Ian Dewhirst

Hiya Folks, Tomorrow the ORIGINAL MASTERCUTS show will be coming LIVE from the Swansong 4 All-Dayer in Chertsey with the original team of myself and Alan Champ. It'll be live and spontaneous so who knows what we'll play but look forward to you joining us for a rip-roaring end to the month! Don't forget from September onwards, Al and myself will be sharing the honours every alternative Sunday! See you @ 2.00pm! Ian D

Yep, it was played at the Mecca around the same time........ Ian D

She loves her Northern Soul - she's a good mate of Keb's. Ian D

Very true! Did it with couple myself on Garrad decks which had long spindles and sometimes you'd get impatient between records! Ian D

All the above is wrong, wrong, wrong and James T is making accusations which are actually libelous. James' so called 'facts' are from a private conversation he had with Tim Brown last week and I've just spent the last 20 minutes going through the various accusations and James' ridiculous statements with Tim. In an ideal world I wanted Tim to make a statement himself but as he pointed out the very reason why he wanted me to try and sell some of his records privately was because he does not get involved with forums for the very reasons we're seeing right now! And I don't blame him. It's also the reason why a lot of people, especially record dealers shy away from these sort of public debates as they're vindictive, time-consuming and just downright nasty at times. To simplify the whole process because I'm sick of repeating myself here, if anyone wants to contact Tim directly and ask him any questions regarding these transactions then Tim will respond in person at raresoulvinyl@btconnect.com. He will confirm the prices he wanted directly with anyone who wants to ask him. He will also confirm that he knew I would be putting the opportunity on S.S. and that my commission is remarkably stable @ around the 5% mark which comes out of his price. Not that it's actually anyone's business of course. He will also deal directly with Boba about his concerns and the other person who wants to return a record as he knows them both and is more than happy to discuss the situation with them. All the cases where people have bought records have been clear cut and above board. No skullduggery here I'm afraid. Every transaction which has been done to date is covered by a wealth of PM's discussing the deal with the agreement on price. Nobody's arms have been twisted and people had the option to say no without any problems at this end - there's been plenty of refusals and that's fine. If Boba didn't want the record he didn't have to take it. I've had two phone calls from people this morning who were nervous that they wouldn't be getting their records because of all this and had to assure them that they will. As for me, I've had enough of all this. Any transactions which are currently going through will be completed and congratulations to everyone who got the records they wanted. It turned out to be a thankless task in the end because of the actions of a few people but c'est la vie I guess. And many thanks to everyone who has contacted me and either given me support or thanked me for the records they've received. In the meantime I would ask if anyone has a problem to contact either me via PM or Tim via raresoulvinyl@btconnect.com. And Mike, could you please keep an eye out for any potentially libelous stuff on here if poss? I've never had a problem with anyone I've sold records to in 35 years as many people on here will confirm and it pains me to have all this happen for what was essentially an opportunity for people to have a shot at some records they might not have found otherwise. Best, Ian D

Well I'm disappointed Boba. I did everything in good faith. You gave me a long list of records, Tim happened to have three of them in his collection, HE set the prices not me, I contacted you and you went ahead and ordered the item. Tim set the price of a £500 minimum for anything from his own collection, not me and priced this @ £550. I had no idea of what the book rate was and even if I had known I doubt that it would have made any difference as this was from Tim's collection and he'd already stated that he wasn't selling anything below the £500 level. What was not to understand? The record was packed VERY securely with I believe 2 heavy cardboard stiffeners each side of the record. I have never, ever had a broken record sent out of well over 1000 transactions all over the world. All the stuff about paying a premium for stuff in Tim's collection is NOT bs! He puts a premium on the stuff in his collection and sets the prices OK? Plus he said it was pretty rare and he only had the one copy. If you don't believe me, then why don't you ring him and ask him yourself? I will take this up with Tim and come back to you privately. If you want to send it back, then send it back and I'll offer a full refund but I think it's pretty unfair airing this publically. As it happens, someone else wasn't very keen on the condition of a record he bought but contacted me via PM and it's being sorted out without the attendant ballyhoo. Plenty of other people are very happy with the records they've bought. A shame Boba. We had lengthy conversations via PM's and if you had any concerns it might have been nice to raise them with me first. Ian D

Yep, I don't disagree with the above Tabs. I didn't know if any sales would come of it but since they have by all means switch it to Sales Mike. I was half-inclined to stick it in there in the first place but strangely enough I thought someone would complain because there was nothing specifically for sale LOL. It was purely speculative and just added another route to some hard-to-find records. It's been a generally interesting exercise despite the personal taunts. It's ended up uniting people with records they wanted and thrown it open to lots of other people who wanted a shot at some titles. Only 4 days left and I don't think I'll be in a hurry to do it again anytime soon but anyone who's already bought is welcome to keep in contact if they have no joy through other routes. Ian D

Correctomundo Pete. Last thing I need right now is to foist an 'almost impossible to tell' boot on someone! That would definitely put the cat amongst the pigeons LOL.... Ian D

Well that's where I earn my commission Paul. Tracking down Tim can be a nightmare and you have to catch him in the right mood, let him talk for 2 hours and then catch him off-guard! And that bit where you said 'don't care how much you make out of the deal' is very tempting but I'm trying to get it for you as near as dammit to a decent price as I can mate. Also some very convincing high-price boots made from the original masters are doing the rounds so there's an element of caution on this one. But will come back to you one way or t'other lad.... Ian D

Jesus. I thought I was in bad way Rod. Please accept my sincere condolences and the cheques in the post....... By the way, I've recently come into possession of some wants-lists from people who are desperate to get hold of certain records, some of which you may have lying around in that back-shed of yours since there's a fair welter of your kind of stuff being asked for (in other words you probably have a fair chunk of 'em since you dug 'em up in the first place)! Shall I whack 'em over 'cos ya never know? It's possible that you may not know the buyers as there's a fair few people wanting different things and you may be able to help 'em...........plus you know I occasionally send wayward souls to your place for a glimpse of the North........ Aside from that, hope you're well and all is hunky dory......... Ian D

Yep. Got it in one Moggy. I saw Tim in July, had a few weeks to kill in August so thought I'd put some feelers out for him because he didn't want to publicise the issue. I've known Tim 38 years and he trusts me. There's other mates on here that I know really well (sorry to Phil D for instance) that I couldn't reveal the sellers identity to them either! 'Cos that's what Tim wanted. Yep, there was no need for James T to say a lot of the things he's said but we're dealing with someone who calls himself "Trouble" and is consumed with so much hatred for no logical reason that when I say he ought to see a shrink I really mean it. Seriously. It can't be healthy going through life like that. I thought some of his previous posts in other threads were unnecessarily personal and nasty and seemed designed simply to cause offence or outrage. But, hey, what do you expect from someone who calls himself "Trouble". Unnecessary nastiness from someone who seems forced to live up to his self-appointed image. Pathetic. In my experience, this scene has usually been about friendliness between other enthusiasts which is why people travel around the country meeting like-minded people and having fun listening to the music that they love. Sure, there's always been a bit of backbiting, digs here and there, controversies etc, etc over the years but James T has elevated the negative factor to a whole new level, which is probably what he was aiming for in the first place. I personally don't think there's any need for it. What's the point? Ian D

No, I said rather a 'has-been' then a 'never-was' without actually admitting to it! I'm actually busier than ever as it happens...... Ian D

I've dealt records all my life which shows you how much you know. Currently 400+ sales on E-Bay and 160+ sales on Discogs plus numerous deals with many dealers and collectors over the years back in the days when you were into Funk. Rather a has-been than a never-was....... Ian D

Correct Marc. He's very happy and the 'commission' is peanuts and frankly not worth the aggro. Can you picture the scenario? Hey Tim, I've just got you £3200 for your Gwen Owens. He says, well that's no big deal mate - it's a none-jumper and I could auction it tomorrow. And then I say, oh yeah, plus my 20% commission means you'll end up with £2560 for one of the rarest records around. Yeah right. That's gonna happen. Laughable..... Ian D

For the final time, OF COURSE Tim knew it would be on here. That was the whole point. The first sales were private and then I said to Tim why not throw it open as it may bring some fresh people to the table. And it has. If you were to cut out middlemen then you'd close the scene down - most dealers sell records on behalf of people - I don't know any that don't. None of the records I've sold have been on a list either. They're private copies from a personal collection. And for your info, you should have snapped Tim's hand-off on the deal you were offered as the Gwen Owens won't be going for that price now you can rest assured. And I wouldn't call it doing nothing either. It's hard work dealing with some people even when they've been offered a bargain! Ian D

Don't you dare compare me to Gary Lee - that's just wrong! Ian D

Of course it does hence the reason I asked people to submit their wants lists with prices on. Tim's the expert on prices here not me. In some cases there's been a 500% gap in what Tim thinks a tune's worth and the offer that's been sent. In other cases (Gwen Owens being a perfect example), Tim's valuation has been less than what other people believe a tune's worth. In the Gwen Owens case, the demand was that it HAD to be a none-jumper (answer yes) and it HAD to be mint (answer no sorry it's a mint-). Mint Gwen Owens no jumpers aren't exactly flooding the market and never have to my knowledge. If Mildy Annoying hadn't managed to lose his marbles he'd be playing the record now......... Ian D

For what it's worth, I thought it was a good price too as I said to Mildly Annoying in my PM...... For a start it's the only none-jumper I've personally ever seen........ Ian D

Might have been! Ian D

Aaah, now I understand. So it was like a 'tester'. And don't ever use two LOL's at the end of your replies as it makes you look double gay! Ian D

Oh yeah? Read your PM's! 4th August 8:39pm "No he doesn't have the ?????? but apparently ?????? sold his last week for £10K! The Martha Jean Love is an acetate so no go there either. And he really needs the correct titles of things as he doesn't necessarily know the cover up titles! Ian D" And what's the deal with TB anyway. Are his pieces of vinyl any different from anyone else's pieces of vinyl? Ian D

I guess you'd know all about that Mr Mildly Annoying LOL.... Ian D

Very true Kev. It's not the first time I've done something similar anyway. In fact last time I ended up selling Tim some stuff he was after! I have mates all over who collect all kinds of stuff and whenever they hit some Northern they call me and ask if I can help 'em. Normally there's nowt special but every so often some goodies turn up and if I can put 'em in touch with someone who wants the records then job done. Ian D

What's vague about someone enquiring after a record and offering a price for it? It's been going on since the year dot mate - long before you were a twinkle in John Anderson's eyes LOL. You asked for a few yourself didn't you? Fact is, they were so rare that even Tim didn't have 'em. If I'd have come back with one of them and it was under-priced (unlikely) then you'd have snapped my hand off wouldn't you? Ian D

He could Joan but he wants to keep his own collection seperate from his Anglo American business and he didn't want to publicise it in order to prevent getting calls 24/7 whilst he's trying to finish a book. It's not messy for him. I quote him the prices people are offering for certain records and he says yes, no or maybe. Also it's thrown up some surprises as he's sold records which would never have left his shelves previously and under other circumstances. He's very happy that he's sold some oddball pieces which don't particularly mean anything to anyone other than the buyers who are more than happy to get something they've been after for years. Ian D