Rarest Of The Rare Nighters - Manchester Ritz

[Russ Vickers]

One of my favourite Nighters over the years was the Rarest of the Rare Allnighters that Richard Searling ran on Bank Holiday Sundays at Manchester Ritz. 

 

IMO they were great, a fantastic mixture of Soul Music, packed out, full dance floor & everyone from every corner of the NS spectrum seemed not only to be there, but to thoroughly enjoy em.

 

Happy memories of some brilliant Allnighters.

 

Wouldnt it be great to have something similar now.

 

Best Russ

[Harry Crosby]

One of my favourite Nighters over the years was the Rarest of the Rare Allnighters that Richard Searling ran on Bank Holiday Sundays at Manchester Ritz. 

 

IMO they were great, a fantastic mixture of Soul Music, packed out, full dance floor & everyone from every corner of the NS spectrum seemed not only to be there, but to thoroughly enjoy em.

 

Happy memories of some brilliant Allnighters.

 

Wouldnt it be great to have something similar now.

 

Best Russ

Agreed Russ they were Fantastic nighters, heard some great tunes at those. Like you say everyone from everywhere. Happy days indeed

[Chalky]

I thought they missed a great chance to promote something other than the rarest oldies.  

[Micksmix]

Right up there with the best,I often have this conversation with Derek Pearson,the quality of rare vinyl in the sales boxes at the back of the room was also something else,if you had the disposable cash...........

[Colsoul]

my fave dance floor also ,ill never forget them niters the ultimate for me, col

Edited May 4, 2013 by colsoul

[Russ Vickers]

I thought they seemed to just about get the right mix of tunes to be honest Chalky, I know its a personl thing, but for me it was great, when too many of the type of oldies that I didnt like came on I went to the sales boxes, didnt seem to get any politics or moaning either, so I think for most they hit the spot....

 

Russ

[Chalky]

I thought they seemed to just about get the right mix of tunes to be honest Chalky, I know its a personl thing, but for me it was great, when too many of the type of oldies that I didnt like came on I went to the sales boxes, didnt seem to get any politics or moaning either, so I think for most they hit the spot....

 

Russ

 

Don't get me wrong great venue, fantastic dance-floor but apart for  one or two DJ's it was usually an oldies fest.  Still a good night but they missed a great chance IMO to introduce to great tunes to a wider audience.

[Chalky]

I'd love to see this happen again though with the very best DJ's on offer, Butch, Andy Dyson, Searling etc etc playing nothing but the best from not just the oldies scene but the upfront side of the scene as well.

[Jim Ohara]

It can happen again Chalky - just needs promoted properly by the right promotor

And NO I'm not volunteering mate before you ask

Don't get me wrong, if I didn't have commitments I'd just at the challenge of pulling something like that together

[Back Street Blue]

Went to most of those niters with Ronnie Hanley...........very fond memories of my favourite venue

 

Always tried to persuade my other mates to turn out but most had hung up their all night boots by then

 

Great vibe as not packed to the rafters like the old dayers and felt more intimate somehow

[Colsoul]

I'd love to see this happen again though with the very best DJ's on offer, Butch, Andy Dyson, Searling etc etc playing nothing but the best from not just the oldies scene but the upfront side of the scene as well.

yes chalky and add kitch and carl fortnum ,to the list wow,

[Dave Moore]

Don't get me wrong great venue, fantastic dance-floor but apart for  one or two DJ's it was usually an oldies fest.  Still a good night but they missed a great chance IMO to introduce to great tunes to a wider audience.

I don't remember them as a cheesy "oldies fest" at all. Sure, most were known sounds but some great rarities and underplayed 'blasts from the past' are what I remember and the likes of Kenny Burrell and Carl Willingham certainly used to shake it up a bit.

These were the last of the 'record bar niters' too in my opinion. Before it all went a bit daft and prices became based on bukreedin' instead of common sense and good banter/bartering skills.

Regards,

Dave

[Markw]

Loved them.

[Russ Vickers]

Right then, so who's gonna step up to the plate....I reckon a Nighter like that again could really be a goer, just need the right venue n promoter.....

 

Go on Dave, ya know ya wanna lol

 

I know a  bloody fabulous venue, that could have been purpose built for a Nighter, unfortunately darn south, but if any serious promoter wants the details hit me up....

 

Best Russ

Edited May 4, 2013 by Russ Vickers

[Pete Eccles]

Weren't the Ritz 'Rarest of the Rare' just once or maybe twice a year? With the other Bank Holiday nighters being themes like Detroit/Chicago, Motown, Oldies ...............

[Dave Moore]

Weren't the Ritz 'Rarest of the Rare' just once or maybe twice a year? With the other Bank Holiday nighters being themes like Detroit/Chicago, Motown, Oldies ...............

I certainly remember at least one Motown one. Chris King playing a C-90 tape of all the stuff he'd recently liberated from their Vaults. Some great stuff. Come to think of it, think it may have been a Motown one that Kim Weston and Brenda Holloway played in '98?

Regards,

Dave

[Colsoul]

they used to have top collectors doing spots early on i remember, dickie watt, pete lowrey and the likes,and it was packed but thats back when there was nowt else on i dont know if it would be the same these days  with 80 dos on every nite of the week ,COL

[Pete Eccles]

I certainly remember at least one Motown one. Chris King playing a C-90 tape of all the stuff he'd recently liberated from their Vaults. Some great stuff. Come to think of it, think it may have been a Motown one that Kim Weston and Brenda Holloway played in '98?

Regards,

Dave

 

I think you're right Dave, re 98, also remember one that was a Motown top 50 (or similar) night, RS played most of what was to be played earlier on that day on his radio show,

 

I seem to remember 'Wigan' nighters too

Edited May 4, 2013 by Pete60

[Back Street Blue]

I seem to remember 'Wigan' nighters too

 

So do I Pete.

 

Don't wish to put a downer on the blokes currently running the dayers at the Ritz, but not the same venue anymore so wouldn't suit the niter RV's suggesting IMO, dancefloor's knackered and the place kitted out more of a stage and standing audience venue for live gigs now.

[Agentsmith]

the RAREST OF THE RARE all-nighters were always held on may-day bank holiday...without doubt, my favourite all-nighter EVER, and thats not to knock stoke or the 100 club either as these are my 3 all-time favourites...one a year, a chance to hear the biggest and mostly best rareities from the likes of kenny, butch, shifty, ginger and mr. searling but also stalwarts like bob hinsley, carl willingham, andy rix and on occasion adey croasdell & mick smith...it was a proper fest. chalky, im not knocking either, the issue of the twenty quid record being equally as good and 1000's are...it was just then wasn't it?.....stafford had gone some 16-20 years beforehand and the cheapies had, in effect, BECOME the rareities of this period, so richard & co weren't necessarily missing an opportunity and,....if he relaunched it now, i believe you WOULD hear what you're suggesting because they ( the djs ) have become more streetwise in blending their sets. i agree with the likes of young dyson & kitch getting in on the act, though they aint newcomers to the scene and uncle ted as well...fortunately they are getting a look-in now at stoke, thanks to kev and are lining up alongside mick.h, so the punters are starting to get the real deal, which, in the case of the kings hall & togetherness, is a proposition hard to resist...i suppose the ultimate anorak dream would be to see the lifeline & stoke set-up merge for a special...but then, it would have to be at the ritz, would it?. i have asked richard about this on a number of occasions and yes, we've already seen him & neil launch a sort of h.e.s.c revival gig there, but rotr was always richard's baby and i see him as being the only person capeable of putting it together in a manner befitting the scene, he knows all the angles and still has that aura to hold people's attention, he's a great friend and STILL a great dj.

[Chalky]

What you on about?  No one mentioned 20 quid records, I said it turned into a rare oldies only nighter, Larry Clinton, Al Williams, Frankie Beverley etc etc.  Some rare rare records were not allowed simply because the mainstream scene didn't know them, that is fact, even thought they were big records on the nighter scene at the time.  That is why I said I would like to see it happen again but this time include the best of the upfront side of the nighter scene involved. Stafford wasn't just about cheapies, quite the opposite.  As I said I enjoyed the nighters, great venue but I felt they missed a great chance to really showcase the rarest of the rare from all eras.

[Agentsmith]

chalky, you've quoted yourself how many great undervalued cheapies there are that should be played, these should be part and parcel of a rarest of the rare event BECAUSE they dont get the opportunity on a big stage, just as much as the actual RARE records. i didn't say that everything played at stafford was a cheapie, but lots that were considered bargains back then and were snapped up by collectors, have by definition, become rare becuase the supply has dried up and the value has subsequently gone up e.g. nobody wanted joe douglas at a fiver ( because it wasnt known?, it wasnt rare enough/, it was too slow? ) some did have faith though and in time people came to terms with it...so the copies dried up, it got played, it became acceptable and it sells  ( or has sold ) for 15 times more than it originally did when nobody wanted it. because "she's wanted". " because of my heart" & "im gone" are oldies, does that make them any less worthy of being played,...they might be oldies but they're nontheless rare and a fortunate few can own them and despite them being oldies, they're still major quality material, proper soul...and it goes without saying, especially on here that people frequently pass comments about some of the rare records, of recent discovery/ attempted revival e.t.c., being played on the scene as total dross....because they don't match up to whats gone before??...so lets do what you suggest is right, and persue the 15-20 pound records because mountains of them are eye openers and a large proportion of people can afford them and more djs can play them....and there's nothing to stop a potential r.o.t.r from moving on as you say. incidentally, i've emailed richard on this subject again, i'll see if his response differs.

Edited May 4, 2013 by AGENTSMITH

[Agentsmith]

What you on about?  No one mentioned 20 quid records, I said it turned into a rare oldies only nighter, Larry Clinton, Al Williams, Frankie Beverley etc etc.  Some rare rare records were not allowed simply because the mainstream scene didn't know them, that is fact, even thought they were big records on the nighter scene at the time.  That is why I said I would like to see it happen again but this time include the best of the upfront side of the nighter scene involved. Stafford wasn't just about cheapies, quite the opposite.  As I said I enjoyed the nighters, great venue but I felt they missed a great chance to really showcase the rarest of the rare from all eras.

is your view that it was PREDOMINENTLY a rare oldies all-nighter?, it was billed as rarest-of-the-rare and nobody said anything about it being an oldies fest. you probably witnessed as i did, the likes of carl willinham, shifty, butch, mick smith, andy rix, adey croasdell etc as well as bob hinsley, ginger, richard and other various guests and nobody could accuse them of playing to a set theme.......yes, i WAS at the same gig and before any clever bastards chime in, NOT ON ANOTHER PLANET....REMEMBER soul sam's premier airing of MARGARET LITTLE? not a person in the building knew what it was YET it rammed the floor from the off...and what about when shifty knocked everybody for six with the MELLO SOULS?...alright, so thats two records, so what?....it wasn't the case of "well i've got that and fill the rest of me set out with bogstandard"....you must be relating to the first 3 or 4 hours before the watershed at the other bank holiday events...am i right?.

Edited May 4, 2013 by AGENTSMITH

[Chalky]

chalky, you've quoted yourself how many great undervalued cheapies there are that should be played, 

 

I haven't on this topic and I wouldn't either, why bring them up?  There are many great cheap records but I wouldn't go to a nighter billed as the rarest of the rare and expect to hear them.

 

Like I said I enjoyed the night but felt they missed a great chance.  Yes I know there was some DJ's there with some great collections but they wasn't allowed to express themselves fully IMO.

I've said all I wanted to say, not gonna keep repeating myself and no wish to argue, like I said I would love to see Richard do this again with the best of the whole scene.

Edited May 4, 2013 by chalky

[Agentsmith]

I haven't on this topic and I wouldn't either, why bring them up?  There are many great cheap records but I wouldn't go to a nighter billed as the rarest of the rare and expect to hear them.

 

Like I said I enjoyed the night but felt they missed a great chance.  Yes I know there was some DJ's there with some great collections but they wasn't allowed to express themselves fully IMO.

I've said all I wanted to say, not gonna keep repeating myself and no wish to argue, like I said I would love to see Richard do this again with the best of the whole scene.

look bro, i have enormous respect for you on here, but i beg to differ, i cannot honestly believe that richard would tell anyone he's booked to tow the line, especially when it come to a specific billing and r.o.t.r. clarifies that, play from your box, play what you've got that's rare, that wouldn't be heard anywhere on any other night, that's why it was once a year and it gathered together the cream of the top spinners...what about butch's sets?.....same as what was being played at the 100 club at the time, full of glorious cover-up's and one off's and adey's deluge of original studio acetates. it clearly goes against the grain to say it was dominated by regular rare oldies, thats why these people were bought in, kenny in particular, was always willing to try something different and break the mould and that's despite him having all the big numbers. i'm definitely going to push it with richard now and we'll see what comes about...he can only say no...i'm not going to argue the toss with people though about the justification of using the ritz as it's still standing, and from what i hear, it still has the atmosphere and there ain't many venues that command respect as much as the ritz does.

[sir cumference]

"you left me".

"love slave".

"we  can make it".

"man oh man".

"don`t play the role".

"you only live twice"

.......dozens more,

 

and remember Searling running to the decks when the vocals kicked in to "The Chesterfields",first time out!

 

Certainly great times.

[Wiganer1]

RITZ NITERS - LOVED EM ,,,