Amsterdam Russ

Third time lucky… Menorca?

Then it has to be Elba!

Corsica...

Which island? Better still, get out there with your camera, take some snaps, and we'll have a guess! My first guess is Lanzarote...

If there's one thing I miss about the UK since moving to the Netherlands, it's the countryside - gently sloping hills, an undulating horizon and the like are a welcome sight when you're in a land as flat and as managed as this (it's so well managed they even plant the trees in straight lines!). Thanks for sharing.

Fans might be interested to know that Eli "Paperboy" Reed was recently a special guest on the long-running Fingerpoppin Soul show from Amsterdam. As well as performing acoustic versions of a couple of his new songs, he also talks about his musical heroes! Listen here: https://www.mixcloud.com/fingerpoppinsoulsoulradiofroma/fingerpoppin-soul-11142-17-09-2015-special-guest-eli-paperboy-reed/

Isn't this just the same as book clubs and wine clubs? Sure to be of interest to some, but I doubt it offers much for people with specialist interests.

"Made in the EU" on the Nolan Porter is bit of a giveaway. Shame they're not all as obvious as that to spot.

I wonder if before their extinction dinosaurs argued among themselves about the process of evolution.

Pretty sure I also have a one-sided test press of the Barbara Lynn track.

No fixed date for December yet, but will enquire and see if I can find out for you.

The growth of the "scene" in Europe was exactly one of the points I raised early in that thread to counter that argument.

At the start of the year I set up a small group on Facebook called the European Soul Club Network. The idea was to get a better idea of events a group of soulies over here in the Amsterdam area could look at going to. Unexpectedly, the page took off and it's grown quite a bit and already has a pretty good calendar of European events through to the summer of next year. It's nowhere near comprehensive, but it's made me realise That there are an awful lot of soul nights and nighters going on, with Belgium and Germany being particularly active. The Netherlands is also becoming more active. Just this Saturday we've got a soul cruise coming over from the UK with a "mini alldayer" taking place in Amsterdam during the day. In the evening we've got the monthly Amsterdam Soul Club event with Pete Lyster as special guest. It's an increasingly soulful place is mainland Europe! https://www.facebook.com/groups/europeansoulclubnetwork/

Mahalia Jackson's great interpretation of this traditional spiritual... https://youtu.be/Bun3GjyVcEU By the way, haven't we had this thread before or am I suffering from gospel deja vu?

Yes, but then it would become a shrine for people to visit - like the Wigan shopping centre.

Just seen the following posted on Facebook. Perhaps old news, but it's new news to me. Or is it just a wind-up (whoever wrote it can't spell "Emmerdale"!)?

Instead of the "two things that are killing the scene", how about a thread on "two things that are keeping the scene alive and kicking"?

I have to ask all of you who are moaning about the quality of the events you attend - why do you go to them? Isn't stupidity defined as doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different outcome? Wouldn't it make more sense to go to somewhere you're sure of having a good time, or are you just suckers for punishment? Better still, if you don't think your soul needs are being catered for, why not do as so many others are doing and organise your own events? Then your punters can come on here and moan about how crap it and the music policy was.

Jeez!! Don't recall reading about that on here, but yes, a lucky, lucky escape all round - in some respects! And now "Ironside - DIY that will blow your mind" makes sense.

Lucky escape? Do tell!

Here you go. Bearing in mind the pics of all the experienced cyclists taking part in a charity ride, here's how not to ride a bike at about 5 in the morning after you've been on the lash all night. I filmed this from the balcony in the summer. It was great to watch - you just didn't know what they were going to do next!

We are posh, Peter. Viewed from the other side of the fountain we see out front, this is what we look like to the common folk hereabouts. From the outside it's a bit like being in the mayor's residence or something and sometimes I fee we ought to stand on the balcony and wave regally at the crowds beneath us. Joking aside, we were fortunate to find this place nigh on two years ago and really love living here. The place we were in before was a right dump, so this is a great improvement. It also provides great entertainment in the early hours of the weekend when the local youngsters come back from the nearby club/pub. I posted up a bit of vid to YouTube of their drunkenness, which is great to watch. Will post it here when I've found it...

A great description - I love it! A new expression for the Northern Soul lexicon to match the term "top 500" when used in a derogatory fashion!

Just now witnessed what must be at least 1,000 cyclists come through town in a charity fun ride. From the vantage point of our front balcony, it was very impressive to watch!

Surely reflections on things that are "killing the scene" are really a nostalgic cry for days gone by - days where there were limited venues, and getting there (if you could get there) required lengthy journeys up and down the country. Likewise it seems somewhat ironic to say that one of the things contributing to the supposed death of the "scene" (whatever that is) is an abundance of venues that are considerably more accessible than in those nostalgic years. It might be true to say that "it's not like the old days", but things move on and evolve. Today we have a scene that's thriving not just in the UK, but far beyond. Events are happening all over Europe every week, for example. That also means that more people are part of the scene. In fact, there are probably more people with a passion for Northern Soul now than there ever were in the much talked about Golden Years. And records - courtesy of the internet - are much more accessible than ever before, which certainly ain't a bad thing. Thousands upon thousands of people are listening to stuff they might never get a chance to hear courtesy of YouTube, Soul Source, iTunes and lots more. As far as record buying is concerned, I've bought way more from European dealers these last 12-18 months than I have from the UK. Exchange rates are a part of that (I'm in the Netherlands buying in euros), but at the same time it highlights to me the incredible choices I have in which dealers to buy from. In the last few years we've seen the scene expand its musical church to embrace more R&B, gospel, funkier grooves and boogie flavours. At the same time, djs in the upper echelons continue to play new sounds and refresh their playlists. Sure, a strong nostalgia scene has also developed, but so what? Each to their own. We all have our individual preferences. Live and let live Nope, it's not like the old days, and that's not a bad thing. Far from it to my mind.