bus train or whatever and in the evening doing trades etc. With the Wheel lads and can honestly say at that time 1967-71 I'd be surprised if anyone was putting in that effort. one morning I found a full collection in Mazels a Manchester second hand music shop of about 150 sounds including a lot of the wheel classics Invitations ,Alexandra Patten,Incredibles Marvin Smith etc.managed to agree £12 for the lot.The same afternoon found a few demos such as Everybody Loves a goodtime,I'm Standing,Sweet thing etc. on a book stall and took a flyer on a handful of sounds that looked promising in Tibb Street records . The problem was I'd left £2 deposit on the Mazels find and had to come up with the other tenner by close of business or he would put them back out ,at the time I was already a couple of hundred quid in debt but managed to blag it off a girlfriend who was looking after the office holiday club money.The icing on the cake that day was 2 of the records I took a flyer on was Mary Love on King and looking for you Garnett Mimms. I use to have to beg steal borrow to fund a record junky lifestyle some of the results were my Dad finished up in court for not paying his Burtons account what I told him I was paying for him,half of the office had no holiday money when they come to draw it out, my Brothers programme and half his record collection disappeared without his permission my workmates scooter went missing ( mind you it was a vespa, I can't understand why he was so annoyed!) he did eventually get it back and I owed money to everyone else who knew me. Then I started record lists,started DJ'ing at the Wheel got a part time window cleaning round and also had a part time number sorting thousands of records out upstairs in Ralphs Records but thats another story. You bastard Ian this is hard work remembering and writing this down. Regards Brian Phillips

Ian,I can honestly say he never ripped me off but if I would have give him the grand he wanted back in 74 when I met him in London I think I would have been added to the list.I ripped myself off I was far too cheap when I hear how much everyone was paying for their tunes,mind you I didm't want to hang on to 'em with the way Selecta Disc was back then. Brian

Great story Ian as usual.Simon Sousann,the first dealings I had with him must have been 1972, he use to buy some stuff of me via mail order and wanted to meet up to do some trading.I went to his flat in Leeds and after a couple of hours of swaps etc. I give him a cheque for about £30,on my way home got lost and finished up on the moors with fog like soup thought I was never going to get home.When I eventually made it around 3am couldn't find my cheque book and cancelled the cheque book next morning,tried to explain to him why his cheque had bounced but he wasn't a happy bunnie. The next time I heard from him he was in Mexico,he use to send me stuff and I use to send him cash in between a couple crap records. He then turned up in Holywood and wanted me to go over and set up business with him because I had a great customer base and was trusted which he obviously wasn't.I was having such a great time in the Uk so I didn't want to swap the council estate for Hollywood. I saw him again when he turned up to meet me in the Hotel Picadilly in Manchester he bought some stuff of me,and I bought some of him. The last time I saw him he was staying at The Cumberland Hotel in London around 1974 he told me he could get the most incredible stuff and needed a minimum of a grand upfront.I never really ever trusted him told him to send me the stuff first but he wasn't having that so that was that. Thw scenes all about character and he was certainly one of them. Regards Brian

Hi Paul,Moondogs was on East Ham High Street but I don't think he opened until the early 70.s, I tended to go in junk,electrical shops in the main then,I didn't like paying 10/- for a single then unless it was a real big sound.it was hard getting more than £1 for anything in 1968 especially in Manchester,I think on that trip to London the most I would paywas 2/6d.,unless it was new import release from Record Corner or Soul City. I become friends with the guy in Moondogs can't remember is name though nice guy he was. cheers Brian

Hi Ian,some great stories you should be writing thrillers your a natural story teller which I'm not but i'll have ago,not a US one but my first trip to London when I was 16 in 1968. I decided to go one Monday early summer 1968 dragged a mate with me we had about £20 between and a bag od half crown copies that worked great in the cigarette machines what my mate had engineered at Ferrantis. We blagged a lift down from a joiner I knew who was going down there for a job. On arrival found ourselves in Paddington after a bit of searching got some digs at 15/-a night in some dodgy gaff used by the local brass probably.Anyway next day after a night on the booze started hunting first call was Soul City Deptford then Record Corner Balham didn't get much, I was after older stuff at the time and did't want to pay shop prices. Anyway next stop was Soho after a few distractions found some stalls and some shops with some old stuff in it nothing brilliant but took a flyer on about 20 tunes plus a few half decent sounds including Dany White on Sue.Then after a lot of wondering around and finding nothing went back to the digs. We went out at the night armed with these half crowns to get as many cigs as we could from machines we'd spotted the night before and turn them into money after about an hour we had a bagfull of cigs.Then started around the pubs selling them after a bit of hassle and some copper chasing us were about £5 better off a weeks wage then.After a few drinks and a fight in some chippy in which my mate copped for a black eye were back to the digs for the night. It was Wednesday morning and the landlord wanted us out of the digs after a bit of rumpus so we had to find somewhere we managed to find a place in Baker Street advertised in the Standard 12/6d a night,some chineese geezer shown us the room apart from a load of empty cider bottles under the bed and the wallpaper went round the corners instead of in them was Ok.It was a luxury to the 10/- a night gaff in Queens Park what some Asian guy had tried to put us in the loft on a matress amongst 20 other boddies. I know needed to get down to some serious sound hunting I'd been reccomended the East End so found myself over to Whitechappell found a market right outside the tube station, a lot of Red and common black Atlantic recent Motown nothing worth much more than 2/6d.took a flyer on a few imports.After a lot of slepping about found this old electrical shop with a f ew hundred singles in it picked up Humphrey stomp,Slipping around,Pain gets a little deeper which I already had and took a flyer on about 20 that may be ok that was it for the day. Thursday saw me out early determined to really find some serious stuff,back over to the Eastend at East Ham,picked up some old Oriole Contours,Stevie Wonder,Marvin Gaye in a junk shop not what I was looking for at the time only worth about 5/-.Found another electrical shop full of hoovers with a few sounds in it nothing of a ny interest asked him as he got anything else he put me on to his mates shop I think it was in Stepney.Eventually found it with a few thousand sounds in boxes went straight for the fresher looking stuff(not dog eared covers}found Dr.Love,I dig your act,Jerk it,Ecstacy(not pills) and took a flyer on some others a decent find at 2/- a time. After another eventfull night in Soho it was off home on Friday but I tought I'd give it one last go and found our way over to North London I think Camden but can't just remember.Stumbled on to a second hand musical instruement shop a bit like Mazels in Manchester with boxes of records outside in Cardboards sleeves.After half an hour found some half decent stuff including West Coast,American Poets and some other stuff that looked promising so I had about 40 records in all, but hardly any cash, so it was on our toes for the tube station with some old geezer chasing us. We picked up our left luggage and was off trying to thumb a lift home,got lucky with some West Indian guy who was going to Moss Side,he had to stop in Coventry for some business we waited for him and he even bought us some grub a great guy. I finished up with about 300 records about 100 crap but out of the stuff I hadn't heard at the time got Unsatisfied(yellow demo)What are you trying to do,Investigate,I choose to sing the blues,Dance with me The Blendells,andHey Girl Reuben Wright. I've had more fruitful hunts but always remembered my first trip to London,I loved the place and the Tube, I mean you could could get anywhere for nothing apart from the odd guard colliering you and as long as you could outrun a middle aged overweight west Indian ticket collector. Anyway got to go to Work running late Cheers Brian Phillips

Hi Pete. Your a pretty good judge,I personally use to play Los Canarios at the Wheel in 1969 not my favourite but not that bad, probably at least 200 worse on the scene in the 70's and even now but I understand why this was highlighted although Panic should be in the first 2 IMHO.BTW I played a sound in the late 60's( but I think I got away with it )that deserves to be in the top 10. Regards Brian

Hi Niel, I am going to try and make it down for this,will look forward to meeting Graham again a real top bloke and never got the credit he deserved pass my regards to him will you.I see my old record dealing buddy Carl is on aswell should be a great night. best regards Brian Phillips

I agree for sheer volume of tunes discovered that was the golden period but for sheer quality the period before imho was just as good if not better.

For the qualty of tunes and atmosphere The Twisted Wheel was miles ahead IMHO,I don't think you can ever beat a basement club when it comes to atmosphere,big ballrooms can't match up.Don't judge it by the Wheel now,it was on two floors and all the basement was a dance floor apart from small stage and DJ area.With 600plus crammed in from allover the country,400 dancing and only the occasional sub standard tune nothing comes close. I also think it was the most important because it set the standard and spawned the idea of setting up allniters ellswhere.The Torch did a great job in following and IMO is the second most important club,The Cats another great club for quality of tunes. The Mecca and The Casino although both credible contenders would have struggled to get of the ground if the Wheel would have still been open. Regards Brian

You're right Chris nobody I knew called it Northern in the early seventies or give a shit,I thought Northern was to do with them comedians on Top of the Pops prancing about with vests on.

Their wern't any tubby merchants at the wheel with all them amphetamines in fact I don't remember any tubby DJ's anywhere else,we could all pull and I could even dance.Even Ian Levine wern't tubby when he use to come to our house buying records.It was handy knowing a tubby bird though she could get the pills but I don't think they let them in clubs in them days not that I've got anything against tubby birds.LOL REGARDS BRIAN

I know from the late 60's I use to call it rhythm and soul because on my first record list in late 68 I put on it Rhythm and soul specialist.I know fellow DJ's at the time Farmer Carl and Bob Crocker also called it that(and none of us wore glasses or were full of spots),the other term we seem to use was deleted soul. Talking of London I use to go down there every month and find imports on Camden,Whitechapel and other markets in 69/70,Ric Tic,Okeh,checker,ABC,and a few other labels.I also use to go to Bristol,Leeds and other parts and find a few,the prices were 5p 10p in old money plus lots of UK stuff. Regards Brian

Hi Steve, Do you know what happened to Tony Brown I was told he went to Holland,Fred may know,I'll appreciate you passing my regards to Fred. regards Brian

Fre BEnson theier's a name from the past I did a gig in 1970 with him in cleethorpes,Tony Brown asked me to come up he was trying to get an allniter going back then, so I had a night of the Wheel to do that. regards Brian

Hi Tony,Julian, Got a pm about this but don't know how to reply not upto speed on that yet have been away all week grafting.I found Robert Banks on Verve demo alongside Jerry Cook on capitol in 1969 in Tib Street Manchester.Ihadn't heard of any of them at the time but just took a chance,I played them in the Wheel upto leaving in September 1970 after that they wouldn't have been played there alongside lots more on account of me having a vastly superior collection( ha ha).At the time The cats etc didn't have them according to Docker and the Bridgnorth lads who use to come up after the Cats and I knew Bob Crocker was after them.Their was a lot of stuff that got credited later especially when they put out cd's and the wheel ones seem to consist of club soul(where's Ian Dewhurst)Rober Banks wan't a monster at the Wheel,I remember Rob Bellars trying to put me of playing by telling me he was some gospel singer.That reminds me he also tried to put me of Bobby Bennett-Your'e ready know which I found before the Franki Valli version got played by saying he was a childrens entertainer he probably was. regards Brian

You certainly know your stuff Tony,I remember at the time trying to find another version of this thinking if Geno has recorded it their must be an original version out there.It was quite a good track and got played at the Wheel unlike Michael where the original only got played.

I think that Duffy is a fantastic new talent both writing and singing a lot more soulful than a lot of stuff I hear on the NS scene.The dancers I think were selected from the CIS allniter good to see them wearing a bit of mod gear I think Paul Walker was one(they didn't want all the old boys)wise move. In my opinion their's so much good talent out thee at the moment Indie,dance and singer/acoustic,and I'm talkinng about that crap what's on Xfactor I mean real talent. I'm not sure this topic should be on heere though> cheers Brian

Interesting that survey, never knew the civic centres had so much to offer,I'll have to check out the formal dinners.