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Ian Levine Productions


Guest sharmo 1

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Guest sharmo 1

Hi all I don't know if this has been raised before there seems to be on going love/hate ideas surounding Ian's work , I'm talking about his product's not his northern dicoveries/play's but do you have a favorite Ian Levine production ? I have one or two to be honest .Regards Simon.

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My last 2 podcasts have featured

Barbara pennington - 24 hours a day

Barbara Pennington - Running in another direction

both are classic of the tailor made variety

the one that everyone always quotes as being 'the best' is James Wells "Baby I'm still the same man" but I can't stand that one. Weak Spot, heard it the other day for the first time in years, sounded great, Your Magic Put A Spell On Me, also sounding great.

I prefer all of these early ones in the main but there were a couple from a few years back that were equally as good. Unfortunately my memory is not what it was.

I spoke to Ian the other day actually, he sounded in good spirits.

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Guest sharmo 1

My last 2 podcasts have featured

Barbara pennington - 24 hours a day

Barbara Pennington - Running in another direction

both are classic of the tailor made variety

the one that everyone always quotes as being 'the best' is James Wells "Baby I'm still the same man" but I can't stand that one. Weak Spot, heard it the other day for the first time in years, sounded great, Your Magic Put A Spell On Me, also sounding great.

I prefer all of these early ones in the main but there were a couple from a few years back that were equally as good. Unfortunately my memory is not what it was.

I spoke to Ian the other day actually, he sounded in good spirits.

Pete thank you very much for your canda sir yet again you've shon best regards Simon.

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Guest smudgesmith

Strange!!!!! before I started reading this thread I had just played David Ruffin "Hurt the one you love" first time out for a long long time and sounding fantastic.

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Guest soulboy1965

S'easy, Barbara Pennington - On A Crowded Street.

I was (and still am), a massive Hi-nrg fan and enjoyed quite a few of his productions during the early - mid 80's, but lost all faith when his Nightmare label was born. I do clearly recall Kev Roberts also jumping on the Hi-nrg bandwagon and producing old NS tracks with a beefed-up feel, on the Electricity label I think.

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My last 2 podcasts have featured

Barbara pennington - 24 hours a day

Barbara Pennington - Running in another direction

both are classic of the tailor made variety

the one that everyone always quotes as being 'the best' is James Wells "Baby I'm still the same man" but I can't stand that one. Weak Spot, heard it the other day for the first time in years, sounded great, Your Magic Put A Spell On Me, also sounding great.

I prefer all of these early ones in the main but there were a couple from a few years back that were equally as good. Unfortunately my memory is not what it was.

I spoke to Ian the other day actually, he sounded in good spirits.

pete, the funny thing or, should i say, ironic, is that the 70's recordings were genuine recordings using GENUINE instruments....granted, the synth may have been creeping in there a bit but drum machines really are so bland and predictable. ians stuff was all cut true proper to... recording traditions and none of this remixing mullarky...in laymans terms, despited them being "produced" for the scene, they are starting to sound "old"...and afterall, they are from decade thats now long since passed...are they maturing like fine wine?......maybe thats an over-the-top phrase and yes, its still dosnt capture the excitement and imagination of the 60's but a replicant of that golden age, it aspires to be and 35 years on it has its place in our cultural history.

oh,...and there's no escaping the fact that for all the contraversy surrounding him, ian levine was/is & always will be, a pivotal and integral part of why we got into northern soul...the man maketh the venue...blackpool mecca became what it was because of ian....and of course, to no lesser extent colin curtis...but it was ian who, so to speak, brought home the bacon ( from the states ) and made the highland room the focus of our fledgling career's attention.

i personally, will never forget the nights at the civic and wulfrun halls in wolverhampton and the masses dancing to evelyn thomas, lj johnson and the likes and they were greeted with the same enthusiasm long before we subjected ourselves to critique...and i loved em'.......especially when colin was dishing out the "tomorrow" demo's :thumbsup::D

im glad i witnessed the second coming, indeed the inaugural gig at manchester ritz when i, like many others, didnt recognize who he was....complete makeover?,....soul sam was probably the first to suss out ian's subtrefuge with " the wrong side of town"....i am, afterall, the beholder of the infamous "the fifth vandal must go!" photogragh that was perched in the dj booth....what happened next with both ginger and butch is now consigned to the annals of history!!.

you simply cannot take it away from him, he is the master of re-invention and he was attempting to give the scene another lease of life off the back of so many 35/40 somethings returning to the scene after their family sabaticles...he also brought some great semi-known 60's offerings to table and made them mega.....like him or love him, we ALL owe him a debt of gratitude and if your "weakspot" is a "magic spell" then its because ian's "still the same man".

Edited by AGENTSMITH
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Guest ScooterNik

I've always loved Chuck Jacksons 'All Over The World', and one or two others from that era, but it seems the later he got, the worse the production was.

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doris jones - he's so irreplaceable

exciters - love you baby

carol woods - heading down fools road

ronnie mcneir - lucky number

frances nero - footsteps

supremes-originals - back by popular demand

tyrone ashley - running in and out of my life

plus all the others mentioned...quite a comprehensive body of work over 3+ decades

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Guest TONY ROUNCE

...From Ian's early catalogue, the Exciters' "Suffering" is a hugely underrated record...

.and of a more recent vintage, Noel McKoy's 'Determined Man' is absolutely terrific...

...dare I also mention how good Take That's 'Could It Be Magic' is?

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...From Ian's early catalogue, the Exciters' "Suffering" is a hugely underrated record...

.and of a more recent vintage, Noel McKoy's 'Determined Man' is absolutely terrific...

...dare I also mention how good Take That's 'Could It Be Magic' is?

And amazingly Tony "Suffering" isn't on Youtube either !!!

This will have to...suffice...

(courtesy Kiddysoulgirl !!).

Edited by KevH
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...From Ian's early catalogue, the Exciters' "Suffering" is a hugely underrated record...

.and of a more recent vintage, Noel McKoy's 'Determined Man' is absolutely terrific...

...dare I also mention how good Take That's 'Could It Be Magic' is?

yes you can Tony, and I also like Barbara Green's More Where That Came From :thumbsup:

P :)

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...From Ian's early catalogue, the Exciters' "Suffering" is a hugely underrated record...

.and of a more recent vintage, Noel McKoy's 'Determined Man' is absolutely terrific...

...dare I also mention how good Take That's 'Could It Be Magic' is?

ER,PARDON ME YER ON'R.....WITH DEFERENCE WASNT THIS A DONNA SUMMER TUNE? BUT ACCEPTING THE FACT THAT IAN GOT HIS HANDS ON ROBBIE & CO FIRST?...and made it a #1

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Guest TONY ROUNCE

.....WITH DEFERENCE WASNT THIS A DONNA SUMMER TUNE?

Not really. It's based on Chopin's Prelude in C Minor and was adapted by by Barry Manilow, who had a hit with it first.

TT's version is better than either Bazza's or Donna's though...

Edited by TONY ROUNCE
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Hi all I don't know if this has been raised before there seems to be on going love/hate ideas surounding Ian's work , I'm talking about his product's not his northern dicoveries/play's but do you have a favorite Ian Levine production ? I have one or two to be honest .Regards Simon.

The Four Vandals "Wrong Side Of Town" is up with the best northern soul records

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Guest JIM BARRY

2 STAND OUTS FOR ME ....BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND AND LUCKY NUMBER....TO BE HONEST, THERES AN AWFUL LOT OF GOOD STUFF AMONGST THE STUFF HE PRODUCED, YOU HAVE TO GIVE THE MAN CREDIT FOR WHAT IS UNDOUBTABLY A TALENT.

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Not really. It's based on Chopin's Prelude in C Minor and was adapted by by Barry Manilow, who had a hit with it first.

TT's version is better than either Bazza's or Donna's though...

correct as always guvn'r mmm....how did i miss that one?....poor old bazza, he's beginning to look a bit like joycelin wilderstein dont you think?...anyway, more of the plastic, less of the surgery eh? :lol:

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Sometimes it's just impossible to argue with a totally ROCKIN' production......

.......totally waaaay over-the-top vocals but I just can't help loving it....

James Wells "Baby I'm Still The Same Man"

I'm one his biggest critics but I have a lot of respect for his belief and focus in his visions. He really doesn't muck about when he's serious about something and I think he was on a roll when he recorded James Wells. What a FANTASTIC vocalist. Ian found him. 'Nuff said.

Ian D :D

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Guest sharmo 1

Well just came back from a great night at Hinckey and i have to say I'm very pleased with the respose and to repeat what has been said earlier not a bad word about him so it's a big thumbs up for Ian ( no pun intended chaps ! ) thank you all for your respose's and keep em comming in right I'm off for a smoke seee you in the morning best regards Simon.

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wow yeah!!.......HANDS UP WHO WAS AT RICHARD'S 50TH WHEN THEY DID THIS LIVE AT THE RITZ.....WOW, WOW, WOW!!! :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup: NOT BAD FOR A LEVINE TUNE...AND A1000+ SOULIES SINGING IT BACK TO A GOBSMACKED FREDDIE GORMAN!!

I was there , great night, got a photo somewhere of my brother and me with Freddie Gorman.
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