Mike

Loaded Magazine does Northern soul with a visit to the 100 Club Allnighter just in time for the March 99 Issue ADAPTED FROM LOADED MAGAZINE MARCH 1999 Thanks to Dave Cassidy for sending me this, photo's to follow...... "Keep your Wigan - Northern Soul is alive and well and living in London..." You know something is happening when you get to the club and a man from the Guardian is waiting in the queue. Actually, it happens every five years or so, when the Northern Soul scene is dragged blinking into the spotlight, looking just like its dedicated followers do as they hit the morning streets after another exhilarating night of dancing to the most exclusive and best soul music around. Unlike other scenes, Northern Soul has never been dependent on a popular group or musician-a Soft Cell or a Kevin Rowland-to expose it to a wider world. It stays underground and thrives on a network of utterly dedicated followers. Then, once in a while, the media pokes its head.. around the corner. "It's a cyclical thing," Ady Croasdell explains. Ady is the man behind Kent Records' long-running and excellent compilation series. He is also the driving force behind the 6T's Club, an all-nighter which happens every month at London's 100 Club. He is not at all purist in his approach. "Every five or six years there's a sudden upsurge of interest, which is great," he says. "It brings in new people, maybe younger ones, and the attention it gets reminds the older ones of the brilliant clubs they used to frequent." Northern Soul's roots lie in the mid-'60s, when a major shift in club culture occurred. The mod scene, which had built its appeal on R'n'B music at places like The Scene or the Whiskey A Go Go (now The Wag), had finally died, and London's hip clubs started playing the newer and funkier sounds emanating out of America. Out went Motown and in came James Brown. Up north, clubs such as The Twisted Wheel in Manchester (the first ever all-nighter) ignored the choice of the beautiful people and stuck to the soul tunes they adored so passionately. It was Dave Godin, writing for Blues And Soul magazine, who coined the phrase Northern Soul - noting that, as time progressed, the DJs and club runners were exhibiting a real dislike for mainstream soul music. As far as they were concerned, the more obscure the tune the better. At the time, such small American indie labels as Loma and Thelma could only find limited distribution within the States, thus bestowing a real exclusivity on their releases. So it was that Northern Soul fans would relentlessly hunt down copies. Meanwhile, groups like The Hesitations and singers such as Tommy Hunt became heroes-if not legends. When many of those artists played here, they did so at Northern Soul's most famed club, the Wigan Casino. The Casino exists no more (tragically demolished), but in the early thousands of kids from all over the country went to this small northwest town to dance the night away. Fashion was a major part of the scene. Kids would arrive at the Casino with a change of clothes. Some even took talc, which they sprinkled onto the floor to make it easier to slide across. Flares, tank-tops and sturdy shoes were all part of the look. Admission was cheap but, at the club itself, record dealers would set up stalls where singles would exchange hands for huge sums of money. One seven-inch single -for example Frank Wilson's 'Do I Love you? (Indeed I Do)'-could command a thousand-pound price tag; £200 is a common price these days for a rare slice of soul. And out on the floor, a new style of dancing, graceful, athletic and incredibly compelling to watch, was being developed. Dancers would execute amazing back flips and other exertions while others effortlessly glided across the floor. Drugs played a part in keeping the people awake and on the floor, but it is a subject that all involved are quick to disassociate themselves from now. Unlike the E crowd, drugs - specifically amphetamine - were taken by some but never talked about by others. When Pete McKenna wrote Nightshift, an autobiography about a youth spent in clubs such as the Casino, there was a furore over the claims he made about drug use. "Let's just say I never smelt any marijuana when I went to Wigan," Ady Croasdell tells me. Instead, people tend to focus on the obsessiveness that Northern Soul brings out - a desire to own the rarest records and dance the best dances. "People realise its an authentic scene," says Croasdell, "with its own values and roots. Even if people aren't into the scene, it always gets an awful lot of respect." Even, no doubt, from the Guardian. PAULO HEWITT For details on the next 6T's Club events call 0171 6362622. Of the numerous Northern Soul compilations to choose from. Start with any Kent Records album - there'll always beat least two or three blinding tunes. On the CD front, my current faves are Goldmine's The Cream Of Northern Soul" and Hallmark's accessible Northern Soul Originals. One essential is Dave Godin 's Deep Soul Treasures, while Motown's This is Northern Soul! is well worth investigating too. Specialist shops: · Expansions, Manchester.Tel: 0161 8321364. · Fopp, Glasgow. 01413570774. · Division One, London.01716377734.

Mick Lyons - Manifesto Interview Mick Lyons is about as far from the stereotype soulie as you can get but don't let his image fool you, this is a man who's passionate about music. As a Dj Mick can be heard at most of the top all-nighters and as an MC he's been long active on the rave scene. Add to this his track record as promoter of Blackburn and his involvement in the soul scene since the mid sixties and you soon realise that there's more to this man than meets the eye. Often misunderstood or misquoted we decided to have a chat with Mick and see what makes him tick. The following interview was recorded after Blackbum all-nighterin May of this year, this is what he had to say. I've lived music all my life me, when I was young I worked on the fairgrounds, they used to call it 'The Soul Castle' cause we had all the American import records. Most of the records you'll still hear me playing today we had then and I still remember doing places like the Nottingham Goose Fair where all the black kids would go back in the sixties. M. That's what surprised me about you. Brian Rae was telling me earlier tonight about how he first met you back in the mid sixties. Yeh I remember Brian coming up to me one night and asking 'What was that record'. That was the first time we met, I think it was about 1967, that’s how far back we go. Working on the fairground and in the clubs meant that I have always been surrounded by music. Even as a kid of about 12 or 13, I always had a preference for American music. I listened to the radio stations like Radio Caroline and London and through the night they played loads of American music. Tony the Prince and all that lot. It was crossover but there was some really good powerful stuff played. The first all-nighters I attended were at The Room At The Top in Wigan in late '65 which were on every Saturday night. They'd play a lot of American imports Robert Parker 'Barefootin' and loads of Otis Reading and that kind of stuff. In the middle of the night you'd usually get a live band that did Atlantic and Stax stuff. There was also the Iron Door at Liverpool which was a good club as was the Cavern Club which had all-nighters. Liverpool was a good place for soul in those days because of course it was all coming straight off the ships. A lot of those records that we were into then went under and disappeared, reappearing around '72/3 and helped form the backbone of what became northern soul. At this time I was working as head doorman for Gerry Marshall at the Casino and when the all-nighters started there many of the punters thought they were discovering all these old tunes for the first time not realising they all been massive I remember I used to lock up The Casino last thing at night and me and Gerry Marshall who used to sleep in the place would often sit down and have a drink and a chat. One night he said Mick what do you reckon we should do to get this place happening again. As I'd been watching how the crowd reacted when the Dj's who were on between the bands played soul music I said 'Mr Marshall, I reckon you should go for an all-night license. Thinking back to how popular The Room At The Top was. Soon after that Mike Walker joined the staff and everyone knows the rest. Through my work as a bodyguard and doorman I've gotten to meet so many of the big names in fact practically all the big names of that era with the exception of Elvis Presley. I've seen em all Bo Didley, Chuck Berry, Little Richard and not just once but many times. I saw Bo Didley again in California in 1990 and I've always been influenced by his music, it's really soulful. This is my opinion of soul music, feeling it from the inside and not being superficial and copying anybody else. In other words, it's not the jokes it the way you tell them. In '73 I went to work and live in Germany and they had a good thriving soul scene over there then. I came back in '77/78 and The Casino was still doing nothing for me. It was far too commercialized I've always been a lover of underground clubs. I went to a few things during the late 70's early 80's but nothing really caught me. Then in the mid 80's I started running all-nighters. Through my security job I had access to a lot of venues and so I started opening up some of them after hours for illegal all-night sessions. We'd get around 1/200 hundred in and then Bradford started kicking in and they had it half right over there. Then they lost their license which was a shame because that could have gone on to be really good. I wish I could remember the guy's name i liked the bloke and he had a really knowledge of the music. Over there the northern was upstairs and they'd have Rave going on downstairs and the two mixed really well. I mean I can give tapes of our stuff to mates of mine on the rave scene and they can really get off on it, and vice versa. It just seems that too many people on the soul scene now have forgotten how to enjoy themselves. Their lives revolve around not being good themselves and getting praise for that but having a go at someone else to make them look bad. People's paranoia is their problem, most of the time they're just insecure and can only make themselves look better by making others around . them look worse. Q. Has your work on the rave scene had an effect on how you view northern. When I'm Dj'ing I'll talk at the begining and end of a set but not in the middle because I don't think you can complement the music. When I'm MCing on the rave scene I'll be shouting all over it, it's a way of boosting up the atmosphere. Bul northern doesn't need that, just let the music talk. This fashion of stopping the record and speaking in the gap is just to make it easier for the Dj. There's no point stopping the dancefloor and introducing a new record because if people realise they don't know it they might just use the break as an opportunity to get off the floor. The way I do it is to slip something in and let them think it's user friendly and dance to it even though they might not have heard it before. On the same token if I play two or three of these new tunes and lose the flow I'll see it and bring it back. I've got loads of crowd have come to be entertained. It's not what you've got in your box but what you play in that sixty minutes and how you effect their emotions. It all about taking them on a little journey, touching their heartstrings and helping them leave all their troubles behind. If you can do that then you've succeded. By not interrupting the flow and talking between tracks I'll get to play probably 5 records more than some of the other guys, well over 12 hours that's 60 more records that those people will get to hear which is a hell of a lot of music. As a promoter I like to get the Dj's working as a team, not everyone will do great all the time, but if one doesn't do well it should be the job of the next to pull it back, it's the night what matters. I also think it's wrong to try and plan a spot in advance. I'll get on stage a minute before a spot and my records are everywhere. I'll look at the crowd and see how there reacting to what's being played, if it's working you try and complement that record and continue the journey. If it's not you try and pull them back and take them down another road. But I often won't know I'm going to play next until the previous record's nearly finished. It's like when people come up and ask for requests. If that record fits in with where you're going then fine but if not and it's anti, even though I may have the record I can't take the others off of their little journey, if the majority are happy you're doing your job. M The starnge thing about the northern scene which doesn’t happen on say the club scene, this constant stream of requests which seems to be a tradition. Trouble is most of me time don 't you get the feeling that it's done to impress you with their knowledge or to try and catch you out with things that they know you probably haven't got Yeh, you're right, or they'll come up and ask you what was that record you played 5 records ago! while I'm in the middle of working. They love to be able to go back to there mates and say 'Oh, he hasn't got it'. But like I said earlier it's all about entertaining, you can get the crowd up and then take them higher and higher. Then maybe drop them back down into something a bit moody and mellow, and then back up again. I used to think that many of these big name Dj's could do it but just didn't want to. Now I've realised that in fact a lot of them simply can't do it. Some of my mates from the rave scene will come to all-nighters with me and there baffled by some of the sets that they hear getting played. They simply can't understand why a Dj who has the crowd in the palm of his hand will then drop them by playing something totally the opposite next. I've taken Dj's off at Blackburn when I see them going down badly, it's nothing personal it's just that as a promoter that's your responsibility to give the crowd good quality entertainment. Your not responsible for that Dj's ego. With Blackburn I've tried to take them back while taking them forward if you get what I mean, that’s why you’ll hear some really old and obscure tracks played there along with plenty of new stuff and as on any scene you sort the wheat from the chaff. The middle of the road people will end up going to middle of the road clubs, and the stronger and more open minded crowd will go to the stronger clubs and I think the Blackburn crowd are amongst the latter and that's because they been fed a diet of good quality music. The thing is not many people realise what good records I've actually got and how long I've had them. And if I do play something they don't know they won't ask me what it is. Some of the ordinary punters will but not the Dj's, they'll normally ask Brian Rae, and usually say ask him. I often laugh when reading in some of these soul magazines about the latest big record that so and so is playing because I know that I've been playing for years but then all of a sudden somebody else has 'discovered' it! One such tune is one that's proving very popular at the moment and it's the Pee Wee Montgomery record 'Crazy In Love'. Pee Wee was one of the Iketes and a lot of people think it's Ike and Tina. I remember being in Hyde all-righter one morning and Mark Bicknell and Saus were all there and on comes this record. 'Who's this then?' they start asking. So I said 'That's Johnny Nash. No no, they wouldn't have it, but it was. I remember seeing Gary Spencer at a venue in Carlisle and he'd been playing a cover up of a record that was supposed to be Lou Pride, so I said to this lad to go up and ask him for that Fats Domino record at which point he got a panic on. The point I'm trying to make is that people tend to dismiss what I actually know about the music. At the end of the day soul is something that's inside you and once you know you've got it there all the bullocks that goes around with the scene just bounces off you. I live for music and can't imagine life without it. If I can make people happy by playing them records that I think they'll like then I'm satisfied. If they don't like them I don't need to be told, I'll see it for myself. Some people can never have that, they'll always need to be led. Believe me Mick had plenty more to say that day but sadly this is all we have space for in this issue but we hope that this has helped give you a little insight into what makes Mick tick. ORIGINALLY PRINTED IN MANIFESTO MAG AND REPRINTED BY PERMISSON.

Thanks go out to Mike Lofthouse for this review on the Soul Essence weekender Soul Essence 13 - 9 10 11 April 1999 - The Raynscourt Hotel Great Yarmouth. The Event... The Soul Essence Yarmouth weekender number 13. It is a twice yearly event held in Spring and Autumn with the first one taking place back in April '93 - check out 'Voices From The Shadows' magazine issue no. 20 for a full review of that weekend. The Town ... Gt Yarmouth is one of those typical British seaside resorts that are past their best - the lure of sunnier climes has long since taken the shine off the place and it's also bloody awful to get to from ANYWHERE in the UK - our journey took a good 4.5 hours (only 200 miles or so up the east coast). The Venue..... The hotel - like the resort is a little run down - it would be best described as 'small and homely'. Basically the event takes over the entire hotel from Friday through Sunday - which is great - no 'tourists' (of any kind ) wandering in and out. A tiny dance floor - ample for the shuffling style of dancing that you tend to get at less 'Northern' inclined do's - I'm not sure it is the slower tempo of the records or the geriatric state of the audience! There is a fair sized area partitioned of for the record dealers - Voices From The Shadows, Ian Clarke, Soul Bowl, John Manship and Steve Plumb all had large selections for sale. Record selling was restricted to the dealers until Sunday morning - which I guess is fair, they pay for the privilege. Food and beer is available round the clock (or at least whilst I was awake). The 'Downbeat' lounge ... In addition to the main area there is a 'Downbeat' lounge which as the title suggests features much slower and deep records throughout the day from a number of guests each doing a one hour spot, this goes on throughout the day until about 7 or 8 each night. This lounge is a brilliant idea, although I did not spend as much time in there as I would of liked - football is always a bit of a distraction on a weekend. Saturday afternoon - sat with a pint reading a great Tom Waits interview in the Telegraph whilst listening to Hans 'n' Harry (from Holland) playing the likes of Gloria Lynn's - 'Don't You Pay No Mind' - sheer bliss! It would seem to be something of a tradiition now for Scot Fraser Dunn to end the last downbeat spot of the weekend (on the Saturday night) with an absolutely stunning Gospel track - Tessie Hill - 'Never let a day go by' on ABC , it's awesome! I know Han's and Harry make a note of everyone's playlist and publish them of their web site - I don't think they are up there yet but keep a look out (and check out those already posted)

An extract from Lois Wilson - MOJO Magazine April/May 1999 Sent in by Dave Cassidy, thanks for the contribution mate, appreciated. How To Buy... Every month we navigate the high-water marks, rapids and stagnant ponds of the CD racks, so you don't have to. We continue with... NORTHERN SOUL It was the venerable Blues And Soul pundit, Dave Godin, who coined the term 'Northern Soul' to describe the rare soul sounds that were attracting fanatical crowds to the massive dance clubs in the North of England in the late '60s and early '70s. The key word here is "rare". In those days, DJs and collectors would think nothing of popping over to the US on the off-chance of finding that arcane "read about but never seen gem, or wading through the second-hand racks and parting with chunky bankrolls for a holy grail 7-inch. Thankfully, if you want to get into Northern Soul these days, all it takes is a stroll to your local record shop. The only problem is where to begin when faced with track lists of obscure artists whose songs are duplicated time and time again on a number of discs. Your best bet for a comprehensive introduction and overview is Soul Survivors (Telstar, £18.49), which has become the biggest-selling album to document the scene. Compiled by Wigan Casino DJ Russ Winstanley, it includes Tobi Legend's Time Will Pass You By, Jimmy Radcliffe's Long After Tonight Is All Over and Dean Parrish's I'm On My Way, collectively known as the "three before eight" - the last three songs to be played before the 8am wind-down at the Casino each week. It also features Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) by Frank Wilson, one of the rarest and most-prized Northern Soul singles (fetching around £5,000 for an original promo copy), and, for me, the genre's definitive classic, R. Dean Taylor's There's A Ghost In My House. Other, more famous luminaries, like Jackie Wilson, Barbara Acklin, Dobie Gray and Little Anthony And The Imperials, are also on board. Soul Survivors Volume 2 (Telstar, £18.49) has a more mainstream selection that includes Booker T. And The MG's Green Onions and La belle's Lady Marmalade but also the must-have original of Tainted Love by Gloria Jones, Mary Love's You Turned My Bitter Into Sweet and Beverly Ann's insightful You Got Your Mind On Other Things. You'll also find here The Just Brothers' Sliced Tomatoes, which formed the basis for Fatboy Slim's Rockafeller Skank. Dancing 'Til Dawn (Kent £14.99), compiled by Ady Croasdell (Harboro Horace), would cause mayhem on the dancefloor with its 25 non-stop frenetic dancers, including The Shirelles' Last Minute Miracle, Sandy Waddy's Everything Is Everything and Judy Clay's You Busted My Mind. Another essential CD, also compiled by Ady, is For Dancers Forever (Kent. £14.99). which combines the cream from the first two LPs released on reissue label Kent plus new findings and overlooked gems, among them Lowell Fulson's humorous R&B groover My Aching Back and Yvonne Baker's sugar coated My Baby Needs Me. Floorfillers! (Global, £16.99), is a fine compilation containing 45 classic tracks that span the scene from its early Motown obsession through to its later crossover leanings If you're on a tight budget but still want more of that four-to-the-floor, check out Cooler Shakers! (Music Club, £6.99). Get past the dreadful pun and there are timeless classics, like The Wrong Girl by The Showmen featuring Norman Johnson before he, became a General and Chairman Of The Board), I'm A Fool I Must Love You by The Falcons (featuring a young Wilson Pickett) and the riotous high- pitched frenzy of Breakaway by The Valentines. Also mid-priced, Talcum, Soul (Stateside, £10.49), compiled by Dean Rudland, concentrates on the Um, Stateside label and collects the main movers in the Mod branch, such as Chuck Wood's frantic Seven Days Too Long, Garnet Mimms' achingly soulful Looking For You, The Poets' mammoth She Blew A Good Thing and Bobby Sheen's boastful Dr. Love. From the Motown stable try This ls Northern Soul Volume 1 and 2 (Debutante, both £9.99). Volume 2 is best with choice cuts such as Lonely, Lonely Girl Am I by The Velvelettes and Spinners' I'll Always Love You. The Golden Torch Story (Goldmine, £14.99) gathers together the floorshakers that packed out the Torch club every week, including N. F. Porter's catch-phrase coining Keep On Keeping On. Also worth investigating are The Wigan Casino Story, The Wigan Casino Story Continues and The Wigan Casino Volume 3: The Final Chapter (Goldmine, all £14.99), which spotlight the Casino's evolving taste in soul. For a variation on and Yvonne Baker's sugar-coated My Baby the theme check out Mo' Mod Jazz (Kent, Needs Me. Floorfillers! (Global, £16.99) is a fine £14.99) to discover Smokey Joe's La La by the compilation containing 45 classic tracks that curiously named Googie Rene Combo, which was reworked by David Holmes on My Mate Paul. No self-respecting NS fan would be without some thing from the OKeh label, so check out OKeh - A Northern Soul Obsession Volume 1 and 2 (Kent £14.99) and hear Little Richard on top form with the stomping I Don't Want To Discuss It. OKeh was also home to one of Chicago's greatest vocalists, Major Lance, and it's worth tracking dawn his Best Of (BGO £11.99). It includes the fabulously titled Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Ain't No Soul Left In These Old Shoes and The Monkey Time, written by Curtis Mayfield. Mayfield's own sublime voice can be heard on Definitive Impressions (Kent £14.99), which features the storming I Can't Satisfy and You've Been Cheatin'. Oh No Not My Baby: The Best Of Maxine Brown (Kent £14.99) shows the '60s soulstress at her most dynamic with the beat ballad that lends its name to the title of the CD, alongside the emotive intensity of All ln My Mind, the up beat lt's Torture and the classic One In A Million. Other important releases: A Cellar Full Of Soul (Jan fm, £15.99), compiled by Richard Searling from tracks played on his radio show; Blackpool Mecca Story (Goldmine, £14.99) for that '70s crossover sound; Ain't Nothing But A House Party (Sequel, £10.49), which documents the Philly end of things; and Essential Northern Soul '60s Dancefloor Classics Volume 2 (Deep Beats, £10.49), a fine mix of classics and obscurities. Finally, check out Kev Robert's compilation The Roots Of Northern Soul (Goldmine, £1 4.99), which traces the early years, concentrating on the R&B tracks that kept dancefloors shaking throughout the '60s. Beginners: Soul Survivors (Telstar, £18.49) A fine one-stop introduction to the Northern Soul scene. Connoisseurs A Soul Celebration Of The World's Most Famous Club (Joe Boy, £16.99) Packaged with a free 7-inch single, contains prime tracks from the Wigan Casino playlist. Avoid: The Northern Soul Scene (Deram, £12.99) An interesting CD but one that addresses the more bizarre side of the scene where anything with the right number of beats per minute was sanctioned, hence David Essex and The Brotherhood Of Man.

Ripped from Big Daddy Mag issue 3, (of course with permission from Mr Bones, no blatant stealing here ....!) got for your reading a Beginners Guide to Northern Soul Big Daddies Guide to Northern Yeah Yeah Yeah, know there's about 5001 "what is....northern" type things scattered all over the web , so why another one? Well first of all it comes from a different angle, not a 40+ guy with too much time on his hands but from a younger guy and its aimed at a younger audience, thus comes from a different angle and has a lot fresher today sort of feel Plus always be useful for visitors from mainstream sort of soul world asking about it, so hopefully by giving it a read will understand basics of it all NORTHERN SOUL A beginners guide Few people of our generation and younger know what Northern Soul is. The scene is unlike any other, existing way outside of the mainstream. Since the early 70s, normal, unassuming British folk have been travelling miles from home to dance like the devil to long-forgotten, obscure soul music, much of it dating back to the days when your Ma & Pa just met and f you, like many, have ever wandered off the dancefloor in disinterest at a wedding reception when the Motown comes on, you must wonder at what the fuss is all about. Perhaps your notion of Soul music begins and ends with the Supremes (or Reggae with UB40). Not to worry. The lack of "popular" interest over the years has never hindered the real soul scene. It has survived nigh on 30 years pretty much untainted and is as healthy now as it was at it"s peak in the simply because of the unparallelled passion of the dedicated fans who just can"t get enough of a timeless music. It may even become "cool" amongst the young hipsters who are growing weary of the heavy-handed current club sounds - there"s most certainly increasing interest right now. And if it wanes for the trendy many, it will still be there for the smitten few. For those who appreciate a pulse-racing good time there"s nothing quite like it -you"ve only to watch the dancers to see that. If it's all just a mystery to you, here's a basic introduction... The Roots Of Northern Soul in a peanut-shell The history of this uniquely British phenomenon has been told from so many perspectives and with varying degrees of accuracy and conviction that its difficult for such a relative newcomer as myself to know where to begin. So I"ll begin where everyone else did. The Mods. You know that Black American music has always had a happy home in the UK, more so than in its place of origin usually. The original London Mods at the beginning of the 60"s had a taste for obscurity in their chosen nightclub soundtrack (The Crawdaddy and Eel Pie Island are just two of the legendary Mod haunts). Not for them the whine of Skiffle, "Golly Wow" Pop or faded Rock & Roll (can you blame them?). The fresh, "knowing" sounds of US R&B, club soul and Jamaica ska (perhaps even a little hip jazz too) were the purist"s bag before the additional influx of white groups onto the scene (Small Faces, Artwoods etc). Rare vinyl imports and British issues on Stateside, Bluebeat and Sue were discs to have bagged up under the arm whilst checking each other"s suits for the lengths of side vents etc. Their favoured music grew up and spread all over the land as the decade supposedly "swung" on, but as the original scene moved toward Psychedelia and more freaky rock styles, the subsiding Mod flood apparently left little pools of Black American Soul and Rhythm & Blues devotees dotted all around the North and the Midlands. Manchester"s Twisted Wheel Club, the North's premier mod venue, is the famous example to quote. A haven for the local happenin" hardcore, the DJ (Les Cockell - R.I.P.) generally ignored the then current soul music that was either too polished and poppy, or too funky and bumpy. Rawer, driving soul dancer tunes that had perhaps been overlooked at the time of release were brought to the fore and the fever quickly spread. By the time the venue and others like it were forced to close up by police drug raids in 1970 the hooks were already in. As the soul nights started to pop up all over, these powerful sounds that the all-night dancers demanded (and were prepared to travel for) were one way or another christened "Northern Soul" to differentiate from the R&B based "Stax" or perhaps "James Brown" type of soul that was more popular in the South of England. By happy coincidence, a great many of the striding "Northern" Soul favourites came from the North of America (Detroit, Chicago, NY) and the "Southern" sounds from the South. The music As new soul events began to crop up, especially in places like the legendary Torch club (Hanley), the DJ"s bore the weight of the burgeoning scene and used their resources in finding "new", rarer sounds with which to whip up the crowds. The mainstream, radio-supported ends of the soul spectrum (Motown at one, Atlantic at the other) barely hinted at what else might be out there. Every track that was big enough to warrant a UK release had countless others in its shadow that didn"t break the US borders. Many never even made so much as a hit in their home town. Contacts were made and dealers were tipped off and dispatched to unearth more of these examples of forgotten talent - as soulful and danceable as they could find, and the more obscure the better. The predominant sound of 60s Northern Soul is the sound of emotion in the raw. The intensity of a truly distinctive voice (rare these days) spinning a tale of heartache over a cookin" rhythm section still wreaks dancefloor havoc. In mono, my friend. The production values may have grown more sophisticated through the turn of the 70's, giving the "modern" soul sound an outwardly smoother sound, but the real stuff is no less powerful to the open-minded. If you tend to refer to this kind of magnificent music as "too girly", then you probably don't know how to listen to music honestly - shame. Rewrite your agenda. The bulk of the music played at the venues through the halcyon 70s was Black American soul vocals, but the mix varied widely from place to place. Some DJ"s swore by "true" 60s soul and would wrinkle their features at white artists or new releases - and like any other music scene, some were less bothered about the origins of the track so long as it was a beater and kept the dancers moving. The broadmindedness and ear for quality of the scene"s leading jocks has kept the scene alive throughout. A quality soul night in my mind ought to bring you it all - dip-dip-doo wop tinged oldies, stompers, floaters, screamers, instrumentals, crossover, modern, two-steppers and hopefully a big fat deep beat-ballad right at the sweaty end. What it never ought to bring is the "soul" you get in clubnights now. Swingbeat. Don"t try and call it anything else. Too much syrupy whining and not enough belting it out coz"-your-girl-left-you-for-the-guy-down-the-street-for-no-apparent-reason. Tim Brown tells that Dave Godin seemingly said it best - "The problem started when they took soul out of the church and put it in the penthouse." Tim himself came in a close second - "Anita Baker and Luther Vandross...so much to answer for." Fill in your own comments regarding R. Kelly and Mark Morrison. The Records Right from off, the emphasis was on finding rare 45rpm singles - for the simple reason that few of the vaunted artists or labels got as far as making a whole album. Groups would form, record a couple of sides, chip in to press it up on a small label (their own or a local independent maybe) and hopefully get airplay and be picked up by a bigger label. Most failed at step 3 and disbanded, leaving a few hundred unsold copies of their wannabe smash to gather cobwebs. Finding such soul gems to call your own in a huge country like the US is like locating a needle in Giant Haystacks, but the gatherers tended hard and pulled in more and more criminally ignored platters, whether they be one-off acetates, indie flops or big-label failures that never went beyond the demo stage. It"s quite remarkable that so many tracks made it as huge anthems to thousands of UK club goers without anybody realising just how rare they would turn out to be. Just as odd is the fact that nearly all the classic rarities are actually here in the UK, so intense was the hunting activity back in the day. Some lonely discs have only ever been known from the existence of a single copy and fans often have done ticklish things like sell their cars to own one (just the one, mind). With a poker-face, ask a specialist soul dealer if they, perchance, know of a genuine copy of The Turbines" "We Got To Start Over", for example. As you look sheepishly into the middle distance they"ll probably tell you not only who is known to own each of the documented discs, but that you"ll need five numbers and the bonus on the lottery to persuade one of them to part with one. As far as eye-popping wallet activity goes there"s no other style of music like it (except maybe doo-wop & pre-war Blues in the US) and as far as the DJs themselves go, it hardly seems just. The heroic soul jock will tell you of the times they barely made enough from a gig to pay for their travel home for turning up and playing a boxful of tunes worth more than your house, whilst some "dance" club fools can command four figure fees for dishing out a pile of metronomic euro-cheese they got sent the week before....and yet the effort to turn up a fresh sound continues apace. Praise be. Previously undocumented releases are still showing up in 1999 and as impressive as anything that has gone before. Even the flipside of a "had-it's-day" tune may be successful revelation - once the "new" side picks up belated recognition and interest, perhaps the disc becomes in-demand once more. Such discoveries have long been kept secret by DJs and their cloak-and-dagger "cover-up" method - they usually will introduce their newie on the microphone (still a quaint notion to younger clubbers) under a false artist and/or title. Better yet is to actually stick a fake label on the disc itself, should prying eyes try to discover its true identity as it spins. What the original artists would make of this is anybody's guess, having lived and, sadly, sometimes died in obscurity, their only shot at stardom never truly revealed. As if to nail this point of occasional jealousy home, a certain top DJ recently purchased a semi-legendary unique record from a dealer in a quite private transaction. Before the package had even arrived in the post, another obsessive was 'phoning him with an intervening offer of £3000+ to get it straight off of him. Don't know how he found out about the deal, but "You what? I haven't even got the f***ker myself yet" seems more than appropriate a retort. Such is the demand for soul records, you see - the DJs and collectors all insist on original copies, even though so many goodies have been bootlegged or repressed. The scene The first time you wander into a Northern Soul do, it'll be a revelation. Couples of at least 40 years of age are performing feats of dancefloor skill that leave you feeling ashamed to be so unfit. You don't recognise a single track the DJ is playing, but everyone else does, and they whoop and clap in unison in all the right places. When the record stops, they applaud and the DJ unleashes another 7 inches of pleasure whilst you go "Damn, this is so strange." It kind of jolts you into thinking "Why haven't I seen this kind of thing before? Is this some crazy cult?" - you can see how it can become addictive and how it all grew like it did. The scene has now become so delightfully widespread that the "Northern" tag no longer seems so appropriate - it'll never lose it's distinction, but many just refer to it as the "Rare Soul" scene. Call it what you will, outbreaks of soul fever have appeared all over, with proper goings on throughout Western Europe, Scandinavia, Australia, Canada and even the US of sorts. News of the scene in Japan is a personal favourite. Their devotion and attention to authenticity is legendary (ever seen Japanese rockabillies?) and it just seems so right. A core of little noted old-school collectors have not long been introduced to a young generation of ready-to-go fans and a scene is set to blossom. The guys with the cool records are now out DJing and entertaining those who have been digging the import CDs, but may have lacked a venue to get out meet in and do it properly (good work, Kenneth). It probably helps the continuation of domestic and foreign scenes that every young new set of young "Mod" types ultimately arrives at Northern Soul music- the ever resurging fashions and phenomena like the cult success of the film, "Quadrophenia", accurate or not, may well have prodded youth interest everywhere into a scene predominantly populated by on older generation. The overall pace of many soul nights here has slowed a little - nicely I think - to allow more soulful tracks to shine once more, and give space to newer stuff too. Happily, R&B styles and hectic pounders still live on too and you can still hear the soul spectrum all over the UK. Almost every British Northwestern or Midlands dirtpot town has, at the least, a pub with a "Soul & Motown Night" with "DJs Bob & Terry" - I pass four in the short walk from my filthy home to this filthy office. All you really need for a soul night is a good room with a dancefloor (preferably wooden, sprung a bonus), a dedicated DJ (you may occasionally get to see an original artist at some big "national" nights), a record bar and the requisite number of soul-happy punters of course. Legends have been made out of such basic ingredients throughout musical history and the UK Soul scene carries a pretty large flag in the legend march. The Soul venue You must have heard of the Wigan Casino. Northern Soul's most celebrated WW1 ballroom, between 1973 and 1981 it drew both admiration and consternation over its music policy, but will always be remembered as the favourite venue - the room with the finest dancefloor, the people who travelled such lengths to attend, the charged atmosphere and the hole it left for so many dancers when it was razed to the ground by the council. It was voted (by Billboard) Best Disco in the world in 1978, famously beating NY's Studio 54, been the focus of a (rather shoddy) Granada TV documentary and provided a nocturnal weekly other-life for it's thousands of members. It's main "rival", Blackpool's Mecca received similar mixed views on its music, usually centered around the DJ Ian Levine's forays into New York Disco and Jazz-Funk (That offended a some hardcore soulies, did that). The mention of places such as Bolton, Yate, Woverhampton and Cleethorpes bring a snigger to some, but towns like these all had their legendary venues with their own anthems and championed local DJs more impressive than the Creams, Renaissances and Ministrys of recent years. The trousers just aren't so big anymore. The flag is flown high today by venues like the 100 Club in London (now the longest running all-nighter), Keele University, and the Manchester Ritz (the big three since the closure of the Casino) - compare the dancefloor antics to those in your "clubnights" and see the difference for yourself. Sorry Gatecrasher, but being subjected to relentless "DJ" Paul Van Dyk whilst having your crowd look like fancy-dress retards does not necessarily an atmosphere create. Let us demand respectful applause and DJ banter between the tunes. And of course, big trousers. Soul folk Back in the day it was possible in some parts of the Northwest to go to a soul bash every night of the week without travelling further than a few miles in any direction. Many did just so and often started in their early teens, making quick headway down that dark path to soul addiction. Youths that committed the crime of not being into the soul ("Divs") were usually mocked during school breaktime by the soulies who swapped the tapes and the knowledge. The music and styles of the outside "pop" world never has or had any effect on the dedicated core, even when great hoardes of sightseers slowly wandered onto the scene in the latter half of the 70s, trying to get a handle on what this mysterious "Northern" thing really was. These dedicated ones, who stayed with it through the dry 80s and are still getting out to do barrel-rolls at soul nights 25 years on, are obviously your hardcore. It's now up to the idler lovers of the music (myself included) to actually go to more of the decent events and give the scene a hot youth injection. It will ultimately need it, even if some of the more staunch "old guard" will still have their grumble about curious newcomers. These are the same snobbier sorts found in any type of music scene, who claim only to like a certain type of sound or perhaps tracks that are "rare and obscure" as opposed to just good. Thankfully, the body of the soul world are working class characters who leave the politics and backbiting by the wayside and are pleased to meet new converts - any age, colour or sex. Soul events are about music and a sociable time, rather than doing funny things to your head & liver and letching at the other half. Although having said that, a few more lithe young women wouldn't go amiss, if I must stick my oar in. Periphery Its customary to mention drugs, I suppose. To keep up-and-at-it, dancers use/used speed, if anything. Some take it to stay on their feet at long sessions, some don't, a few took it too far, most are more sensible - the scene has never actually revolved round drugs themselves. Subject closed. Oh no, hang on - don't try anything like LSD - the mind-blowing sounds and the sight of the acrobatics and the gents' white terylene socks are bound to set you off. For some grade "A" nostalgia of which you're probably too young to know or undersatnd, check out old photo's in the mags and on the websites. Ahh yes - pictures of memorabilia and obscure record labels, artists attired in shiny suits and conks (the black quiff-like hairstyle), fans sporting vests with sew-on patches and shlongs ("short on top, long at the back") - the sounds translated, the sharp style didn't. Its almost a relief to see a scene upon which the shallow notions of fashion haven't encroached. And believe me they haven't, not by any stretch of the imagination. So, anyway, back to the music - we're just trying to spread the good word. Everyone you play the sounds to finds something to like. Buy some. Go to a local do with friends. Enjoy. Meet veterans. Be impressed by newfound nuggets of information you will doubtless pick up from the older chaps hanging around the record stalls, like - "Nah, it's a bootleg. You can tell by the shiny paper they've used for the label", "Classic. I danced to this as a new release" or "Yeah, got this one. Well rare. The singer wasn't thought to have a solo career back then." An Entry Level Northern Styles Guide Chances are if you pick up a Rare Soul Compilation, none of the listed artists or tracks will mean anything to you. Yeah, same here to an extent - there"s so much of it to get stuck into. Here"s a few odd soul "styles" to drop into conversation and some basic examples to look out for when scouring for new sounds. I've just picked out common or garden stuff I like, really. Go forth and Soultiply. Stompers Before the advent of "Beats-per-Minute" the fast ones were referred to as "100mph". Chuck Wood"s "Seven Days Too Long" (as covered by Dexy"s Midnight Runners) is your basic stomper - great sound, still thrashed out at soul do"s in boozers and suchlike, but rarely heard at big nights because it"s considered a bit passe - a bit like "Sex Machine" at a funk night. There are countless tracks in this beating-snare-driven vein, nearly all 60s, but just three basics that Big Daddy are most fond of that you should keep "em peeled for are "I Can't Get Enough" - Johnny Sayles, "Life Goes On" - Fabulous Downbeats and "So Is The Sun" - The World Column. Deep Soul Tracks that are deep in emotion - slow burners, but never "mellow" or slushy like pop or rock ballads tend to be. These beauties are heart-rending and usually tear-soaked but ultimately uplifting because of it, I find. Dave Godin"s "Deep Soul Treasures" volumes 1 and 2 on CD (Kent) are unmissable for a route into this, the epitome Black Soul Music. Snooker ace Steve Davis (unlikely as it may seem to you) is one of the biggest Deep Soul collectors there is - he even fairly recently persuaded a large record company to release one certain track as a single at his behest. Good chap. Irma Thomas - "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is" and Frankie Beverly - "Love (Your Pain Goes Deep)" - they're the Daddy deep faves. Crossover I"d long assumed this term was meant to suggest that a track had pop appeal and could "cross over" into the mainstream market. Well, when you"re not quite right, you"re often wrong. It simply refers to a period (roughly "68-"74) when rhythms became "trickier" - crossing over from the simpler Motown structure towards a more sophisticated Philly/Norman Whitfield feel. The city of Chicago chopped out a lot of the classics of this type. Check Ruby Andrews - "Just Loving You", The Creations - "A Dream" or Celeste Hardie - "You're Gone". Modern/70s-90s Anything made between 1970 and yesterday can be classified as modern, really. Hmmm. A rather broad category, then. It ranges from featherlight velvet-beat "floaters" (Pffff! No jokes, please!) to the later incarnations of the old pounders, with ballads, Boogie numbers and instrumentals all in there, too. There's obviously more evidence of technology and musical progression in the later soul - synths here and there, more "popping" of the bassline and often a more sparse production feel. There's a deal of sophistication on show and I find some of the respected material a shade tame sounding. It's not really Jazz-Funk, though (too self-indulgent!), nor New York Disco particularly (especially the cheaper four-to-the-floor tracks that ended up as House music). Here's a varied bunch for the starting blocks - the "straight-up" classic "Moody Woman" - Jerry Butler, "It Really Does Hurt Me" - Carstairs, "For Real" - Flowers, "Can't Nobody Love Me like You Do" - Storm. The Soul scene has never been so 70s orientated - dive on in and do the breaststroke. Instrumentals I"ve no idea how you classify a track with no vocal as "Soul" exactly, but it don"t matter none. There are so many great instrumentals that power up a dancefloor - just don"t miss "Sidra"s Theme", Doni Burdick"s thunderous sax-appealling "Bari Track" by Doni Burdick or "Frantic Escape" by The Innocent Bystanders. Some will tell you that the old Northern Soul instrumental sound could be demonstrated in just one track - "Double Cookin"" by Checkerboard Squares. You"ll see what they mean when you hear it (!), but there"s a far greater range of voiceless dancers waiting to be heard by a new audience. Group Sounds Oh yes! Real voices in beautiful harmony, the stuff that makes you laugh out loud at "boy bands" or the likes of Boyz2Men. Male vocal groups are almost always called something like The "Reflections" or "Perfections" or "Something-Or-Others". The Doo-Wop-esque "Arabia" by Delcos is far and away my highest ranking oldie so far. Less obscure are the Incredibles or George Clinton's legendary Parliaments (a fine string of superb singles they released throughout the 60s, especially "I Wanna Testify" and "Heart Trouble") and of course the Impressions who shone from day one - "You've Been Cheatin'" is a classic. Girl groups ("the distaff side of soul" - if you've swallowed a thesaurus) tend more to be the "So-And-So-ettes", if that's not a dumb thing to say. Try to at least hear "Send Him Back" by the Pointer Sisters - I can't leave the track alone. Mid-Pace Another obvious and over-broad category. I think you're allowed to mix and match them, though - "Ahh yes, a superb mid-pace male group mover" for example. The average age of the Northern fan has reduced the dancing pace a little, the in-demand cuts are a shade slower because of it, and some of them are the best I've heard. Top of our oldies heap are the belting baritone of Doug Banks on "I Just Kept On Dancing" (me best mate Col's favourite), Betty Everett's "I Can't Say", "Got To Get To Know You" by Bobby Bland and "Peace Lovin' Man" by Emmanuel Laskey (not played enough these days). "Enders" Something special to finish off the night in style. Usually something with depth and a farewell feel, but danceable with it. My fave is Ray Pollard"s "The Drifter" - most Soul DJs have one of their own associated with them, such as the fine "What Difference Does It Make" by Kenny Sheppard or "You Better Go" by Derek Martin. Wigan Casino"s infamous "Three Before 8" - the last 3 records played just before 8am at virtually every one of the all-nighters - Tobi Legend, Dean Parrish and Jimmy Radcliffe - are all available together on the first Goldmine 45 (GS001). These type of records are played as a sort of "Thanks for coming, but it"s time to go", but they"re usually so good that you refuse to leave because it'd be very wrong not to stamp on the floorboards and demand more. Blue Eyed Around a quarter of the old dancefloor hits fitting into the Northern genre were by white artists, many of them bollocks. Skip the Jackie Trent and tailor-made nonsense like Wigan"s Chosen Few and look for the better work of artists like Johnny Maestro, Timi Yuro, Dean Parrish and Chapter 5 (The makers of one of the UK"s most sought after 45"s - the superb "You Can"t Mean It"). R&B/Modsoul A lot of standard Mod-ish stuff is well oiled thanks to the British "Acid Jazz" type scenes. Head for early soul shifters like Benny Spellman"s classic "Fortune Teller", "Soulful Dress" by Sugar Pie DeSanto (real name Umpeylia Marsema Balinton), Ray Charles' 60s club monster "I Don"t Need No Doctor", the Hammond Organ grooves of Jimmy McGriff (such as the much-sampled "The Worm") or R&B like Slim Harpo and Arthur Alexander.. There"s rakes of instrumentals championed by the old scene - too many to mention. OK, then. Try Googie Rene"s "Smokey Joe"s La La" or Dynatones" "Fife Piper" and go from there. Proper rare danceable R&B is enjoying a resurgence on the Northern scene. Published Date: 1999/3/28 18:00:00

Conniseurs CDS - Review mid price cds release from connoisseur collection In these days of overload of soul, with official releases of new soul cd releases every week, etc, many things may just pass you by as the vast torrent of soul flows past you a recent new set of reissued stuff from the company connoisseur collection may have just done that, this release is the start of a new set of mid price soul releases starting off with a set of 5, some if not all may look familiar as it seems that all the tracks have been re-licensed from goldmine normally you would start thinking oh yeah here we go, more re-cycled stuff, so what's the difference with the majority of these well first thing is it all depends on what type of cd buyer you are, if youre one who has the complete collection of goldmine/kent well think you better skip this page due to all the tracks have been out before on various cds, ok so youre still here, so chance you may be the more selective buyer (aka cheapskate), well these releases could be of interest all termed as mid-price, which to me is around the fiver mark, may be more in main street places less in mail order outlets, so that's a good point, as hard to say no to a cheapie. Content? Well the titles tells you all about it, four of the five being greatest hits, in these days of various artist comps it made a welcome change listening to a cd of one artist plus the sleeve notes are lengthy and informative overall apart from the compilation one I would say these cds do a good job of bringing cheap artist specific collections to the buying public, whilst all tracks have been out before, the price and packaging makes them worth thinking about if you like myself are a bit choosy when buying cds, and will score highly on the impulse buys especially when compared with some cheesy same price comps. CATALOGUE NUMBER: VSOP CD 288 JJ BARNES The Best Of 1. Baby Please Come Back Home 2. Chains Of Love 3. Forgive Me 4. Now That I Got You Back 5. Hold On To It 6. Now Shes Gone 7. Sad Day A Coming 8. Ill Keep Coming Back 9. Our Love Is In The Pocket 10. So Called Friends 11. Now Shes Gone 12. Got To Get Rid Of You 13. Snowflakes 14. Sweet Sherry 15. Help Me Help Me 16. I Need A Change 17. Welcome To The Club the best of jj barnes as you can see by the track listing on back cover, this cd covers some of his work after his spell at motown, covering his time at groovesville, revilot, volt, and some of his contempo stuff , as with all the cds the insert has a lengthy double insert of information, in this case written by david cole editor of in the basement, covering the going ons through out his career. As often remarked jj barnes has a bit of a tag as the man who motown thought was so like marvin gaye, that motown brought his contract to protect marvin, but as david c points out, it seems this is part of a soul urban legend as jj states "any suppression, he felt came from Gaye ...rather than Gordy", anyway 17 tracks covering a wide span of time from one of the legends, and at mid-price I would say a worthy listen, and addition to a collection, though as in all these cds if you have a lot of goldmine detroit releases there's a fair chance you may have a fair few already STEVE MANCHA The Best Of 1. Did My Baby Call 2. Whirlpool 3. Hate Yourself In The Morning 4. A Love Like Yours 5. Shes So Good 6. Youre Still In My Heart 7. I Dont Want To Lose You 8. Need To Be Be Needed 9. Friday Night 10. Monday Through Thursday 11. Dont Make Me A Story Teller 12. I Wont Love And Leave You 13. Just Keep On Loving Me 14. Sweet Baby Dont Ever Be Untrue 15. Easy Living 16. Lets Party 17. Deeper In Love 18. Your Love Got Sweeter 19. Souvenirs 20. Think Before You Walk Away CATALOGUE NUMBER: VSOP CD 287 detroit soul man- best of steve mancha well track listing says it all, steve mancha or clyde wilson using his real has been around just a while, from his early days as a duet with Wilbert Jackson on hpc in the late 50s to his recent work on the gospel side in Detroit, and in between also found fame as part of a ever changing 100% proof (aged in soul) line up not to mention his prolific song writing. But as you can guess the side chosen ere to represent is his are from his groove city, wheelsville and groovesville times, including 5 unreleased tracks, ranging from deep ballards to the arch-typical Detroit stompfests, a wide range of styles that again work well on a single artist release so if you fancy a listen to one of the constant Detroit soul singers this is for you and again a double page of notes charting his career THE PARLIAMENTS Testify! - The Best Of The Early Years 1.(I wanna) Testify 2. I can Feel The Ice Melting 3. All Your Goodies Are Gone 4. Dont Be Sore At Me 5. Little Man 6. The Goose That Laid The Golden Egg 7. Look At What I Almost Missed 8. What You Been Growing 9. Good Old Music 10. Time 11. A New Day Begins 12. Ill Wait 13. Ill Wait (Inst.) 14. All Your Goodies Are Gone 15. Baby I Owe You Something (Inst.) 16. Lets Make It Last - The Fellows 17. Shes Always There - The Fellows 18. Heart Trouble 19. That Was My Girl parliaments-testify-the best of as you may know, the parliaments later evolved into one of the most colourful acts the soul world ever saw, but for now this is all in the future, again this cd takes us to Detroit and back to the 1960s, and upto this point the parliaments path was very similar to other groups, keep it quiet but barber shops are mentioned and other non-funkadelic type stuff. Tracks range from the stand out monster heart trouble, through similar detroit types such as time and dont be sore at me, then onto a few tracks which give brief warnings of what the parliament or should I say george clinton were going to unleash on the world in the mid 70s, a interesting collection again with copious notes, and even though it is claimed that most of the tracks where recorded in one mamoth session, you can hear still make out the gradual changing sound from mainstream soul to the funkier side. One that will also appeal to the fan of their later stuff as well as some of the tracks here where later reincarnated in mid 70s parliament/funkadelic tracks Darrell Banks The Best Of 1. Open The Door To Your Heart 2. Our Love Is In The Pocket 3. Baby Watcha Got 4. Somebody Somewhere Needs You 5. Here Comes The Tears 6. Ive Got That Feelin 7. Angel Baby (Dont You Ever Leave Me) 8. Look Into The Eyes Of A Fool 9. Im Gonna Hang My Head And Cry 10. Youd Better Go 11. I Wanna Go Home 12. The Love Of My Woman 13. Im Knocking At Your Heart, Please Let Me In 14. The Harder You Love 15. Im The One Who Love You 16. I Will Fear No Evil CATALOGUE NUMBER: VSOP CD 286 open the door to your heart-the best of darrel banks darrel banks- a name forever identified with the song "open the door to your heart" which is a constant mention when people are asked for their all top ten northern sides, and as seems to follow most soul singers his life was a tragic story, even the story behind his biggest hit has a bit of controversy, again this release features double pages of sleeve notes detailing his career, as the track list shows, featured on this cd are his two releases on revilot before atco picked him up and then his atco and his cottlition sides. Main well knowns on this are the storming angel baby and the roaring our love is in the pocket. Again a great chance for a session with one of the most gifted soul singers and again makes a pleasant change to hear one artist rather than 29 various artist tracks and to me the best of the four. At mid price could be a winner CATALOGUE NUMBER: VSOP CD 289 GOING TO THE GOGO 20 Classic Northern Soul Stompers 1. The Duck - Jackie Lee 2. That Beatin Rhythm - Richard Temple 3. Baby Do The Philly Dog - The Olympics 4. Blowin My Mind To Pieces - Bob Relf 5. Do The Temptation Walk - Jackie Lee 6. Groovin At The GoGo - The 4 Larks 7. Our Love Is In The Pocket - J.J. Barnes 8. Open The Door To Your Heart - Darrell Banks 9. What Is It - Bobby Womack 10. Baby Please Come Home - J.J. Barnes 11. Somebody Somewhere (Needs You) - Darrell Banks 12. I Wanna Testify - The Parliaments 13. Papa Ooh Mow Mow - The Sharonettes 14. Mine Exclusively - The Olympics 15. Your My Mellow - Edwin Starr 16. Cracked Up Over You - Lee Rogers 17. Hit And Run - Rose Battiste 18. Hurt - Eddie Holman 19. Hole In The Wall - J.J. Barnes 20. I Cant Get Away - Bobby Garrett onto the fifth release and all i say on this one is look at the cover and look at the track listing, if youve got a few northern cds odds on you will have some of these tracks, if you havent well its a cheap place to start

Junior Walker Story Here's an article from Detroit City Limits by Graham Anthony (also has a good record list) who can be contacted at: 103 Buxton Road Chaddesden Derby DE 21 4 JN When Jr.Walker died of cancer on 23rd November 1995, Motown and the World lost it's most unlikely and genuine "stars".Motown who were promoting themselves as "The Sound Of Young America" used to give his date of birth as 1942,but Junior was older and had a legacy as a "Live" act going back to the mid 1950's,long before he cut his first Motown hits. The R+B Chart book gives his date of birth as 14th June 1931 and his given name as Oscar G.Mixon.Usual sources give his name as Autry DeWalt II (Junior) born in 1938 in Blythesville,Arkansas and he took the name Walker either from his step father or his tendency to walk everywhere. As a child he was in Chicago for a while before settling in South Bend, Indiana .Early influences were Charlie Parker and Boots Randolph after he learned the Saxophone from one loaned by his uncle before his mother bought him one.He perfected his craft on the road with R&B combos The Jumping Jacks and while in St. Louis,The Billy "Sticks" Nix Band.Finally, along with guitarist Willie Woods, he settled in Battle Creek, Michigan where he remained until his death. Legend has it that the band were christened The All Stars after a fan at a live gig enthused that the band were so good, they were all stars! More live work followed and a record contract was secured at Harvey Fuqua's Harvey-Tri Phi label after backing Johnny (Bristol) and Jackey (Beavers) at several gigs around Michigan. Three 45's were issued between 1962-3,"Twist lackawanne", "Cleo's Mood" and "Good rockin" but none charted. Junior's distinctive tenor Sax sound was now well established with his trademark squeal and a hot,cookin' R&B backing from The All Stars. Harvey Fuqua's labels were swallowed up by the by now growing Motown empire, Junior along with other Harvey acts like Shorty Long joined the Detroit giant and was assigned to the fledgling Soul subsidiary.In 1961 another All Stars group had a release scheduled for release on Motown but there was no connection between those "unknowns" and Junior's band. There was also no connection with The All Stars on Von who had "2-2-5 Special" in the late 50's. Junior's first release in 1964,"Satan's Blues'' failed to chart, but in '65 came the mighty "Shotgun" which blasted its way to #1 R&B and #4 Pop. Another 25 Hot 100 R&B hits, with 11 of them making the Pop top 40,followed.Junior wasn't the greatest of singers or the best Sax player (technically) but he had a unique style all of his own. His hits up until the melancholly of "What does it take to win your love" in '69 were good time Soul made for the dancefloor Junior cut records with a smile even when the Pop/Soul talents of Holland30zier-Holland got in on the act with the more "produced" sound of "I'm a Road Runner" Junior still made it sound as if he was at a party. "Road Runner" became Junior's anthem the lyrics aptly describing what was his life on the road was like, another town, another gig. He must have played it a million times in his "Live" shows but you talk to most who saw him live over the past 30 years and I bet they'd all say he played it like he was enjoying himself. Most of Junior's early hits didn't fit into the usual Motown mould of well produced Pop/ Soul of The Supremes or Four Tops. They were much more "earthy" in feel with his rough vocal and chunky back-up.Maybe that Is why he never really seemed to be part of the Motown "family" It's said that Junior wasn't that bothered about cutting records, prefering the adrenalin of performing before an audience. By the time of the late 60's and early 7O's Soul music had moved on, becoming less spontanious and more crafted. Still,Junior came up with hits,'What does it take to win your love" being his second #1 R&B hit, swiftly followed up by similar sounding hits. The early 70's saw Junior still up there in the charts with the likes of "Way back home's (now given Social commentary lyrics) and "Take me girl I'm ready'. After the mellow "Disco" sound of "Walk in the night" made #10 R&B in 1972,it was a steady decline chartwise for honkin' horn man.With the slick sounds of Funk bands like Parliament, Ohio Players, Earth Vind and Fire etc dominating the charts and the onslaught of the "Disco Beat" through the rest of the 7O's, Junior's sound became outdated. Although the big hits dried up and Motown lost interest, Junior continued touring and was, as he always had been, very popular in Britain and Europe as well as his homeland. A move to the West Coast and the Whitfield label failed to revive his recording career and he re-joined Motown for his final L.P. "Blow the house down" in 1983. He was due to have recorded for Ian Levine's Motor City project in the late 80's but I don't think anything was actually cut. He was also absent from the Motown reunion's that Ian Levine promoted, probably due to his live club gigs. Junior will always be remembered for the good-time music he made and though Motown didn't seem to quite accept him into the fold,the public did and can be summed up by a line from Roy Handy's "Baby that's a groove" (Stephanye)... "We were dancin' to the sound of Junior Walker's SHOTGUN!" The comments are owned by the poster. We aren't responsible for their content. Poster Thread Guest Posted: 2003/11/3 0:16 Updated: 2003/11/3 0:16 Too Cool How cool was Jr. Walker? At a cabaret in Philadelphia in 1968 a fist fight broke out while Jr. was playing on the stage. With fist swinging, chairs flying, food being passed like missiles, the man did not miss a beat!!!

Otis Clay - Sleeve Notes taken from a dutch 80/90s album Otis Clay Although he was on the brink of nationwide stardom in 1972 while on the same Memphis based Hi label that launched Al Green, Otis inexplicably never reached the same heights that Green did. But with his driving seven-piece band {featuring the unparalleled Chicago Fire horn section), Clay continues to epitomize the very finest in raw, emotionally supercharged soul.Like so many of his contemporaries, Otis Clay found his early inspiration in the gospel music he heard around his Waxhaw, Mississippi birthplace. His initial appearance on wax came as lead vocalist of the Gospel Songbirds, one of many such aggregations he joined after he moved to Chicago in 1957. But the secular scene beckoned, and after an unissued session for Columbia, Otis signed with Chicago's One-der-ful Records in 1965. Often working with writer-producers Jimmy Jones and Eddie Silvers, Clay debuted with an intense soul ballad, "A Flame In Your Heart," and solidified his reputation with brisk sellers such as "I'm Satisfied," Cash McCall's "That's How It Is" and the hard-charging "Got To Find A Way." Otis switched to the Atlantic Records combine in mid-'68, inaugurating their Cotillion subsidiary with a Rick Hall-produced Muscle Shoals cover of the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About A Mover," eventually cutting three more singles for the firm. But his most commercially successful period came under the productional wing of Willie Mitchell at Hi Records in Memphis. With Mitchell at the helm, Otis scored big with "Precious Precious," "If I Could Reach Out" and especially the original "Trying To Live My Life Without You," which reportedly sold half a million copies in 1972. In 1975, Otis decided to take his recording career into his own hands. He opened an office at 2131 S. Michigan Ave. (formerly the Chicago branch location of King Records) and began producing his own sides, releasing them sporadically on his Echo label. "Victim Of Circumstance" was Echo's initial release in the spring of '75. "A lot of things happened there. That's where the whole thing started," he recalls, "because that was my first venture into producing myself and arranging, the whole works." Prolific Southern soul writer George Jackson provided Otis with a potential smash in 1980, but Clay was a bit slow to follow through. "I called George in '80. and I was saying. 'George, hey man, let's get together and do some things.' So George flew in from Memphis, and we went in the studio here in Chicago," says Otis. "We recorded 'Cheatin' In The Next Room,' 'Messin' With My Mind,' another tune called 'If I Could Open Up My Heart. 'I sat on 'Cheatin' In The Next Room' for about two years, and I never got a deal on the album in this country," he says. "And this is ironic - the very same day I was getting ready to go to the studio to put the horns on 'Cheating' In The Next Room,' because the track had been laid ever since '80, but I was going to put some horns on it, and put some more voices on it.""As I was walking out the door, I had the radio on, and right from the intro. it hit me! I said,'What!!' and I listened, and here comes Z.Z. Hill singing 'Cheating' In The Next Room!'" But Otis readily admits his old friend had every right to cut the tune. Another Jackson contribution, the relentlessly cooking "Messin' With My Mind," did well around Chicago, but failed to break nationally. "A lot of the radio stations. especially the black radio stations, said, 'We don't play blues,'" says Otis. "It's not really a blues record, but it got thrown in that category. "We was selling 17,000 in Chicago, it was a big record, but we never could get the other radio stations to go with it." Clay's Echo sides range from the mellow, soulful balladry of "Check It Out" and "I'm Gonna Hate Myself In The Morning" to the irresistibly danceable "The Only Way is Up" and the brassy groove of "All I Need Is You." There's a medium-tempo treatment of Eddie Floyd's "Special Kind Of Love" and a brilliant remake of Tyrone Davis' classic "Turn Back The Hands Of Time" that could give his pal Tyrone serious cause for concern. Soul, blues, gospel - it's virtually impossible to pigeon-hole the music of Otis Clay. "I just sing,man. I don't ever put myself in a category," he says. "I got a long way to go with this thing, because I got a lot of music in me. "I like the idea of being free to create." - Bill Dahl Also available by Otis Clay: Live In Tokyo (1983) - where the Soul of Otis Clay drips on the dance floor Watch Me Now (1989) - produced in Memphis by Willie Mitchell

Kim Tolliver - Then and Now soul source Kim Tolliver More info addded 20 Mar The other day received some email regarding site from Andrew Hamilton, it turned out that Andrew Hamilton from Cleveland apart from being an respected writer on USA soul scene and journalist (you may have read some of his informative articles in Soulful Kinda Music, AMG Bios, LP/CD reviews), also co-wrote the mid 70 s northern spin "I dont know which foot to dance on" by Kim Tolliver. Well also he had the bad news that Kim is now in hospital in Cleveland and in a bad way. Bearing this in mind and also that he gave me a lot of info on her I thought I'd share it with you. For those around the scene in the 70s one of the most rememberable sounds of the batch of 70s spins, was "I don't know which foot to dance on" from its unusual western type intro to the main funky stomping meat with the powerful vocal of Kim Tolliver giving it a uptempo southern soul touch. Other info on this track is Andrew Hamilton co wrote the track with her husband Fred Briggs.It was initially published by Briggs' publishing company Power Cube then Groovesville Publishing in Detroit, MI. Johnny Taylor was supposed to have recorded the song, but it never happened, so Fred cut it on Kim and released it on his own label. Briggs also recorded as Coldwater Stone. Whilst this track is the only impact Kim has had on Northern circuit her other recordings are well respected in the mainstream soul department, some say her best stuff was during the Rojac day a listing of her singles follows: IN RETURN FOR YOUR LOVE/GET A LITTLE SOUL-SURESHOT 5037 I'LL TRY TO DO BETTER/I GOTTA FIND A WAY-ROJAC 126 TUESDAY'S CHILD/(YOUR TRYING TO) COP MY STUFF-ROJAC 128 LET THEM TALK/I'LL TRY TO DO BETTER-ROJAC 129 DRIVING ME TO THE ARMS OF A STRANGER/I GOTTA FIND A WAY-ROJAC 131 I CAUGHT YOU/GET MYSELF TOGETHER-GAR 322 I DON'T KNOW WHAT FOOT TO DANCE ON/same inst.-CASTRO 101 STANDING ROOM ONLY/YOUR LOVES ON THE MONEY-PATHFINDER 101 WHERE WERE YOU/same-TAY STER 5600 (12") On the LP side it is a little know fact that she has recorded two LPs, I have since found both on net, and just awaiting next record order day to grab one. Anyone out there heard any of them? Come And Get Me - I'm Ready / Chess Passing Clouds - Kimberly Briggs - Fantasy (her husbands surname) Mike Grey passed on the track info of the Chess LP Tracks : The other side of town She don't know you like I do Come and get me I'm ready The way he used to I need you (Come as you are) Drop whatever you're doing Takin' a woman's stand I'm losing the feeling Learn to get along without you All written by Fred Briggs or D.K.Briggs (Kim?) 1 by Clarence Reid 1 by W.Hale/Beaver All tracks never released on singles Mentioned on the Blackpool Mecca CD sleeve notes is the fact that Kim is now a respected R+B DJ in Cleveland, well unfortunately this wasn't true, afraid whoever gave this info got confused as Andrew points out, "Kim never was a disk jockey in Cleveland, Lynn Tolliver, Dave Tolliver, and Kim Sellers are all D.J.'s on the most popular Urban Station in Cleveland -- WZAK. The first two are men, both related with Dave being one half of the Urban Duo -- Men At Large. Sellers is a female and the wife of former NBA Player, Brad Sellers. Though to be fair its easy to see how mistake was made. " As said early Kim is in a bad way nowadays, really sick and with her mind almost gone Andrew sent in a photo of her taken about 5 months ago with one of her grand-daughters which is printed below. As someone who has enjoyed the pleasure and good memories her recordings have given me, I would just like to pass on to Kim our thanks and best wishes. mike Thanks go out to Andrew Hamilton for all the info and also to Nobby for the singles list and Mike Grey for the track listing.

The following article and the Mary Love story was ripped from a great mag called Soul Underground, The winter 94 issue, I don't think the mag is still going and it seemed a waste for good articles like these to be lost. If anyone knows different please get in touch. Mark Sergeant wrote a great article on the "case for defence for modern soul" and even though its 4 years old reckon it's a good view on a old subject. The advent of Crossover Soul has seen a degree of acceptability finally afforded towards what is now regarded by some as 'Traditional' Modern Soul. The term 'Modern Soul' has been used and abused to describe most records played at Rare Soul Venues almost since its inception. It is generally accepted at The Blackpool Mecca Highland Room Soul Nights, under the guidance of DJ's Ian Levine and Colin Curtis and was the birthplace of the bastard child of Northern Soul, Modern Soul. As the sixties gave us Motown commercially, so the seventies begat Philly Miami. The Underground Soul Scene drew on the Motown influences, turning up obscurities Title a similar style of sound shaping todays scene in its formative period. Parceling that simplified and generalised 'Birth of the scene in one sentence' statement, Levine and Curtis picked up on obscure soul dance tracks that were only a few years old, similar but less 'commercial' then the then fast rising in popularity gamble and huff empire of Philadelphia International Records and to a lesser degree The Miami Sound, (that would eventually become T.K. Records), was also enjoying chart success via George McRae and KC and The Sunshine Band. Early inclusions on their innovative playlists were The Carstairs - It Really Hurts Me Girl, the fantastic Johnny C - Don't Depend On Me, King Sporn - Music Maker and Bobby Franklin - It's The ladies Choice. At this particular time 1974, many regulars on the scene would first go to Blackball Mecca and then travel on to Wigan for the Allnighter. Wigan was then musically a bastion of the traditional (and Motownesque) four beats to the bar sixties style sound. Black Music Magazine 'investigated' The Northern Scene publishing in effect an expose, keeping with the best traditions of tabloid journalism 'they' sensationalised and attempted to suggest there was a massive rift because of the 'New' Soul as played at Blackpool. As it is now on The Rare Soul Scene, not everyone likes every record played and some take longer to gain acceptance, so it was then. Obviously a major change takes time to take place and Levine and Curtis played the more modern sounding tracks along side 'Traditional' Northern Soul. Granted a few held strong uncompromising views, The Black Music Magazine feature effectively poured fuel on the fire. The following months saw the rift grow into a yawning chasm with hordes lining up behind either Levine or Wigans' Russ Winstanely. In the course of time the differences subsided, Wigan via predominately Richard Searling began to programme some of the 'less traditional' sounds. The controversial subject of Modern Soul and its validity on The Rare Soul Scene has come to a head on a number of occasions since. Jazz Funks advent, along with The Ritz Alldayers in Manchester saw the first of several fragmentations's leading to mini exodus's from The Northern Soul Scene to pastures new. Although new tolerances were purported to exist, some attitudes were still running deep. Soul Sam managed to get himself sacked from The Wigan DJ Rosta for playing Casanova by Coffee - then a new release. Elsewhere Yate and Cleethorpes had accepted 'Modern Soul' alongside Traditional Northern. The Stafford and Leicester era saw Modern Soul reach arguably its most acceptable level in the mainstream Northern Scene. Then the mid-eighties sixties newies backlash happened, in effect attempting to drive Modern Soul Away. For a period the north east was the standard bearer for Modern Soul with Snaith, Rotherham and downstairs at Bradford consecutively keeping 'Modern Soul' Alive, although there were other venues (Rock City for instance). Weekenders in the northwest saw London Area Soul DJ's Mixing their Rare Groove and two step scenes with the Modern Soul Scene. A handful of Modern Soul Allnighters went off in Bedford. Richard Searling in the north and the likes of Bob Jones and Steve Hobbs in the south had Soul Radio Programmes which opened some more doors. Of course the voices from the shadows real soul nights in Thorne also made a significant contribution. The advent of garage saw the expanding Modern Scene fragment again. Those that choose to remain with 'tradition' modern soul instead of followings the direction they had been going turned their collective back on anything that had even, a hint of garage(or house) music, going back to the late sixties and early seventies searching out previously overlooked tracks. Collectively these sounds, the records of that particular genre, are called Crossover Soul. Collectors from the (mainly) sixties Northern Scene have also picked up on Crossover Soul. Currently there is a tentative harmony on the scene, at least regarding the subject of Modern Soul. So what has happened to 'traditional' modern soul expanding on the use of the term 'traditional' modern soul, I am referring to the type of modern soul that has received a degree of 'respectability' on the northern soul scene by being played at righters alongside sixties northern differentiating from the "modern' soul as played downstairs at Bradford - after the change in policy, which encompassed house and garage flavoured upfront dance tracks. Depending on the scenes mood, records that by their year of origin (after midnight 31st December 1969) are regarded as modem soul have reached a sizable level of acceptability. In both terms of demand and inclusion on playlists. During the mid seventies, Billy Woods - Let Me Make You Happy, Candi Stanton - Now You Got The Upper Hand, Anderson Brothers - I Can See Him Loving You Were, Among Others, elevated to 'monster' status packing dance floors almost everywhere. Others such as Alfie Davidson - Love is ~ Serious Business, Greg Perry - It Takes Heart and Benny Troy - I Wanna Give You Tomorrow - all modern tracks were literally played to death. Also the quality of small independent soul label material saw many modern soul DJs include a number of new release records in their set Something that also didn't sit too well with the sixties only Paternity who by that particular attitude were actually turning their back on how their scene started.New releases were played at the wheel and the torch; it was only the lack of new releases that saw DJ's and collectors searching out obscurities to satisfy the thirst for continual 'new' records back where it all began. Stafford, in the early days also provided a number of (now) classic modern soul tracks, try Jan Jones - Independent Woman, Glenda McCleod - No Stranger To Love. Garfield Fleming - Don't Send Me Away for instance. All but the most blinkered have to admit Flat modern soul, in its "traditional" style has, like it or not, become an integral part of the scene.Of course it can be argued that the scene is built on rare sixties soul. Never mind argued, it's an unequivocal fact. The backbone and lifeblood of the scene is sixtiessoul, but there and indeed almost always have been 'other' sounds featured. R'n'B flavoured tracks have enjoyed lesser and greater amounts of needle time over the years, dependent on the musical tastes of the particular period. Also the Latin inspired numbers had a degree of popularity not too long ago, then of course the advent of the beat ballad and the upsurge of interest in mid tempo tracks have all seen popularity increase. Yet the sixties soul sound that is the scenes musical mainstay still remains, so why is there still opposition in some areas to the acceptance of 'traditional' modern soul. The only conclusion I can reach regarding this illogical rejection of one particular contributor factor to the overall structure of the rare soul scene isthat perhaps they kisguidely assume that if modern soul is given a overall acceptance it will hijack the scene. Quite simply this is not true, the scene thrives on sixties soul and sixties soul will continue to provide else vast majority of the scenes sounds. Modern soul in its 'traditional' guise has served its apprenticeship, has come of age, is waiting for the key to the door. Modern soul has been around since 1974, that's almost twenty years. A countless amount of classic northern soul records have arrived via modern soul, so many infect as there is almost a strong case for innovative allnighter promoters to introduce regular modern soul oldies DJ's. Not as unlikely as some may assume, as well as the in-vogue crossover soul, that has seen many barriers fall there are three eras of even 'traditional' modern soul that potential specialist Dj's could draw from. The early years of Blackpool Mecca, the late seventies early eighties period when quality (major label) soul dance track releases were available in abundance, and the most recent era where the likes of soul sam and Arthur Fenn pushed boundaries even further. The whole scene's recent (re-discovery of quality soul coupled with the general drop in tempo has made the overalI acceptance of modern soul in mainstream northern soul probably the least controversial it has ever been. After all 'modern soul' has been around for twenty years, almost so its most definitely not going to go away. Many soul nights that are the grass roots of the scene regularly feature 'modern soul' so what's the major hold up at the majority of regular allnighters. If the time is not right now for modern souls acceptance by the scene, I doubt if it ever will be. MARK SARGEANT 1994 Soul Underground

Wheelsville usa listing Listing taken from Soul Express Summer 1986 101 JIMMY GILFORD - I wanna be your baby/ Misery Street 102 STEVE MANCHA - Did My Baby Call/ Whirlpool 103 LITTLE SONNY - Lets Have A Good Time/ Orange Pineapple Blossom Pink 106 MAGIC TONES - Got To Get A Little Closer/ Me And My Baby 107 CODY BLACK -I Will Give you my love/I am Particular 108 HINDAL BUTTS TRIO -Back Up Baby/Waltzing With the Parson 109 FABULOUS PEPS -With these Eyes/Love Of my life 110 LEE ROGERS -Love Of My love/How Are You Fixed for love 111 LIL SOUL BROTILERS - Ive Got Heart Aches/ What Can It Be 112 CONNIE VAN DYKE -These Words Wont Come/Dont do Nothing I Wouldnt do 113 BUDDY LAMP -Youve Got The Loving Touch/I Wanna Go Home 114 MAGIC TONES -How Can I Forget/Me And Mv Baby 115 INTERNATIONAL KANSAS -Evervbody Going Wild/Quitting time CITY PLAYBOYS 116 SILKY HARGREAVES -Ill Keep On Trying/ Love Lets Try Again 117 DON DE ANDRE TRIO -Sunny/ Watermelon man 118 LEE ROGERS -How Are You Fixed for Love/Cracked Up Over You 119 LEE ROGERS -How Are Vou Fixed for love/The Same things That Make You Laugh 120 BUDDY LAMP -I Wanna Go Home/Confusion 121 LEE ROGERS - Love Can Really Hurt You Deep/Love For a Love 122 BUDDY LAMP -Save Your Love/I Wanna Go Home 10001 FREDDIE BUTLER -Save Your love/(Bside not known) 10002 RUDI ROBINSON TRIO -I Want To Have Everything/Funny Listing taken from Soul Express Summer 1986

D-1011-A THE SUPERLATIVES....DO WHAT YOU WANT TO DO (J.Edwards-A-.Lanot-G.Jones J.Hendricks) (2:24) Produced by Dynamics Record Co. - Jay Bird Publishing. D-1011-B THE SUPERLATIVES FORGET ABOUT TOMORROW (A.Harrell) (2:46) Music by Big Bubber Combo (T.Russell on Organ) Other credits same. Note: This was also issued with a 'B' number prefix after It was re-mixed by Don Davis at United Sound. D-1012-A SUPERLATIVES WON'T YOU PLEASE [bE MY BABY] (T.Russell-J.Edwards)(2:22) Produced by Dynamics Record Co.Labney Music Pub. - D-1012-B SUPERLATIVES DON'T EVER LEAVE ME (T.Russell-J.Edwards) (2:07) Other credits same. D-1013-A THE ELDEES DON'T BE AFRAID TO LOVE (D.Yancey) (2:07) Produced by Dynamics Record Co. Labney Pub. B THE ELDEES YOU BROKE MY HAPPY HEART (A.Abney) (2:08) Other credits are the same as 'A'. D-1014-A THE DYNASONICS "YOU GOT IT" [iNSTRUMENTAL] (S.Rivers Jr.) Produced by Dynamics Record Co. Laboey Publishing. B THE DYNASONICS SOUL BUG [iNSTRUMENTAL] (A.Smith) (~:40) Other credits same as 'A' D-1015-A ACE JONES WAY DOWN YONDER A LETTER TO MOTHER No other details known D-1016-A THE SUPERLATIVES DON'T WALK AWAY I DON'T KNOW HOW (TO SAY I LOVE YOU) (R.Washington) (2:27) Music arranged by Darius Moore. Produced by Dyna-M.A.P. Productions.Labney Music Pub. B THE SUPERLATIVES LONELY IN A CROWD (F.Robinson) (2:15) All other Credits same as 'A'. Note: This reached #39 R&B Charts March 1969 when issued on WESTBOUND #144.A cover version by CARL CARLTON titled "Don't walk away" on BACKBEAT #610 reached #38 in r + b Charts in October 1969.R.Washington is Rhonda Washington who recorded for Volt as HOT SAUCE D-1017-A THE SUPERLATIVES DON'T LET TRUE LOVE DIE (D.Moore,J.H.Glover3 (2:25) Music Arr.D.Moore.Produced by Dyna-M.A.-P. Productions. Labney Music Pub. B THE SUPERLATIVES SHE'S MY WONDER WOMAN (~.Moore,F.Robinson) (2:25) All other credits same as tA'. - Note:This was also issued on WESTBOUND #154. This article was ripped from Detroit City Limits Magazine by Graham Anthony (who also does a good record list) who can be contacted at: