macca

as ever, it's a question of taste, isn't it? I hated it then & still hate it now. a 78 sound, yeah? That means the next record would probably have been peggy march, barry benson, paul anka, kiki dee, teddy vann, jackie forrest etc; not surprised a lot of people drifted towards the modern/jazz funk scene that year...

well that settles it then. I wouldn't argue with JM.

right. but pete smith said that he'd had a few scratched in jobbies over the years, so not sure whether the stamped matrix is worth putting yer hand in the fire for, to quote a spanish saying.

I'd like to know if Pete B has conclusive proof that these vinyl copies are boots. Pete S, Sebastian & the others on the other thread seemed to think differently. best, macca

Thread here regarding this record. :-) /Vibrati...cca#entry518347

Could you contact me via PM please? Best, Macca

I could never hope to scale the heights I scaled back in 1976. But thankfully, the community thing is still there, alive & kicking. There's nothing better for me than combining my passion for this music with travel, even if it's within the confines of my adopted country, Spain. Soul + gastronomy. The Right Combination! I know it's not everyone's cup of tea, but that's the way I like to live it these days.

I've no doubt that it was premiered at Blackpool or Cleethorpes. In 1977 I went almost exclusively to St. Ives, so it's normal that I associate all these Mecca, Wigan, Cleethorpes monsters with that venue.

where's mel brat when we need him? for me it's a st.ives tune! :-)

I don't remember either, sadly...

I remember going to a Notts Palais All-Dayer in 1978/9 & this oddly named DJ was supposedly on in the Jazz-Funk room. I didn't venture down there to check him out, but does anyone else remember him? Sounds like a casting reject from Bowie's Ashes To Ashes video!

How would you classify someone like Jesse Fuller, Tony? He could be folky, bluesy, country, ragtimey, anything you like... Not sure I understand the distinction between 'Country', and 'Western' either. Jimmie Rodgers is considered the Father of Country Music, yet a lot of his stuff was inspired by the Cowboy lifestyle. 'Way Out West When The Cactus Is In Bloom' is a good example. Then there's Hank Williams, who fills my soul as much as any Soul singer, alive or dead. & what about the Stanley Brothers, Uncle Dave Macon, Doc Boggs, Clarence Ashley etc? How does Mountain/Old Time/Bluegrass fit into the C&W equasion? I've tried to listen to the polished Nashville stuff, but I prefer the rabbit with its leg caught in gintrap kind of voice. Harry Smith's Anthology should be a compulsory purchase in my opinion. :-)

Mr. Gardner, you wouldn't have, by any chance, any copies of an old forgotten 45 of yours on the Sedgrick label lying around? I have all your records except that one, and it's proving quite elusive. Seriously speaking, is DG aware, like Frank Wilson, of the rarity of this record? ">

Barry's right about the northern lasses accepting you on face value. My first trip to Wigan coincided with a stage appearance of Freddie Mack, who, if I remember rightly, used to do ads for the PYE DD releases. The music had stopped & a heaving Wigan dancefloor was listening to this geezer's 'brothers & sisters of soul' rant. This very tall, willowy blonde next to me turned to me (then) & said in her inimitable lancs accent 'You know who this is, don't you?'. Freddie Mack? I ventured. That's right! I'm glad you know that! Are you enjoying yourself? Is this your first time up here? You're from down south, aren't you? What's your favourite sound? I couldn't believe it. I danced in her vicinity for the rest of the night, with her flashing the odd smile. Acceptance in the hall of the mountain king. I've been thinking about her, on & off, for years.

call me a cynic, but something about this post smells to me of a wind up. If I'm wrong, I'll unreservedly apologise. M

Frank Elson! Another Bob Dylan fan aboard! Your owning up to that in 197? in your B&S column meant a lot to me :-) There's a few of us here & we rattle our cages from time to time. Bienvenido! M

This is ain't no retro thing, it's Naomi Shelton. I think think this is feckin' amazing... Sorry mods, just realised this should be in the media section... ">

Christ, what a shot in the arm! And here's me moonlighting from the Soul Police :-)

Couldn't agree more Malc. In the case of the Spanish venues, the music is beyond reproach, so the classy approach to the promotion is an added bonus. They're passionate about the sounds, but also about the style & presentation of their events. I don't think that's a bad thing, myself.

Think that's the UK release on HI 408. I'm referring to the USA copy, HI 12029 Mono release. M

I like to see well thought out, innovative promotional blurb. It all depends who you're trying to attract, doesn't it? I remember a mate of mine on here sending me a postcard in the early 2000's with a photo of Tommy Navarro on the front, advertising a Scenesville event, I think. The names on the DJ roster (do we still use that word?) were convincing enough and the word of mouth factor, i.e. my mate telling me I should do one of the these nights the next time I'm over would have clinched it. Someone mentioned the Spanish events.There are some beautiful examples of these in the flyer gallery. Barcelona, after London perhaps, is Europe's foremost advertsing & PR capital and home to some of the most successsful agencies in the world. It's hardly a surprise that some of that creativity presents itself in the promotion of international gatherings like Gijon's EuroYeYe & S.O.U.L. The Madrid Magic Soul Weekender/SMART Club have splendid flyers too. One of the DJs is a creative for the company that handles the Diageo (Guinness) account, so it must rub off. The Italians are also very good at it, in my opinion. You might call it a window on the ethos of the club in question. Fat sweaty blokes with beer towells and right on the torch badges is a 'political' statement, so is a picture of the Tommy Navarro and his ice-cream cone hairdo. I'm all for it.

Anybody know the value for this LP in M condition? Cheers, Macca

There's a spanish lenny curtis, but don't know if it's a PS though. Anybody know? M

I also buy from Europe, the UK. The cat has been set loose... Macca.