Amsterdam Russ

I wonder how these “not like the old days” threads are going down on the trad jazz and tea dance forums of today...

Two great sides from Doug Banks. "I just kept on dancing" always transports me back to the 100 Club in the mid-eighties.

Brilliant sets from both of you - thank you for being there yet again at Amsterdam's small but mighty soul club!

The story goes that Kell was unhappy with the lack of promotion of his 45 at Loma and stropped off with the master of “Can’t outsmart a woman”. It seems likely that after taking it to Highland and recording a new vocal arrangement over the top of the backing track, Loma insisted on the return of the master and the destruction of “Law against a heartbreaker” at the same time.

You're clearly taking photos that people really appreciate, so keep on keeping on. More of the same, please! 📸

Congratulations to @soulandy for his fine selection of pics from the isle of Mull, which were the most-liked photos for the month of May. Well done!

Lovely tune out of Philly

There are certainly plenty of European soul weekenders to choose from, and the number of them is growing. For about three and a half years now, I've been running a Facebook group called the European Soul Club Network, which is a continually updated listing of soul events taking place in "mainland" Europe (everywhere except the UK). In 2016, 27 weekenders were listed. In 2017 there were 30. In 2018, we now have 35, and two have already been confirmed for 2019! Not all of them will be a success and some will cease to exist after one or two offerings, and undoubtedly others will come along to take their place. At the same time, plenty of weekenders are well-established fixtures on the soul calendar while some relative newcomers have already established a solid reputation for themselves. The growth of European weekenders goes very much hand-in-hand with the explosion of pan-european soul events generally. I compile an annual breakdown showing the most "soulful" European countries and cities (ie, how many events were recorded). In 2017, the European Soul Club Network listed 266 events - up from 195 in 2016. The top 5 countries with the most events in 2017 were: 1st. Germany = 85 2nd. Italy = 33 3rd. Netherlands = 27 4th. Spain = 23 5th. Sweden = 22 The top 5 European cities with the most events were: Amsterdam (NL) = 25 Hamburg (DE) = 20 Berlin (DE) = 18 Dublin (IE) = 13 Stockholm (SE) = 13 Budget air travel has done much to encourage the rise of soul events, and weekenders especially, across Europe. And long may that last!

Well, as we get older we’ll all be underground at some point. Does that count? ☠️😂

As has already been said, there aren't really any "youth cultures" anymore, so why does it matter? Northern Soul has transcended "youth", which is about the finest and most solid testimonial anyone could give it.

Top tip for anyone here interested in British wildlife documentaries. Stephen de Vere - professional wildlife cameraman who's worked on many BBC nature series and won an EMMY for his work - has just released the third in his independently-made films about wildlife found in the British countryside. "Independently-made" means he's done all the camera work and narration himself, and a project that came about initially when he was in between assignments with the BBC. While he lacks the finesse of a voice-over professional/narrator, his amazing "up close and personal" camerawork more than makes up for that. We found his first film - Through the garden gate - to be fantastic, and on the strength of that bought his second offering. If they're anything to go by this 3rd production will be a treat. Really looking forward to watching it tonight. Just released this week and available via Amazon and hive.co.uk. His website is here: http://britishnaturefilms.com

Hey @Mr Jay Cee Corp - you reckon this unreleased acetate from my collection might work as Popcorn? Maybe needs slowing down a little bit?

Nice cover of the Nancy Holloway track from 2012 by Little Clara...

Great list. And lots of tracks in there that are or have been very popular on the Northern Soul scene. It just goes to remind us that one man's Popcorn can be another man's Northern, and vice versa.

Now that I like! Thanks for sharing, otherwise I might have missed that. Copies ordered.

Fair enough. Much like others on here, I got The Platters 45 down at the 100 Club. Heard it more often than Johnny Hampton because Ady was playing it there regularly prior to the anniversary 45 and the release of the Kent LP on which it appeared. Although a fabulous tune, I've never been so keen on the stereo mix, which - to these ears at least - make the track sound as if it was recorded in an empty concert hall. By contrast, Johnny Hampton I had on a boot - and on a cassette - and always thought the track sounded very muddy; although that's really down to the quality of the merchandise I had. In spite of that, the rawness, lack of polish and the sense of urgency in the vocal delivery make this a great record. If somehow you could blend the polish of The Platters with the more rough and ready sound of Johnny Hampton, then you'd have the perfect version - one that takes the best elements of both versions.

I like both and can't favour one over the other. Is there the possibility of having "I like them equally" as a third option rather than having to make a decision?

"I got eyes" is the flip to "I don't want to be without you".

Getting played at our club here in Amsterdam...

The most-liked photo for the month of April is this ice-tastic shot... Congratulations @wayoutgirl!

We have a three-way tie for the most-liked photos for the Month of March! The very worthy winners are... Congratulations @Soulfinger @soulandy & @Rick Cooper!!!

Blue sky - a rare treat. I'm just sorry the cherry blossom got in the way! Most-liked photos of the month... Had forgotten and so will do it a bit later. Sunset silhouettes...

Cherry blossom in the Amsterdam woods...

Yes, saw that. Thanks. I'll wait for the link to go live on Friday...