Obscure Northern Soul

[Guest stephen500]

I currently present a two hour Northern Soul show and would be grateful for some help with a feature I am running.

I want to play, each week, a couple of rarer less played Northern soul tracks. Any help appreciated. Thanks for all the replies below, .

Edited July 3, 2012 by stephen500

[Roburt]

Stephen, I'm sure you'll get loads of replies from people much more knowledgeable about what tracks are known or unknown (many along the lines of ... BUT this track was played at Leicester Oddfellows -- or Nite Owl, etc -- back in the day) ......

HOWEVER, a good hunting ground for great unplayed NS tracks are albums. NS DJ's hate playing off of LP's and so numerous great NS style dancers that have received little or no club play can be found on them.

[John Reed]

I'm not trying to be funny, but if you currently have a Northern Soul show, shouldn't you already know quite a few?

Edited July 1, 2012 by John Reed

[Dave Rimmer]

Erm, if they really are unknown and obscure tracks that you want to play, how are you going to get copies of them ?

[Markw]

Depends what you mean by 'unknown' or 'not really known yet'.

[Guest Matt Male]

Sounds like you want us to suggest records on here, currently not played out, that you go and then break on your radio show. I doubt anyone would suggest unknowns or rarely known tracks for someone else to play out. People are a bit funny about that kind of thing.

Northern soul DJing is a very personal and idiosyncratic thing. The best idea would be to get guest DJs on so they can take credit for the unknowns they play.

[Kev Cane]

Stephen, I'm sure you'll get loads of replies from people much more knowledgeable about what tracks are known or unknown (many along the lines of ... BUT this track was played at Leicester Oddfellows -- or Nite Owl, etc -- back in the day) ......

HOWEVER, a good hunting ground for great unplayed NS tracks are albums. NS DJ's hate playing off of LP's and so numerous great NS style dancers that have received little or no club play can be found on them.

Good advice Roburt, reccommend strongly, from the "Born Free" set by the Hesitations "We Can Do It", brilliant IMHO

Kev

[Markw]

Sounds like you want us to suggest records on here, currently not played out, that you go and then break on your radio show. I doubt anyone would suggest unknowns or rarely known tracks for someone else to play out. People are a bit funny about that kind of thing.

Northern soul DJing is a very personal and idiosyncratic thing. The best idea would be to get guest DJs on so they can take credit for the unknowns they play.

That's it Matt..........

[Guest Brett F]

I always assumed that any decent radio 'Soul' show actually only played records etc that the individual (Host) or guests actually owned, otherwise it loses the gloss for me, i like information between records ie label, background to artists, all aspects of good radio..Check Solar 'Soul People' Sunday 10-12 that is the leader for me, plus a few other good shows out there too.

Brett

[Guest stephen500]

Stephen, I'm sure you'll get loads of replies from people much more knowledgeable about what tracks are known or unknown (many along the lines of ... BUT this track was played at Leicester Oddfellows -- or Nite Owl, etc -- back in the day) ......

HOWEVER, a good hunting ground for great unplayed NS tracks are albums. NS DJ's hate playing off of LP's and so numerous great NS style dancers that have received little or no club play can be found on them.

Thank you so much for your reply. I openly admit to being reasonably new to the Northern Soul scene. I have always been into radio and wanted to broadcast some thing interesting. I have heard, much as I like him, David Bowie lots of times. So I wanted a show about some thing different, some thing that would require a bit of effort and work. Friends at work are into Northern Soul, so I had a listen to it and liked it. So over the last few months I have begun making on-line progs on mix cloud about Northern Soul. Eventully I got a spot on www.classicsoulradio.org Friday afternoons 4 to 6pm. There are lots of djs far better them me. David Cummings in the North East on Bishop fm is really good and knowledgeable and I enjoy his shows and podcasts. I am also led to believe that a radio show on Salford fm on a Sunday evenings is great. I am just starting out and wanted to run a little feature that includes some tracks, that those that enjoy Northern soul don't hear to often. It would be so easy to play all the favourties over and over again. I have 1500 tracks and would like to play them all over a 7 month period, and try not to play the same track twice.To assemble such a collection in vinyl is certainly beyond my means. So I have to make do with cds. I think your point on looking at albums tracks is a great one. My knowledge is just beginning, but I am so glad that I chose Northern Soul for a radio show. The music is great, I don't like every track, but overall the music and vocal ability of the artists is fantastic. I enjoy looking into all the artists and labels of the tracks I play and find their history fascinating. Once again, thanks for your reply.

Edited July 3, 2012 by stephen500

[Agentsmith]

at least you appear to be open & honest about yout intentions, but you'll find that the holy grail called a virtual or totally unknown tune either dosnt exist now because after 45+ years anything thats worthwhile has been discovered ( yes i know thats not entirely true ) or its been under everyone's noses but even after 45+ years, its still not considered seriously good enough to get played in abundance, but the few collectors who do have said record, keep it tucked away in their collections simply BECAUSE its been proven, eventually, to be obscure anyway!.

then, like has already been said here, you'll just have to ask the people, be they dj's or collectors to come on your show...afterall, as you must surely realise......THATS WHAT ADDS DIVERSITY TO A RADIO SHOW.

[Roburt]

Stephen, if you can 'stretch' the remit of your radio show to include slow soul -- & a bit of 'light & shade' (fast & slow) always adds to the listeners pleasure IMHO -- then go check out the 'SirShambling' web site .... https://www.sirshambling.com/sir_shambling/artistlist.php

Loads of obscure lesser known deep soul tracks listed on there, most with sound files attached.

The quality / intensity of some of the vocal performances showcased on there is astounding ... just start at A and work your way thru to Y, selecting the tracks that hit home for you.

[Guest stephen500]

Stephen, if you can 'stretch' the remit of your radio show to include slow soul -- & a bit of 'light & shade' (fast & slow) always adds to the listeners pleasure IMHO -- then go check out the 'SirShambling' web site .... https://www.sirshambl.../artistlist.php

Loads of obscure lesser known deep soul tracks listed on there, most with sound files attached.

The quality / intensity of some of the vocal performances showcased on there is astounding ... just start at A and work your way thru to Y, selecting the tracks that hit home for you.

Yes I Have been on his site, it really is good, and thanks for your comments.

[Guest Dave Turner]

Stephen, I agree with Roburt. The are loads of Northern and dancefloor orientated soul shows. It seems to me they far outnumber those that play just great soul music. Well known or virtually unknown artists singing well known or virtually unknown tracks. Uptempo, midtempo, ballads, classic southern soul ie Stax, Goldwax, Hi stuff, deep soul, sweet soul, group harmony etc from the likes of Pickett, Sam & Dave, Womack, Impressions, Otis Clay, Otis Leavill, Spencer Wiggins, Manhattans,Curtis Mayfield, Independents, Swamp Dogg, George Perkins etc etc etc. ... all the stuff that I like

If you're unsure of those then hunt around on the Tube for stuff that you like and pass your musical personality onto the listener. Ok, if you only like Northern then I suppose that's what your show will reflect but if you like soul in general then ...

Obviously it's your ball game but just my thoughts on it

Edited July 1, 2012 by Dave Turner

[boba]

this thread isn't really that different from the "top picks for 20xx" threads where people mainly post records that they got recently that they hope are worth what they paid or hope they will go up, or dealers posting records they have quantity of. If someone has an excellent unknown northern record they aren't just going to post it, as people take pride in "discovering" a record (which is hard nowadays that so many records are "known" and so many people are looking) -- people have a personal connection to and a sense of ownership of obscure records that they found on their own that are good.

[pikeys dog]

If it's a general Soul radio station, that usually plays the hits, then 90+% of Northern will be obscure to the listeners.

Why not pick up the 'Northern Souls Classiest Rarities' series from Kent and feature the tracks off it which you don't know?

Job done.

You can Paypal me my £10 consultation fee direct.

[Guest Dave Turner]

I always assumed that any decent radio 'Soul' show actually only played records etc that the individual (Host) or guests actually owned, otherwise it loses the gloss for me, i like information between records ie label, background to artists, all aspects of good radio..Check Solar 'Soul People' Sunday 10-12 that is the leader for me, plus a few other good shows out there too.

Brett

Brett,

Whilst I believe in Original Format Only for nights out I really wouldn't like to see that extended to radio.

I can see where you perhaps feel a certain empathy with a host playing from record or I presume a CD only track. Myself I'm not that bothered when it comes to radio.

Personally I'd rather a good soul radio show with the emphasis on quality of the music and not whether the host/guest actually owned the record. Quality of track plus quality of background info, date, label, what city, perhaps mention of another good track by the artist to be played in a following show etc etc. Good DJ banter that's interesting, educational and entertaining to keep the listener interested.

To my mind an excellent or crap show can be done with whatever the medium. If the host/guest has the knowledge, or has done some prior homework then that makes it a far better show for me.

Just my thoughts on it

Edited July 2, 2012 by Dave Turner

[Ged Parker]

Brett,

Whilst I believe in Original Format Only for nights out I really wouldn't like to see that extended to radio.

I can see where you perhaps feel a certain empathy with a host playing from record or I presume a CD only track. Myself I'm not that bothered when it comes to radio.

Personally I'd rather a good soul radio show with the emphasis on quality of the music and not whether the host/guest actually owned the record. Quality of track plus quality of background info, date, label, what city, perhaps mention of another good track by the artist to be played in a following show etc etc. Good DJ banter that's interesting, educational and entertaining to keep the listener interested.

To my mind an excellent or crap show can be done with whatever the medium. If the host/guest has the knowledge, or has done some prior homework then that makes it a far better show for me.

Just my thoughts on it

Here's another example of people potentially throwing out the legitimacy 'baby' with the format 'bathwater'.

Play off whatever you like on radio for me but at least only play tracks you have the legal right to play. Having 1500 tracks to play as a newcomer to 'Northern Soul' does not suggest those tracks are all legitimately 'owned'. Apologies Stephen500 if you have them all on a legal format and have your produb license.

[boba]

Play off whatever you like on radio for me but at least only play tracks you have the legal right to play. Having 1500 tracks to play as a newcomer to 'Northern Soul' does not suggest those tracks are all legitimately 'owned'. Apologies Stephen500 if you have them all on a legal format and have your produb license.

In England it's illegal to play something on the radio that you don't legally own? I would think that the crime of you stealing the tracks has been committed whether or not you played them on the radio, does that make it more illegal? Also, what is a "produb license"? Thanks.

[Roburt]

Stephen, one track that would be good for you to play on your show is the original incarnation of the song "Higher & Higher".

Before Carl Smith 'borrowed' it & took it across Chicago to Brunswick for Jackie Wilson to turn into a hit ....

... it had been recorded at Chess by the Dells. As JW's version was instantly a hit, the Dells did very little with their 'original', apart from it going onto their next LP (I have it on that OVO LP).

It is easily sourced on CD as it has been included on 3 or 4 different CD releases of the Dells Chess stuff ........

Here's one CD (a box set @ less than £10) it is available on (& as a bonus you can sound-check their version before buying) ...

... https://www.amazon.co...tt_mus_ep_dpi_2

... or you can just buy that one track (as an mp3) for 69p.

Edited July 2, 2012 by Roburt

[Guest Dave Turner]

Here's another example of people potentially throwing out the legitimacy 'baby' with the format 'bathwater'.

Play off whatever you like on radio for me but at least only play tracks you have the legal right to play. Having 1500 tracks to play as a newcomer to 'Northern Soul' does not suggest those tracks are all legitimately 'owned'. Apologies Stephen500 if you have them all on a legal format and have your produb license.

Ged, where have I mentioned anything about playing anything on the radio, or on an online radio show, that's not legally owned?

Edited July 2, 2012 by Dave Turner

[boba]

Ged, where have I mentioned anything about playing anything on the radio, or on an online radio show, that's not legally owned?

again, does it matter in terms of the law? someone already broke the law by stealing it. playing it on the radio doesn't add an additional offense.

[Roburt]

To amass 1500 60's soul tracks on CD, you would only need to buy around 75 comp CD's (@ 20 tracks per CD) ...

.. with the cheap price of lots of NS comp CD's these days, that would cost you around £350 (much less if lots of those CD's were 2nd hand).

So lets not jump to conclusions about tracks being ripped onto CD-R for radio play.

[Guest Brett F]

Brett,

Whilst I believe in Original Format Only for nights out I really wouldn't like to see that extended to radio.

I can see where you perhaps feel a certain empathy with a host playing from record or I presume a CD only track. Myself I'm not that bothered when it comes to radio.

Personally I'd rather a good soul radio show with the emphasis on quality of the music and not whether the host/guest actually owned the record. Quality of track plus quality of background info, date, label, what city, perhaps mention of another good track by the artist to be played in a following show etc etc. Good DJ banter that's interesting, educational and entertaining to keep the listener interested.

To my mind an excellent or crap show can be done with whatever the medium. If the host/guest has the knowledge, or has done some prior homework then that makes it a far better show for me.

Just my thoughts on it

Hi Dave i'm not totally against people on the radio playing off legitimate compilation CD's that would indeed be churlish, after all it's really about the music, but must confess my predilection is toward the collector spots on the radio, guys/ girls who have the tunes, it's really just a personal preference, i'm genuinely interested in what people collect and have always enjoyed the shows that feature this kind of angle, already mentioned Soul People ' Solar radio, Chris Anderton's show, Bob A's Show, Neil Forbes, Niki Golding on Starpoint, they always play stuff they own, because they have healthy and deep collections, but like i said nothing against somebody playing say the odd track off a new CD, but i like the body of a show to feature records out of a folks collection....It's no big deal.

[Roburt]

RE: i'm not TOTALLY against people on the radio playing off legitimate compilation CD's

............... FHEW, THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW, I can sleep nights now.

I'm not bothered (& neither are 99% of radio listeners) what type of media tracks on the radio are played off ....... WTF does it matter !?!?!

[Ged Parker]

In England it's illegal to play something on the radio that you don't legally own? I would think that the crime of you stealing the tracks has been committed whether or not you played them on the radio, does that make it more illegal? Also, what is a "produb license"? Thanks.

Bob - I think we're coming from the same place. I get tired of the OVO / boots debate as it often misses the point that legitimate DJs should play legitimate music. There isn't a grade of illegal as far as I'm concerned.

To play a digitaly stored music file publicly in the UK you need an annual 'Pro Dub' licence. this isn't needed for vinyl only DJ's

https://www.prsformusic.com/users/recordedmedia/ProDub/Pages/ProDubLicence.aspx

[Ged Parker]

the emphasis on quality of the music and not whether the host/guest actually owned the record.

Ged, where have I mentioned anything about playing anything on the radio, or on an online radio show, that's not legally owned?

I inferred it from your comment about the presenter or guest not owning the record. Maybe I misunderstood

[Ged Parker]

To amass 1500 60's soul tracks on CD, you would only need to buy around 75 comp CD's (@ 20 tracks per CD) ...

.. with the cheap price of lots of NS comp CD's these days, that would cost you around £350 (much less if lots of those CD's were 2nd hand).

So lets not jump to conclusions about tracks being ripped onto CD-R for radio play.

Fair point. Mind you they way some tracks are on multiple CDs you may need more than 60 but yes it is possible to legitimately own 1500 tracks as a beginer.

[Guest Brett F]

RE: i'm not TOTALLY against people on the radio playing off legitimate compilation CD's

............... FHEW, THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW, I can sleep nights now.

I'm not bothered (& neither are 99% of radio listeners) what type of media tracks on the radio are played off ....... WTF does it matter !?!?!

Hi Roburt, it doesn't matter to you, that's fine, and i could care less, i merely said i enjoy the DJ collector radio shows, it's just i'm interested in the collecting side of soul as well as just the music, no need to get all hot under your collar because somebody else has a preference to the type of radio shows they enjoy, i collect records it's a hobby i enjoy, plus i'm friendly with many others who have that self same interest, to be honest any radio 'Soul' show can play whatever it likes and on any format, but just about anybody can bang on a couple of comp CD's and let them run right through, i just happen to prefer people (and their type of radio show ) who actually showcase the music they own and collect. Said it before...It's NO BIG Deal...

Hope the guy gets all the obscure tracks he can get a hold of, then record around say 24 hours worth of podcast's and just let it play and play, plenty of depth and passion there, hats off to radio land, its a win,win situation. In fact lets get rid of all the collector shows, put them in a bottle and toss it out into some deep current and watch it float off toward some foul and wretched shore....................

Brett

[Guest Brett F]

Bob - I think we're coming from the same place. I get tired of the OVO / boots debate as it often misses the point that legitimate DJs should play legitimate music. There isn't a grade of illegal as far as I'm concerned.

To play a digitaly stored music file publicly in the UK you need an annual 'Pro Dub' licence. this isn't needed for vinyl only DJ's

https://www.prsformus...DubLicence.aspx

Hi Ged, i didn't know this, and i guess a whole lot of radio shows don't either or choose not too...

[Ged Parker]

Hi Ged, i didn't know this, and i guess a whole lot of radio shows don't either or choose not too...

Sadly true Brett. PRS have limited staff to police it and DJs know this. They took the route of licensing because they knew how hard it would be to control.

FIMI the Italian equivalent of PRS prosecuted a DJ with (from memory) a hard drive with just 2,000 tracks on it I.4 million Euros (Yes Euros not Lira)

[Guest Dave Turner]

Hi Dave i'm not totally against people on the radio playing off legitimate compilation CD's that would indeed be churlish, after all it's really about the music, but must confess my predilection is toward the collector spots on the radio, guys/ girls who have the tunes, it's really just a personal preference, i'm genuinely interested in what people collect and have always enjoyed the shows that feature this kind of angle, already mentioned Soul People ' Solar radio, Chris Anderton's show, Bob A's Show, Neil Forbes, Niki Golding on Starpoint, they always play stuff they own, because they have healthy and deep collections, but like i said nothing against somebody playing say the odd track off a new CD, but i like the body of a show to feature records out of a folks collection....It's no big deal.

Brett, agreed it's no big deal mate and as I said in my initial reply to you --

"I can see where you perhaps feel a certain empathy with a host playing from record"

It's not my way of thinking but I understand where you're coming from and why you'd prefer that type of show.

[Guest stephen500]

Here's another example of people potentially throwing out the legitimacy 'baby' with the format 'bathwater'.

Play off whatever you like on radio for me but at least only play tracks you have the legal right to play. Having 1500 tracks to play as a newcomer to 'Northern Soul' does not suggest those tracks are all legitimately 'owned'. Apologies Stephen500 if you have them all on a legal format and have your produb license.

Edited July 3, 2012 by stephen500

[boba]

On my radio show I do only play 45s as it drives my collection and I like to discover unknown records and it results in a specific format / sound of my show. I pretty much don't repeat songs because I treat every show like it's a mix and listen to it repeatedly over the week so I don't want to hear the song all the time. I spend around 4 hours getting ready for each show (not counting all the time I spend looking for records).

I'm not inherently opposed to people playing CDs or downloaded mp3s (assuming they are high bitrate mp3s) on the radio, part of the problem is that you have to be really deep and obsessive, to the point of collecting mp3s of unknown stuff and trading them, in order to have an interesting show. Otherwise you're just playing well known stuff and the show isn't interesting (to me at least). The listener might as well listen to a CD.

However, 90% of radio listeners aren't interesting in hearing obscure "deep" cuts, they want to hear what they know. So playing CDs for that kind of show makes a lot of sense. I'm not inherently opposed to uninteresting shows, I just don't want to listen to them. I don't have a problem with other people listening to them.

This to me is also the most compelling argument for "OVO" in clubs. I'm sure most northern soul fans want to hear the songs they know and that's fine, they can go to clubs that play that music on original or non-original vinyl or CDs or whatever. But if the point of the "rare soul scene" is to hear new and interesting things, the act of collecting and finding records on your own and finding your own sound is what makes you a good DJ. Of course, there is also the problem of rich people just buying their way onto the scene by buying whatever Butch plays or whatever else is hot. I don't see the point of trying to get records that other people have just because they're popular, to me that's just as bad as not playing original vinyl. A good (or at least interesting) DJ should be experienced and should have gone through the experience of discovering different songs / tracks on their own and finding ways to make them into coherent sets.

I never thought i would make a pro-original vinyl only post, I guess what I wrote above to me is the most compelling reason for it. But like I said, I think paying a lot of money to get a currently in demand original just so you can play it in the club when it is "hot" is just as bad.

[Marc Forrest]

Two different things I believe:

Having had started with a own radio show already in ´88 while at school I moved on to do a weekly radio show on saturday nights between 1991 and 1996 on one of Germanys biggest nation wide radio stations (MDR). The show started out to be broadcasted on saturday afternoons with the content being strictly 100% Northern Soul only. Back then it was OVO.

A year later because of its success it was moved on to be broadcasted between 7 and 11 pm on saturdays... because of that huge amount of time I had to fill with music, because of the wider audience (and their listening preferrences) I played House, Jazz Hop, Hip Hop, (new) R&B and new Soul releases on such labels as Expansion alongside maybe a remaining content of say maybe 5 - 10 % orig Sixties and Seventies Soul. I couldnt be bothered to bring original 45s to the studio anymore to be honest and had no problem in playing sth like Lou Pride / Suemi without (back then) having the orig 45 in my collection...

...nowadays and with its countless and specialist internet radio offerings I think as such - a specialst radio show for specialists- it should indeed be done only with original recordings the person doping the show can call his own. These shows seem to tend to work almost as sth like a business card for the person doing it, so to play not ovo would almost be a fraud LOL

Edited July 3, 2012 by Marc Forrest

[Marc Forrest]

I never thought i would make a pro-original vinyl only post, I guess what I wrote above to me is the most compelling reason for it. But like I said, I think paying a lot of money to get a currently in demand original just so you can play it in the club when it is "hot" is just as bad.

Although I dont see the connection / similarity you are making out between not playing OVO and the buying policy of rich-wanna-be-hot-boxing-dj`s I agree with you that both points are wrong

[boba]

Although I dont see the connection / similarity you are making out between not playing OVO and the buying policy of rich-wanna-be-hot-boxing-dj`s I agree with you that both points are wrong

The connection is that neither are playing original sets, which is the only rational argument I believe for the "OVO" policy at DJ nights. Stuff that has been bootlegged has been bootlegged because many people were playing it already. DJs should get their own records and style, which they won't have playing bootlegs or by buying other DJs spins.

[Chalky]

Do we really need another ovo, cd or whatever format arguement?

The guy simply asked for a few suggestions for a radio show?

How do you expect to convert others to lesser known material when everyone keeps it to themselves. There's plenty of cheap records that are unknown, semi known etc to the majority, regardless of where and when they were played. I would also think when listening to the radio most wold be a bit more open minded and not want what they are comfortable with, after all the radio for many is often in the background whilst doing other stuff.

There's plenty of shows on the radio to satisfy those who wish to hear rare vinyl only but I would have thought radio would be the ideal opportunity to get others into lesser known material. It would appear many of you doesn't want them to and wish to keep it for yourselves. No wonder some venues play to 40, 50, 60 peope etc.

Looking at the site it looks all above board and I would assume all licences are obtained and dues paid??

[boba]

Do we really need another ovo, cd or whatever format arguement?

The guy simply asked for a few suggestions for a radio show?

How do you expect to convert others to lesser known material when everyone keeps it to themselves. There's plenty of cheap records that are unknown, semi known etc to the majority, regardless of where and when they were played. I would also think when listening to the radio most wold be a bit more open minded and not want what they are comfortable with, after all the audio for many is often in the background whilst doing other stuff.

There's plenty of shows on the radio to satisfy those who wish to hear rare vinyl only but I would have thought radio would be the ideal opportunity to get others into lesser known material. It would appear many of you doesn't want them to and wish to keep it for yourselves. No wonder some venues play to 40, 50, 60 peope etc.

So your argument is that there are some people who only want to hear rare vinyl while a larger group of people want to hear obscure records? I think those two groups are the same. The rest of the people want to hear the same songs. He can easily buy or steal a whole bunch of compilations with tracks he doesn't know (he can listen to clips on amazon to make sure it's in his ballpark), listen to them, and do a show that reflects his personality. If he has an ear he can make a good show and start picking out what he personally likes. What are like 20 random unknown tracks suggested to him in a thread going to do except make his show sound like someone else's taste? I didn't say he needs to play original vinyl, and he doesn't even need to play obscure records, depending on his audience. I said that he should do an original show that reflects his personal taste or he can play the northern top 500 or whatever, if that is his audience / taste, it would just be a less interesting show for the 10% of the people who want to hear something different.

I made very specific points about what makes an interesting radio show / DJ set that are NOT tied to format.

[Chalky]

No Bob, there's a minority that wish to hear obscure and rare records, the majority don't really care whether it is rare, cheap played here there or everywhere by this that and t'other DJ. Some people just want to listen to music without the need to know everything about the 45, who recorded it where and when, what session and what is in the run out groove.

[boba]

No Bob, there's a minority that wish to hear obscure and rare records, the majority don't really care whether it is rare, cheap played here there or everywhere by this that and t'other DJ. Some people just want to listen to music without the need to know everything about the 45, who recorded it where and when etc.

None of this contradicts my post. Again, my point is that a DJ should do a show that reflects their personality, and there are plenty of resources to hear and learn about music and develop their personal style. In fact, many "OVO" people are doing the total opposite by seeking out records that other people play. Where did i say that the DJ needs to talk about the label, who played it first, etc.? The absolute worst is when DJs talk about prices of records.

On my show I specifically think about the audience and what information they want to hear. Most are not collectors, I don't say what the label is on the record, and I don't even know or care who played what song. Giving interesting information about the group though (e.g. where they were from or some other interesting piece of information) would probably appeal to someone who enjoyed the song, although the DJ doesn't have to do that if they don't want to.

[Phild]

Do we really need another ovo, cd or whatever format arguement?

The guy simply asked for a few suggestions for a radio show?

How do you expect to convert others to lesser known material when everyone keeps it to themselves. There's plenty of cheap records that are unknown, semi known etc to the majority, regardless of where and when they were played. I would also think when listening to the radio most wold be a bit more open minded and not want what they are comfortable with, after all the radio for many is often in the background whilst doing other stuff.

There's plenty of shows on the radio to satisfy those who wish to hear rare vinyl only but I would have thought radio would be the ideal opportunity to get others into lesser known material. It would appear many of you doesn't want them to and wish to keep it for yourselves. No wonder some venues play to 40, 50, 60 peope etc.

Looking at the site it looks all above board and I would assume all licences are obtained and dues paid??

I agree 100%.

The genie is out of the bottle.

The more tracks from our genre that get played on radio (internet or otherwise) the better. It matters not one iota what format they're on. OVO radio? Not since the 1960's I would think.

maybe a chance of introducing nw ears to the sounds.

Bring it on!

[Marc Forrest]

I agree 100%.

The genie is out of the bottle.

The more tracks from our genre that get played on radio (internet or otherwise) the better. It matters not one iota what format they're on. OVO radio? Not since the 1960's I would think.

maybe a chance of introducing nw ears to the sounds.

Bring it on!

so right Steve. In this very spirit I just finished compiling the anniversary CD for next saturday... it will feature some scarce new tunes plus three unreleased 6ts acetate only tracks. As always it will be free to the first 50 in and hopefully will treat our guests with some (new) delights for their ears.

[Guest john s]

OVO radio? Not since the 1960's I would think.

https://wfmu.org/playlists/SV2012

[Chalky]

Bob I agree with what you say but we are talks mainstream northern soul here though and a chance to get some lesser known more obscure tracks over to a wider audience. It makes you wonder why so few Peole go to some events and why some venues have closed over the years, well it doesn't to be honest the answers most of the time are on here.

Stephen simly asked for a few suggestions and instead he got all this, no wonder some have the why bother attitude these days to soul forums.

[Phild]

https://wfmu.org/playlists/SV2012

OK. But that's as a specialist thing not the norm.

Personally, when I used to some radio shows it was OVO (or OCDO ) all the way. But it doesnt really matter.

[boba]

I was not rude and did not tell the guy to tell OVO only. First I explained why some people might be reluctant to reveal lesser known but good tracks. Then I said the people claiming it was illegal to not play "OVO" or whatever were wrong. Then I gave the best possible advice I could give about doing a good radio show, which is to listen to a lot of music to find your own style. I'm not sure what people listing a few random tracks here would accomplish, it's not like he all of a sudden would have a library of obscure northern soul to pick from. I do a radio show, am offering honest advice, and you (Chalky) are acting like I'm being condescending when your response to me is pretty condescending, like I'm the person driving away posters and people from your clubs.

[boba]

and honestly, what answer would have been useful? the question is so open ended it might as well have been asking for obscure songs in any genre.

[Chalky]

I was not rude and did not tell the guy to tell OVO only. First I explained why some people might be reluctant to reveal lesser known but good tracks. Then I said the people claiming it was illegal to not play "OVO" or whatever were wrong. Then I gave the best possible advice I could give about doing a good radio show, which is to listen to a lot of music to find your own style. I'm not sure what people listing a few random tracks here would accomplish, it's not like he all of a sudden would have a library of obscure northern soul to pick from. I do a radio show, am offering honest advice, and you (Chalky) are acting like I'm being condescending when your response to me is pretty condescending, like I'm the person driving away posters and people from your clubs.

Bob I fully respect what you do on your radio show and listen often as I remember to go and download. Of course I wasn't referring to you with regards to our clubs, you have no influence what goes on in this country. It was a view point of what goes on here that I was coming from, my apologies if you though otherwise.

Your advice is good advice coming from someone with experience. But listeners probably don't care about the taste of the Dj, just whether they enjoy what they are hearing, if they do they return, no different to a night out really.

As said radio is a chance to expose more obscure, unknown, semi known and forgotten soul music to a wider audience.

[boba]

Your advice is good advice coming from someone with experience. But listeners probably don't care about the taste of the Dj, just whether they enjoy what they are hearing, if they do they return, no different to a night out really.

Thanks for your positive comments. But I don't understand what the difference is between the taste of the DJ and what you are hearing, it's one in the same, the taste of the DJ determines what is played. I also think things should be put together in coherent sets. I heard this one radio show where the DJ played some pretty good records but they sounded awful in context, they didn't go together and there was even silence between songs.

Anyways, to the OP, pikey's dog recommended a good series of some rare but good soul CDs. Thanks.