Dave Godin Article from 1975

[Dave Thorley]

Thought this interesting as it come with a interview with John Kojak Harvey .......................

 

The Dave Godin Column
(from Blues and Soul 171, October 14th, 1975)

Republished with the kind permission of Dave Godin
Mr. Whole-of-Soul

John Harvey has one motto that he keeps always to the front of his mind in all his activities, and that is "The Whole of Soul". This phrase indicates his burning desire to break away from the traditions that have built around Soul music in this country, and the simplistic notion that the North only goes for stompers, and the South only wants to funk.
Since its conception and birth (July 19th 1974 to be precise), John Harvey's "Inter City Soul Club" has tried to live by very idealistic principles, and their aim of presenting the whole spectrum of Soul is just one of them. The club was launched with a disco at the 67 Club in Wolverhampton, and being present myself, I recall now that they gave the first ever UK spin to "Queen Of Clubs" by K.C. & The Sunshine Band, which was one of the very first records to reflect the gradual changes in musical tastes that have happened in Northern discos during this past year or so.

Along the line, the appearance of John on the Soul scene coincided with the launching on the BBC of the "Kojak" series, and since, like Telly Savalas, John too went prematurely bald, it was perhaps inevitable that he'd pick up that nick-name in short order. Not that he minds, and often uses it on Inter-City advertisements. When I at last got over to meet John, it was at his home in Shrewsbury; a Victorian gothic house which he and his wife furnished on the money they saved when they gave up smoking cigarettes. (OK, so I'm trying!) His wife Mary is as involved in Inter-City as he is, and even their daughter Marieanne helps out whenever she's able to. This family base has served to extend the Inter-City Soul Club into a larger family affair, and this "family" touch permeates all the club's newsletters and other outpourings.

John laughingly admits that he won't see 30 again, and had a varied background before reaching his present situation. His career began as an apprentice engineer, and in his spare time he was a pretty accomplished boxer. He then joined the RAF in order to fulfil an ambition to become a pilot, but once in, he found to his disappointment that despite his pugilistic prowess, he failed the strict pilots' medical examination. He then became a "muscle mechanic", which to us is a Physical Training Instructor, and when he was sent to Stranraer in Scotland, he got his first buzz of disco vibes. It was there that he and a friend found some defunct broadcasting equipment on the camp site, and between them they spent all their spare time getting it operational again. "The equipment was antique", he told me, "but as the requests we got were quite simple, that was no problem". From there he was sent around the world to various bases, and soon he had been through the radio station shops in Malta, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, Cyprus and Rhodesia. He still managed to keep up his boxing too, but over the next five years he built up his reputation as a chat man and compere.

Eventually he returned to Shrewsbury, and seeing an ad in the local press for an M.C. he soon found himself working alongside current acts of the day such as Bill Haley, The Drifters, Jimmy James & The Vagabonds, Sam & Dave and many others. During this spell he became increasingly involved in straight DJ work, and at the same time pioneered one of the UK's first mobile discotheques.

When his job as an M.C. finished, he found he was getting more DJ work than he could comfortably cope with, and appeared at such places as The Wolves Sports & Social Club, The Kingfisher at Dudley, The Nautical William at Kidderminster, The Winter Gardens at Malvern, and The Punch Bowl at Bridgenorth, which he described as "the Soul hole of the West Midlands". He then took up residency at The Crown at Shifnall "where people used to literally go through the floor". After a spell there, "I found I was becoming a DJ's DJ, and lots of people were copying my style and my presentation. I knew then that I had a winning formula". The formula that was proving so successful had a firm foundation in Soul music, and although he wasn't yet in a position to feature Soul 100%, it was getting more and more that way inclined. "R & B (as it was called then) could hardly ever be heard in Britain outside of discos, and yet that still meant that disco audiences generally had to have them inter-mixed with a sprinkling of straight pop hits too, but myself and some others were soon dedicated and determined to spread the faith of black music".

About this time The Wheel in Manchester, and Mr. Smiths in Altrincham were beginning to make their presence felt, but he reminds us, "there was nothing classy or glamorous about any of the Soul clubs in those days! Samantha's in Birmingham was a right grotty hole!" He had in fact become dedicated to Soul without fully realising it, and a casual acquaintance with it soon developed into a deep and abiding love affair. He soon reached a point however "where I was fed up with all the rip-offs that bedevilled the British Soul scene", and so he and Mary decided to try and organise something that would be straight dealing, and "with faith and energy, we wanted to do some thing to unite the general Soul movement in Britain.

In the eyes of outsiders, the Soul scene here was druggie, rip-off, tasteless and moronic, and apart from the rip-offs, nothing could be further from the truth". This faith in the innate ability of people to regulate their own lives once given the freedom to do so has been carried to a very developed degree within Inter City Soul Club, and members are always urged and encouraged to write and contribute to the newsletter, as well as organise mutual aid coach transport and such like. They even have a Soul Circle of real enthusiasts who act as area reps and generally organise local people and members, and these can generally be relied upon to rally any lapses amongst the faithful in their area. "When we were first considering what we wanted the Inter-City Soul Club to be, we saw a battle between sophisticated knowledge versus ignorance,' and only the Soul magazines stood between these two extremes trying to stop people being taken for a ride. We decided that we wanted to start an organisation that was entirely different from any that then existed a Soul club in more than just name and one that would close the void between naked rip-off and what was being written in the magazine pages."

Right now of course the big, big event looming on the horizon of everybody's consciousness (and not just Inter-City members), is the ambitious Soul Convention that is scheduled for December 12th to 14th at the Norbreck Castle Hotel in Blackpool. One can safely say that nothing like this has ever been staged in Britain before, and it looks set to become a unique experience in UK Soul music history. "We have arranged to take over the whole hotel exclusively during the dates on which the convention is being held, and that includes all the facilities such as bars, lounges, swimming pool, saunas and everything.

We plan an exhibition of Soul as well as many other events which we feel our members will enjoy." Highlight of this marathon Soul feast will be the concert performance. Many Soul acts will be charter flown from the States direct to Manchester, and tentative bookings have been made with the legendary Bessie Banks, Tamiko Jones, Chris Bartley, The Armada Orchestra, Sam Nesbit, Otis Leavill, Oliver Sain, Ultrafunk and The Fantastic Four. Truly the largest line-up in one show ever seen by a Soul audience in Britain since the legendary tour of The Motortown Revue in the early 60's, and a line-up that certainly epitomises John Harvey's steadfast conviction that it's the whole of Soul that matters.

Whilst I was with John and Mary, the telephone hardly stopped ringing, and already, even before the event had been officially advertised, dozens of people had sent in the whole of their convention fee in order to be sure of not missing the event. Mary's contribution to the success of the Inter-City Soul Club should not be minimised either. Quietly she works away from the limelight replying to a seemingly endless pile of mail, and always acutely aware that "the more you get into Soul music, the more you realise how much there is yet to learn!" As one who has never really seen much point in storing pedantic bits and pieces of information in one's head, I reassured her that the true fount of all Soul wisdom really is in the grooves, and I explored the thousands of sides in John's collection in order to dig out endless samples to demonstrate to her. In doing so, I came across the two winners which are this week's "Significant Sides", so it just goes to show that the message of the grooves can teach all of us something sooner or later. BLUES & SOUL will of course be well represented at Blackpool, and we will be writing it all up as it happens, but I'm betting that with John and Mary's joint dedication and determination, this one might well be the first of many such annual events, and if that happens, then in my book it'll be the best thing that's happened to me since I came back home to BLUES & SOUL! (Well, almost the best thing that's happened to me!) Hope to see you there.

Blackpool Soul Convention

Inter-City Soul Club have asked me to pass on details of two competitions they are holding in connection with their 1975 Soul Convention at Blackpool in December.
The first is their 5-A-Side Football match, which will be for annual possession of the "Inter-City Soul Unity Perpetual Challenge Cup". All participants in these matches will be offered accommodation for the whole weekend at a special discount price in addition. Teams, which should consist of 5 players with 1 reserve and 1 trainer, must play in strips of their own choice, and can be formed from any grouping you like. Discos, existing clubs (even Soul journalists!) can form teams to compete.

Several personalities from the world of soccer have said they'll come along to watch and help, and John Harvey told me there will also be novelty asides (!). The games will be 10 minutes each way, with a 3 minute rest interval. Nor need there be any sexual discrimination since there is nothing to stop 7 girls getting up a team, although if they walk off with the cup of course, the humiliation will be crushing!! Do please hurry then if you are interested, and send the names of your players etc., to "Football Teams", Inter-City Soul Club, P.O. Box 28, Shrewsbury, Shropshire.

Second competition (which is less strenuous), is a "Meet The Stars" prize. Winners will be taken out to Manchester Airport to meet the artists who will be appearing at the convention on the Thursday before it starts (December 11th). They will be able to join the press reception, and then accompany the artists on the coach ride to Black pool, and attend the cocktail party in the Presidential Suite of the Norbreck Castle Hotel the same evening. In addition, winners will have free accommodation at the Norbreck for Thursday night.

Devising a competition for such an event is difficult. A quiz is pointless since being an historian doesn't necessarily denote a high Soul sensibility. so we thought the fairest thing would be to ask contestants to write in not more than 100 words, which of the artists appearing at the convention they would most like to meet in person and why. Entries will be judged by DG, John and Mary Harvey, and John Abbey, and there will be 5 winning guys and 5 winning gals. The closing date for this competition will be announced later, but when you enter, you must quote your Inter-City Membership number. Send entries for this to "Meet The Stars Competition". Inter-City Soul Club, P.O. Box 28, Shrewsbury, Shropshire. Good luck.

Significant sides

BOOKER T. & PRISCILLA JONES "The Crippled Crow" (Donna Weiss) US: A&M
RATING: *****

Only a couple of years old, this truly remarkable outing from Booker T. & Priscilla Jones is proving very hard to come by. It is most remarkable above all else for the truly stunning vocal work of Priscilla Jones whose rich, dark voice utilises some amazing runs and nuances which remind one of the days when black singers didn't even expect their records to sell other than to black audiences, and so they could safely use all the vocal skylarking they wanted to.
A side like this almost makes one pine for those vocalists to return who, (like Priscilla Jones here), not only convey their "blackness" in their singing, but also emphasise and exaggerate it purely for dramatic and artistic effect. Esther Phillips and Irma Thomas are two such singers. but even these two Queens would have to go some in order to beat Priscilla's to spread the singing of the one word, "line", over four distinct notes and beats. Husband Booker joins in with vocal support midway. A mid-tempo bitter-sweet lament with somewhat perplexing lyrics, but which are nevertheless of undoubted poetic stature: "The out of tune ravens of the crippled crow, moving down the ladder slow. 'We're your friends girl, and we will help you'", (which are almost a judgement and damning comment on those who are currently slimming the ghettos with their wealth and promises of stardom!) The downbeat atmosphere is heightened by the skilful use of broken-down fiddle in the background, together with what sounds like, (but probably isn't), a kazoo. All Deep Soul freaks will want this one, but what is particularly encouraging is the fact that this "discovery" and current "exclusive" of John Harvey is also one of his current biggest with the dancers. Truly a potential classic and one can only regret that A&M do not apparently seem interested in making it available over here.

FREDDIE McCOY "Soul Yogi" (McCoy/Kemfe) US: PRESTIGE RATING:*****

Prestige Records have long been respected as pioneers of Jazz recordings with an enviable reputation in this field, so it might come as more than a surprise to find this groovy little mover nestling under this particular logo. But should it really? The influence that Jazz has had on Soul is an immense one, even though the fact is hardly ever put on written record, but here we have a heady, intoxicating brew of Jazz vibes with a pounding and insistent string riff which is rather rough and scrapey sounding; these two elements interact to perfection, and serve as a good reminder of the deep debt that present day Soul owes to many other black-pioneered music forms.
Freddie McCoy's performance on the vibes is of virtuoso quality, and although this side has in the not too distant past caused some minor ripples in some discos, it really deserves to become much more widely known and loved. One to really float out to, that sparkles with iridescent space and much else, it is one of the meanest, low down and together instrumentals I've heard in months. Altogether admirable. (Perhaps Chris Hill could tell us if this would merit the description "bad jam"?)

Five years ago

"The Delfonics: Sexy Soul" proclaimed the wording over the colour photo of The Delfonics which was featured on the cover of BLUES & SOUL 44. In the feature article, it is interesting now to re-read what John Abbey wrote. He said, "Generally, all forms of American music finally break through in Britain, but to date, there has been one outstanding exception in that the smooth groups are still out in the cold". Well, it took almost another five years, but they made it eventually! Interesting too that almost exactly five years later their "Didn't I Blow Your Mind This Time" should be having its second outing. (XXXX and now crops up as the musical theme that recurs throughout Tarantino's film "Jackie Brown" XXXX) Let's hope it's a hit for them this time around.
The inside cover had photos of the wedding ceremony and celebrations of Stevie Wonder and Syreeta Wright.

The Three Degrees (then unknown outside of Soul circles) were pictured with Bob Hope backstage at the Indianapolis States Fair.

Major Lance moved into production with the release of his former OKEH outing of "Too Hot To Hold" re-recorded by The Majorettes on MERCURY. Irene Reid, signed with POLYDOR, and Buddy Ace left DUKE and pacted himself to JEWEL-PAULA. Isaac Hayes, Steve Cropper and David Porter were made Vice-Presidents of STAX. Baby Washington signed with CHESS who also announced that they would be moving their headquarters from Chicago to New York.

Good news came with the announcement that Tamiko Jones, after an eighteen month battle with polio, was now re covered sufficiently to return to production and singing. Pacted with METROMEDIA, she had an LP in the can, and readers were reminded that she had produced "Proud Mary" by Solomon Burke on BELL.

Line up of the new 100% Proof INVICTUS group was named as Joe Stubbs (brother of Four Top Levi), Eddie Holiday (former lead of The Holidays) and Steve Mancha (ex GROOVESVILLE). All had roots in Detroit.

ATLANTIC announced that they had signed Roberta Flack to a long term contract.

PRESIDENT Records announced that they had secured UK rights to the MIRWOOD and MIRA catalogues, and said that their first release under the deal would be The Belles "Don't Pretend".

In the letters page. Geoffrey Hatherick, commenting on the controversy that had surrounded an appearance of The Voices Of East Harlem on "Top Of The Pops" (they were charged with being full of "black pride"!!!), reminded us all that "B&S never need be afraid to say it loud Soul fans MUST be 100% behind all civil rights movements". We still are; 100%!!!

New UK re leased singles included Junior Walker & The All Stars "Do You See My Love" (TAMLA MOTOWN); Edwin Starr "War" (TAMLA MOTOWN); The Voices Of East Harlem "Right On, Be Free" (ELEKTRA); Carolyn Franklin "All I Want Is To Be Your Woman" (RCA); and Sonny Charles "Black Pearl" (A&M) which interestingly was issued for the first time just two years after it had been a success in the USA.

Top UK single was "Band Of Gold" Freda Payne, and Top UK album "Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Greatest Hits".

In the DG column, I listed some of the records which readers had nominated as their all time favourites. Old friends mentioned who are still with us included Derek Howe who cited as his all time favourite "Assassination" by The Dixie Nightingales (which I believe is still his favourite).

I also wrote that "the North continues to swing" and latest action singles in the discos were "Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann" by Round Robin and "The Walk" by Jimmy McCracklin (both were revived 45's at the time already). The former had coincided in the States with the dance The Slauson which, interestingly, was not a million mile removed from what came to be known as Northern Soul Dancing. Perhaps Slauson Soul Dancing would have been a better tag for it. That would have puzzled the media for another five years!! Top US Soul 45 was "Express Yourself" on WARNER BROS. by Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band. Top US album was "Spirit In The Dark" by Aretha Franklin on ATLANTIC. Newly released US singles included "Wade In The Water" by Willie Mitchell on HI; "Groove Me" by King Floyd on CHIMNEYVILLE, "Free For All" by Phillip Mitchell on SHOUT; "I'm In Love With You" by Bobby Patterson on JETSTAR; "Lovin' On Borrowed Time" by Mitty Collier on PEACHTREE; "Your Sweetness Is My Weakness" by Jackie Lee on UNI; "Second Hand Love" by Al Perkins on ATCO; "It's Just A Picture" by The Intrepids on COTILLION; "I Did It" by Barbara Acklin on BRUNSWICK; "I'm Not My Brother's Keeper" by Flaming Ember on HOT WAX; and "Help Me Find A Way" by Little Anthony & The Imperials on UNITED ARTISTS.

New LP's released in Britain were "Stevie Wonder: Live At The Talk Of The Town" on TAMLA-MOTOWN; "Diana Ross" on TAMLA-MOTOWN (the one with the cover photo that made her look like an urchin); a reissue of "My Guy" by Mary Wells on 19/11d REGAL STARLINE; Isaac Hayes on ATLANTIC with "Blue Hayes"; Candi Staton with "I'm Just A Prisoner" on CAPITOL; "Tell The Truth" from Otis Redding on ATCO, and on TAMLA-MOTOWN, "Motown Chartbusters Volume 4". In the USA, MOTOWN really spear headed a Soul bonanza releasing no less than 17 albums at one go, including artists such as Gladys Knight & The Pips, Hearts Of Stone, Earl Van Dyke and all their other top acts. Soul was most definitely beginning to emerge from the slight gloom in which it had been five years ago.

Personal current Top 10

The Trammps "Hold Back The Night" BUDDAH
Bessie Banks "Baby You Sure Know How To Get To Me" CONTEMPO
Annette Thomas "You Need A Friend Like Mine" STAX
Joe Simon "Fire Burning" POLYDOR
Sheila Anthony "Livin' In Love" ROUTE
Eddie Kendricks "Get The Cream Off The Top" TAMLA MOTOWN
Bessie Banks "Try To Leave Me If You Can" CONTEMPO
Barbara Lynn "You'll Lose A Good Thing" OVAL
George Benson "Super Ship" CTI
Betty Everett "God Only Knows" FANTASY
(Only UK released sides qualify in this section, and records with which I have any personal involvement on the RIGHT ON! label are automatically disqualified from consideration.)
Book Review
"THE SOUL BOOK" by Ian Hoare, Clive Anderson, Tony Cummings & Simon Frith (Methuen Paperbacks. £1.50)

When I was an infant, in my granny's "best" front sitting room there was a picture called "Little Lady Bountiful". It showed a spotless elegantly dressed little girl offering a piece of fruit cake on a porcelain plate to a rag-clad Gypsy boy and his sister. They were holding back with shyness and social awareness, and "Lady Bountiful" was eagerly pressing forward under Mummy's loving and gentle hand. How I longed for the two Gypsy children to kick her into the nearby pond! I think that picture made me a rebel even at that tender age. I was reminded of this picture when I read "The Soul Book". Recently too I had to review for another publication, a book on film censorship (which like Soul, is another of my personal burning obsessions), and in that I found about two dozen errors. No big thing you might say, but the trouble is, the printed word has a way of transforming itself through time in Precise Gospel. In fifty or so years time all these errors about film censorship will be regarded by future generations as Certain Historic Fact since there is little (short of writing another book oneself) that anyone can do about correcting them.
I hope that future generations will not look upon "The Soul Book" with a similar awe, be cause not only does it too have its fair share of errors (Simon Frith's MOTOWN article being the exception, since this is littered with them!), but because it is so divorced in spirit and feeling from the reality of Soul in both America and Britain, that very few are likely to read it and find it squares with their own personal experience. Music criticism and analysis is a field fraught with hazards and dangers for all concerned, and the music of black America has always been a fertile ground for almost exclusively white minds to chew over in intellectual analysis, often with a dash of somewhat patronising social comment thrown in by those who've never lived in a ghetto in their lives. Simon Frith, one of the contributors to this book under review, has, would you believe, written a book called "The Sociology of Rock". If the truth were known, he probably came to it all via Tommy Steel! It is easy to divorce comment from actuality.

Middle-class white missionaries have variously found the ghetto (lately it's "the streets") either fascinating, ("Man, the people here are so real!") or dangerous ("Man. that ungrateful bastard told me to get my ass out of it, when all I was trying to do was help him!"). Always we are told the symptoms of the disease, but never are we ever told the cure. And additionally. one gets the uneasy impression that in their innermost heart of hearts some people find the ghetto and its art products so fascinating, that they'd really mourn its passing if it meant that in the process some of the music-art might go with it ! This is a ghastly formula for future troubles, but as psychology spaces me more than sociology, "doctors" often interest me as much as their "patients". The father of all medicine once snapped "Heal thyself", and there's a lot of sound sense in what he said. Psychology teaches us that it is altogether very simple for sensitive whites from comparatively comfortable backgrounds to develop a "black hang up". The oppressive burden of awareness of the very real injustice, cruelty and down right evil that black people have suffered and have had to silently bear at the hands of whites in the not-so-distant past, leads them not (as one might imagine or suppose) to identify with the blacks themselves, but to remain very much aware of their own whiteness, and consequently develop an almost in supportable burden of guilt which then needs to find expression in various ways.

First there is the "blacks are superior to whites any way" kick. "Man, they're so free, loose and natural. Look how they dance". Well, we were all born "free, loose and natural", and if certain subcultures have learnt how to avoid becoming stiff and puritanical, then it is our own life styles we should examine, not those of the ones we secretly envy. Then there are the identifiers, "I know what it must be like to be black". Nobody can ever know anything until they themselves have experienced it, and even those white writers who in search of the black experience changed their skin pigmentation sufficiently to pass for black found the whole thing far more traumatic than they ever imagined, and both reached the point where they were desperate to change back again. Then we have the parlour-pinks and week end anarchists. Usually they have taken (and thus owe) much from the system they so deplore. University and grammar-school drop outs, they've half-read Marx, never read Freud, and don't want to know Zweig, and these are perhaps the worst sort and the least helpful in the continuing struggle for human dignity since they deplore a system which they neither understand nor analyse, but which at the same time they somehow manage to eke a fairly comfortable existence from. It seems to me that it is patently ridiculous (and, not wishing to mince words, evil) that people should regard black skin any differently to any of the other several hundred shades and hues it comes in, and even to give praise or pay compliments on those grounds is racist.

Black music has always been a convenient "cause" to champion because it is fairly narrow (in the world or universal sense), and it is a way of conveniently having perhaps the best of both worlds. One can console one's conscience whilst sympathising deeply and sincerely with the inhabitants of the ghetto, whilst arranging on the other hand that the only products of the ghetto one is likely to meet are the elite cream who've been lucky enough to have made hit records. Throughout this book there is no genuine sympathy for the poor. There is a failure to grasp the fact that whilst white middle-class intellectuals can easily shed their bourgeois values, the real poor aspire to them simply because they've never had them, and so consequently cannot indulge in the luxury of renouncing it all! Mick Jagger is a perfect example of an upper-middle-class yob who waxed fat off the backs of black people whilst he was telling us all the while that he was interested and keen to help them gain recognition. We've heard all this precious, priceless claptrap so often that surely by now we shouldn't be taken in by it just as black Soul music is for once poised to enter its own rightful kingdom and inheritance. In one of Shaw's plays, an aristocratic snob, watching his chauffeur changing the wheel of the car says "I have always acknowledged the dignity of manual labour". "Yes," replies the chauffeur, "that's because you've never done any." Black America cannot afford to take it's culture as seriously or as profoundly as white cultists do, and there are so many other factors that the authors of this book have either ignored or glossed over. Being entirely without any trace of humour whatsoever, it's small wonder that the frivolous, lunatic and plain crazy elements of black popular Soul should be given bleak reception. Other traumatic social upheavals too are almost totally forgotten and unmentioned - like that little affair in Vietnam for instance that caused so much heartache and human suffering throughout the ghettos. But most of all, the most burning and pressing question is never answered: how do we abolish all ghettos everywhere?

When that's accomplished, maybe then easy-street slickers can reflect and ponder it's history, but until then, only the wearer will really know where the shoe pinches, and all the rest is propaganda! White critics and music commentators (and here I include myself as much as anyone else) would do well to remember always that we are merely guests at the musical celebrations of black America, and not members of the family, and as guests it ill becomes us to comment on the social status of our hosts' relatives and friends!

All four contributors to this book have listed their all-time favourites top 20 records by way of an appendix, but since these selections have been copyrighted I feel unable to quote from any of them for fear that they might expect a royalty payment from me. I'm not altogether sure that there is any point (other than fringe ego satisfaction for the authors) of writing about Soul in this way. Like sex, there's no substitute for experiencing the real thing, and the more words that get bandied about on both subjects, the more their mysterious magic eludes us. Soul is to be heard, responded to, and enjoyed. and ultimately it always will be true that "it's what's in the grooves that counts". (Which incidentally was the motto of the GORDY label, and not the "It's in the grooves" which Simon Frith claims in this book). Somehow the copyrighting of Top 20's doesn't, to my mind at least, square with the "street person" pose and tone adopted throughout this book. I am not ashamed nor particularly proud of being white (nor do I feel any collective or other guilt concerning events in which I was no way a party to), but sometimes, when you read a book like this, it can be embarrassing!

Run out groove

Certainly the Wigan Casino 2nd Anniversary night turned out to be a huge and well deserved success, and it was a stunning affirmation both of the power and the solidarity of Soul music in Britain today. Anyone who went will confirm that it was a memorable night, and I think everybody will keep it in their memories and hearts as one of THE Soul music events of all time in this country. Mike Walker did a superb job of presentation and liaison and ensured that everything was smooth running and without a hitch, and my only regret of the evening was that he was so preoccupied with all this that he and I could only spend a few moments together. First and foremost then, my personal thanks to Mike Walker for such a warm welcome and such a generous and enjoyable evening. Also, to Gerry Marshall, who. although somewhat in the background of activities, deserves a lot of the credit for Wigan Casino's huge success.
Russ Winstanley too of course, who provided the dancers with sounds that they wanted to hear, and who has that professional knack of being able to remain calm and collected no matter what little crises might crop up. He's unflappable, and full of breezy down-to earth common sense and good humour.

Richard Searling too must be mentioned. He's one of the North's most respected DJ's, and has a warm outgoing personality that runs right through everything he tackles, and is surely part of his being so immensely popular both as a jock and as a good guy at Wigan. Both Russ and Richard promised to get together with me so that they can be featured in future interviews in this column. and I hope that in this way, they'll be able to redress the balance for some of the unfair knocks and grievous distortions they've been subjected to in the past.

Russ's lovely wife, Doreen was there too, so the whole event had a genuine family atmosphere to it. But above all, my deepest and most sincere thanks must go to the people the many brothers and sisters who were so kind and generous as to give me such an overwhelming ovation when I was on stage to take a bow. I can't convey how sincerely touched I was both by their reception and the good-will vibes that washed all over me, and although it seems so little just to say "thanks" believe me when I tell you that this comes from the heart, and that moments like that make everything worthwhile and inspire one to carry on always. I was touched, moved and humbled, so can I now return the compliment to each and every one of you, because it is to YOU, and you alone, to whom this column is dedicated now and for always. My sincere thanks to you all.

I'm sure all of you will join me in sending our warmest "get well soon" wishes to Jackie Wilson who recently suffered a heart attack of such severity that his whole future as a singer might be in jeopardy. Few singers could claim to have given so much pleasure through their Soul music aver the years as he has, and I know that like me, everyone will be hoping that he'll pull through quickly and with no threat to his career

Discos in New York are now such a vital part of the music scene over there, that I was somewhat surprised to get a request for 300 copies of each release on RIGHT ON!, which struck me rather as coals to Newcastle, but apparently, the jocks there are wild for UK pressings which they claim are of better quality material and much better hi-fi, and as such, also have a stamp of "status" about them too! Seems I've heard all this before somewhere!

More anniversaries, with the All-Dayer planned at Cleethorpes by the Lincolnshire Soul Club on October 26th. I note from my diary that on that day the clocks go back one hour at 2:00, but don't let the thought of being robbed of an hour prevent you from going along as it sounds as if it's really going to be an event and a half. You'll hardly believe this, but so busy am I all the time working for Soul, that I've yet to find the time to go along to Cleethorpes, but even I will have to find time to go to their first anniversary, so I look forward very much to meeting all you devotees of the club

John ("only in the hot weather") Green of RADIO HALLAM's "Soul Shotgun" fame tells me that he recently conducted a poll amongst his listeners to find out their top favourite Northern Soul Sounds, and we thought you might like to see the results before they go on the air. He will be broadcasting numbers 20-11 inclusive on his show which goes out on October 18th, and numbers 10-1 inclusive on October 25th. Here they are.

Larry Williams & Johnny Watson "Too Late"
Eddie Parker "Love You Baby"
Tobi Legend "Time Will Pass You By"
The Invitations "Skiing In The Snow"
Earl Wright "Thumb A Ride"
James Bounty "Prove Your self A Lady'
Major Lance "You Don't Want Me No More"
Dean Parrish "I'm On My Way"
The Carstairs "It Really Hurts Me Girl"
Gloria Jones "Tainted Love"
Eddie Foster "l Never Knew"
Rufus Lumley "I'm Standing"
Jerry Cook "Hurt On The Other Side"
Billy Butler "The Right Track"
Bobby Paris "Night Owl"
George 'Bad' Benson "Super Ship"
Mike Post Coalition "Afternoon Of The Rhino"
Lou Pride "I'm Coming Home In The Morning"
Sam & Kitty "I've Got Something Good"
The Soul Twins "Quick Change Artist"
All well worth listening out for . . .
Still with radio, it was a stroke of pure genius on the part of who ever it was who conceived RADIO LUXEMBOURG's "Black Friday" concept which is going to present 100% Soul music up until 03:00 starting on Friday evenings. I'm sure that this magic formula is going to ensure that RADIO LUXEMBOURG re-captures the attention of many, many more people. I wish the concept every luck since it will be a terrific shot in the arm for Soul records in this country

DJ Jon writes from Tiffany's at Sawclose, Bath to tell readers in that area that a regular Soul disco is held there every Tuesday night, and that new faces would be more than welcomed along

Frank Elson (the Scallywag of the North) could hardly have had a worse day for his Northern Soul radio programme to go out since being the day after Wigan Casino's 2nd Anniversary All- Nighter, every body missed it through catching up with their sleep. Ever the Puritan, Frank alleges that after six solid hours of drinking Pernod at Wigan I was "tipsy". Baby, I got news for you; I was pissed!!

But aware, babe, aware! . . . Chris Hill's second production outing with Dizzy Heights really a well put together piece, and ,the flip side's telephone metaphor is a formula that's bound to find many admirers

Russ Winstanley made some very good and sound points during his interview on John Green's "Soul Shotgun" programme. Let it be clearly understood too (as a matter of record, if nothing else), I have never for one moment doubted Russ's sincerity in what he's doing. nor Richard Searling's come to that. If they've not had too many name checks in my column in the past it is solely because we all are so busy working we hardly ever get time to socialise. Believe you me, when you work in Soul, it's YOU that have all the fun! . . . Must dash, it's 6 in the morning (see what I mean?) . . . Keep the faith - right on now!

Edited May 15, 2016 by Nickg
Spelling Error in Title

[Guest Ivor Jones]

A great snapshot of the time……excellent read, thanks for posting Dave.

[Steve Plumb]

Remember it well!

[Guest Polyvelts]

 

Great post !

I wish someone would publish an omnibus of his indightful writings, or even an online archive .

[Pga1]

Great stuff dave, funny just came in from our Sunday do and les Norman played 'evil - posse' probably the best record russ w  played.   Not on that list though eh.  Remember black  Friday on Luxembourg  a few years later, massive plugs for Evelyn Thomas- doomsday, the ad came on its the end of the world cue thunder and lightning noise as the record cued in. Luxembourg power play. Happy days. Still are. Cheers

[Pga1]

Bloody hell, back in time warp 'Stewart Henry  and emperor rosco on sat mornings, let your back crack and your liver quiver, supersonic soul sounds, sorry it's the beer.  Cheers

[funkyfeet]

I wonder did the States get the 300 copies of each Right On release that Dave mentioned, and were did they end up?

[Mike]

am taking it that this is where this article was originally sourced from

https://www.soulfulhorwich.org.uk/archives.html?

also there's 4 others B&S articles scanned and ocr'd into text format articles by the sites owner via the link above

plus there's a tidy a handful (20+) more in the pdf format via this link

https://www.soulfulhorwich.org.uk/soul.html

 

full credit deserved to the guy  Soulfulhorwich Gordon Stone for both sharing and preparing all these 

 

[Bruv]

Just come across this thread, Thank You very much Dave for posting that article some great info there. 

[Guest Spain pete]

Credit indeed, read it at the time l think ! And didn't really mean nothing, 40 plus years on  can see what all the fuss was about    god how l love  soul music 🎶🎶🎶👍👏

On 16/05/2016 at 16:45, mike said:

am taking it that this is where this article was originally sourced from

https://www.soulfulhorwich.org.uk/archives.html?

also there's 4 others B&S articles scanned and ocr'd into text format articles by the sites owner via the link above

plus there's a tidy a handful (20+) more in the pdf format via this link

https://www.soulfulhorwich.org.uk/soul.html

 

full credit deserved to the guy  Soulfulhorwich Gordon Stone for both sharing and preparing all these 

 

 

[maslar]

A  mixed bad really. Informative on the (then)  current scene  but that  "book review" is dreadful.  It's hardly a review. Also he really should have let the "Mick Jagger" business go. it starts to look stange after a while.

[dthedrug]

[Guest Polyvelts]

8 hours ago, maslar said:

A  mixed bad really. Informative on the (then)  current scene  but that  "book review" is dreadful.  It's hardly a review. Also he really should have let the "Mick Jagger" business go. it starts to look stange after a while.

I'm sure I heard somewhere that they went to the same school and MJ used to try and get records from Godin to cover

[Chalky]

11 minutes ago, polyvelts said:

I'm sure I heard somewhere that they went to the same school and MJ used to try and get records from Godin to cover

Both went to Dartford Grammar School and Godin introduced Jagger to R&B, apparently.

[Davenpete]

Dave ran the school blues club and even though a few years older than Jagger - DG continued to operate the club after he left and so was running it when MJ got involved.

Dx

Edited August 28, 2017 by DaveNPete

[maslar]

1 hour ago, polyvelts said:

I'm sure I heard somewhere that they went to the same school and MJ used to try and get records from Godin to cover

I don't think this is true at all. These stories come from DG hilmself don't they? The age gap between them was too great for them to be at school together.  In his early teens Jagger was working holidays in an American airbase and coming across sounds that DG had probably never heard. If anything it was Jagger doing the educating.  Jagger was a massive Little Richard fan and was barely into his teens at that time. I'm guessing they may have had some form of brief conversation somewhere along the way but the emphasis that DG put on it (in my opinion) was ridiculous and actually bordering on delusions of grandeur.  In one interview I think he actually claimed to be repsonsible for Mick Jaggers success. Although he may have been joking - well I'm hoping so.

He also claimes he told Jagger to f*** of in the Ready Steady Go studio when apparently Jagger asked DG to introduce him to Marvin Gaye. I  don't beleive this to be true and actually wonder why he would even claim it. Jagger and Gaye already knew each other having met in the States and were on friendly terms before Gaye's first visit to the UK. That aside anyone who knows anything about the pop culture at that time knows that there would be no need for Jagger to have to be introduced to anyone. it was all pretty laid back with mutual admiration etc. See the pic of Jagger and James Brown chatting backstage at a US concert (the one where the Stones topped the bill much to Brown's dipleasure. They still got on fine.

Still, I've seen people repeat thise claims as if they're facts. Something DG actually complains about in the article above.

Also he refers to MJ as an "upper middle class yob". This is very telling because it's completley untrue. Jagger was middle-class but definitley not upper middle class (there is a huge difference). Nor was he ever really yobbish in his behaviour. In fact most of the time he was actually very polite.

  

Edited August 28, 2017 by maslar
typo

[Johndelve]

I well remember that Soul Book review when it first appeared; Godin really didn't like it one little bit did he, and I suspect some of that was down to his uneasy relationship with Tony Cummings at the time. I thought then, and think now, that the chapters by Simon Frith and Ian Hoare were pretty average - so I'm definitely with Dave on that - but the one by Clive Anderson was great and I learned a lot from it. He - Anderson- was an excellent writer on soul  and I have no idea what happened to him.

[maslar]

17 minutes ago, johndelve said:

I well remember that Soul Book review when it first appeared; Godin really didn't like it one little bit did he, and I suspect some of that was down to his uneasy relationship with Tony Cummings at the time. I thought then, and think now, that the chapters by Simon Frith and Ian Hoare were pretty average - so I'm definitely with Dave on that - but the one by Clive Anderson was great and I learned a lot from it. He - Anderson- was an excellent writer on soul  and I have no idea what happened to him.

I've never read that particular book but that review tells me nothing about it other than DG seems to have an extreme dislike of some of the people involved. A review should be informative. You don't have believe it or agree but it should offer something to work from. DG doesn't do that. He just seems to want to get to Mick Jagger    sooner rather than later.  Nothing specific is addressed and there's absolutely no lucidity. Where are the examples? Where are the corrections to the mistakes he complains about?  

Edited August 28, 2017 by maslar
typo

[Mickey Finn]

Sometimes when you read a book that you have committed to review but which is so bad you just don't know where to start, plus there's a deadline and a word limit, instead of listing and correcting mistakes (tedious, time-consuming and ultimately why bother given the likely return on investment) it's more informative to explore why such a piece of junk ever came about in the first place. As with the music it's a subjective sport but Godin had already earned the credibility to justify taking the approach he did, even if the Anderson chapter ended up as collateral damage. I'm quite sure Frith alone would have been enough to irritate in the extreme. Would the cover price have justified purchasing the book for Anderson's chapter alone? That's also a subjective sport, but you can always wait for it to turn up in the second hand scene.

Agree with Polyvelts above - some kind of omnibus of Godin's writings would be very welcome.

[maslar]

8 minutes ago, Mickey Finn said:

Sometimes when you read a book that you have committed to review but which is so bad you just don't know where to start, plus there's a deadline and a word limit, instead of listing and correcting mistakes (tedious, time-consuming and ultimately why bother given the likely return on investment) it's more informative to explore why such a piece of junk ever came about in the first place. As with the music it's a subjective sport but Godin had already earned the credibility to justify taking the approach he did, even if the Anderson chapter ended up as collateral damage. I'm quite sure Frith alone would have been enough to irritate in the extreme. Would the cover price have justified purchasing the book for Anderson's chapter alone? That's also a subjective sport, but you can always wait for it to turn up in the second hand scene.

Agree with Polyvelts above - some kind of omnibus of Godin's writings would be very welcome.

Sorry but I have to disagree. If you're going to put yourself upand out  there and be given a platforn as prominent as Blue and Soul then I would expect better. Maybe less time  wasted time on  china plates tales?  

The other thing that I completley disagree with (and which I think is quite illustrative) is the notion put forward by some - but Godin makes a real issue of it here in an  unnecesarilly offensive manner - that white artists  such as the Beatles andThe Stones exploited black american artist by covering their music. I don't believe this to  be true at all. Neither, from  what  I have read over the decades do the artists concerned. In fact greats such as Muddy waters, BB King and Sonny Boy Williamson were openly appreciative of the support they got from Jagger, McCartney, Burdon etc etc. Many rightly stated that  it gave their careers a fresh  impetus. And many were on very friendly close terms with their  UK admirers. Eric Clapton was even Muddy waters' best man at his wedding. 

What's more troubling to  me is that I'm sure that the critics of Jagger et al know this it be the case. It's so obviously true and on the record. Therefore they can only be working under two basic assumptions: Either that the black artists are too stupid to realise  they are being exploited or that they know but for whatever reason turn a blind eye to it or submissivley put up with it. Both are extremely offensive and untrue. But that in a round about way is what Godin is saying (probably without even realising it). I like a lot of the things Godin wrote and find much of it interesting -  I wasn't  buying Blues and Soul when he wrote for it. But I wouldn't take blind lectures off him on black american history (his knowledge of "the Ghetto" shows he has only a superficial understanding) nor would  I be talked down to or  lectured. No one is beyond questioning or correction.  Particulary if they're going to make highly contentious and inflamatory remarks.

[Mickey Finn]

A sociological book on soul music is likely to have plenty of reviews in other forums. Ultimately, is the B&S reader of 1975 going to want to read or buy this book? Godin makes it clear  - probably not. That may or may not be true but if I want to know more I can always head down to my local bookstore (of which there were many more in 1975) or check out other publications for reviews. Anyone with experience of know-nothing know-it-alls will understand immediately where Godin is coming from.

As for slagging off Jagger, Clapton etc., time has proved Godin wrong about Jagger. And Decca Records and Mike Vernon especially did a lot to bring over the original artists to record in London during the 60s alongside the likes of Clapton, John Mayall, the Stones, etc. On this topic Godin's scattergun seemed to get the better of him.

The china plates tales are possibly of greater historical value than a book review. In addition to giving a flavour of the scene at the time, there are some useful heads-ups about things that might otherwise have been forgotten, e.g. Chris Hill's involvement with Dizzy Heights, alongside a top drawer selection of UK musical talent of the time. Also demonstrating that for Godin at least, it was natural to write about Wigan and Chris Hill just as positively and in the same column.

[Tim Richmond]

Recently found the book in question in the loft (along with 'Making Tracks' - The History Of Atlantic Records by Charlie Gillett)

Interesting to hear comments on Dave Godin's review, with the book fairly fresh in my mind. Yes, there is some very good detailed information in there, but in my opinion, there is a naivety when opinions are expressed, or when the authors move away from fact, to opinion. So, I can kinda see where Dave Godin was coming from.

The book is worth checking out , but being 42 years old, it may be elusive to find.

On a more positive note, the final chapter ' The Future' opens with-

'soul in the late seventies seems secure in the custody of outstanding artists like Millie Jackson, Laura Lee, and Bobby Womack ,not to mention the ever consistent Bill Withers and veteran Esther Phillips'

Those were the days my friends..............