Pete Smith - Interview 1998

Pete Smith: Here's the first of the fresh soul source online interview series

Pete Smith - Interview 1998

Starting of the first one is Pete Smith, now thats a name regular visitors should be familar with as in the early days of Soul Source he contributed hell of a lot of articles, info and data. Read on...

Ok Pete can you give us a bit of your background just so all visitors know where you're coming from

OK well I was born in 1960 and bought up in Wolverhampton, home of the legendary Catacombs Club of course.Unfortunately for me, was born about 2 years late to have been able to attend that place, and it was closing just as I was really getting into the Northern scene.

My first exposure to soul, or any other type of music really came from my Mum's record collection, which I used to play from the age of 3 upwards apparently (my big likes being Elvis and The Beatles and Cilla Black apparently). I started going to the Wolves football matches in late 1966 and the warm up music was always Motown, especially in 1968-69, so thats when I first got to hear things like Dancing in the street, Get ready and This old heart of mine. I was buying records of my own in early 1969, the afore mentioned Martha & Vandellas track, Rolling Stones, Beatles etc.

In 1971/72 I started attending the youth club in Wombourne where I lived and it was here that I heard a lot of "discotheque" records, Motown, Atlantic etc. By then I'd decided I was into reggae though so I was finding the soul music boring and asking them to play "Liquidator" and stuff like that. About a year later and I was now into the soul as well as reggae and had got a few of the records I'd heard such as In orbit - Joy Lovejoy, Festival Time - San Remo Strings. The watershed I think was one night when I heard The Joker by The Mylestones (aka Butch Baker) which nearly blew my head off, that incredible driving beat. So I would think that that was my first true Northern purchase. In early 1974 these 4 or 5 lads visited out youth club and bought their own records for the dj to play, I remember they were Tainted Love, Love Feeling (Val McKenna) and Girl Don't Make Me wait, anyway, these guys started dancing and I'd never seen anything like it in my life - talk about culture shock.

A few days after that I'd located a pressing of Tainted Love and was well on the way. The summer of 74 saw Disco Demand start up and I bought all of those, and by Autumn 1974 I had actually danced to a Northern record for the first time, after weeks of practising in front of the mirror. The record was There's A Ghost In My House, incidentally. Anyway, 1975 and I was allowed to go to my first allnighter at sammies (St. Giles) Willenhall, which was very good for a while, then in early 1976 I decided it was time to go to Wigan Casino. I was still at school and very young looking for my age, so I was pleasantly surprised to actually get into the place. I went to Wigan fortnightly for the first few months, then every week consistently for 2 years. The last ever Saturday night I went to was in September 1978.

I stopped going for a variety of reasons, mainly because I started going out with a girl I met at Wigan and we decided to give it a rest, secondly because of the ridiculous amounts of barbiturates going around, and thirdly because the music had deteriorated somewhat, with a lot of UK label stompers on the playlists. I only attended Wigan twice after that, once to the last oldies anniversary and then of course to the last night, the end of an era. I still attended the odd soul night back home, mainly at the Old Vic, but didn't collect records at all having sold all mine in 1979. I just kept a box of 50 or so pressings, all time favourites

.In 1984 I met a girl from Hastings so I moved down south, taking my trusty 50 box with me. Obviously, this is the South East and there is no soul here whatsoever, so it was only by chance I came across Kent's "Floorshakers" album in the local record shop, and it was this LP that really revived my interest in the Northern scene. I quickly bought as many Kent LP's as possible and started buying singles by mail order.Having always been interested in UK releases, I started to concentrate on those and in 1988 sold my US records and bought only UK things. By 1992 I'd got practically every rare UK release, but I was to sell those too when redundancy caught up with me.

Also in 1988, I began publishing the fanzine Beatin' Rhythm, the title of which was recently plagiarised by a Manchester record shop. This mag dealt 100% with rare UK 45's and myself and many of my readers discover several excellent items which are now big collectors items. The mag is still running today, albeit sporadically. Between 92 and 98 I was picking up records and moving them on, mainly cheapies and British, but in March 1998 my girlfriend (I was now divorced) gave me the kick up the arse I'd been needed, so I got off the dole and I set up Planet Records. I now buy and sell rare soul records for a living and it's a great job, even if finding the stuff can be difficult. I do the pricing for the Record Collector Price Guide and do articles for various magazines, fanzines and websites. Pretty busy really.

You've been classed in past , record collector, UK soul expert, fanzine editor, record dealer etc etc how would you describe yourself now

Record dealer who is far to handsome to be losing his hair prematurely. Although 39 years old is near to middle age I suppose.

Bit of a memory thing, what era would you say was the "golden" era of northern soul ?

Everyone has a different idea of the golden age. My favourite time would have to be from early 1976 to early 1977 when Wigan was at it's peak and every visit was a joy, rather than the chore it came to be a year or so later. And also 1975, when literally everyone in the country seemed to be into Northern. You'd see kids at the youth club, shy types who would never say boo to a goose, suddenly coming out of their shells and expressing this new found freedom by dancing. Before this, it was extremely uncool for the boys to dance at all!

Still on memories, whats your personal northern all-time top five records

Hmm, the worlds most difficult question. I couldn't possibly name 5 all time favourite records, my actual all time list would be about 25 titles. But as you want answers, here's 5 magnificent records which I would consider to be among my all time favourites: Monique - If you love me (show me)(Maurci) (same backing track as Tobi Lark's Challenge My Love, this is a super-emotional vocal performance) Yum Yums - Gonna be big thing (ABC) (lovely memories of Wigan and still popular today) Cajun hart - Got to find a way (Warner Bros) (one of the best of the big post-Wigan monsters) Doni Burdick - Bari track (Sound Impression) (the greatest Northern Soul instrumental ever, and perhaps the most "Northern" sounding record of the lot - describe Northern Soul, if you had to describe Northern Soul to an alien, you'd just put this record on - even though the alien would probably say "I don't like oldies") Charades - The key to my happiness (MGM) (absolutely sensational uptempo dancer first spun at the Mecca, this one has everything) see, very difficult to pick 5, I've missed out things like John & The Wierdest, Yvonne Baker, Herbert Hunter, Lost Soul, Carolyn Crawford etc etc.

Nearly everyone has got a fave "record story" whats yours?

One of the most recent that springs to mind is this one; about 18 months ago we'd been to Ashford and decided to drive down to Hythe so we could come back along the coast. I remembered there was a record shop there, so we popped in and started looking at the singles, which were all in boxes behind a curtain. I found this box saying "demo records", and the owner promptly says "You won't find anything in there mate, you should have come a year ago when it was full". So this box once contained about 100 demos on UK Decca, Atlantic, London and RCA, but now it contained the massive total of 12 records. First was a Bachelors demo, then a Louis Armstrong, and obviously I'd given up, but I came to the last record and it was an unplayed UK RCA demo of Ketty Lester - Some things are better left unsaid (a record original discovered in Beatin Rhythm 9 years earlier but now going for £50 on issue). So I said to the owner, "How much are these" and he goes "60 pence each". I sold it about 3 weeks later for £100.

Literally a week after that I went to a boot sale and found a UK Decca issue of Frankie & Johnny - I'll hold you (books at £125) which I've still got. Another time I found a copy of the ultra rare Artwoods album on Decca for 50p, and then there was the time I got two Elvis gold HMV's for 40p the two (I traded those for £500 worth of Northern). Then there was the time I found a copy of Court davis - try to think what you're doing, on a UK pop list - cost me £120 but I sold it for £620, the most I've ever sold any record for. But finally, I must mention the copy of Look At Me Now by Terry Callier which I got from a mates house for less than 50p, he'd bought it in a soul pack in 1975. Current price; £125.

You've been critical of the "current" scene in past, would you like to point out your current views on it Have I?

well my major moans at this moment in time are as follows: early 60's black pop masquerading as Northern (Soft Walkin, let me be your boy, take a giant step); crossover and modern soul - I truly believe that this music should have a separate scene of it's own and should not be integrated in with traditional Northern, one because 90% of the punters don't like it and two because most of it is unlistenable shit. I can't stand the influx of rhythm and blues 45's being played at the moment, maybe they could join a club with their crossover buddies.

Nowadays anyone can be a dj due to the availability of rare tracks on CD. This is fine if you're imaginative but it leaves the collectors who spend forever trying to find original vinyl feeling angry. I also hate people who become DJ's just because they have enough money to buy the big, expensive records. You should have to work at it, not buy yourself in.

How would you improve it, if you had chance

I'd ban all modern soul and crossover from being played at events advertised as being "Northern Soul". I'd also like to see a few different DJ's at events instead of the same ones over and over again. I'd also like to invent a time machine so that I can leave an allnighter whenever I like and be in bed 2 minutes later.

How/where do you see the scene going in near future

Well it looks as if the only way is up at the moment, it's getting bigger and bigger with the influx of "old" people coming back in after their 20 year hiatus and I think it will continue to grow without crossing over into the public domain like it did in 1975. What the scene needs though is another Wigan, a focal point where the whole scene can be based, a weekly event playing at least 75% 60's newies. A bit like to 100 club but more regular and in a much, much better venue.

Your knowledge of soul is well known , have you ever f*cked up, like sell a rarity for tuppence or let a £500 record pass you

Yeah but not to any great extremes, I've lost £50's here and there but it's swings and roundabouts. Plus if you find someone has turned you over, you tend to get them back eventually, by always adding on an extra fiver here and there, till before they know it they've paid you back the money they "robbed" you of without them noticing. I miss a few things on the net, mainly because people get there before me, but I did completely miss The Diplomats on Arock last year.

Others have been critical of the lack of soul content sometimes of some of your 60s tips in past , what are your views on that point

Well that refers to records discovered and tipped in the magazine by myself and others, and therefore we were looking for items on UK labels. Consequently if it's on UK it's a good chance it will be a British recording, therefore bypassing the soul content for the beat. Thats all I have to say on that point really. People can read the records I recommend on my sales list if they need any proof that I do actually like soul music. Otherwise they can fuck off.

Your dislike of anything post 69 is well known , there must be some northern modern sounds that have stirred your feet?

Yeah, well let me just clarify this. I love the modern sounds that were being played in 74, 75, 76, things like East Coast Connection, Todays People, Boogie Man Orchestra, Stanley Woodruff, Norma Jenkins, Skullsnaps etc, new releases but all with a good, usually 4-4 dance beat. What I object to are the later modern sounds, many of which don't use real instruments, are 'disco-fied', or are set at tortoise pace.

On Internet, you were one of the first northern fans i come across on net a couple of years ago, you've seen the northern side grow rapidly since , do you think Internet has helped the northern scene grow and if yes what do you think or would like it to do it can do in future

I don't think it's made it grow per se but it has certainly bought people together, you only have to look at the KTF group where I've become friends with many people from that list who I'd never even heard of, let alone met, and have actually met at least 15 of them in person. I suppose that websites do offer people who are in countries where the Northern Scene is in it's infancy the chance to learn a lot of history, and any education is a good thing. Also with the web being literally worldwide, it means that people can buy and sell the music very, very easily.

Planet Records appears to be going well, how much of your business comes from Internet, and could planet records survive without it

No it couldn't survive without it. It could probably survive without the website to be honest, but it couldn't survive without the KTF list and without my being able to e-mail my lists out to anyone who wants a copy. With something like KTF, you have a hundred or so people all into the same music, so it figures that at least half of these will be actively buying records. With e-mail, there are no costs involved except the price of the phone call, so I don't have to do paper lists, photocopying, buying envelopes and stamps etc, it's saving me a fortune. Having said that, it might also have something to do with the fact that I do find some decent records and I sell them pretty reasonably priced!

You're one of the regular voices on KTF soul list, whats your view on it at present time?

It goes through phases of being very very good and very very poor. Some of the best contributors also seem to be the ones who get criticised the most, and they often take sabbaticals. I hate all the off topic stuff that goes on but in many ways it adds to the banter. Put it this way, I've tried living without it and it can't be done!

Beating Rhythm ( see fanzine section for sample) , hasn't seen light of day for a while, what are the plans for it nowadays

I had an issue ready for publication at Christmas and the computer died so I just printed one copy off, I lost all my label scans and that meant doing it all again. I haven't summoned up the energy to do it yet.

You've done a few spots behind turntables in past, how did last one go, did you enjoy it , and would you be up for doing it on a regular basis

Yeah I did These Old Shoes and I really enjoyed it, playing what I thought were 'sensible' records, no Snakes or Footsees or 7 Days Too Longs, I played stuff like Jimmy Fraser, Seven Souls, terry Callier, Gino Washington and so on, I rally enjoyed it. I'm doing a gig in Brighton next month which should be good. Unfortunately I'm a bit remote stuck here in St. Leonard's - if I was back in the Midlands I would definitely dj more often, I think I've got enough quality records to do myself justice.

Last of all Pete, a twist on a old question, I would say going to a major venue and hearing a DJ play sounds of a northern compilation CD , would be same as going to a nighter in 70s and seeing a DJ playing sounds of a northern compilation LP- out of order! What do you reckon ?

Depends whether you are a dancer or a collector; if you are on the dancefloor, you can't see a label, you can just hear the record, and so consequently you don't care what label or format it is on. From the collectors point of view, seeing people spinning tracks from CD's strikes me as being very lazy and a shortcut to success without having to do any hard work. But if you ask me which camp I fall into, I'd rather hear the record than not hear it, so I wouldn't care too much if CD's were played. I mean, where else could you hear The Springers - Nothing's Too Good For My Baby, for instance?

OK thanks to Pete for the above, getting the first of the series off to a kicking start, lot of views coming out there, if you feel strongly about them or agree try the forum out in chill section or email them in.

Next "talk " will be up next week and will feature DJ/SKM editor Dave Rimmer Pete's email is pete.smith4@virgin.net and his Planet Records site address can be found in links in the triva section, or on the Northern Web Ring