Guest Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Nat Augustin played every instrument on that himself, live, and overdubbed each instrument himself. Wrong choice there! You beat me to the punch on that PETE...Bit of an insult to a multi-talented British Soul Artist and not a bad record which would have certainly picked up plays on the modern scene if it came out of a small studio in the Carolinas...
Guest Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 (edited) All 'proper' instruments Stroll on my son, you're as sharp as the creases in AMBROSE SLADE'S sta-prest tonight...... Edited October 25, 2011 by rich chorley
Cunnie Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Quite like this & the clip does not do it any justice.
Pete S Posted October 25, 2011 Posted October 25, 2011 Now I know people can do good things and should get credit for it. However, being one of many artist who has material listed on YouTube by Mr. Levine and has sold tapes containing my image and sound over the past fifteen years and has never received a statement or a dime in royalties, you can imagine where he sits on my list! I have contacted Mr. Levine and he informed me that no money has been made, therefore, no one can be paid. He also said, "no royalties or statements will be forthcoming until fifty percent of the expense has been recouped." Now, how many people will know when fifty percent is recouped? Will we ever know? Soooo, Mr. Levine is not in good standing with me at this point and if anyone of you are friends of his, help him to upgrade his business practices. It would cost me more to pay a lawyer than in what I probably would receive, but now you all get a better understanding of how hard it is to trust folks in this business. We might love it and can't leave it, but it's those that deceive us that makes it a bumpy ride. Lorraine Chandler Lorraine, nobody got paid from the profits of that film because there were none; it cost £80,000 in total to produce and so far they have only taken £14,000 back, and thats after one video and two dvd releases. I might have got this next bit wrong but I think they were going to try to pay artist royalties if they got back 50% of the costs? Please don't shoot the messenger!
Mark S Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Poorly rehashing a few established Northern soul tracks and writing and producing insipid soul effect muzak hardly makes him worthy of discussion on here especially given his nobbish behavior last time around . 2
Russ Vickers Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) 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 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". There are a hand ful of IL productions that I find palatable, but on the whole not a fan. Four Vandals - Butch.........I dont think so, Ginger deffo, Butch far to switched on for that old chestnut..........If Ian could have kept his mouth shut, he´d be coining it in again ploughing out stuff on the circuit like the others............but his ego wouldnt allow him to keep it shut. It could also be said that he was finding records in the US when if you had the access it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Best Russ Edited October 26, 2011 by Russ Vickers
Pete S Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Poorly rehashing a few established Northern soul tracks and writing and producing insipid soul effect muzak hardly makes him worthy of discussion on here especially given his nobbish behavior last time around . If Ian Levine is not worthy of discussion on this site then God help us all. Discovered more records than you've had hot dinners for a start. 1
Goldsoul Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) ....... Edited October 26, 2011 by The Golden 101
Goldsoul Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 As Tony Rounce said 'its turning into a IL Slagfest.......as per usual. If you don't know him or have anything constructive to say......SHAT 'AP! Back on topic...... Anyone like 'Don't Wait Around'-The Elgins(IL Production)......meaning the 45 on Goldsoul not the Motor City City original?
Mike E Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Barbara Pennington , 24 Hours, Frances Nero 'Footsteps, Four Vandals and the Exciters for me for starters.
Shinehead Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 As Tony Rounce said 'its turning into a IL Slagfest.......as per usual. If you don't know him or have anything constructive to say......SHAT 'AP! Back on topic...... Anyone like 'Don't Wait Around'-The Elgins(IL Production)......meaning the 45 on Goldsoul not the Motor City City original? Great record , forgot about that one even the Motorcity version is ok.Think Ians problem was as already stated he was recording too much in a short period of time and the quality suffered but when he did get it right he recorded some great british modern soul.
Goldsoul Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Great record , forgot about that one even the Motorcity version is ok.Think Ians problem was as already stated he was recording too much in a short period of time and the quality suffered but when he did get it right he recorded some great british modern soul. Thanks......Funnily enough......all it needed was a bit of simplicity.......I phoned his engineer the late Clive Scott and played him 'Pressure'-Drizabone, hence the remixed version on Goldsoul. Fortunately Ian liked it, so it got a ltd vinyl release. A talented man with great ideas in need of input from others....occasionally.
Chalky Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 .......Anyone like 'Don't Wait Around'-The Elgins(IL Production)......meaning the 45 on Goldsoul not the Motor City City original? I actually found a copy on the shelf t'other day when looking for some other 45's, Goldmine demo. 1
Mike E Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Forgot Miquel Brown 'Sunny day' real felgood tune IMO
Phild Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 My persoanl favourite .... I would release it on 7" on Soul Intention if not for the fact noone would buy it. Phil
Mike Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 As Tony Rounce said 'its turning into a IL Slagfest.......as per usual. If you don't know him or have anything constructive to say......SHAT 'AP! Back on topic...... Anyone like 'Don't Wait Around'-The Elgins(IL Production)......meaning the 45 on Goldsoul not the Motor City City original? no its not lets drop this greet every crtical comment with a "wannabe" mod type post people have and will post their own view a forced "back slapping" thread is just as bad as any percieved "slugfest" all just say what you want and keep it within terms of use and the scope of the thread
Phild Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 One I DID release on Soul Intention was this great double header from Peter Lamarr ... A few copies still available here ..... https://www.soul-intention.co.uk/release.htm Phil
Pete S Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 no its not lets drop this greet every crtical comment with a "wannabe" mod type post people have and will post their own view a forced "back slapping" thread is just as bad as any percieved "slugfest" all just say what you want and keep it within terms of use and the scope of the thread No but it would be a nice change to have a wholly positive thread without people turning it sour wouldn't it.
Goldsoul Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 No back slapping at all, it's simply a game of two halves, those who were around long enough to know Ian and the ones who arrived on the scene much later(ie Stafforders etc). He clearly has little appeal to them.
Simsy Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 No but it would be a nice change to have a wholly positive thread without people turning it sour wouldn't it.
Wiganer1 Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 that pete lamarr is just AWFUL... records like this is where ian is delutional into thinking hes making northern soul
Winnie :-) Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 No but it would be a nice change to have a wholly positive thread without people turning it sour wouldn't it. Got no axe to grind either way, but find a thread with balance far more interesting to read/take part in than one that's all in one direction
Liljimmycrank Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 I've only scanned the 3page thread, and sure it would have been mentioned, but....... INTERPRETATIONS - I'VE GOT NOTHING BUT TIME ...........Fantastic record that oozes soul, and sure it was an IL production?? Granted, the other side is utter sh*te but out of all his productions, IGNBT stands out by a country mile for me. Mainly because it doesnt have a hint of cheesy karaoke pop sound in it, which i think is what most people (rightly) associate with his productions.
Winnie :-) Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 No back slapping at all, it's simply a game of two halves, those who were around long enough to know Ian and the ones who arrived on the scene much later(ie Stafforders etc). He clearly has little appeal to them. Ian did have his 'second coming', late 9Ts early Y2K so pretty sure everyone's aware of him, even ''the Stafforders''
Guest Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Great record , forgot about that one even the Motorcity version is ok.Think Ians problem was as already stated he was recording too much in a short period of time and the quality suffered but when he did get it right he recorded some great british modern soul. Very fair comment...
Agentsmith Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 no its not lets drop this greet every crtical comment with a "wannabe" mod type post people have and will post their own view a forced "back slapping" thread is just as bad as any percieved "slugfest" all just say what you want and keep it within terms of use and the scope of the thread mike, the best thing to put on "slugs" is salt :lol:
Pete S Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 Got no axe to grind either way, but find a thread with balance far more interesting to read/take part in than one that's all in one direction It's not a debate thread though, it was just asking what people's favourite I.L. productions were. Not difficult to write down a few titles is it?
Phild Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 that pete lamarr is just AWFUL... records like this is where ian is delutional into thinking hes making northern soul It's not supposed to be Northern Soul, just soul. If you don't like "Lock and Key" what about the other side? A beautiful stepper IMO
Mark S Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 If Ian Levine is not worthy of discussion on this site then God help us all. Discovered more records than you've had hot dinners for a start. I thought we were discussing IL,s creative output not how many hot dinners Ive had The records he discovered would have been discovered by someone at sometime and got plays anyway , I cant take away his and Colins input as dejays , but IL,s attempts to ape the great production/writing heroes of the scene fall well short of the mark in my opinion . 2
Guest MrC Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 the Barbara Pennington stuff was excellent, I loved the Exciters stuff - "reaching for the best" still sounds great if you ever hear it out - LOUD! I too enjoyed Ian handing out the Tomorrow demos at wolverhampton civic and wulfrun halls, and Ian did discover some great records. why slag a man off for remixing what he knows, and trying to make some money - legally. It seems you can't appreciate anyone for their contribution to the scene, if they've not stuck to the same tracks as the hardliners on here, give the guy a break! You don't have to buy, or listen to, anything that Ian's done or does, if you don't want to! There's enough "pop" groups sampling old soul and funk tracks these days, and I don't see them getting slagged off for it. I might not agree with many of the things Ian does, and I certainly don't like most of the stuff he churns out, but what he does to make a living is up to him, it doesn't affect me personally, or, I suspect, any other die hard soul fan. There's obviously a market for this kind of dross, so let the people who like it spend there money on it, just because it's not to your taste, doesn't mean it's wrong!
Guest Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 There are a hand ful of IL productions that I find palatable, but on the whole not a fan. Four Vandals - Butch.........I dont think so, Ginger deffo, Butch far to switched on for that old chestnut..........If Ian could have kept his mouth shut, he´d be coining it in again ploughing out stuff on the circuit like the others............but his ego wouldnt allow him to keep it shut. It could also be said that he was finding records in the US when if you had the access it was like shooting fish in a barrel. Best Russ That's not quite fair RUSS....Given IAN'S tender years when he was first going to the states, it was quite a remarkable achievement for somebody so young and of course he could not have gone without the resources...Even so, whatever his faults, the sheer quality of so many records he brought to the scene stand up for themselves...It's taken other people a whole lifetime of digging to come up with comparable lists but IAN pulled all this off from his teens to early 20s...Being fair, nobody else has come close to managing such a feat in such a time...Secondly, you yourself are a champion of 'keeping it fresh' and pushing out the barriers....Even though he pushed them out musically too far for me and for a lot of others (and he even admits it himself nowadays) IAN without a doubt embodied the 'new sounds/keep it fresh' concept as somebody else has already pointed out...It might have existed earlier but he thrust that idea right to the forefront of the scene and pursued it with perviously untouched zeal...For these facts he has to be viewed as making an absolutely unique contribution to the scene....What people think of him personally is irrelevant but sadly always seems to rise to the top in these threads as we both know...
Mike Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 No but it would be a nice change to have a wholly positive thread without people turning it sour wouldn't it. the only "hiccups" are when members try to dictate to other members what should be posted on here people are entitled to post their view if you read the posts you will see that people have posted their views on his productions and the world hasn't caved in the thread is/was ticking along members jumping on other members will just lead to "yet another il slugfest" 1
Winnie :-) Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 It's not a debate thread though, it was just asking what people's favourite I.L. productions were. Not difficult to write down a few titles is it? The title of the thread just says IL's productions, so then it becomes a debate thread? Besides, very few negative comments that I've seen, and those that have been have all been reasonably polite rebukes?
Mike Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) follow on posts are a perfect example why members should drop the attempts to tell others what to post now going down the road of discussion on the actual thread not the actual subject temp closing it for 30 mins when it reopens ask ALL to keep discussion to the actual subject and not the actual thread thanks mike Edited October 26, 2011 by mike
Mike Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 would say the thread was ticking along in a no hassle manner until people started posting what should or should not be discussed all just say what you want and keep it within terms of use and the scope of the thread any concerns then "do not post" use the report post reopened...
Ronjon Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 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. I quite like "Look back over your shoulder " by Archie Bell & the Drells
viphitman Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) Nat Augustin played every instrument on that himself, live, and overdubbed each instrument himself. Wrong choice there! and that includes the drum kit ???? Edited October 26, 2011 by viphitman
lorchand Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 (edited) Lorraine, nobody got paid from the profits of that film because there were none; it cost £80,000 in total to produce and so far they have only taken £14,000 back, and thats after one video and two dvd releases. I might have got this next bit wrong but I think they were going to try to pay artist royalties if they got back 50% of the costs? Please don't shoot the messenger! Pete, I'm going to be good. Ask me this on my thread, New Member, Lorraine Chandler. I love communication! Lorraine Edited October 26, 2011 by lorchand
Guest Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 and that includes the drum kit ???? Very few contemporary R'n'B records are made with real drummers, I think you are just clutching at straws there...This is a nice Soul dancer with a good feel and a terrific vocal and again I maintain, had it not carried IAN'S name would have been big on the modern scene...Personally I would much rather hear the records like this - when he gets it right - than much of the early R'N'B or Popcorn that gets played on the scene today...
Simsy Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 and that includes the drum kit ???? Yes! See 'every' ..
Agentsmith Posted October 26, 2011 Posted October 26, 2011 That's not quite fair RUSS....Given IAN'S tender years when he was first going to the states, it was quite a remarkable achievement for somebody so young and of course he could not have gone without the resources...Even so, whatever his faults, the sheer quality of so many records he brought to the scene stand up for themselves...It's taken other people a whole lifetime of digging to come up with comparable lists but IAN pulled all this off from his teens to early 20s...Being fair, nobody else has come close to managing such a feat in such a time...Secondly, you yourself are a champion of 'keeping it fresh' and pushing out the barriers....Even though he pushed them out musically too far for me and for a lot of others (and he even admits it himself nowadays) IAN without a doubt embodied the 'new sounds/keep it fresh' concept as somebody else has already pointed out...It might have existed earlier but he thrust that idea right to the forefront of the scene and pursued it with perviously untouched zeal...For these facts he has to be viewed as making an absolutely unique contribution to the scene....What people think of him personally is irrelevant but sadly always seems to rise to the top in these threads as we both know... damn right about the records rich, before anybody forgets, ian was there FIRST, exactly the same as he was with productions. yes his family were comparitively well off thus the frequent exodus to the states to bring back the records that fuelled the fledgling scene. IAN was the catalyst for others making the pilgrimage to the vinyl goldmine over the pond. HE, unlike john anderson, martin coppell and simon soussan ( who have been discussed here before at length ) bougtht these wonderous discoveries back to play them, as a statement to gain attention for just how good they were, broadening the choice of tunes to dance to beyond the wildest of imaginations and quite knowingly promoted the fact that to hear them first before anyone else in the u.k. YOU HAD TO GO TO THE MECCA......thats almost religious...isnt it?. not to put too finer point on it, the mecca was a shrine for everything new and continued to be so, even with the advent of the casino and,....ians reputation was enhanced even more as a lot of his discoveries crossed over to even bigger approval at station road. ian even had a routine for deciding what was in or out regarding the quality of the playlist at the mecca, much like berry gordy and his "quality control friday sessions.....lest anyone has short memories, ian would always have a behind the scenes preview of what he had bought back with colin, tony jebb and johnny beggs and yes, he did tend to rely a lot on colin's input...but when all is said and done, it was ian wh owas pulling the rabbits from the bottomless ( and it seemed like it was in the 70's ) hat. there will always be plenty who judge thats his studio ventures pale into insignificance, but he had the bottle to do it AND he, during the course of this gained access to many previously unseen artists as well as quite famous ones but probably shared the same puzzlement as to what our scene was all about and why we were so interested in their music and their backgrounds, but through ian, were given a fresh lease of life, however brief and a chance to be in the spotlight....many of whom have made it to these shores and been blown away by US!!. IAN'S contribution is extraordinarily unique......would the myriad of tunes we have grown up with, turned up EVENTUALLY, via someone else?......probably, via the dealers who were going out there...the question is, would they have just disappeared into private record collections?, afterall, the dealers weren't djs and richard and kev had still to build their reputations at the casino and until that happened, the large influx of potential monsters were not in their hands,...ian however, was IN THE RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME and because of him the foundations for the northern soul scene were built. the mecca was ian's template for the future for what we have now, THE GREATEST MUSICAL PHENOMENON THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN! 1
Shinehead Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 1380 folk have had a peep at this thread and only a few have declaired thier favorite Levine number come on you little monkey's let's have your fave levine number.there is a genuine reason which I will reveal at the end regards Simon. When is all to be revealed ?
Guest sharmo 1 Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 It just makes you wonder really if some of the rarer tunes may have never have turned up if it hadn't been for Ian .It seems that He's still a very hard working chap knocking out great tunes .I didn't really know how far this thread was going to go and there have been thousands of peeps at it so a lot of intrest , the other day I played reaching for the best and it sounded great .I'd like to see a few more honest views please you can if you like say " I used to like so snd so " if you wish or even wear a false nose whilst writing it down many thank's Simon.
Guest sharmo 1 Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 When is all to be revealed ? At the end my friend regards simon.
Mike Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) edited took it to pm Edited October 27, 2011 by mike
Shinehead Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 (edited) Several productions i like by Ian Levine as i mentioned earlier in the thread , but this is the one i still play on a regular basis so this is my fave record by Ian , beats the original Barrat Strong version for me. Edited October 27, 2011 by shinehead
Guest MrC Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 the Barbara Pennington stuff was excellent, I loved the Exciters stuff - "reaching for the best" still sounds great if you ever hear it out - LOUD!
Winnie :-) Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 At the end my friend regards simon. How do we/you know when the end has been reached Si?
Guest sharmo 1 Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 How do we/you know when the end has been reached Si? patience my little one.
Shinehead Posted October 27, 2011 Posted October 27, 2011 patience my little one. Is it when Ian says so ?
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