Derek Pearson

Remember those all-dayers in that club on the top of that hill in Todmorden. All the top DJs of the day played there Searling etc. In those days we travelled virtually everywhere on public transport and walked the long climb up the hill. Me in dufflecoat in disguise, wearing a full length leather coat would always attract too much attention I always thought. As usual I was always going in the wrong direction. I still hang out with Kyle Magill on the left. Blimey the long lasting power of friendships - Big Mick from Bradford on the left, Kyle in the centre and me on the right. (Stylists note hair shaved above ear) . I was out with these two at Lowton on Friday. Think of all the records that have been through the hands of these DJs & collectors - Tony Coleby, Guy H, Tim Finch and Gary Rushbrooke. onwards, derek

Being a Bradford lad we used to get the bus over from Keighley to the all-dayers. Can't recall any of the DJ line-ups though I think Sam & Searling used to be on. Note stylish entrance - dig those funky old cars grand dad - no prices for naming the cars. Phew the blue Escort reg plate ends in N which dates it at? For all those young 'uns that never believed Mecca night clubs used to have plastic palm trees in them - be afraid be very afraid. Chicken in a basket anyone? Thats me in the middle looking so young I should've been doing a paper round! Linky from Halifax on the right, Vernon who used to win the dance comps at Wigan behind me. cheers, derek

Here's some stuff I've had in the sales box far too long and have reduced to encourage shift. All M/Ex unless stated. Wish I could do sound clips. Trades considered so please send me your sales lists. If you think somethings too expensive make me an offer. Steve Mancha "Friday night / Monday through Thursday" Groovesville 1004 Mmm bit tricky to grade, lots of light scuffs, couple of pops, plays fine, definately VG+. Both JM & TB 2003/4 guides rate a minter @ £300. Lets call it £150. Money back if not totally happy. Jimmy Burns "I really love you" UK Grapevine £10; Jimmy Jules "Take it like it comes" Atlantic £8; Willie Charles Gray "Gonna be a winner" Mercury £15; Charles Perry "How can I" MGM DJ £15; Joe Frazier "First round knock out" Motown £10; Minzi Berry "I don't want you no more" Score £45; Bill Lucas "Cause I know your mine" Dionn orange £25; Joe Moore "I aint" Verve DJ £25; Ike Noble "Its bad" Alley £30; Crystal Motion "You're my main squeeze" Sound Gems £35; Johnny & Expressions "Shy guy" Josie £15; King Diamond "Black woman/That's all she" Powerhouse £40; Jackie Day "What's the cost" Speciality £20; Debra Johnson "You gotta give love" 100 Club Anniversary £20; Dells "Run for cover" Cadet £40; Sons Of Robin Stone "Got to get you back" Atco DJ £20; Reuben Howell "Can't stop a man in love" Motown WDJ £35; Vivilore Jordan "Put my loving on you" Sound Gems WDJ £35; George Perkins "I'm so glad you're mine" Royal Shield £35; Jimmy Richards "I'm not responsible" A&M WDJ VG++ £30; Marian Love "Can't forget about you" Capitol £50; Emanuel Laskey "Never my love" Westbound £65; Jackie Milton "Little by little" De-Vel DJ £35; Ron & Embracers "You came into my life" Spectrum £35; Lou Ragland "Since you said" UK Warner Bros £50. All enquiries, questions off list please to D.Pearson@bradford.ac.uk P&P extra, insurance recommended. UK buyers can pay by UK cheque. Paypal is OK but buyers must pay additional 4% to cover the paypal fee I'll incur. Overseas buyers must pay by paypal. Keep it 45, derek

Always always find threads like this very interesting, anybody with half an interest in DJing should always be reading about other peoples future tips. As we all know too well there's a massive massive difference between what records "should" go big and what records actually do. Its the old age arguement once again - is it just a good collectors record or an over looked future biggie? It's a bit like the step up from the Championship to the Premiership and we all know thats one helluva mighty big leap. Guess we'll never know untill (enough) DJs have the confidence to spin it. Over the last few years I've heard great records like Cam Cameron "They say" Capri, Skip Jackson "Onto you" Dotmar, El Anthony "We've been in love" LaCindy, Eddie Billups "Shake" SS7 & Enticers "Calling" Cotillion all played to indifferent dance floors. All great records no question, all previously underplayed but none of them set the dance floor on fire. Is a full dance floor the only sign of a quality record? How long do we persevere with tracks that get a luke warm response? Spent a bit of time on this and here's a list of tunes that I personally would like to hear played out more, many of them - possibly maybe -could become the next Wigan Athletic? All are relatively well known, the majority are fairly cheap and none are impossible (he says). Undisputed Truth "You got the love" Gordy; Soul Patrol "Save your love" Highland; John Stanberry "I can't belive" Stan Los; Ghetto Children "Its not easy" Roulette; Duke Turner "Let me be your babysitter" Spinning Top; Ronnie McNeir "Good side of your love" Tortoise; Sir Henry Ivy "He left you standing there" Future Dimensions; Willie Hobbs "Till I get it right" SS7; Betty Wright "Show your girl" RCA LP; Steelers "Just beginning to love you" Crash. Sixties wise what about: Jimmy Soul Clark "Tell her" Moira; Carol Fran "I'm gonna try" Port; Chekkers "Lack of love" Look; Embers "Where did I go wrong" Atlantic; Darrow Fletcher "My young misery" Groovy; Malibus "Gee baby" Sureshot; Mary Moultrie "Trying to tear us" King; Little Milton "Sometimey" Checker. If you/we/I haven't got the time, money or inclination to find unknown records to DJ with you/we/I have to constantly re-assess and re-invent. Its all good fun innit. derek

Hey up Miles hows it going? Would be interested to hear The Children 45 you've got up for grabs. thanks for that Tone - have PM'd you. didnt know of the Charlie Hodges version Pat - you've sold it well (laughs) where is Betty's version to be found Sean? Now you've mentioned it I seem to think I've got it on a UK Charly album from the late 80s or something? Must have a delve when I get home. Is this post a nice example of collectors sharing information or what? I come on here asking about Sam's release and find out there's another 3 versions of it all worth picking up. Mind you it is a quality song even with my voice I bet I could get it into the charts, possibly top ten even... derek

Called over to see my old buddy Craig Butler in Brighouse last night to eat fish n chips, drink beer and play some tunes. Are we northern or what? Played him Sam Dees "Easier to say than do" on Lo Lo - oh dear is that a seriously good tune or what? Craig immediately wrote it down which is always a good sign that he wants a copy. Realised my copy's double sided - damn - should there be a flip side and if so whats it like? Is there anything else on Lo Lo worth hunting apart from the Bobby Hill things? Anybody seen/got a label listing? derek

A few weeks ago Mick Howard and I picked up our guns and wandered over into Salford to see that Wigan Casino exhibition at the Peel museum. We'd gone up to sunny Wigan last year or so to see the much smaller version and was curious to see what had improved. Oh that Wigan trip was a great day my car broke down next to the Pier just as Wigan Ath were at home to Leeds U. Got towed home and landed with a thousand pound repair bill. I kicked off and got it reduced to only £450 but thats another story..... Anyway on entering t'Salford gallery I heard the strains of the rather wonderful "Another dirty deal" eching around the room. What a wonderful melodic dancer - I love it - but was it ever played at Wigan? I don't want to get into a "yes it was Sat 31st July 1976 at 1.32am I was there" type discussion and I'm not being a nit picker either like "why did they play it in the gallery if it never got played at Wigan blah blah". Suppose I'm just curious and wanted an excuse to talk about a record I like. derek Its the flip side to "There's nothing else to say" on Audio Arts for those that don't know it.

Simon - there was no link or anything in your post on my computer at work. Wonder if its blocking all attachments or summat? derek

interesting thread Steve - I collect deep soul as well but my financial circumstances have changed alot in the last 5 years or so (moved house twice and renovating the one we're in now + newish car + expensive petrol commuting costs) so I cannot afford or justify spending £100 on a deep tune purely for my own front room pleasure. Anybody that DJ's as well would probably prefer to spend that £100 on a tune they can use in their sets. It all depends where your priorities are. cheers, derek will get a Bill Brandon "Rainbow road" on Tower one day....

phew Denbo thanks for posting up her discog. Sorta naively thought she'd only done a couple of tunes on Fontana and the one I was talking about would be obvious (laughs). DP makes note - next time write details down..... derek

hey up Tomo - hows it going? Did like your neat reply it made me chuckle. derek

used to see this every now and again in sales boxes at £70 and often wondered what it was like to justify its price. Then I got one in trades and couldnt believe how bad it was. Pete's right with his price estimation -thats what it should be worth! Oh well, derek

Was talking to Ged Lunt at the bar in Bury Town Hall last Friday night. He asked me about a Gloria Lynne record on Fontana that he played in the downbeat lounge at the last Soul Essence. Said it was a beat ballad type thing and he thought everybody would know it but they didnt. Didnt write the details down like I normally do and I'm fairly certain I've remembered what he said - anybody chip in with more details/comments? cheers, derek

Hi Rich - yeah I agree the Flame n King 45 is seldom seen and an uptempo northern dancer but I don't think its worth much - sorry. Traded a copy last year for a £20 record. derek

125 quid! I'd have thought that was quite a bargain, what nick was it though. If I didnt already have a copy I'd have bit your hand off. I know I've mentioned this many times before but aren't all copies of the Buddy Connor 45 double sided? Somebody out there might just have a mis-pressed copy with a flip side. Ooh dreams are made of such vinyl. derek

Once (if) I get my computer back from the repair man I'll get my scanner back on the go. Then you'll all be sorry. Have got some late 70s pics of the Cats Whiskers all-dayers* (as the Mecca in't Burnley was known then). You wanna see the cars parked outside eh I think mi dad used to drive one of them hehehe. derek * even the plastic palm tree gets a look in

Always liked Barrino Brothers (was shocked to see it on a list recently at £75 - coughs), Eighth Day, Sebastian Williams & Ricky Lewis (Baz Wadd was always sorta credited with finding this). Championship Promotion Contenders - all relatively well known, all have got spins in the past (gasp shock even I've played them out) and all under £100 (struth I say that as though its cheap and a bargain!). Carl Hall "Mean it baby" Loma (only on the issues, the WDJs are double sided). Bobby Taylor "Roses somewhere" Sunflower. But the best cheapie has to be Al Wilson "You did it for me" on Playboy. derek

Hey up Dani - nice to have you aboard hows the sunshine in Valencia? Thought I'd seen that Pic & Bill 45 in your box at Lowton Trevski - wouldnt mind hearing it? onwards, derek

"Andy - Derek Pearson had one for sale a while back, not sure if he sold it or not? cheers Paul" what a good memory you've got Paul that must've been a couple of years ago. Long gone now though. cheers, derek

"These records are what my mother wants me to sell, she has stage 3 Alzheimers Desasise. She has asked me to sell them, that way she won't have to worry about the her care in home now, and funeral costs when she dies"*. I know you'll all shoot me down in flames and I wish I wasnt so untrusting and cynical but......no stop it right now Pearson! *Taken direct from the Ebay post

Was a regular myself at Clifton Hall and used to arrive courtesy of British Rail via Leeds. Always remember going for something like an 8.15am train back to Leeds and getting on an 8.14 to Doncaster (oops). Found some great photos of the Clifton Hall yesterday (record corridor upstairs, pic of dance floor from stage and from balcony). Will upload them when site is back at full steam. onwards, derek

By the summer of 1978 I'd been attending all-nighters for a year however I wasn't a full soul boy with patches I was still just dipping my toe in. We'd venture over the pennines in transit vans and I recall once breaking down by that farmhouse which is marooned between the motorway right on top of the moors. Northerners will know where I'm talking about. It was about midnight but I was young and reckless so I started thumbing it towards Manchester. Amazingly some bloke in a sports car skidded to a halt and we jumped in. He dropped us off at the back of the town hall straight into a waiting taxi and onto the Carousel. I was never aware of any violence around this club because I wasn't from the area and always arrived direct. In a strange twist of fate I know live only a few miles away from where the club used to stand. Sunday 27th May 1979. Its time to start building up a photo gallery me thinks. derek 1st pic: taken from top of stairs looking down onto dance floor. 2nd pic: overlooking balcony above DJ booth towards dance floor. 3rd pic: in the van with some likely lads.