spirit

Well, I'm coming at it from the perspective of a long-time Sam fan (he's been my favourite singer/songwriter since I was a teenager), but still a relative newbie to the Northern scene. His songs generally aren't Northern records obviously - and Sugar Dumpling - which I personally find mediocre compared to some of the other secular classics he made mentioned above - seems pretty much Northern in drag to these admittedly novice ears. But that would fit in with your recollection of lesser (or, charitably, less famous) tracks being reevaluated in Northern terms, rather than their own. I'm not trying to be facetious ("yeah, it's s--t, but now listen - Northern s--t!") and given how popular it is at the oldies dos I attend, I don't think it is dismissed by fans in general. Personally, I find it Sam-on-autopilot, a bit twee and forgettable, and I just don't think it does him justice to Northern fans who may be unaware of some of his other records.

Live and let live.

Ta, Kylee. I agree with that; we can forget there's a real person on the other end of the screen sometimes, though some people are a little too sensitive at times. On the evolution front, I was called "hardcore" the other night at Droylesden by a lass I know, then later on "traitor" when she found out I'd come from a disco. I think she was teasing me. I consider myself a rare handbagger.

Cheers, T.

Underground, overground, wombling free. "Two Scenes" is a bit simplistic. You might say there are 2 main philosophies represented in the mass of soul (rnb, 60s to modern) fans and events, as there are in every cultural pursuit; the conservative and the progressive. But within those extremes there's a spectrum of event types, ranging from sleazy keep-em-hidden-in-the-basement nighters like Bidds through popular Oldies nights like Brighouse and Grosvenor rooms (the punters of which are every bit as passionate as the 'rare' lot) to one-step-above-disco borderline cheesefests like Westgate main room and Mansfield Civic. Supermarkets and cornershops. Although my personal favourite is Bidds, and I get bored of the "4 DJs, One Box" policy at the more nostalgic nights, I also like to hear the popular classics now and then and love the friendly atmosphere of a big well-attended oldies night; and I also enjoy being able to mix it with the handbaggers (from whence I came) occasionally as well. Variety is the spice of life, and all that. The important thing though, is that we all know that whatever our tastes, we are all part of the same big happy soul family, which is why we are never immature enough to look down on other people or fall out over this stuff. (apologies to the artist)

From that thread: I didn't go, but was told by people who did there weren't any auditions or film company present. In which case 'a cynical piece of marketing' is not strong enough. 'A manipulative lie' would be more apt. To be fair, a dance competition was recorded on a mobile phone and put on youtube, perhaps that's what he meant by 'immortalised on film', or maybe the budget slipped a bit.

Thank you!!

Here's one I can find on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J-NH5gA4JP8 Seal who?

Stone cold genius. Hardly Northern, but "Touch the Hem of His Garment" by the Soul Stirrers. Utterly beautiful. It frustrates me that of all the wonderful records he made, its bloody "Sugar Dumpling" we get.

Mere ignorant dancer that I am, I would not dare to take sides in the Trouble-Levine Hundred Years War, but I have often wondered if perhaps 5 million or so of those youtube Northern Soul hits are actually disappointed Verve fans.

A lot of Motown (and other) pop soul classics can be considered rare or underplayed on this scene, as there seems to be an attitude sometimes that if its popular it must necessarily be rubbish or uncool, and mustn't be played at any costs. Even most mainstream 'oldies' events are reluctant to play them, and I think its a shame - they may be a familiar part of popular culture, but its frustrating that the rare opportunities I have to dance to them are when I'm surrounded by p---heads. Just occasionally it would be nice to have a dance to one of them played at full blast out of a proper sound system on a good floor in good company.

Spooooooooky! Hand on heart, who here in all honesty can say they do not go to nighters mainly to participate in fighting dance-offs? It's soul music. People are going to get hurt.

No worries.Â

Not the soul scene, the bloody play.

Not quite what you asked for, but don't forget the NCS nighter up the road tonight will be having some of the usual suspects in the "Rhythm & Blues Suite".

 Something like that, no doubt. But maybe there were none, and I am getting it mixed up with something else, dunno.

Maingate: The film is on IMDB now as 'Soulboy'. It's original working title was 'Souled-Out', and then 'A Northern Soul Film'. The official site is https://www.ipsofacto...ouled_out.html. There are a couple of pre-production interview clips on Youtube. It is a fiction film in the British "aren't the working class grand" tradition with northern soul and wigan casino and dancers as the setting, and SteveM's witty summing up gives you some idea of the general storyline. It was (I believe) originally planned for release in Septemberish this year. The making of the film, and the attitude perceived by some from the film company has struck some nerves on here, hence the lack of straightforward answers. From what I've seen of it, the people involved from the Northern scene are passionate and sincere about the musics representation in the film, and the film-makers passionate about the film-making. I have no idea whether it will be any good or not, but I wish it well. Once Upon a Time In Wigan was directed or written by Paul Sadot, an active poster on this forum, dj and man-in-a-suitcase; and Mick Martin, whoever he is. I don't know anything about it other than that, though I believe it was well-received, and there was some disgruntlement along artistic differences lines at some point. You can google reviews and info on it. Perhaps a revival will be made possible if the film is a success.

Great post. The time I spent collecting records and being obsessed with music is not a time I look back on fondly as there are more important things in life. Its about balance and moderation, which I personally didn't have, and you can waste life when it becomes too focussed on one thing. But its fair to say that getting into this scene years afterwards has changed my life for the better. I've discovered a world of brilliant music I was ignorant of, met a lot of nice, interesting people, and the feeling I get on the dancefloor is awesome; the healthiest drug there is. It has also rekindled a passion I thought was dead in me, for which I will always be grateful. More power to you Brett, a life lived without passion is pointless.

Already discussed a few days ago, here: https://www.soul-sour..._third%20degree Never saw what the problem was with the old one. Ok record, great video. Brought the music some new attention, a good thing IMO. The new version works well on the dancefloor, fits in more with the general sound. Retro, which personally I'm not generally keen on, but for all that its well done, and I don't theorise too much when my feet are moving.

Yeah, pretty much. But at that point, it was the bad dancing I was aspiring to. I like to think I achieved my goal successfully.

I had an argument elsewhere about this. Some people are aghast at the idea, but I think its ok if it gives newbies/returnees the confidence to step onto the dancefloor. I remember how intimidating I found the Northern floor at Ilkeston ('what the f-- are they doing?') when I first entered the scene, and I'm not a shrinking violet. It's true that the best dancers have developed their own individual styles that are defiantly unformulaic, and that you can't teach soulful dancing; but you can teach some of the underlying techniques that many people associate with the phrase "Northern Soul dancing". Dancers have been sharing/nicking moves since day one, and there isn't a contradiction in a qualified dance teacher doing it in a more methodical way, though some may find the commercial or structured aspect distasteful. Whether anyone signing up for one of these courses realises the limitations of what can be taught is another matter. No, I won't be going.

The conversation in that dictionary office 170 years ago probably went something like: "Hey Ed, I've got a newie to put in." "What's a newie?" "I dunno. This is why we need it in."

No one on the soul scene coined it though someone obviously brought it in at some point, probably from mainstream DJ culture and before that from general slang. Merriam-Webster has it meaning "something new" going back to 1834. https://www.merriam-w...ictionary/newie

You are Eric Idle, and I claim my 5 pounds.