Ian Dewhirst

Well that's a great example for continuing to do what you do mate! I'm doing the review for "Northern Soul's 200 Greatest Floorfillers" for Manifesto. I think they'll need at least 3 pages 'cos the tracklisting needs to be there (all 200 tracks) and I've done 800 words already just on your background and the sheer scale of the project LOL. If justice were done, it should be a 4 pager...... The sad passing of Levi Stubbs has made me realise that all the performances on this 5 x DVD set should be cherished by all. You deserve a medal for this. I'm proud of you........... Ian D

Wow, I'm genuinely touched by the last 3 pages of comments. It's obvious that Levi Stubbs was an integral part of many peoples lives. I've done virtually nothing all day but play Four Tops records and now I'm even more emotional. Levi Stubbs should be floating to heaven on the sheer wave of emotion on this one thread. Thank God for Soul Source. It really gives comfort to know that everyone's feeling the same way....... Ian D

This may have been posted before but I make no excuses for posting it again. I was just sorting the Original Mastercuts show tomorrow (2.00-4.00pm LIVE on www.starpointradio.com) and this is going to be played @ 3.25pm. Utterly, utterly brilliant! One of the greatest performances I've ever heard in fact. She's just sensational. I love the song, the arrangement is phenomenal and the performance is just breathtaking Vermeytta Oyster "The Comfort Of Your Arms" https://www.divshare.com/download/5617422-df4 To me this sounds like an absolute monster. I'd love to hear this in a club LOUD! A guaranteed floorfiller if the right people get behind it. Just a great rekid! Soul Intention 004 Phil? Ian D

Yippee! Prestatyn was rockin' last week but it's good to be back behind the studio decks again. So back LIVE again tomorrow from 2.00-4.00pm on www.starpointradio.com for the Original Mastercuts show. There's a rumour that Savannah and her friends may join us again so who knows what to expect....? Music's looking GREAT though...... Rufus & Chaka Khan, Fat Larry's Band, Sonja Grier, Lil' Louie, Denitria Champ, Ten City, Halo, Skool Boyz, Ruth Dawes, Wanda Walden, Paul Laurence, The Funk Brothers Vs Six Million Steps, The Four Tops, Bobby Hutton, Garland Green, Turn Of The Century, Vermeytta Royster, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Tina Broussard, Private Eye, Bobby Caldwell, Earth, Wind & Fire & Kenny G, Johnny Hudson, Alexander O'Neal & Cherrelle ........and naturally there'll be a Levi Stubbs tribute @ 3.00pm on the dot! See y'all tomorrow! Ian D

"Find Me Somebody" - Bobby Womack ? No piano though......... Ian D

F*%k it. I just spent 20 minutes composing a beautiful reply with TONS of relevent stuff in it (I have to do the Manifesto review for "Northern Soul's 200 Greatest Floorfillers" this weekend, etc, etc). It was probably the best thing I've written all week! But I accidentaly snapped-off the Wireless switch on my CRAP HP laptop and lost it all!!!! C'est la vie. So What? Levi died tonight and I'm feeling very poignant. The Nat song is great and will be the third release on Soul Intention Records. Also could you post the 'B' side as well, as I think this is a brilliant double-sider. Incidentaly, Nat's family to me, as I'm best mates with his Light Of The World colleague, Gee Bello. So does Nat know I'm involved? Ian D

As a kid Levi Stubbs' voice was one of the first voices I heard which stirred my lifelong passion for Soul music. As a 10 year old only child in 1965, I spent a lot of time listening to the radio and in 1965 the radio in our house was set to the BBC Light Programme. Suddenly, throughout the next two years, the family radio reverberated with the most incredible music I'd ever heard in my life. Records like "I Can't Help Myself", "It's The Same Old Song", "Reach Out I'll Be There", "Standing In The Shadows In Love" and "Bernadette" all poured forth from the Bush TR82 radio in our kitchen. It's almost like the soulful heartbeat of Detroit was being fed into the family kitchen every morning. If the truth be known, it's probably the vocals of Levi Stubbs which instigated my eventual journey into what we now know as Northern Soul. Naturally I'll be doing a Levi tribute on the Original Mastercuts Show 2.00-4.00pm this coming Sunday on www.starpointradio.com @ 3.00pm sharp. Levi Stubbs is an icon in Soul music's rich history. So majestic, so powerful and so unique. God bless him. Ian D

Some people would pay a premium for the pubic hair LOL......... Ian D

Thanks to everyone who's placed an order for this. I've only just caught up with the PM's! If you check the thread you'll see the problems we've had with the 'B' side of the first pressing. We are now in the process of re-manufacturing but it could be around 10 days before we get the good pressings through with a clean 'B' side, so anyone who wants to order and place themselves in the queue (which would be a good idea anyway) should send either a PM directly to Phil Dick (phild) or e-mail info@soul-intention.co.uk as I'll be away from next Tuesday 21st until Thursday 30th by which point we should have the new pressings. Phew what a week......... Best, Ian D

Bobby Hutton "It's All Been Said Before" ABC Ian Dewhirst London

Yep. Pressing vinyl is becoming a dying art that's for sure......... Incidentaly, I have some reggae stuff knocking around which I want to clear out - all decent mid 70's mint J.A. original press Dub albums. Is this up your street? If so I'll PM you with a list........ Ian D

I wish it was that easy Mark! I had the misfortune of having to mail everyone who got the record this morning the following message: "Dear All, Cafe Regio's Alert! You're going to receive your "Cafe Regio's" order in the post tomorrow morning but please note that we've just discovered a problem with the 'B' side instrumental! We approved the 3rd lot of TP's (after 2 previous sets failed) but the pressing plant used the wrong bloody stamper on the 'B' side, so we're now going to have to do the whole lot again! The 'A' side is OK so please feel free to play it and keep it. As these were the first off the press you may as well keep it as the rest will be destroyed. So by complete default, you've actually got an accidental rarity. Please accept our sincere apologies and rest assured that we will mail out the correct pressing to all of you free of charge as soon as we get them, which should be early next week. In the meantime, enjoy the 'A' side as you're the only people who have them (along with some copies we gave to DJ's and Dealers @ Prestatyn) so there's only around 40 copies of these that are out there - luckily we stopped the other 80 personal orders and 350 wholesale orders which were due to be mailed and sent out tomorrow - these have now been recalled/stopped and will be destroyed. An accidental rarity but a major headache for us! It's almost like someone's trying to sabatage this bloody record or maybe that's just me being paranoid! Apologies once again. We have everyone's details so we'll mail you the good copies a.s.a.p." And this on the Ian Levine thread in answer to "Where are my copies?":- "Going back to the bloody pressing plant to be destroyed! The 3rd set of TP's were just fine and approved but they used the wrong stamper on the 'B' side of the finished copies with the result that we've now had to recall all of 'em! Luckily I managed to stop the big wholesale orders before they were despatched and the radio copies were due to go out today, so the only copies which have escaped were the ones I gave out @ Prestatyn and the lucky sods who put their orders in first via Soul Source and got them mailed yesterday, who have now all been contacted and told they will receive a fresh pressing free of charge as soon as we get them. So it's really been a question of damage limitation with the result that there are actually only about 40 copies out there with perfectly good 'A' sides but duff 'B' sides. A collectors item for some but a major headache for us. It could have been far worse as something like a further 400 copies were due to be despatched today! I hope this is a good example for anyone who thinks that getting a record pressed these days is easy. I have never, in 32 years of getting records pressed, had as many problems as "Cafe Regio's" has posed in 2008. I think the art of pressing decent 7" vinyl records is being lost as I'm hearing many similar stories from other people - in one recent case, no less than 5 sets of TP's were rejected on quality grounds. We have now sacked the pressing plant in question and will moving all future production to the plant which Paul Mooney recommended (so many thanks Paul). I'm waiting for delivery information but I guess the new copies should be with us by the close of next week touch wood. Many apologies to all. I've been responsible for 1000's of releases since 1974 and I have never encountered the amount of problems that this one has suffered. In the immortal words of Chuck Jackson, "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait"! So there ya go Mark. Fun being a record tycoon innit! Ian D

Going back to the bloody pressing plant to be destroyed! The 3rd set of TP's were just fine and approved but they used the wrong stamper on the 'B' side of the finished copies with the result that we've now had to recall all of 'em! Luckily I managed to stop the big wholesale orders before they were despatched and the radio copies were due to go out today, so the only copies which have escaped were the ones I gave out @ Prestatyn and the lucky sods who put their orders in first via Soul Source and got them mailed yesterday, who have now all been contacted and told they will receive a fresh pressing free of charge as soon as we get them. So it's really been a question of damage limitation with the result that there are actually only about 40 copies out there with perfectly good 'A' sides but duff 'B' sides. A collectors item for some but a major headache for us. It could have been far worse as something like a further 400 copies were due to be despatched today! I hope this is a good example for anyone who thinks that getting a record pressed these days is easy. I have never, in 32 years of getting records pressed, had as many problems as "Cafe Regio's" has posed in 2008. I think the art of pressing decent 7" vinyl records is being lost as I'm hearing many similar stories from other people - in one recent case, no less than 5 sets of TP's were rejected on quality grounds. We have now sacked the pressing plant in question and will moving all future production to the plant which Paul Mooney recommended (so many thanks Paul). I'm waiting for delivery information but I guess the new copies should be with us by the close of next week touch wood. Many apologies to all. I've been responsible for 1000's of releases since 1974 and I have never encountered the amount of problems that this one has suffered. In the immortal words of Chuck Jackson, "Good Things Come To Those Who Wait"! Ian D

This is the problem. It's quite obvious that all the international hedge funds have switched from the volatile financial markets over to old Northern Soul records. Here's my approximate percentage rate of appreciation since I owned these same records:- Lou Pride - It's A Man's World c/w Your Loving Is Fading - Suemi £762 2600% Dean Parrish - I'm On My Way - Laurie promo £299 1,400% Four Tops - Something About You - Tamla Motown demo £275 2500% Any truth in the rumour that Morgan Stanley have approached JM for a leveraged buyout? Ian D

Good questions Mel! The Mecca was right there at the beginning of the 12" format....... Ian D

You're only the bloody producer! Sorry Ian - didn't get back from Prestatyn till early hours Monday morning and since then I've been processing over 100 orders, dealing with wholesale enquiries and getting promo copies to radio for plays this weekend! Will pop round at some point this week with the goodies! Ian D

Yes, but you sleep well with the knowledge that "Cafe Regio's" has sold over 100 copies in the last 24 hours! Pity the poor bugger who has to post and pack 'em all! No sleep for the wicked............ Ian D

It's so unusual for the Americans to acknowledge brilliance in their own back yard! I've always though that the U.S.A. undervalued their own music massively but maybe after 35 years things are beginning to change. Linda Jones in USA Today is a real coup for Soul Music and I would never have imagined it being possible. Great stuff! Ian D

Phew! Over 100 copies sold in the last 24 hours. Many thanks to all. We're off and running now and I think the record deserves it! Everyone who's ordered so far should have 'em by Thursday touch wood. Thanks to all. Ian D

Cafe Regio - Gary The Master Blaster Release View full article

Way Hey! You're welcome Nige. 'Twas moi that played it surprise, surprise! Absolutely sounds killer over a big system......... Ian D

The media has never portayed all the sides of Northern Soul properly in my opinion and the Paul O'Grady Show was no exception. There's always been many sides to the scene but it always tends to be the more obvious caricatures which get the media's attention. The Northern Soul scene I was on back in the early 70's was certainly a hell of a lot cooler than I've ever seen portayed by any of the media in the last 35 years. I don't think I ever seen a single TV slot which has ever caught the scene properly - certainly not the parts I witnessed back then. The media certainly never seemed to concentrate on some of the more fashionable sides of the scene or some of the more interesting stories behind the characters or music of the time. Just like any other scene, there were many sides to the Nothern scene of the early 70's - a big melting pot of different people from well-educated intellectuals to drug-frazzled freaks. I always felt that it would be nice if all sides of the story could be covered. If it's any consolation, I felt EXACTLY the same when "Footsee" was performed on Top Of The Pops in January 1975 and I had to spend the next few years trying to explain to people that Northern Soul wasn't about records like bloody "Footsee" and people doing somersaults every two minutes LOL. I just had the self same conversation with my 14 year old daughter and ended-up having to pull some photos and books out to show her what we really looked like! Annoying but what can you do? Also, Paul O'Grady's show is really a bit of light entertainment 'fluff' for the family teatime viewers, so don't take it too seriously. I certainly didn't. Ian D

Mmm. Interesting. I'll check it out........... Ian D