Northern Soul An Illustrated History

[Chalky]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Northern-Soul-Elaine-Constantine/dp/0753541912/ref=zg_bsnr_73_90

'Music changes lives, music creates culture, music moves the soul.'

In the 1970s, a form of dance music took a feverish hold on the UK, finding its heart in the north of England. The music of 1960s-70s black American soul singers combined with distinctive dance styles to create what became known as northern soul. The movement tapped into a yearning for individual expression in northern working-class teenagers, and exploded into a cultural phenomenon that influenced a generation of DJs, songwriters and designers for decades to come. Northern Soul, a new film by acclaimed photographer and director Elaine Constantine, brings to life the scene for a whole new generation of 16 to 24-year-olds as well as longstanding soul fans.

This vivid tie-in book by Constantine and Gareth Sweeney is a vivid celebration of all things about the culture, featuring the former's unmistakeable photography; immersed in the energy of the teenage dancers. Alongside this will be archival photography and oral histories from real 1970s soul fans, histories of the clubs, and top ten features etc.

This book has the double pull of being a unique souvenir for fans of the film, but also being an authentic document for followers of the northern soul scene, who have lived and breathed it their entire lives: it's simply the most dynamic, vital book on the subject ever.

[Pete S]

 it's simply the most dynamic, vital book on the subject ever.

 

That's a very big claim

[Guest Byrney]

That's a very big claim

As is a 'comprehensive history of the scene' which most have claimed in the past and not one actually delivered.

Sales bumf aside. Didn't know Gareth was involved in this until we were out the other week, sounds like a completely different take on the way they've approached it so I'll be buying it. Unless someone wants to buy it for me (out 4 days before my birthday).

[Spacehopper]

interesting...released sept 5th...so is that the film release date then?...sure i read somewhere thay were going to coinscide

 

ive only got a handful of books but neil rushtons northern soul stories will take some beating as a great 'cofee table' book full of great pics and stories..some great record collecting stories too

 

dean

[jocko]

Gareth and Elaine certainly put the miles in in doing this, and worked with a whole load of people. The advertising "bumpf" is definitely interesting when you consider how understated they both are generally! Some future material for serious leg pulling there.  

Both have a pretty good CV's, and are sticklers for attention to detail so fingers crossed, there have been a couple of other pretty damn good books on subject so fingers crossed this joins them on the to be read again shelves.

Anything like this gets my vote for the sheer hard work in pulling it together, and putting their neck on the line with their view of the world.

[Guest in town Mikey]

I think it was a great idea getting Gareth involved in the book. His writing is hugely entertaining and informative at the same time.

 

Re the bumf, the last time I spoke to Marco he said Elaine was out having dinner with Ian Levine. Taking tips maybe?........ The leg pulling has begun 

[Guest frenchie]

Elaine has put her life into this!  She is striving to ensure that it is done tastefully, correctly and she loves the music and lifestyle just like all of us, unlike some who have just wanted the kerching sound in their ears!

 

There have been many books about the scene released, many adorn our shelves. Some are fantastic, some are mediocre.

Im sure this will be entertaining, informative and a great keepsake.

 

I will buy the book and watch the film, and smile and hopefully go back to that day at the ripe old age of 14 when I first entered the Casino in 1974!

[Guest fido]

people who write books about our music and the northern scene, should get the facts wright end of, I my self have been into our music from the time it all began, early 60ts ok get the facts wright before making things up.

[Dave Rimmer]

people who write books about our music and the northern scene, should get the facts wright end of, I my self have been into our music from the time it all began, early 60ts ok get the facts wright before making things up.

And your reason for saying this is ?

[Guest]

people who write books about our music and the northern scene, should get the facts wright end of, I my self have been into our music from the time it all began, early 60ts ok get the facts wright before making things up.

People who post on forums should learn to spell

[Guest Byrney]

people who write books about our music and the northern scene, should get the facts wright end of, I my self have been into our music from the time it all began, early 60ts ok get the facts wright before making things up.

Other than letting us all know you've been on the scene since day 1 (even doing nighters during the 80s - early 90s??) your post suggests to me that the authors may not have got their facts right. Some skill that, you can ascertain the validity of what they've wrote before it being published.

[Chalky]

people who write books about our music and the northern scene, should get the facts wright end of, I my self have been into our music from the time it all began, early 60ts ok get the facts wright before making things up.

The only one I can see here making up facts is you....and use a spell checker, god help your proof reader if you ever decide to write one about your time on the scene since day one.

[Chalky]

I'm sure the publicity blurb is from an agency and not Gareth nor Elaine knowing them and how they conduct themselves. Regardless it should be a damn good read. A lot of work has gone into this from all concerned.

[Barry]

Peepul hoo post on phorums shud lern to spel

 

Ya grumpy git!

Edited June 20, 2013 by Barry

[Tezza]

The only one I can see here making up facts is you....and use a spell checker, god help your proof reader if you ever decide to write one about your time on the scene since day one.

 

Been listening to Sam Cooke, Jackie Wilson etc since the late 50's - Check - Your Move.

My Nob is bigger than yours !!

What has actually been made up, is it just in the wrong drawer of the Memory Filing System by mistake ?

 

Soz Chalky, attached it to the wrong one.

Edited June 20, 2013 by Tezza

[Peter99]

 

 

ive only got a handful of books but neil rushtons northern soul stories will take some beating as a great 'cofee table' book full of great pics and stories..some great record collecting stories too

 

dean

Not seen that book Dean - unless my memory has completely shot it.

 

Can't find one on tinternet - anyone got one for sale?

 

Peter

[Tezza]

Yep, with you there Mr 99 - Have one on order.

[Barry]

Not seen that book Dean - unless my memory has completely shot it.

 

Can't find one on tinternet - anyone got one for sale?

 

Peter

 

https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/d/176473/RUSHTON,_NEIL

[Peter99]

https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/d/176473/RUSHTON,_NEIL

Thanks Barry

 

Peter

 

[Spacehopper]

Thanks Barry

 

Peter

 

came out a couple of years back peter with a great free 7"...HIGHLY recommended...buy it!

 

dean

[Peter99]

came out a couple of years back peter with a great free 7"...HIGHLY recommended...buy it!

 

dean

Hi Dean

 

Johnny Manship has it stocked so I'll get one ordered.

 

Cheers buddy.

P

[Guest gordon russell]

 

Elaine has put her life into this!  She is striving to ensure that it is done tastefully, correctly and she loves the music and lifestyle just like all of us, unlike some who have just wanted the kerching sound in their ears!

 

There have been many books about the scene released, many adorn our shelves. Some are fantastic, some are mediocre.

Im sure this will be entertaining, informative and a great keepsake.

 

I will buy the book and watch the film, and smile and hopefully go back to that day at the ripe old age of 14 when I first entered the Casino in 1974!

PEN........don,t give ya age away....we thought you was about 38 last time we saw ya at burnley atb tezza

[Guest gordon russell]

Fido may or may not be correct ....cut him some slack though fellas.......depends on what decade you came upon the scene/music...it could make you lean toward that era in your appraisal.I,ll wait and read the book to gauge the facts in it.One thing l would like to see is the scene depicted as it really was/is...not glossed over...with this "we're all soulies and we love each other".The scene may be a bit like that now in some quarters.....back in the day...different story...lets hope it,s told....look forward to the book and film....fingers crossed

Edited June 20, 2013 by gordon russell

[Chalky]

Terry, he is making assumptions it would seem before the book is published. Regardless of how factually correct or how good a read the book may be, there will be some just sitting waiting for their copy to pick it apart.

I too would love to see a warts and all account of the seedy side of the scene rather than all the Luvvy duvvy accounts we constantly see written.

Edited June 20, 2013 by chalky

[Agentsmith]

People who post on forums should learn to spell

correction dear old thing, i believe articulate is the word!

[Dekka]

Will a percentage of the proceeds go to charity?.

 

That would be the only reason I would ever buy this book,

 

it seems to me while I still have my memory everything is still colour illustrated

[Chalky]

Will a percentage of the proceeds go to charity?. That would be the only reason I would ever buy this book

Why?

Take it you've never bought a book then unless money goes to charity?

[Dekka]

Why?

Take it you've never bought a book then unless money goes to charity?

 

Usually buy them from charity shops ta very much, or other outlets which I know that proceeds go to charity,

 

if you knew me you would know I was telling the truth,

 

may I, answer your question with a question, Why will no proceeds be going to charity?

[Chalky]

Usually buy them from charity shops ta very much, or other outlets which I know that proceeds go to charity, if you knew me you would know I was telling the truth, may I, answer your question with a question, Why will no proceeds be going to charity?

I don't doubt you or question your integrity or anything, just wondering why you wouldn't buy it.

I don't know what is happening to the proceeds, nothing to do with me but why should proceeds go to charity? A lot of work has gone into this, both the book and the film.

[Agentsmith]

chalky, the day we get a warts n' all account is exactly what we've been waiting for since we served our imaginary apprenticeship,a book can only get as close as possible to the impossible, fact is a good many well respected and influential folk have passed through heaven's gates, who would have chipped in their pearls of wisdom. what we arrive at now, are two people who have decided that time is passing by and the generations we are nurturing need an edict of relevance, be we the elders, judge it of supreme significance or otherwise....there have been too many uneducated false starts, even some of the books have, though enjoyable reads, been written from a personal perspective...the one's that probably act as an unsung gospel for us all ( and again, only time will tell ) have come from the pens of people with an acute understanding of how the scene ticks and evolves. neil rushton has been a friend for close on 40 years, tim brown just over 12 years, both have given the vast majority of their lives to the scene, with unflinching dedication...their books are concise, informative and chronologically sound. now we are on the verge of the archetypal, a film that to all intents & purposes mimics what is relevant and reverent about these type of books, that's warts n' all or near as damn it. 

Edited June 20, 2013 by AGENTSMITH

[Dekka]

I don't doubt you or question your integrity or anything, just wondering why you wouldn't buy it.

I don't know what is happening to the proceeds, nothing to do with me but why should proceeds go to charity? A lot of work has gone into this, both the book and the film.

 

I appreciate that Chalky, but some serious advertisement going on here and a lot of people in the soul scene have genuine desire to give to less fortunate,

 

hope Barry doesn't mind me saying, he helps out with food banks, sorry Barry if i'm out of order, that's one example, there are many more, I would genuinely favour to purchase an item like this if I knew some proceeds were going to a worthy cause.

 

that's the only reason I ask, sorry if i'm coming across abit blunt

[Frankie Crocker]

Looking forward to the book. Sounds potentially excellent. Should build on the superb books by Mick Ritson & Stuart Russell, Tim Brown et al... The movie sounds a winner also.

[Guest]

correction dear old thing, i believe articulate is the word!

Capitol C in correction and a capitol I.. Grammar on this forum is shocking.

[Agentsmith]

Capitol C in correction and a capitol I.. Grammar on this forum is shocking.

I say, my dear old thing,...that's just not cricket, is it?  Take that blighter  and give him a good flogging!

[Andybellwood]

came out a couple of years back peter with a great free 7"...HIGHLY recommended...buy it!

 

dean

 

 

came out a couple of years back peter with a great free 7"...HIGHLY recommended...buy it!

 

dean

 

 

came out a couple of years back peter with a great free 7"...HIGHLY recommended...buy it!

 

dean

great book , quality print, photos etc and a good read - if you buy direct from Neil , i'm sure he'll sign it for you as well 

[Guest Krissii]

Some of the blurb advertising the book

quote

".....but it's real depth lies in the material from the 1960s , 1970s and 1980s that Elaine and Gareth have researched and pulled together (!) ...crammed full of truly atmospheric contemporaneous photography..from the kids themselves...."

unquote

[Guest Krissii]

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Northern-Soul-Elaine-Constantine/dp/0753541912/ref=zg_bsnr_73_90

'Music changes lives, music creates culture, music moves the soul.'

In the 1970s, a form of dance music took a feverish hold on the UK, finding its heart in the north of England. The music of 1960s-70s black American soul singers combined with distinctive dance styles to create what became known as northern soul. The movement tapped into a yearning for individual expression in northern working-class teenagers, and exploded into a cultural phenomenon that influenced a generation of DJs, songwriters and designers for decades to come. Northern Soul, a new film by acclaimed photographer and director Elaine Constantine, brings to life the scene for a whole new generation of 16 to 24-year-olds as well as longstanding soul fans.

This vivid tie-in book by Constantine and Gareth Sweeney is a vivid celebration of all things about the culture, featuring the former's unmistakeable photography; immersed in the energy of the teenage dancers. Alongside this will be archival photography and oral histories from real 1970s soul fans, histories of the clubs, and top ten features etc.

This book has the double pull of being a unique souvenir for fans of the film, but also being an authentic document for followers of the northern soul scene, who have lived and breathed it their entire lives: it's simply the most dynamic, vital book on the subject ever.

Hi there Chalky

"archival photography"

What does that mean ? Which "archives" , where ?

[Chalky]

Hi there Chalky

"archival photography"

What does that mean ? Which "archives" , where ?

I don't know I didn't write it and to be honest it is nothing to do with me. I was simply passing on that the book is scheduled for publication.

I presume it means that photos, memorabilia and memories belonging to contributors depicting certain periods and venues have been used.

Edited June 21, 2013 by chalky

[Guest Krissii]

I don't know I didn't write it and to be honest it is nothing to do with me. I was simply passing on that the book is scheduled for publication.

I presume it means that photos, memorabilia and memories belonging to contributors depicting certain periods and venues have been used.

Thanks

Its just in the past peoples photos have been used in books and they hadnt been aware of it . If they had been contacted instead of the photos just taken (off facebook for example) then they might have come forward with more not already online or in the public domain . Not saying this book has done that though . Or that the owners were not contacted and told they were going to be used.

Film looks like it might be good and better than the last film effort

[Chalky]

Hi Krissi

I know of photos used and written consent was gained, that is a fact as I was involved in some way with some.

[Guest Krissii]

Hi Krissi

I know of photos used and written consent was gained, that is a fact as I was involved in some way with some.

Great

If only they were all that courteous.

[shelly]

I authorised my quotes, though after half a dozen pints in back room of Queens Head !!!!!

Shelly

[Guest dave nowell]

Good luck with the project - let's hope it lives up to the hype!

This has jogged my memory - my book Too Darn Soulful, The Story of Northern Soul is now out on an e-book (Kindle version)

Amazon stock it, as do Apple so I am told by my publishers (£7.20)

But sometimes people tell you fibs!?!?!?!
 

https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Story-Northern-Soul-ebook/dp/B007ZRZ1BY

[macca]

Some of my photos were requested and I gave permission. I don't know if any of them were finally incorporated into the project, but I'll be most chuiffed if they were. The reason I put them on here and on Facebook is to share them with likeminded people. 

Regarding charity. People that write books, make films, record music etc do it because it's their job. Other people sell double glazing and install central heating.  If I were in a position right now to donate a percentage of my wine tour profits to charitable causes, I probably would, via my annual tax return, but that's my bloody business, nobody else's. Looking forward to seeing the film.

Edited June 29, 2013 by macca

[Liamgp]

Will a percentage of the proceeds go to charity?.

 

That would be the only reason I would ever buy this book,

 

it seems to me while I still have my memory everything is still colour illustrated

 

There isn't a big profit margin in producing a book like this for a comparatively small market, so any contribution to charity after the editors, subs, production staff, printers, and distributors have been paid isn't going to amount to a whole lot. I haven't worked in publishing for a while but the profit returned from sales used to be only about 40% - not a lot.