Daved

Some of the latest vinyl I've bought via mail order during recent semi lockdown. Starting off with some northern soul, modern soul, early releases from a very young Grace Jones and Luther Vandross and finishing with some uptempo new releases (downloads)

It's good to see this given a new lease of life. She's a talented singer. Her first album in 2003, Maya Who?!, was one of the best of a crop of great independent CDs around that period.

Also Modern Soul Vol 4 on Goldmine, along with the flip

54. I'll Keep Running Back

Some excellent sets there. Even in 2000, you had to get out to hear some of these records as they weren't on youtube or (for a lot of them) on CDs. I remember the Andy Rix CDR which was given away on this site which contained a load of goodies featured in the 6 Pac sets.

Motown isn't really a company now as we knew it. It's just a name as part of the huge Universal conglomerate and is used because people are familiar with it, not that it has any of the original characteristics.

Or better still

I've always considered them a bit cheesy, especially the big hits, but this has always been a guilty pleasure of mine.

They must make a fortune from car parking every Man Utd home match. They pack them in so tight you have to wait until the cards around you leave, so you can get out. It'll be a shame to see it shut down. Nice bar downstairs

RIP Lou. Lots of great songs.

It's just an alternative (but not as good) version of Heavy Love Affair, isn't it?

I really enjoyed that. It was terrific to see people singing, dancing and clapping along to Cashing In in exactly the same way that people still do now.

I missed this at the time. Pity it's not available on Kindle.

The Rick James episodes were hilarious. Especially when one of the Stone City Band referred to Prince as "a itty bitty muthafuc£a" 😀

A quick whizz through the decades, from the 70s, 80s, 90s to 00s, to pay tribute to the late, great Betty Wright who sadly passed away this week. This is just the tip of the iceberg of such a great career with so much material to choose from over such a great length of time. People forget she wrote a lot of her great songs too and you can certainly tell her style if you listen to enough of her songs.

I drove from Chatham to Fleetwood (283 miles) for my first full weekender in 2001 which I was dead excited about. Before I left, I checked the oil and water levels on my car and thought I was fit to go. As I got to the M1, the temperature started to rise until it got undrivable so I pulled up at Newport Pagnell services. Opened up the bonnet and there was oil everywhere. I didn't screw the lid back on properly. A recovery truck took me to a garage who had to clean the engine and replace the oil. They were already busy so it took bloody ages. I was getting so agitated. I had planned to get to Fleetwood about 5 but didn't arrive until 10. I was told that the bar shut at midnight, so the first pint went down in one and the others went down quickly after. It wasn't until about 1am, I realised they were still serving and I was well pissed by then. The bar stayed open until 3 or 4am. It all worked out well in the end 😀

That was my favourite track on the CD.

Very sad. She's only 66. So many great LPs. I saw her live at the Jazz Cafe in 2012 and she was fantastic.

It sounds a bit like Sam Dees but I'm not certain it's him. Mind you there are similarities to Fragile, Handle With Care on a couple of lines.

Some of my favourite northern soul records from going out and about over the last 35 years and all they still sound great today.

I saw him live at Hammersmith in 1989 on a treble bill with Gerald Albright and Pieces of a Dream. I was looking forward to him the least but he was great, telling stories before each song sitting on a stool, fully justifying his headline status.

RIP Ronn. I didn't know until two days ago that he wrote this little gem

Luther Vandross is a contender and this live performance justifies his nomination😀

Great article. Thanks.

I got mine from the O2 website and didn't pay the £80. Agreed about those other sites. Yeah, Innervisions is looking very good. I probably will go. I'm not convinced about Love Supreme. Too much jazz and I don't like the fact it includes kids.