Geoff

I was told that Ernestine Eady who recorded Let's Talk It Over is really Yvonne Baker, is that right?

This is a lovely record imo, don't hear it out often but when I do it always makes me feel happy. The lyrics are beautiful, what a great writer Smokey was. He had a real insinct for great love songs.

I've got You Baby on a CD, has it ever been issued on a 45?

Pre Northern Soul they were played, as were other slow records. You danced with a girl to them.

Whose Shrine fund, yours or mine?

That's handy, now I know what to put on your next birthday CD.

While I like both versions I'd always pick Wade Flemons as my favourite. However lyrically the song is more for a woman than a man imo. As regards Paul Anka's I Can't Help Loving You, I'm not sure what year it was issued, but around 1965, 66 67 plenty of white singers were trying to get a "souly" sound on their records, hoping to hit the charts, some did and some didn't. Examples would include Len Barry's 1-2-3, the Newbeats' Run Baby Run, and the Four Seasons' Let's Hang On. Those stick in my mind because they always seemed to be played together in clubs I went to, but there were others, Bobby Goldsboro's It's Too Late may have been of that era, but I never heard it back then.

At the Blue Skies Christmas party last year I was double decking with Dave of Walls Of Heartache. Towards the end of our set a great big bloke in a baseball cap came up to us with an LP in his hand. He asked us to play some "Northern Soul" from it: Skiing In The Snow by Wigans Ovation would you believe? Dave and I were both quite surprised and I fell back on the standard answer: "ask the next guy on, we've sorted out what we're going to play" rather than be rude, after all he was far bigger than me, lol. Perhaps it wouldn't have been so bad, or funny, if it had been the Invitations.

I heard about this on the Radio 4 news this morning. Very sad news, both for us on the soul scene, but also for anyone who enjoyed the pop songs of the 60s. The Brill Building songwriters produced a phenomenal number of well crafted songs, many of which I still like to hear nowadays. As well as her solo records like Baby I think she was the lead singer of the Raindrops. Perhaps someone like Tony Rounce could confirm or deny that. When I hear That Boy John or He's The Kind Of Guy You Can't Forget I'm taken right back to the Tottenham Royal, oh happy days! RIP Ellie, your songs will live on.

According to the Top 500 book Rescue Me by Fontella Bass was played on the NS scene. And of course it was a top 20 record back at the end of 65, start of 66. A big club play back in the day.

As someone who is occasionally allowed behind the decks I'd like to comment on this. DJing can be quite scarey at times for those of us who are inexperienced. You have to learn which bits are for which turntable, etc, and on occasions using the mike can involve more bits to pull or push. Combine this with trying to cue records in with headphones which don't seem to block out the record currently being played, and all you really want to do is go from one record to the next without any mess ups. At the MonuMental weekend set I did, everything seemed to go well and I used the mike without too much trouble. At Soul In The Sun last year in Lanzarote I used a mike with a battery, dead easy to use. However in the past I had trouble which put me off using the mike. And does anyone really want to hear my words of wisdom anyway? I've often wondered if most DJs have been to a special school to learn to talk in a way that no one can understand. Hope I'm not offending anyone, just always makes me laugh. People who are very articulate seem to start to mumble when behind the decks. I will say that Jo Wallace is a notable exception. Plenty of others but none spring to mind as I type this. I go to a soul night to hear the music, nice if a DJ says what the record is, not sure if I want to hear that it's another one from Detroit, Chicago, etc (take your pick) or it was played at the Casino, Torch, etc. Surely a good DJ plays good music that people enjoy, either dancing or listening. A bonus if you are good on the mike but the way a set goes musically is surely more important. Just my opinion, no intention to offend anyone.

I rather fancy coming to this weekender as I'm not doing Cleethorpes next year. Are the numbers limited or will it be okay leaving getting a ticket till nearer the time? Is it easy to get accommodation in the town near the venue? I read about this year's one on another site, there seemed to be quite a variety of styles played, is that right?

Great oldie, big hit in the USA, loved it back in the day, but wouldn't really have thought of it as a soul record. Guess that doesn't matter. Was there a version by a Motown group?

Good lord, didn't know he'd attempted it. I think he did a decent version of Money's Too Tight To Mention, but not liked the other covers by him that I've heard. I think the Moody Blues version of Go Now is good, they don't slavishly copy Bessie Banks one, but do prefer hers. I will admit I generally have a preference for original versions, goes back to when you never heard the American original on the BBC, they'd always play the British (usually inferior) cover. At the end of the day though it's just personal preference. My opinion is no more or no less valid than anyone else's.

If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

You are correct of course, I meant Daylight. Pressure of work must be getting to me, lol.

We can all prefer any version of a song that we like, up to the individual. Just don't think GF's version of Sitting In The Park is as good as Billy Stewart's. I'm certainly not a member of the "soul police" as any of my friends would tell you.

This is almost impossible to pick favourites. Almost anything I've heard by Jean Carn, but will go for Jerry Butler's The Best Love I Ever Had.

Georgie Fame's version is okay but have always preferred Billy Stewart's one. Next someone will be saying that GF's dire version of Daybreak is better than Bobby Womack's. Obviously just my opinion.

Well said!

Baby I Need Your Loving

Quite hard to pick their best era, unless you're strictly 60s or 70s only. I still love Shout, was that 50s, can't remember now? Respectable from that era is great too. I suppose my preference is for their Motown, This Old Heart Of Mine has great sentimental meaning for me, the first present Lesley bought me. But they did have the Motown sound, weren't quite as distinctive as they were on other labels, but the quality of the material is so high. They made an appearance on Ready Steady Go prior to signing for Motown, sang their Atlantic single, The Last Girl, lovely piece of deep soul, worth listening to imo. I like their 70s material, play Work To Do often when I get a set. Also like their disco tunes, prefer That Lady to earlier version. Summer Breeze, Harvest For The World and Between The Sheets were great. And the Body Kiss album is pretty good. All in all they were a premier soul group with their 60s material just shading it for me, probably my favourites are This Old Heart Of Mine and The Last Girl.

The man made so many great records so not an easy pick, but will go with the following: I Want You I'm Gonna Give You Respect Come Get To This What's Going On LP

Actually that's the book I was referring to, the title I quoted is one of the chapters. My only excuse is that I was at work and couldn't check out the title. As you say it's a very good read. I always feel that people who only like uptempo tunes are missing so much of the greatness of our music, but, hey, each to their own.

I don't know the record you refer to, but generally like the style of soul singers doing country songs. Does anyone remember the book "Can Blue Men Sing The Whites?" Went right into that genre, in many ways a relative of deep soul imo. These records would not really be suitable for a Northern Soul night, not good for dancing, not even like beat ballads, but for listening absolutely superb. The right records are ultra soulful. The book had a list of records in that style; if anyone's interested I can dig it out.