Mike

FALLING INTO THE SOUL NET - Soulful Kinda Music Article Looking back bit dated but guess thats expected as it is a bit dated FALLING INTO THE SOUL NET - From Soulful Kinda Music Mag Hey here's an article in latest soulful kinda music on soul on the internet thought it might be interesting to errrrr soul fans who are on the internet.... Looks like more and more soul people out there are finding themselves on the internet, at moment it seems to be booming with all kinds of soul content on there for soul fans. For those who have resisted the march of new technology, thrown together here’s a bit of a insight to let you know what you’re missing, Myself, I first came across soul side of internet about 4 years ago, then there were just a couple of sites concerned with northern soul, stumbled across one, Glyn Williams I think, and was inspired to start my own up, started it and was amazed at how many soul fans where on online then, and since then the numbers have just kept growing, with more and more soul fans turning up on there every week, hard to tell how many but I know a few sites get around a 1000 visitors a month, also another indicator of growth is about a year ago it was hard to find a well know name online, nowadays its not whose on but who isn’t, with top DJs, promoters, record sellers, collectors etc all there online. WEBSITES Have found there’s three main areas of the internet that get my soul attention, first up is the websites. On the web at moment there’s stacks of northern/rare soul related sites, majority UK based but a few in world wide places such as USA, Germany, Canada, Sweden and so on. If you never seen a website, they’re a bit like an electric fanzines, but with a bit more. Main thing about these sites is the variety and content, ok you can’t take em into the bath with you for a relaxing read, but if I list some of the stuff you can find, it will give you a idea of it all, start off with normal stuff like reviews of events, vinyl and even videos! label and artist info and listings, then there’s articles ranging from thoughts on current scene to interviews with various soul people, on vinyl side theres reviews, records for sale records wanted, ok not much difference from your local soulmag, but hang on as we get up the high tech ladder, can get scans of record labels you only dream about, sound clips some in near CD quality of current top sounds, cover ups, rarities, little known, classic decent oldies and so on, there’s video clips of northern TV stuff and radio shows knocking round as well. So as you can see there’s a fair bit of stuff there, and the best thing is that its all free and more likely than not, bang up to date. This is where these soul sites are going to come into their own as more users get on, fancy going out, don’t know where or what soul event is to you, check one of the sites out, it all be there, where, timings, costs and so on instant info. How did last nite event go, yeah could be up there, what sounds did soul sausage play last nite, chances are could be up there as well, no more trekking to newsagents to see what echoes hasn’t put in this week. Who runs these sites then? Well that’s another good thing, ok have well known names such as John Manship, Pat Brady, Dave Rimmer, Bernie OBrien, and others, but majority of them are done by ordinary Joe’s, which has gotta be a good thing Ok hopefully got your appetite going, so you’re likely thinking yeah where do I start, where to go, well you could visit a search site and enter a search for northern soul, may find some but that’s a bit like going to woollies and asking for a northern soul CD, you may get a couple but won’t get em all. Suggest try this link out, as it’s a collection (35+ at moment) of northern sites all linked up, plus a lot of sites have links to others, http://www.ringsurf.com/netring?ring=nsoul;action=list Ok overdosed there, yeah? Well as said there’s something for everyone’s taste from latest 60/70s rare stuff to memories from Wigan, plus the dirty vixens when need a break! And haven’t even mentioned the US mainstream soul sites covering every thing from 50-90s VINYL SIDE 30 year old scratched vinyl and shiny hi-tech machines don’t seem to go together, but tell you what, they were made for each other. Remember those old days when only a few people with money could get to USA to dig out the gems, or waiting for those lists with funny stamps on to arrive and then after sending the order in and waiting a couple of weeks for the reply and finding all the stuff you wanted has gone. Well lets just say nowadays, you can now browse through that far away record seller from the comfort of your home, read his latest list as soon as it comes out, pick what you want and even pay for it there and then, he’s got nought worthwhile? Ok check out that Los Angeles one. Though might be a bit hard nowadays to find the bargains cause a lot of record sites have been plundered, and also a lot of us dealers are sussing out 60s soul = big bucks, but there’s still a few good deals to be had and lots of unheard stuff, if you fancy building up your “title sounded good but the tracks shite” pile. If the thrill of record hunting doesn’t do anything for you, can always check out UK dealers online as in john manship, pat brady and loads of others out there, again quick instant buying is the thing. One new thing that’s exploded on vinyl side online is the Ebay record auctions, this is a site where dealers put up a record for 7 days or so, visitors bid on them with the highest bidder getting the record. A while ago many bargains could be grabbed, but as with all good things more and more people found out about and more bids started coming in. So if any well known rarity comes up, the guys with the big wallets move in and the one with biggest wins, nowadays you can find stuff like imperial C’s going for 1800 dollars, (the seller who I think first listed it at $5 was a bit surprised but then come out and said, due to the bids I gave it another spin and realised what a great doo wop record it was, finger on the pulse springs to mind) and obviously a lot of us dealers are getting wise to what a “northern” soul record means cashwise. Can be enjoyable and expensive, great when you get a bargain, shite when someone bids 50 cents more1 minute before auction ends and gets the record. Ok spent all your time visiting sites and all your money on vinyl, better half giving you a hard time cause of phone bill and you haven’t spent any “quality” time with them, just check your email before you go… fatal mistake. Email lists, way they work is there’s a group of mail all on a list anything that is sent to the list is read by everyone else, don’t sound much, but in practice works well, got a vinyl query just ask, if anyone knows they give reply, someone from York reckons answers wrong sends his bit, someone from Australia used to go the same club as guy from York, gets in touch with him, someone wants to know what’s going on in area visiting, guy answers him and tells him of a warm up and pub to meet in and so on. There’s quite a few lists on there, ranging from biggest one ktf to more specialised soul ones like raresoul and soulnorthern, plus some by invite ones as well. Highly recommended on both soul and social side if you can put up with 100~+ emails a day, though one of entertaining bits is when two members have online argument, been some memorable ones. All right just giving you a quick idea of what you can find once you get online loads more than mentioned here. Never beat getting down to a local event, but for that Wednesday night when corries is on or you’re too skint (cause had to pay phone bill) to get anywhere, you’ll find a thriving group of soul fans from all over the place, hear some great sounds, and can discuuss all things soulful so can’t be bad eh. But just to let you know that the internet soul side has started being taking seriously, two well known people on UK scene have recently been slagging it off, as you know nothing on northern scene is worthwhile till its been slagged off must be a seal of approval. Though both the two main critics of it though aren’t online yet which tells you something. Mike h Soul Source – a site for soul

Top Dog Label The label was based at 9430 Woodward Ave. Detroit and owned by Artie Fields. 101 DON RONDO JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE ??? 102 KRIS PETERSON JUST AS MUCH (G.Terry & M.Terry) (2:25) Producer:Artie Fields Artie Fields Pub. & LeBaron Music. UNBELIEVABLE (G.Terry & M.Terry) (2:32) Other credits same 103 THE CAMEL DRIVERS SUNDAY MORNING 6 OCLOCK (John Rhys-Don Dominguez) (2:40) Producer:Artie Fields.Rocking Chair Music Pub. GIVE IT A TRY (Gec.Saul) (2:15) Producer: Artie Fields. Artie Fields Pub. Note:Also issued on BUDDAH #61 and U.K.PYE INT. 7N 25471. 104 THE CAMEL DRIVERS FORGIVE US (A.Fields,R.Phillips,N.Schneider) (2:45) Producer:Artie Fields.Pelikan Pub. 105 J0E TOWNS TOGETHER WE CAN MAKF SUCH SWEET MUSIC (R.Drapkin & M.Coleman) (2:55) Producer: Arty Fields.Arranged by:Dale Warren. Artie Fields Pub. Note: This was later covered by THE SPINNERS and SUPREMES. DOWN AND CUT WORLD (R.Drapkin & M.Coleman) (2:45) Other credits same as A 106 JOE TOWNS TAKE THAT WOMAN OUT THAT SHACK DOWN AND OUT WORLD 107 JOE TOWNS YOU CANT HOLD ME BACK (R.Drapkin-M.Coleman) (2:45) Producer: Artie Fields.Arranged by Marty Coleman. Artie Fields Pub. BUSY SIGNAL (R.Drapk~n-M.Coleman) (2:05) Arranged by Dale Warren. Other credits same as A 108 JOE TOWNS LOOK AROUND AND YOUlL FIND ME (R.Drapkin & M.Ccleman3 (2.55) Producer :Artie Fields . Arranged by :M.Coleman . Artie Fields Pub. DOWN AND CUT WORLD A1l credits same as on #105 109 THE PUSHCART IVE GOT A TICKET TO THE WORLD [bUT I DONT LIKE THE SHOW] (R.Drapkin & M.Valvano) (2:43) Producer:Artie Fields.Arranged by The Pushcart & Mike V~lvano.Artie Fields Pub. YO-TE-AMO (D.Kovarik & D.Kovarick) (3:26) arranged by The Pushcart.All other credits same as A 200 THE CAMEL DRIVERS YOU MADE A BELIEVER OUT OF ME GIVE IT A TRY 201 THE CAMEL DRIVERS THE GRASS LOOKS GREENER IM GONNA MAKE YOU MINE This article was ripped from Detroit City Limits Magazine by Graham Anthony (who also does a good record list) who can be contacted at: 103 Buxton Road Chaddesden Derby DE 21 4 JN

Published Date: 1999/5/28 18:30:00 nick gilbert takes us on a trip through the last decade right up to the present day with a look at the last ten years of the scene the turning point before I was relocated to green belt suburbia, Herts. I had been attending the 100 Club since Ady had first started there with a Friday night evening do. Anyway Sean came along with me expecting a good night. I was embarrassed, there was probably less than 100 people in that night, and it was a disaster, there was nothing wrong with the music, it was the lack of people, a main ingredient for a good atmosphere and therefore a good night. As I sat at home later on that weekend I realised the northern scene had reached it's nadir, it was either sink or swim from here. the turn around I carried on attending the 100 club and soon noticed more younger faces attending, I heard about successful all-nighters at Keele and the Ritz; although it was really noticeable at these two venues it was more of the old crowd. Come 1992 and Ady , via his Kent records label released his first rehash CD of his successful LP formula, something was stirring, attendance's were still on the up, more and more youngsters; pissed off with what was on offer at other types of dance venues, were attending the 100 club, and with that, not carrying excess baggage of old, so more receptive to fresh new sounds, none of this oldies v newies etc. Ady held his first weekender on the wettest October weekend on record (in my opinion !!) It was only attended by about 250 hardy souls but everyone thoroughly enjoyed it, a couple of points that stand out in my mind about that weekend; Willie Tee pulled out at the last moment; Ady personally gave everyone a fiver back in cash as compensation, now ask yourself why people attend his dances. I came across my first overseas northern soul fans, I believe it was Spanish & German in attendance that weekend. So what was the catalyst that caused this upsurge in interest ??? I don't think there is one simple answer, was it the advent of the compilation CD ? It has certainly made the job of listening to your favourite sounds at home a lot easier, I personally know a lot of people, particularly females, who don't have the confidence/knowledge to go trawling through records boxes looking for there favourite tunes, buying a ten quid CD and getting 24 tracks is a whole lot easier. I don't think the mod scene, especially in London, ever died, I think it went on the back burner just waiting to be turned up. Then there was the media, we went through a phase when you couldn't pick up any "style" magazine without a picture of a lad or lass giving it all on the dance floor and an article about northern soul, this obviously awoke more interest. Even the fashion companies joined in, Levis introduced the "Northern Soul" range at a lavish party in West London (free beer all night !! God there was some sore heads the following day !!!) A lot of old faces began to re-appear at venues, kids had grown up, few quid in their pockets, good night out. One medium I believe has caused a lot of people to become more involved in the scene has been the advent of the internet, people buying new PC's, putting the term "Northern Soul" in to a search engine and hey presto.. no end to read and hear about. I personally have been on line for about 3 years now and I have certainly noticed the increase in web sites & message boards dedicated to our favourite type of music. Added to all this there is regular fanzines/magazines dedicated to the scene, a twelve hour film extravaganza (some people loved it, some hated it) 3 to 4 books all tracing the history of the northern soul scene, all including some excellent anecdotes and brilliant photos. And last but not least, dozens of CD releases making our favourite type of music easily accessible to all. the present At this stage I could say the scene has gone from strength to strength, which it has, but I will give an overview of my favourite clubs today. As far as I am concerned the 100 club always ploughed a furrow as far as introducing new sounds, with it's younger, more receptive audience it was probably easier, but another venue with an upfront music policy was the Wilton Ballroom in Normanton West Yorkshire, and along with the 100 club came to be one of my most visited venues, along with odd visit here and there to the Ritz and maybe Keele. Due to a change of job and relocation back to Peterborough I hadn't attended a Wilton since last November so I really looked forward to attending last month, to my horror it was one of the worst nights I had had in ages, apart from Roger Banks (who actually played a couple of duds as well) the music was dire, one couple played what was supposedly R&B for an hour, well I'm sorry, to my ears that was nothing more than rock'n'roll/doo-wop for an hour, I went away very disappointed. I hope that was a minor blip, the Wilton has been running for around 7 years and has always adopted an up front music policy and I would hate to see it's high standards slip. Back in the south, the Capitol Soul Club, based at The Dome in Tufnell Park North London regularly attracts crowds of 350/400, playing a cross section of class oldies and the odd new discovery thrown in, and is a brilliant night out, any event run by the Uptown Down South Soul Club on the south coast can be more or less guaranteed to be a favourable night out. The Cleethorpes weekender is always sold out now well in advance of it's June date, with a 1000+ people immersed in northern soul for the weekend (the only problem with that is, you need a week off to recover afterwards !!) with some top drawer live acts. conclusion I love northern soul, and the northern soul scene it has been a major part of my life, and I still believe there is a lot of legs left in the Northern Soul scene, my only concern is the scene ends up like the rock 'n' roll scene, where it is the same 500 or so records played so effectively becoming a retro northern soul scene, I have heard stories from friends who have attended the bigger venues and come away complaining about "same old records as usual". I believe this would be the death of the scene. The scene has got to become more adventurous in it's music policy, I'm sure there are a lot of unplayed 70's 80's & 90's and to some extent 60's tracks sitting there waiting to be played, in my opinion, that is the only way forward. We must also try to attract more younger faces to the scene, how I don't know, over to you people !!! thanks go out to nick for taking the time in sharing his outlook on the scene, as always stuff like this appreciated, always good to get points of views up here from soul fans, lots of good points in there, especially with some of the current talking points, oldies, R+B, 70-90s spins, the way forward, young blood etc etc what do you think ? agree ? disagree ? well don't just sit there pass your thoughts on and let people

This was originally wrote for the Togetherness Mag a few years ago -1999, after criticism of the mag by myself as it did not feature any events "south of brum" I was invited to do something about it. The below was the first one, think were another 3 before a move back up north, meant no more. ( Which was a good thing as .... edited as out of date... Excuse the few odd glitches in article, combination of word, frontpage and life Southern State of Soul - Togetherness Mag 1999 By Mike H, Keith Woon and Winston Heath Welcome to the first of "Southern State of Soul", hopefully this will be a regular thing, designed to let you know what's happened, what's gonna happen and also a bit of a southern view on current topics. Quite a lot to get over to you, so no hanging around, straight into it It seems that one of the main subjects knocking around recently has been the discussion of how the rare scene should "move on", it seems that everyone is searching for the "holy grail" of a scene which features a great selection of soul played, well attended venues, a mixed crowd of young and not so young, no politics, or no infighting, just a great enjoyable soulful scene in the best traditions of northern soul, .... Well what I say to this, is simply if you want experience a thriving northern soul scene as just stated ... get your arse down south!!! Moved down here only about a year and a half ago but what a eye opener, have found events of a top class nature, happening nearly every fortnight, being attended by some of the most friendly and atmospheric crowds, and no matter what soulful mood you're in, you can get it down here, hardcore 60s, modern, top current rare sounds, r+b, classy low play revivals, across the board, classic oldies, left field stuff, live acts, radio shows etc its all down here, and have found the hardest thing is not to find a event to get to but to actually decide which one to go to! As said seeing as it's the first one, going to give you a quick view of what's been happening, and hopefully prove that living down here isn't all about choosing between Old Trafford and Caister at weekends. Kicking off, the first stop has got to be into the capitol London, recently claimed by some down here to be the current capitol of Northern Soul, such is the confidence and the upbeat mood down here, and tell you what, it puts up a pretty strong claim at the present moment. If the first stop is the capitol, then first stop here has got to be the top allniter in the UK, the 100 club which recently celebrated its status as the UK's longest running niter and what a way it celebrated with an anniversary that was, if you're idea of heaven is great soul music in a hot packed club with a great atmosphere and crowd, as close as you can get to it, a tremendous night which was the climax of a great summer of soul down here. There's been quite a few other highlights earlier over the last six months at the 100 club, mainly due to Ady C's willingness to try new ideas out or do the suprising thing. One nite which fits one of these categories happened around May time with a appearance for the first time of Ian Levine on the decks at this venue, now no matter what was said before or after this nite (and a fair bit was), the end result was Mr Levine packed the floor. The "normal" nites continued as always with some great guest spots through out this term, from the likes of Saus, Terry Davies, Mike Wilkes and others, mention must also be made of Russ Vickers appearance who took my ears to soul Valhalla with his mix of great soul regardless of the ÃÆ’£ date. Again showing that who dares...... the 100 in August put on what has got to be a first for a major venue, a nite with an all-girl line DJs wise apart from your man Ady, some might say a bit of a risky decision, but the girls pulled it off big style with a excellent nite of soul of all sorts assaulting your ears, credit to Jo Wallace, Jodi, Nicola, Christina, Heather and Maxine for delivering the goods on a great nite and could say that it proves that you don't need balls to play fresh rare soul. Mustn't forget though, that the main reason the 100 is so strong, is due to their backbone of the strong regular dj line up. With the top Northern DJ Butch still doing the business and giving us top quality fresh rare soul, Shifty and Mick Smith giving us more good stuff and of course Ady C still surprising us with an ever ending amount of quality unheards, another 21 years? Well wouldn't bet against it. Also proving the current high, the warms ups before the niter also reflect the pace of the scene down here with often more than one warmer being put on, and the events being packed, or even sold out, and many of them being quality worthwhile soul nites on their own standing. Sticking in the capitol with a new venue that has quickly made its mark, the Dome at Tufnall Park, North London. Matt J and the Capitol Soul Club over the last few months have built on its cracking start last year, going from strength to strength, with some great nites with their own unique style of rare sounds, quality new discoveries and one offs mixed in with quality fresh revivals and a great "up for it" crowd, (one of few events where I feel old!) To me a great example of how to take hardcore 60s northern forward, credit goes out to CSC DJs Irish Greg, Dave Flynn, Carl F, Alan H and all the guest DJs who have kept the floor busy, and the place buzzing, Andy Rix - what a set he delivered at the last one, one of best ever to my ears, Dave Rimmer, Shifty and all the other guests great stuff and well worth checking out. Well that's the two well known events, in the capitol would mention the vast amount of other events that have happened, from small local nites, new venues, live acts, events mixing northern with deep funk and more space and word count won't allow. Though gotta find space to mention "These Old Shoes", London's biggest little soul club with it's midweek event that every month seemed to get better and better. Not just the big city boys doing great things, the Uptown Down South Crew are still keeping the soul flag flying high and proud in the south west area, provided quality nites and events at Newbury, Gosport, and more, they've delivered their trademark of a great mix of soul from all eras, across the board at its finest, the night at Miss M's at Newbury in July was the perfect example of true masters of the art of combining all era soul in a great style (that a few others could take lessons off) with Maxine and Keith Woon, Lloyd, and Russ Vickers being the masters. Moving upwards a bit the Bedford area is yet another hotbed that is thriving, more quality nites have been happening there with "soul on the real side" nites at the Blue Lagoon getting a big name and interest amongst modern fans through out the country, while "Kempston Rovers" in the same town has been doing the business for northern fans and has been attracting some of the biggest DJs knocking around, both from north and south, another in area which has picked up a reputation is Kettering leisure village with a 500+ capacity Heading for the finish via a quick visit to the seaside to see what's been going on down the beach, with good reports coming in from Bournemouth with the nites at Cagneys going strong and a new nite at Mayfair hotel recently started, a recent dayer at Brighton went down well, so well in fact that two more happened within 7 days of each other! Mention must also go to the loads of other events that have happened through out the South from East Coast all the way to Cornwall and South Wales, must be hundreds of top quality soul nites, all doing the pyramid thing and keeping the scene and the soul fresh and ever moving, would like to mention all but space has run out, hopefully in the future be able to give fuller coverage and credit Onwards and upwards. Well there you go, as said just a quick look back at some of the main events that have gone down, check out Keith's Woons guide for some of the main down south events happening in the near future. Hopefully this quick trip will give you an idea of just how strong and soulful the scene down south is at the moment. And believe me it is just the tip of iceberg, let's just say if Richard Searlings radio show was picked up further south than Birmingham they would have to extend it by 3 hours just to fit all the southern events in the "What's on" bit. Final word by me on it all is; if you're idea of utopia is a soul nite with atmosphere, a great friendly mixed crowd, and most of all a great choice of soul sounds, that follow the best of northern soul traditions, well do yourself a favour, hang up your hang-ups, jump on that train, get in that car, hop on that tram climb on that bike, and get your self down south and give today's thriving scene a go, Mike h email: credit goes out to all organisers, DJs, soul fans, etc By no means exhaustive, here's a round up of some of the more major soul events happening south of the Watford gap). If you run a regular Soul event south of the Watford Gap, and would like to be included in this listing, send all the relevant details to London 6T's Rhythm 'n' Soul Society (aka 100 Club) The longest running regular monthly all-nighter in the country (or perhaps the world). For those who don't know, the venue is the 100 Club, 100 Oxford St, London W1, and is promoted by Ady "Harboro Horace" Croasdell. The regular jocks are: Butch, Shifty, Mick Smith and Ady himself, however, about 1 in every 3 or 4 Ady rests the regulars and programmes an all guest line-up. The next one, on 12th August, is an eclectic, all girl line-up (ooooh). It helps if you are a member, and membership is freely obtainable by tel: 0171 636 2622, fax: 01858 468020 or by sending SAE to: Flat 9, 61 Riding House St, London W1W 7EQ. It's not hard to imagine why this club has been successful for so long, Ady has always tried to stick as close as possible to the 6t's roots of Soul and R&B whilst including crossover and northern classics and unissued rarities. Quite rightly, the 100 Club is widely regarded as the country's number one venue for 60's newies. Capitol Soul Club Regular and, by all accounts, successful events held at the Dome in London's Tufnell Park, N19. The regular DJ's are Carl Frotnum, Irish Greg, Alan H and Dave Flynn, normally with one top name guest. Dates are: 28th July, 29th September, 7th October (@ Togetherness weekender), 24th November (1st anniversary) and 8th December (Xmas party). 9:30 to 3am, Adm £5 otd members only but you can send SAE to MJ Promotions, 5 Mount Pleasant, Reading, Berks, RG1 2TF for membership applications. For more info tel Matt Jahans on 0118 9541 314 or mailto: To preview photos, directions and real audio sound bites visit: These Old Shoes An event making a good name for itself is These Old Shoes, downstairs at the River Bar, Tower Bridge Road (nearest tube: London Bridge on Northern Line or Tower Hill on the district & circle line). For a mere £3 regulars Jo Wallace, Martin Thomson and Paul T-P, plus a guest DJ, will keep you entertained with an imaginative mix of 6t's Soul, Motown and Northern Soul. The next date is Thursday 10th August, 8pm to midnight, and the guest for this one is Benji Schlamp from Germany. For more details check their new web site at xxx their email address is: xxx tel: 07881 626210. Terry's Chocolate Soul The inimitable Terry Jones makes a welcome return to his old stamping ground on the last Friday of every month at the Orange Bar 22 Kingsland Road, Shoreditch. You can find Terry and his guests upstairs, while downstairs the entertainment is supplied courtesy of the Sourmash collective. Dates for your diary's are: 25th August - guest dj: Andy Davies and 29th September - guest dj: Gavin Page. Doors open at 8pm to 2am, admission £5/£3 concessions. More information at: xxx Da Doo Ron Ron Upstairs @ The Garage, 20-22 Highbury Corner, London N1 (nearest tube Highbury & Islington) every third Friday playing girl group sounds including (but certainly not exclusively) northern. For more info telephone: 0171 607 1818. 9pm - 3am. DJ's are Chris D King and Declan Allen. Purple Pussycat RnB Club At the Cask & Glass Cellar Bar, Orchard St (Off Oxford St), London W1 (Nearest tube Marble Arch or Bond St). 9.30-2.30am Adm £5. DJ's Dr Robert & Vic Ranger spin 1st class Club Soul, RnB, Beat. More info. Contact Rob Bailey at: new.untouchables@virgin.net or check out their web site at xxx Soul Traders Hold regular events in London, approx. every 2 months. The next one is set for 12th August at the Jay Cubed Wine Bar, White Lion Street, Islington, London. Music Policy is a mixture of northern soul and sixties & seventies soul. They are currently updating their mailing list so anyone who wishes to be informed of their next event should mailto: soulmusic@essents.demon.co.uk. DJ's: Jim O'Reilly, Chris Corbett, Bill Shannon and guests. For a small (£2.50) cover charge on the door, the minimum running times are 8 - 12.30 with regular lock-ins until 2am. For more info, contact Jim Oreilly on 0208 299 4989. On the Rocks 25 Kingsland Road, London E2. Nearest tube: Old Street or Liverpool Street Top drawer 6T's and Northern Soul from Irish Greg (Capitol Soul Club, 100 Club), Rob Messer (Rhythm & Soul Set), Jo Wallace (These Old Shoes) and Yann (Million Tears). The next do happens on 12th August 8pm-1am and amazingly, admission is FREE! There is no better way to warm up for the 100 Club (and Jo will be on the decks there later on as well). Can't Be Still @ The Standard music venue, 1 Blackhorse Lane, London E17. The music policy is Northern and Rare Soul, including newies, oldies, and some class crossover type sounds. DJ's: Adrian, Dizzy, Jan, plus special guests. 3 quid gets you into this event, which runs from 8pm till 1am with strictly no entry after 11pm (this stops the drunks from ruining your night!). The venue has a car park at the rear, or if you prefer public transport Black Horse Rd Tube (Victoria Line) is located directly opposite the venue. Their next event takes place on Saturday 19th August Contact information: 07946-0851534. Future dates are Sunday 22nd October (6pm-12am) and Sunday 26th November. All Shapes & Forms, For All Shapes & Sizes!!! The appropriately named Can't Be Still crew pop up again on Friday 25th August at the Alice Rooms, above the Princess Alice pub, on the corner of Romford Road & Woodgrange Road, Forest Gate, London E7. The music policy here is pure northern soul, newies, oldies plus some classy crossover. DJ's: Adrian, Dizzy, Jan, plus a host of guests. Only 3 quid in all night at the door from 8pm till 2am. Contact information: 07946-085154. The venue will be undergoing some repairs in September so they should be back some time in October. Newbury AFC Faraday Road, Newbury, Berks Two events are run at the AFC to cater for the diverse range of taste in Soul music in the Newbury area. Miss M's features Soul from then to now (6t's to Y2k compliant) rare and current biggies with a dash of northern for good measure. The next event is scheduled for 11th November when the guest DJ's will be none other than the Soul Heaven crew (see Portsmouth below). Northern Soul Specials featuring 6t's & 7t's northern and rare classics and current biggies. The next event is set to take place on Friday 29th September, and the DJ's for this one will be none other than 100 Club regular Shifty, ex Yater Shay, John Browne (Cardiff), Simon Green (Swindon), Simon Preston (Newbury), Maxine and Keith Woon. 8pm to 1:30am, £5 otd Future dates: 29th September (Northern Soul Special) 11th November (Miss M's) and 1st December (Xmas special) Info 01273 833394 or 01635 30633 or mailto: kwoon@publiconline.co.uk Brighton Soul Citizens soul all-dayer Sunday 30th july @ the Volks, Madeira Drive, Brighton Seafront. soul music on 2 floors 2pm to 11pm FREE admittance all day Downstairs: "Soul Citizens" Modern Soul from 70's to Y2k with Gavin Paige, Stevie Cee, Ian Spittle, plus Soul Citizens: Paul Sutton, Derek Jack. Upstairs: "Keeping The Faith" Northern Soul and RnB with Dave Flynn, Pete Smith, Jo Wallace, Paul Peter-Thomas, Mark Freeman, Kim Styles, Simon Bridger plus guests. info: Modern Room Paul on 01273 389504 or soulcitizen@yahoo,co.uk Northern Room Simon on 01273 731466 or si.soul@virgin.net If this goes well it will become a regular free monthly all dayer, the Volks is on the seafront 2 minutes walk east of the palace pier. Also Paul and Derek host a weekly Thursday night soul session at Brighton's Ricky Tick club. Bournemouth On The Soul Side @ Cagney's (under the Hilton Hotel), Westover Rd, Bournemouth. 8:00pm to 2:00am (no adm after 12:30), £5 members, £6 non-members. An adventurous across the board northern soul policy is being pursued at these regular monthly events run by promoters Jason Desmond and Nick Churchill and regular DJ Steve Lyons (who we will be hearing more of later on). The music policy is play what you consider worthy, no matter how well known (or not) it is, so be ready to hear some quite wonderful fresh stuff. Reviews of OTSS events so far, can be seen on www.northernsoulman.com The next 3 events shape up as follows: 19th August, DJ's: Russ Vickers, Gary Todd, Matt, Johnny Clark & Steve Lyons. 30th Sept, DJ's: Ben Summers, Simon Bridger, Mike Lefkon & Steve Lyons. 21st October, DJ's: Keith Woon, Colin Baldock, Rik Collins & Steve Lyons. 18th November, DJ's tba. More info on: 07967 833585 or mailto: Jason.desmond@virgin.net InCrowd Soul Society @ The Mayfair Hotel, 27 Bath Rd, Bournemouth. 8:00pm to late. £5 otd. Now in its 8th year is this Steve Lyons promotion. Steve is from somewhere up north, so it is not surprising to find out that the InCrowd soul nights focus primarily on classic northern soul, and as Steve says "now that's what I call music". The next event is 12th August and for this one the DJ's will be: Steve Lyons, Rik Collins, Dave Morris, Ian Spittle and special guest Shay. More info on: 01202 743536. Bedford Soul "On The Real Side" An across the board Soul music policy is pursued by Mark Turner with the help of Dave Fleming and Sid "Tank" Clayton at the Club Blue Lagoon on the first Friday of every month. The regular DJ's are supplemented by Brian Goucher and Steve Jackson, and guest DJ's have included Cliff Steele, Gavin Page, Terry Jones, Andy Davies and the Woons' (Maxine & Keith). The Club Blue Lagoon is in Tavestock Street, which can be found by heading north out of Bedford, following signs for (A6) Kettering. The soul starts at 8pm to 2am and admission is £5 otd. More information, including directions, guest DJ's and play lists can be viewed at www.Soul-Net.co.uk or you can phone 01234 626478 or 07771 690482. Soul at the Rovers At the Kempston Rovers Football Club, Hillgrounds Road, Kempston, Bedford. 8pm till late. Admission of £4 on the door gets you into this small venue with lots of atmosphere and bags of soul. Cheap bar, and record dealers welcome. Resident DJ's Hamie, Pete Hulatt, Steve Cooper and Geoff Ware. Guests for September are Mick Smith and Simon Hunt. Future guests TBA and dates include; 29th September 17th November and 15th December. Further info from 01234 340408 or 01234 841654. Burgess Hill In Orbit Soul Club @ Checkers Club, The Martlets, Burgess Hill, West Sussex which is 5 minutes from BR station with its regular service from London and Brighton. The In Orbit events are run by, southern stalwart Andy Crane as Sunday all-dayers from 3/4pm until 11pm and feature northern and rare soul from across the years. Admission is £5 and memberships are available at the door. The next event is tba, but likely to take place either September or October and feature the BeeCool team of Mike Ritson and Stewart Russell. For more info, contact Andy on 01444 245232. Portsmouth The Blue Lagoon South coast rhythm and soul society promotions (aka Johnny Rolfe) have been holding regular monthly events for nearly 9 years, which is a pretty impressive record for the transient south to quote the late Roger Eagle. Always on the 3rd Friday of the month, from 8pm to 1am, £5 otd, the regular jocks are: Johnny Rolfe, Keith 'n' Maxine Woon, Shay and Barry Willmore plus guests. The music policy has gone through several changes over the years, and is now moving from fairly straight ahead northern toward across the board. For more info, contact Johnny on: 01974 821644 or mailto: johnnyrolfe@supanet.com Uptown Down South Promotions Back in the mid nineties the Uptown Down South events at the Abshot country club (near Portsmouth) were tremendously influential. Pursuing an across the board music policy similar to Soul Essence at the time, but on a regular monthly basis. After a year these events relocated to Newbury where it was possible to run regular all-nighters along with the soul nights. As far as I am aware, prior to this, there had never been a single dance floor, all-nighter programming 4 decades of Soul. Owing to the number of other events in the area Uptown Down South events are now run as Bank Holiday Sunday all-dayers under the banner of Soulicious. The next one is scheduled for 5pm to midnight on 27th August at the Sidewalk club 111-112 High St Gosport, Hants, when the regulars Russ Vickers, Keith & Maxine Woon, Ben Summers and Lloyd Attrill are joined by guest DJ's Shifty and Shay. Soul Heaven With 2 very successful events under their belts, the first, was a warm-up to the Uptown Down South event on 30th April, and the second, a charity fund raising all-dayer held at the Swordfish in Lee-on-Solent on 2nd July. Clive and Suzie look set to consolidate their position on 27th August, when they once again provide the official warm up for the Uptown Down South event later on that day. Details for this one are: 12pm to 5pm, entrance is free, DJ's Mark Gentry, Suzie, Ray New, Terry "Tee" Davies and Clive Portious who will be spinning an eclectic mix of 70's, 80's & 90's soulful vibes, classic modern and Y2k compliant grooves. The venue for this one is the Budweiser Beach Bar, Pier St, Lee-on-Solent, which can be reached from M27 J11 travelling south and then follow signs for Lee-on-Solent. Solent Soul Club The next event @ the Thorngate in Gosport is set for 2nd December. Promotion is undertaken by Steve Csordas and Molly, guest DJ's tba. Molly writes that he and Steve have decided to put this year's Soul-Nites on hold until Steve's return in November (he's away serving Queen and Country). The only date they have planned this year is the 2nd Anniversary on Saturday 2nd December. Molly should have the final DJ line-up in a couple of weeks, and at the time of writing Russ Vickers is guesting with one other TBA. The night will run from 8 till 2, Admission will be £6.00 for Members and £7.00 for Non Members. For this one Molly and Steve have decided to use the smaller Thorngate Theatre to try and generate a bit more atmosphere. The full address is The Thorngate Halls, Bury House, Bury Road, Gosport, Hampshire. They are hoping to have three more dates booked for next year, prior to this years Anniversary, I will let you know the dates as soon as I have them. Guest Dj's in the past have included Dave "soulful kinda music" Rimmer, Saus, Tony Warot, Rob Messer, Gavin Page, Al Kent, Gary Todd, Rik Collins, John Mills, Barry Wilmore and Maxine. Contact details: Molly: 07836-705877, email or Steve: 0410-246652, email SOUL@csordas.freeserve.co.uk Farnborough/Aldershot Soul Clan Following the SouthSide recess, The Soul Clan, namely Mick Reynolds and friends Moody Woman, Martin C, Dave D, Tom Powers and Mouldie have picked up the baton. There is a large pocket of northern fans in this area, so attendance is always good. Two venues are used, depending upon availability: The Leisure Centre, Junction of Fernhill Rd & Hawley Lane, Farnborough, Hants. The Victoria Club, Victoria Road, Aldershot, Hants. The next soul night is at the Leisure Centre, Farnborough on 12th August, and the guest DJ for this one is Barry Willmore. Other information is: 7:30 to midnight, entry is £3 otd, or £1 if you can show your entry stub from the Aldershot soul night. Further info on: 01420 479613 or 01252 663806. Strings a Go Go Who's 1st anniversary will take place on Sat 23rd September at the Victoria Club, Victoria Rd, Aldershot, Hants. Music Policy is across the board. The DJ's for this one will be Matt (Blue Lagoon), Rids (SouthSide) and Moldie plus more TBA. The first 50 people through the door will receive a free CD and patch. Doors open at 7.30pm until 1am, drinks are cheap and there is ample car parking around the back of the club. For more information contact 01252 663806 or email moldie@ntlworld.com. Fleet The Nightshift Club Just down the road from Farnborough/Aldershot is Fleet with its 300+ capacity Harlington centre. Here regulars: Pete Kelross, Derek Mead, Dunk and Brian Lee play host to well respected guest national and local DJ's such as Roger Stewart, Brian Rae, Barry Willmore, Keith Woon and Dave Evison to name a few. The venue has a huge wooden dance floor, perfect for the music policy of Northern, R'n'B and Motown. £5 will get you safely through the doors, which open at 8pm until 1am (bar until midnight). More info is available on 01932 402667 or 01252 319768. Southampton Soul Shoes Gary Todd's Soul Shoes is another long running promotion. Now located at the Unity Club, Eastleigh. For more info contact Gary on: 01703 325938. Swindon Soul Club 11 @ Swindon Town Football Club, Executive Suite. From 7pm to 12:30am regulars' Vod, Speed and Baz together with their special guests will be spinning the best in Northern and rare Soul from the 6t's to 9t's. At £4 otd be sure to get there early, as there is no admission after 10pm. For more info phone Keith on (01793) 723320 or email Baz at: Barry.Davies@epsrc.ac.uk. Contacted Simon Green (2k0802) ... waiting for reply. Abingdon COME GET TO THIS At the Peachcroft Community Centre, Abingdon, Oxon, these regular bi-monthly events are promoted by Steve Farthers and Graham Hilsdon. The next event is set to take place on September 8th, and features 5 hours of Northern, Motown, 60-70s soul. Doors open at 8pm to a 1am finish and the regular DJ's are Steve Farthers, Graham Hilsdon, Rusty, Trevor Jones, and Simon Preston. Current power plays are: Steve - Carstairs - It Really Hurts Me Girl - Red Coach Graham - Jan Jones - Independant Women - Day Wood Rusty - James fountain- Seven Day Lover - Peachtree Trevor - Velveleites - Lonely Lonely Girl Am I - VIP Simon - Vangaurds - Gotta Have Love - Lamp Contact Steve Fathers on 01235 534048 for more info. Cardiff M4 Soul Club At the Riverbank Hotel, Despenser Street, Cardiff (on the River Taff, opp the Millenium Stadium). Regular DJs include Mark White, Mike Wilkes (Lea Manor, 100 Club), Edwin, John Browne, Tony Voyce, Eddie (Porthcawl Northern Nights) - local collectors have DJ'd and they have had Simon Preston guesting and hope to have Jerry "Hippo" Hipkiss in October. The event runs from 9pm to 1am, 1st Saturday on alternate months - next date is 5th August, followed by 1st Saturday in October, December, February and so on. Entrance is £3 before 10pm, £5 after 10pm. Music policy at this superb little venue - a bit like a mini-100 Club, is primarily 60s with a dash of 70s and X-Over - quality and imaginative oldies and current big niter spins. Mark White is the main contact on 01446 746893 or email Mark@white498.fsnet.co.uk. Gloucester Soul Night Now on the last Friday of the month at Crackers Night Club, Bruton Way, Gloucester (beneath NCP, opp railwat station) from 9pm to 4am. Yes, 7 full hours of quality Soul music from 3 decades comprising the best in Tamla Motown, Northern & Modern Soul, and all for £4 otd before 11pm or £5 after. Regular DJ's are Ian 'Polly' Palmer, Leon and Meg plus a special guest. For more info, contact 01452 545523 or 07977 459403. Plymouth Northern Soul Ark Happening on the first Friday of every month at Noah's Ark, Courtenay St, Plymouth, Devon. Music policy: sixties, crossover and seventies. The DJ's are various local lads. £4 gets you through the doors, which open at 7.30pm until midnight. Contact: Simon and Jo, via soulmates@eurobell.com. If success continues in the future the dates may change to first Saturday of every month. Ipswich Northern Soul - Revisited East Anglian Daily Times Social Club, Lower Brook Street, Ipswich, where the music policy is mostly oldies. DJ's are the Suffolk Souls Crew, plus guests. The next event is set for Friday 6th October, when the doors swing open at 8:30pm until 1:00am (bar till 1:00). 3ukp on the door (sorry - cost of venue has risen!!). For further details visit the web site at http://www.geocities...ouls/index.html or email suffolk_souls@yahoo.com or phone 01394 670404. (KW 082k) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "STARTING THE HURT ALL OVER AGAIN" by winston Many years ago when Dave Godin coined the phrase Northern Soul, it wasn't without good reason. The north at that time was in the middle of a revolution. New rare soul records were being discovered at an amazing rate of knots, they were quickly finding their way into the hands of the influential DJs who were playing them to the eager dancers. This epitomised the soul scene throughout the early 7Ts and quite rightly the term "Northern Soul" was adopted and universally accepted as the correct way to describe this type of music. If this was your chosen genre of music, you had to make the trip up north to hear it, in all its glory. Whilst the major DJs of the time would play tunes that you were familiar with, they would always be prepared to throw in new sounds. This for me worked perfectly, the DJs would discover something new and the jury (the dancers) would pass sentence. Using this format the scene was never in danger of stagnating, this however isn't the case now in my honest opinion. For many years now, a lot of the DJs in the north have sat on their laurels, nothing new seems to be filtering down from what was traditionally the home of Northern Soul. A menu of oldies is normally the fare on offer nowadays, there are obviously exceptions to the rule, but I'm making a general observation. Let me make it clear at this stage that I still love oldies, but because I visit a lot of venues I get a little bored hearing them over and over again. I like to hear fresh sounds or indeed have my memory pricked by records that I haven't heard in ages and are not currently on the playlists of the North's finest. On the plus side, a lot of the bigger venues up north have included modern rooms (not my personal cup of tea) but at least it is a form of progression. What I really enjoy are new 6Ts s there were a lot of records overlooked in the "Glory Years", probably due to the fact that that they didn't fit the perfect description required by the dancers and DJs alike, of that particular era. Nowadays things have changed greatly. The soul scene is a much broader church now, gone are the days when you shouldn't dance to a record because it was discovered at a rival venue. Whilst most of us retain some allegiance to our favourite venues of yesteryear, most of us have grown up and refuse to get involved in the petty politics that still infest our scene, at the highest levels. Bearing all this in mind I would like to draw your attention to the 100 Club, which has already reached legendary status, and to the Dome, which is well on its way. Both play predominately 6Ts music, which is very often new to even the most regular of all nighter goers, they still play classic oldies, but not to the extent that tedium sets in. Over the years different styles of music have crept into the "Rare soul" scene and all are encompassed at these two venues. The regular DJs are still working on the premise that their audience are an intelligent soul loving crowd, who still want to hear something that will stimulate their senses. Consequently the 100 club and Dome goers are regularly treated to undiscovered new 6Ts sounds and rediscovered oldies that perhaps didn't get the reception that they deserved first time around. Surely above all else this was the very essence of the "Rare Soul" scene in days gone by, and an edict that both the aforementioned clubs proudly adhere to. You may have become aware that my terminology, describing the soul scene has changed over the last paragraph. This is because I feel that describing the scene as a "Northern Soul" scene is no longer correct. Without doubt it's a useful handle to describe a soul night, and will usually have the desired effect of bringing in the kind of punter that the promoter requires and of course its traditional, but it's just not accurate. Over the last few years soul nights and nighters have sprung up all over the country, mainly because we no longer have a weekly central meeting point, (such as Wigan) and the desire to travel has lessened. It's nice to have soul on your doorstep, and local collectors and promoters have become increasingly aware of this and have catered to our needs. Indeed in my local town of Bedford there are three soul nights every six weeks (one a modern) and it would be an outrageous presumption (on anybody's part) to assume that local collectors, when they get together cannot produce the goods. As an example one of the local promoters/collectors in Bedford currently numbers amongst his personal collection, between 10 and 15 sounds, that are all featured on the current Goldmine "For millionaires only" series. I'm sure that instances of this sort are not confined to my home town, but are repeated country wide. This upsurge in the fortunes of local soul nights could also go some way to explaining the current down trend in attendances at certain all nighters in the north which I have witnessed first hand. As well as regularly going north to visit Keele, The Ritz, Alfreton, Derby, Winsford and Stoke based nighters, I've also been to quality events in Ipswich, Lowestoft, Bournemouth, Brighton and of course the London area. The 100 Club and the Dome are always well attended, with rarely an inch of space on the dance floor, just how it used to be and in my opinion exactly how it should be. Recently I even had the joy of discovering a mid-week event, held on a monthly basis. It's called "These Old Shoes", a couple of minutes walk from London Bridge, on a Thursday night and you're back in the land of soul. What more could you ask for, and apart from seeing one midweek night advertised in Scotland, exclusive to the London area. I arrived at These Old Shoes, to find once again a packed venue, with an enthusiastic crowd, something so indicative of the London soul scene. The credit for setting up a thriving mid-week scene must surely go to the promoters, but could it survive anywhere else.? But the big question is why is the "Rare soul" scene so excellently supported down south. A major factor has to be that the scene down south is still attracting new blood, a younger generation, willing to treat sounds old and new with the same reverence. There are no preconceived ideas of what is the right or wrong sort of sound that should be played, fresh ears making fresh choices, a direct comparison to us "older types" in our long forgotten youth. This younger generation, whilst still appreciating our "Anthems" are busy creating their own, and quite rightly so. So what if the new favourites are not all in the "Traditional" mould, over the years things change, it's natural progression. The constant desire for exclusive records led to more R&B and mid-tempo sounds finding their way into the DJs and collectors boxes, and has only gone to improve our scene. This youthful element so prevalent in the London area, has that secret ingredient that we all had in our younger days. They are massively enthusiastic, it's not a fad, you can see that by looking into their faces as they dance, that same intensity that once consumed me, for example, is there for all to see. Personally I thrive off their fierce love, of what I'd long considered to be my generations musical legacy to the world and am once again inspired. I can't believe that the North and South of the country are unique in their love for the "Rare Soul" scene, but unfortunately as yet I haven't been to enough places in other parts of the country to make an informed judgement. What I am sure of however, is that the soul scene is no longer the exclusive property of the north, and shouldn't be perceived as such. Everyone involved in the resurrection of the "Rare Soul" scene, should be given the same amount of credit, from the promoters of small soul nights, to the major players, currently promoting the massive all nighters and weekenders. All have had an active role to play in the rebirth of the soul scene and their efforts should be similarly lauded. The alternative is to recreate the "Us and Them" situation which was so instrumental in dismantling the soul scene in its previous incarnation. We must try not to alienate anyone because I for one am not convinced that our beloved scene could survive another civil war. If you have read this and it's left you feeling angry, please don't be, I'm only trying to redress the balance. Read it again and try to accept that I'm really not trying to start a war, rather prevent one. KTF Winston site note out of date weblinks removed

Heres some worthwhile info/background gear by Keith Hughes Taken from Detroit City Limits by Graham Anthony (also has a good record list) who can be contacted at: Derby Does anyone out there know anything about Motown acetates? A recent article in Detroit City Limits listed the contents of some Motown acetates that appeared on the market a couple of years back (and then rapidly disappeared), and invited info. Id seen the same list around the time they were advertised, and recognised the "JD" prefix from other acetates Id come across in my research, but it wasn't until another collector tipped me off and I started looking at the listings more closely, that I realised that this series of acetates is rather remarkable. So in response to the invitation, let me take you on a short journey of discovery. A word of warning before we start, however. The Editor has spoken to me sternly, and I will do my best to avoid references to boiler pressure and double chimneys, but I advise you to keep your pencils sharpened and your lan Allan ABCs at the ready; the train will be moving at speed, and there's a lot to see. First lets try to reconstruct the recording process at Hitsville. From mid 1961 up until the end of 1964, sessions at Hitsville were identified individually, at least by number, and probably by producer and artist as well: some days there were no sessions, and some days there was more than one session sometimes more than one session with the same people. See the session numbers on the recent CD Amos Milburn - The Motown Sessions 1962-1964, for examples. The highest session number known from this period is 1432; this numbering series probably started on 1 Jan 1962, but see the other recent Motown CD, Motowns Blues Evolution, for some earlier session numbers. Session numbers were used for paperwork only; they dont appear on record labels, and until very recently didn't appear on liner notes either, other than for a short period only, in France. (An example was reprinted in an issue of Detroit City Limits: the French outlet for Motown in the sixties also had access to details of the session musicians, and frequently printed them.) Back in the 1960s, three track recording tape (Mike McLean upgraded the Motown desk from 2 track to 3 track early in 1962) was an expensive item, and Berry Gordy ran a tight ship. Ive heard a number of "unissued" Motown tracks over the years, and the only studio atmosphere I've ever picked up is a count-in at the start, or an excited "Do it again!" at the end of the take. If there was a false start, a fit of the giggles or a serious bum note, then the engineer would stop the tape, spool back and everyone would start all over again. If the producer (or possibly the artists) decided a better take could be had, once more the tape was rewound. And, at the end of the session, either the tape was left mounted or it was rewound to the top and stored, ready to be brought out and wound on to the next available spot at the beginning of the next session. 3 track tapes normally had about 30 minutes playing time, so they could hold 10 or 11 typical sixties performances: except for their jazz cuts. Motown seldom broke through the 3-minute barrier. So after 10 or 11 tracks –perhaps every 2 or3 days, depending on how productive the sessions were - the tape was numbered, catalogued and filed, and a fresh one was loaded. Naturally, many producers will have felt that 2-3 days was too long to wait to listen to their work; consequently the practice developed of copying tracks from the session tapes on to master tapes, from which acetate disks could be cut as and when required. This copying process evolved into an editing and mixing process as time went on; further alterations in sound could be made as test acetates were produced, and many Motown acetates contain hand-written notes of the level settings used to produce that particular disk. The master tape system seems to have come into use around the same time as Motown moved from 2 track to 3 track: the first two master tapes (DM-00 1 and 002) contain mixes of 2 track recordings, but DM-003 begins with Eddie Hollands "Last night I had a vision" and the B side, which were cut in 3 track around March 1962. The master tape number frequently appears on record labels (the session tape number never does); it also appears on many acetates, and is a rough and ready Motown fans guide to whether the track is an alternate take or an alternate mix to the version finally released. For full details of how the 13M numbering series works, see the introduction to Reginald Bartletles monumental Off the Record - Motown by Master Number 1959-1989, Volume 1 (wheres Vol. 2, Reg?); suffice it to say here that not only were DM tape numbers not assigned sequentially, but that moreover tracks were not copied in the order they were recorded, as we can tell from the many instances where recording date and 13M tape number are known. Do you feel a headache coming on? Feel free to stretch your legs and feed the cat. Were getting there, I promise you. Get a cold beer while you're out there. Now then. A couple of years ago while I was preparing the third edition of my small contribution to the literature, Don't forget the Motor City (thanks for the publicity, Ed.), I received a letter from someone who'd bought the second edition and thought he had some information that might be of interest to me. For reasons that will become obvious, he will remain anonymous here, and you have only my word for it that he knows what hes talking about : but for what its worth, you have it. What he was able to tell me included session and master tape numbers for individual tracks - not a complete listing, I hasten to say, but a sufficient number of tracks for me to draw a very interesting conclusion. Before passing on to that, and just to complete the advertising spot, my correspondent did say I was welcome to incorporate the info in future editions of DFTMC, and although it was too late in the day to bring in the session tape numbers, I did manage to add a substantial number of Motown recordings that neither I nor anyone I know were previously aware of, and they're all there in the third edition. Lets just hope they all still exist, and are in a much better condition that the last track on the Amos Milburn CD mentioned above. Lets just take another look at the the listing for Side 1 of disk JD 084: 1. Im gonna tell my mama (#3084-07) Amos Milburn 2. It took a long time baby (#3084-08) Amos Milburn 3. One Scotch, one Bourbon, one Beer (#3085-01) Amos Milbum 4. Timbuktu (#3085-02) The Groove Makers The information my correspondent furnished me with enables me to tell you with some certainty that the number in brackets refers to the session tape number. So "Im gonna tell my mama" was recorded on 3 track session tape number 084, track T( And after thirty-three years, its finally appeared on the Amos Milburn CD, and very good it is too - better than the awful jam of "Money" which came out on the album but which Motown wisely decided to leave off the CD). Well, Im really glad to know that, I hear you murmur to yourself, as you rip this page out of the magazine preparatory to staggering off to the outside privy with it. But stay a moment, smooth out the page and look again. Tape 084 track 7 is followed by tape 084 track 8, which is followed by tape 085 tracks 1 and 2; flip the record and you find tape 085 tracks 3 to 6. Furthermore, all the disks show tape/track numbers in order. And finally, the tracks run in order from disk to disk (you have to be prepared to believe that "JD 1 2V on the listing is a mistyping for "JD 13 Y to accept that, but having seen the listings for many more of these disks than appeared in the original advertisement, and bearing in mind the other numerous misty pings of song and artist name that occur in all the listings, 1 personally am prepared to believe it). And what that adds up to, taken together with the knowledge that "Mastered by George Fowler appears on most of the disk labels, is the supposition that it was Mr Fowlers responsibility at Motown to transcribe ALL the Hitsville session tapes to acetate disks, and that the complete series of J13 disks would comprise a complete history of Motown recordings from at least late 1960 (J1)007 contains Mary Wells first record) to late 1964 QD273 contains Junior Walkers "Shotgun"). Well, thats the story, But since no-one likes a smartass, and since there may be some really serious spotters out there who already knew all that, or else have been following me from the start eagle-eyed, with all the relevant material spread out around them (you must have a big living room), Id better make a confession. The draft of this article was written before the issue of the Amos Milburn CD, to which this rewrite makes frequent reference. And in the booklet accompanying the CD, it is clearly stated that It took a long time baby" (actually Its a long long time") and "One Scotch, one Bourbon, one Beer were recorded at Session #217, on the 7th November 1962, and "Im gonna tell my mama" was recorded at Session #218, on the 8th November 1962. Yet "I'm gonna tell my mama" appears on session tape 084, and "One Scotch on tape 085. Oh well. You go figure it out. Im off to check the session dates on the Beatles "Anthology . Keith Hughes March 1996

Pete Smith: Here's the first of the fresh soul source online interview series Pete Smith - Interview 1998 Starting of the first one is Pete Smith, now thats a name regular visitors should be familar with as in the early days of Soul Source he contributed hell of a lot of articles, info and data. Read on... Ok Pete can you give us a bit of your background just so all visitors know where you're coming from OK well I was born in 1960 and bought up in Wolverhampton, home of the legendary Catacombs Club of course.Unfortunately for me, was born about 2 years late to have been able to attend that place, and it was closing just as I was really getting into the Northern scene. My first exposure to soul, or any other type of music really came from my Mum's record collection, which I used to play from the age of 3 upwards apparently (my big likes being Elvis and The Beatles and Cilla Black apparently). I started going to the Wolves football matches in late 1966 and the warm up music was always Motown, especially in 1968-69, so thats when I first got to hear things like Dancing in the street, Get ready and This old heart of mine. I was buying records of my own in early 1969, the afore mentioned Martha & Vandellas track, Rolling Stones, Beatles etc. In 1971/72 I started attending the youth club in Wombourne where I lived and it was here that I heard a lot of "discotheque" records, Motown, Atlantic etc. By then I'd decided I was into reggae though so I was finding the soul music boring and asking them to play "Liquidator" and stuff like that. About a year later and I was now into the soul as well as reggae and had got a few of the records I'd heard such as In orbit - Joy Lovejoy, Festival Time - San Remo Strings. The watershed I think was one night when I heard The Joker by The Mylestones (aka Butch Baker) which nearly blew my head off, that incredible driving beat. So I would think that that was my first true Northern purchase. In early 1974 these 4 or 5 lads visited out youth club and bought their own records for the dj to play, I remember they were Tainted Love, Love Feeling (Val McKenna) and Girl Don't Make Me wait, anyway, these guys started dancing and I'd never seen anything like it in my life - talk about culture shock. A few days after that I'd located a pressing of Tainted Love and was well on the way. The summer of 74 saw Disco Demand start up and I bought all of those, and by Autumn 1974 I had actually danced to a Northern record for the first time, after weeks of practising in front of the mirror. The record was There's A Ghost In My House, incidentally. Anyway, 1975 and I was allowed to go to my first allnighter at sammies (St. Giles) Willenhall, which was very good for a while, then in early 1976 I decided it was time to go to Wigan Casino. I was still at school and very young looking for my age, so I was pleasantly surprised to actually get into the place. I went to Wigan fortnightly for the first few months, then every week consistently for 2 years. The last ever Saturday night I went to was in September 1978. I stopped going for a variety of reasons, mainly because I started going out with a girl I met at Wigan and we decided to give it a rest, secondly because of the ridiculous amounts of barbiturates going around, and thirdly because the music had deteriorated somewhat, with a lot of UK label stompers on the playlists. I only attended Wigan twice after that, once to the last oldies anniversary and then of course to the last night, the end of an era. I still attended the odd soul night back home, mainly at the Old Vic, but didn't collect records at all having sold all mine in 1979. I just kept a box of 50 or so pressings, all time favourites .In 1984 I met a girl from Hastings so I moved down south, taking my trusty 50 box with me. Obviously, this is the South East and there is no soul here whatsoever, so it was only by chance I came across Kent's "Floorshakers" album in the local record shop, and it was this LP that really revived my interest in the Northern scene. I quickly bought as many Kent LP's as possible and started buying singles by mail order.Having always been interested in UK releases, I started to concentrate on those and in 1988 sold my US records and bought only UK things. By 1992 I'd got practically every rare UK release, but I was to sell those too when redundancy caught up with me. Also in 1988, I began publishing the fanzine Beatin' Rhythm, the title of which was recently plagiarised by a Manchester record shop. This mag dealt 100% with rare UK 45's and myself and many of my readers discover several excellent items which are now big collectors items. The mag is still running today, albeit sporadically. Between 92 and 98 I was picking up records and moving them on, mainly cheapies and British, but in March 1998 my girlfriend (I was now divorced) gave me the kick up the arse I'd been needed, so I got off the dole and I set up Planet Records. I now buy and sell rare soul records for a living and it's a great job, even if finding the stuff can be difficult. I do the pricing for the Record Collector Price Guide and do articles for various magazines, fanzines and websites. Pretty busy really. You've been classed in past , record collector, UK soul expert, fanzine editor, record dealer etc etc how would you describe yourself now Record dealer who is far to handsome to be losing his hair prematurely. Although 39 years old is near to middle age I suppose. Bit of a memory thing, what era would you say was the "golden" era of northern soul ? Everyone has a different idea of the golden age. My favourite time would have to be from early 1976 to early 1977 when Wigan was at it's peak and every visit was a joy, rather than the chore it came to be a year or so later. And also 1975, when literally everyone in the country seemed to be into Northern. You'd see kids at the youth club, shy types who would never say boo to a goose, suddenly coming out of their shells and expressing this new found freedom by dancing. Before this, it was extremely uncool for the boys to dance at all! Still on memories, whats your personal northern all-time top five records Hmm, the worlds most difficult question. I couldn't possibly name 5 all time favourite records, my actual all time list would be about 25 titles. But as you want answers, here's 5 magnificent records which I would consider to be among my all time favourites: Monique - If you love me (show me)(Maurci) (same backing track as Tobi Lark's Challenge My Love, this is a super-emotional vocal performance) Yum Yums - Gonna be big thing (ABC) (lovely memories of Wigan and still popular today) Cajun hart - Got to find a way (Warner Bros) (one of the best of the big post-Wigan monsters) Doni Burdick - Bari track (Sound Impression) (the greatest Northern Soul instrumental ever, and perhaps the most "Northern" sounding record of the lot - describe Northern Soul, if you had to describe Northern Soul to an alien, you'd just put this record on - even though the alien would probably say "I don't like oldies") Charades - The key to my happiness (MGM) (absolutely sensational uptempo dancer first spun at the Mecca, this one has everything) see, very difficult to pick 5, I've missed out things like John & The Wierdest, Yvonne Baker, Herbert Hunter, Lost Soul, Carolyn Crawford etc etc. Nearly everyone has got a fave "record story" whats yours? One of the most recent that springs to mind is this one; about 18 months ago we'd been to Ashford and decided to drive down to Hythe so we could come back along the coast. I remembered there was a record shop there, so we popped in and started looking at the singles, which were all in boxes behind a curtain. I found this box saying "demo records", and the owner promptly says "You won't find anything in there mate, you should have come a year ago when it was full". So this box once contained about 100 demos on UK Decca, Atlantic, London and RCA, but now it contained the massive total of 12 records. First was a Bachelors demo, then a Louis Armstrong, and obviously I'd given up, but I came to the last record and it was an unplayed UK RCA demo of Ketty Lester - Some things are better left unsaid (a record original discovered in Beatin Rhythm 9 years earlier but now going for £50 on issue). So I said to the owner, "How much are these" and he goes "60 pence each". I sold it about 3 weeks later for £100. Literally a week after that I went to a boot sale and found a UK Decca issue of Frankie & Johnny - I'll hold you (books at £125) which I've still got. Another time I found a copy of the ultra rare Artwoods album on Decca for 50p, and then there was the time I got two Elvis gold HMV's for 40p the two (I traded those for £500 worth of Northern). Then there was the time I found a copy of Court davis - try to think what you're doing, on a UK pop list - cost me £120 but I sold it for £620, the most I've ever sold any record for. But finally, I must mention the copy of Look At Me Now by Terry Callier which I got from a mates house for less than 50p, he'd bought it in a soul pack in 1975. Current price; £125. You've been critical of the "current" scene in past, would you like to point out your current views on it Have I? well my major moans at this moment in time are as follows: early 60's black pop masquerading as Northern (Soft Walkin, let me be your boy, take a giant step); crossover and modern soul - I truly believe that this music should have a separate scene of it's own and should not be integrated in with traditional Northern, one because 90% of the punters don't like it and two because most of it is unlistenable shit. I can't stand the influx of rhythm and blues 45's being played at the moment, maybe they could join a club with their crossover buddies. Nowadays anyone can be a dj due to the availability of rare tracks on CD. This is fine if you're imaginative but it leaves the collectors who spend forever trying to find original vinyl feeling angry. I also hate people who become DJ's just because they have enough money to buy the big, expensive records. You should have to work at it, not buy yourself in. How would you improve it, if you had chance I'd ban all modern soul and crossover from being played at events advertised as being "Northern Soul". I'd also like to see a few different DJ's at events instead of the same ones over and over again. I'd also like to invent a time machine so that I can leave an allnighter whenever I like and be in bed 2 minutes later. How/where do you see the scene going in near future Well it looks as if the only way is up at the moment, it's getting bigger and bigger with the influx of "old" people coming back in after their 20 year hiatus and I think it will continue to grow without crossing over into the public domain like it did in 1975. What the scene needs though is another Wigan, a focal point where the whole scene can be based, a weekly event playing at least 75% 60's newies. A bit like to 100 club but more regular and in a much, much better venue. Your knowledge of soul is well known , have you ever f*cked up, like sell a rarity for tuppence or let a £500 record pass you Yeah but not to any great extremes, I've lost £50's here and there but it's swings and roundabouts. Plus if you find someone has turned you over, you tend to get them back eventually, by always adding on an extra fiver here and there, till before they know it they've paid you back the money they "robbed" you of without them noticing. I miss a few things on the net, mainly because people get there before me, but I did completely miss The Diplomats on Arock last year. Others have been critical of the lack of soul content sometimes of some of your 60s tips in past , what are your views on that point Well that refers to records discovered and tipped in the magazine by myself and others, and therefore we were looking for items on UK labels. Consequently if it's on UK it's a good chance it will be a British recording, therefore bypassing the soul content for the beat. Thats all I have to say on that point really. People can read the records I recommend on my sales list if they need any proof that I do actually like soul music. Otherwise they can fuck off. Your dislike of anything post 69 is well known , there must be some northern modern sounds that have stirred your feet? Yeah, well let me just clarify this. I love the modern sounds that were being played in 74, 75, 76, things like East Coast Connection, Todays People, Boogie Man Orchestra, Stanley Woodruff, Norma Jenkins, Skullsnaps etc, new releases but all with a good, usually 4-4 dance beat. What I object to are the later modern sounds, many of which don't use real instruments, are 'disco-fied', or are set at tortoise pace. On Internet, you were one of the first northern fans i come across on net a couple of years ago, you've seen the northern side grow rapidly since , do you think Internet has helped the northern scene grow and if yes what do you think or would like it to do it can do in future I don't think it's made it grow per se but it has certainly bought people together, you only have to look at the KTF group where I've become friends with many people from that list who I'd never even heard of, let alone met, and have actually met at least 15 of them in person. I suppose that websites do offer people who are in countries where the Northern Scene is in it's infancy the chance to learn a lot of history, and any education is a good thing. Also with the web being literally worldwide, it means that people can buy and sell the music very, very easily. Planet Records appears to be going well, how much of your business comes from Internet, and could planet records survive without it No it couldn't survive without it. It could probably survive without the website to be honest, but it couldn't survive without the KTF list and without my being able to e-mail my lists out to anyone who wants a copy. With something like KTF, you have a hundred or so people all into the same music, so it figures that at least half of these will be actively buying records. With e-mail, there are no costs involved except the price of the phone call, so I don't have to do paper lists, photocopying, buying envelopes and stamps etc, it's saving me a fortune. Having said that, it might also have something to do with the fact that I do find some decent records and I sell them pretty reasonably priced! You're one of the regular voices on KTF soul list, whats your view on it at present time? It goes through phases of being very very good and very very poor. Some of the best contributors also seem to be the ones who get criticised the most, and they often take sabbaticals. I hate all the off topic stuff that goes on but in many ways it adds to the banter. Put it this way, I've tried living without it and it can't be done! Beating Rhythm ( see fanzine section for sample) , hasn't seen light of day for a while, what are the plans for it nowadays I had an issue ready for publication at Christmas and the computer died so I just printed one copy off, I lost all my label scans and that meant doing it all again. I haven't summoned up the energy to do it yet. You've done a few spots behind turntables in past, how did last one go, did you enjoy it , and would you be up for doing it on a regular basis Yeah I did These Old Shoes and I really enjoyed it, playing what I thought were 'sensible' records, no Snakes or Footsees or 7 Days Too Longs, I played stuff like Jimmy Fraser, Seven Souls, terry Callier, Gino Washington and so on, I rally enjoyed it. I'm doing a gig in Brighton next month which should be good. Unfortunately I'm a bit remote stuck here in St. Leonard's - if I was back in the Midlands I would definitely dj more often, I think I've got enough quality records to do myself justice. Last of all Pete, a twist on a old question, I would say going to a major venue and hearing a DJ play sounds of a northern compilation CD , would be same as going to a nighter in 70s and seeing a DJ playing sounds of a northern compilation LP- out of order! What do you reckon ? Depends whether you are a dancer or a collector; if you are on the dancefloor, you can't see a label, you can just hear the record, and so consequently you don't care what label or format it is on. From the collectors point of view, seeing people spinning tracks from CD's strikes me as being very lazy and a shortcut to success without having to do any hard work. But if you ask me which camp I fall into, I'd rather hear the record than not hear it, so I wouldn't care too much if CD's were played. I mean, where else could you hear The Springers - Nothing's Too Good For My Baby, for instance? OK thanks to Pete for the above, getting the first of the series off to a kicking start, lot of views coming out there, if you feel strongly about them or agree try the forum out in chill section or email them in. Next "talk " will be up next week and will feature DJ/SKM editor Dave Rimmer Pete's email is pete.smith4@virgin.net and his Planet Records site address can be found in links in the triva section, or on the Northern Web Ring

Just a intro about myself as requested...(Posted originally to go with 6 pac sessions from Ian) Ian Cuncliffe Just a intro about myself as requested. I started to collect soul-r&b records around 1966 while at senior school, this was the music that was being played in the youth clubs around the northwest which I attended . I left school in 1969 around that time I started to go to Blackpool Mecca with all my skinhead mates, its around that time I started to collect and trade the rarer soul singles, at the time in Manchester there was three brilliant places to get imported soul 45,s from i.e. Ralph's records---Global and a place not many new about at the time Shudehill Market. Over the past 30 years I have attended all the major all-nighters from the Twisted Wheel just before its closure , the Torch, Cats , Wigan Cas to the present day, my favourites being The Wilton in Whitwood West Yorks and Lowton Civic which run around four per year great nites!!.. In 1980 I became seriously ill at one stage was only given weeks to live but after major surgery I made a full recovery!, it was then I had to sell the main part of my collection, christ!! I look back Lester Tipton--La Beat £25.......Al Williams £30 but those where the prices in 1981 it was only around 1983-4 that I began to realise I had made a huge mistake when the prices started to go higher and higher !! and I had sold two years previously most of the sounds that where commanding high prices not a good feeling!!!. In 1986 I along with Keith Brady, Carl Farrington & Kev Appleton started to promote 3 soul nites around the Leigh--Wigan area under the collective banner of The Sounds of Soul at the time their was only one other soul nite within 30 miles that was Barry Maleedys club in St Helens, so as you can imagine we used to get some real packers playing sounds that even today are classed by many of the average soulies as newies? i.e Imperial C,s----Ray Agee---George Pepp---Phonetics---Tommy Ridgley--Chuck Holliday --Ruby Sherry ect etc total magic nites , we stopped promoting these nites around 1994 due to the amount of soul nites that had started within the 30 mile radius soulies had seen our and Barrys nites become so successful they decided to get a slice of the pie!! some more great nites started and some sad sad ones. These days I only like to DJ at the more progressive venues, I still buy and sell the rarer 60,s 70,s soul sounds, and as anyone who knows me will tell you I still find bargains even these days, in the past few years I've found Herman Lewis Who is kissing you tonite Mercury when it wasn't even known to be on the label? Tempos --Ill never forget -- Diamond Jim both for a few quid up to recently I've been finding quite a few rare 70,s locally but there seems to be more collectors targeting 70,s in the past year. A few years ago a bloke came to live round the corner from me his name was Kev Barrett from Canada he told me that he was into soul music and that he had shipped over from Canada the contents from a radio station WSAY record library, 15000 soul singles & around 5000 c&w rock -pop records, Kev asked my help in pricing them up christ !! the stuff we found multi copies of sounds like Johnny Bartell....Freddie North The Hurt......Houston Outlaws...O.C Smith & loads of rare DETROIT CHICAGO & philly 60,s 70,s rarities , some of the best days of my life I spent going thro that lot, Kev also gave me first shot at the stuff he wanted to sell !!! Kev,s now one of my closest friends ,mind you he's going a bit strange recently he keeps buying 90,s garage & house I think he's just trying to look hip to his sons friends!!. Anyway that's a little insight into the crazy world of Ian Cunliffe, people keep telling me to write a book about my life on the soul scene, I left home late 1971 just as the Northern Soul Scene was beginning to spread its wings, so I have many stories to tell some good some not so good!!!. The main thing that has come from my life on the soul scene apart from the wonderful, wonderful music!! is all the friends I have made from all over , each one of them has a special place in my heart, giving me some magic memories that will linger forever....SOUL MUSIC WILL NEVER DIE !!!!!!!!!!!!!! Soulfully Yours Ian C.