Funky 4 Corners

My hey day there was the 90s, I realise that the folk who attend there are going to be a bit different to an all-nighter in deepest Lancashire but even taking the cosmopolitan bit into account, I just got the impression that a few people were attending for the T shirt rather than the music BUT hey, who am I to judge why anyone goes to any event. They might have thought what's that old sh*t doing here.

When I used to go to the 100 Club all-nighters, I got the impression that there were a few who went there as it was fashionable. This might be peculiar to London?

Hi Dave, I don't understand why they would want to remove the `export` option? It doesn't cost them anything to offer it and it widens their sales field considerably, if I saw something I wanted for $4.99 with $10 posting, I have a choice. The last ebay 45 I received from the US (earlier this week) cost $6.90, posted 19/1/13. To be honest, in general I find the US and European sellers far more honest with their postage charges than the many UK sellers. That's why ebay restricted UK postage costs.

Bob Foster went to Coachman's with Martin K around '75 and reported lots of boxes of them there.

When did clothes become less important than records on the scene? I never went to Wigan but get the impression that most folk dressed to accommodate sweat, dance moves and heat rather than looking cool.

Apart from his Chess and Modern 78s just one 45 has alluded me over the years - Angel / I Hear You Thinkin' Malaco 2133. Do you have it?

About a year ago I saw a denim jacket in T K Maxx with distressed soul patches on it, looked Italian.

Do you think there was any truth in the rumor that when Ed sold his catalogue to Gordy on the second deal that he retained the Ric Tic name and contemplated revamping it with James Epps in the early 70s?

Dave, is it possible that Ed Wingate had sufficient money to press his records in generous quantities, this would account for the huge number that flooded the UK in mint condition pro rata to those obviously used. Martin certainly accessed them by the thousand as you did. It might also address my earlier point about Ric Tic, ZTSC stamped, styrene, discs in other states - he simply had the cash to air freight them.

I must admit to not really knowing what is legit on the Ric Tic front. I recall being involved in a debate on soulfuldetroit a few years ago about Edwin Starr's `Agent 00 Soul` and its various permutations of label design. Back in the 70s when Ric Tic was hot, Martin Koppel said that only those with stamped ZTSC & numbers in the run out were originals. What I based my skepticism on was I don't know how a relatively small set up like Ric Tic could have coped with suddenly supplying huge demand on say the West coast, Texas, N,O, etc with discs pressed locally to Detroit. Surely to meet the instant demand in the regions they would get that 45 pressed in those areas? My only evidence here is that when I was asking the owner of Relic Records in NJ about Ric Tic 45s in the 60s, he said that they had difficulty obtaining New York 45s let alone Detroit.

nrc it's interesting that you mentioned HMV because their main branch on Market St. m/c was a bit of an exception. Derek Howe managed certainly the vinyl side of things around the time you mentioned and he used to stock loads of in-demand imports to the extent that they formed a whole display in one window. It may be that enterprising managers of these none indie shops had some level of autonomy as I recall Harlequin in Berwick St, Soho allowing Dave Burton to stock imports including pressings in the 70s. In the 60s I also recall buying imports form One Stop Records, South Molton St. in the West End. They also had a branch on the concourse at Piccadilly Stn m/c.

Roburt, your point about regional records is good one; I never went to the Mojo but those lads from Wakefield who did would talk about records they had heard there. I now realise that the Stringfellow brothers had no qualms about committing the deadly sin of playing LP tracks such as Exodus that you mentioned, also I understand that Stevie Wonder's `Never Love a Go Go` was big. When I moved to Kent, a couple of guys who I met up with who were still into it reeled off plenty of `local` hits such as Billy Young, `Bell Bottom Blue Jeans`, Thomas East, `I Get a Groove` and Jimmy Lewis, `I'm Stepping Out`.

I've done a string of break ins at libraries all over the southeast looking for old date stamps from the sixties.

Something that puzzles me on threads such as this is the avoidance of discussing some key, none black records, what I'm getting at is that I appreciate that it is essentially a Soul music site but on some threads that spill over into the Mod / Club scene, up to about '66 they were awash with some amazing `pop` records such as Len Barry `1,2.3`, Graham Bonney `Super Girl`, most things by Cliff Bennett, Spencer Davis etc. These records were totally integrated with early Motown and all of those Cameo Parkway teen records and deserve recognition.

In the mid 90s I met up with and then interviewed a nice guy who DJed at a Soho Mod club in the 60s, he was good enough to invite me around to his house. I won't mention his name, club or location as I'm not in touch with him any more and respect his privacy. Anyhow, when I got there and went into his place I assumed he must have been ultra trendy as all of the furnishings and decor were 60s but he had simply kept all of the original contents as he had grown up in the house. He showed me all of his wardrobe from the 60s, all carefully stored in suit bags, all of his records including 12", 45 rpm demos from Sue Records, courtesy of Guy Stevens, empty pill canisters etc. I guess that there are other people like him around but are just not interested in `publicising` themselves.

Hi Russ, my original point at the outset was to enquire about what were regular plays at various venues but then fell out of fashion when that particular club closed down. I do appreciate that there are revival nights and oldies spots etc where, if you wait around long enough, every record known will get a spin. Incidentally, in my opinion, `Scratchy` was a left over from the Roger Eagle's habit of playing quirky sounds such as Don & Dewey on Cameo Parkway. Towards the end of the Wheel, say late '69+ you had play lists that would have `Shotgun and the Duck` back to back with Slim Harpo `Baby Scratchy my Back` and nobody batted an eyelid. A lot of Willie Mitchell tracks never seemed to survive beyond that era either.

Hi Ritchie, those two Blendells tracks might as well be thrown in too, `La La La La La` and `Dance with Me`. By the way, word is breaking out in the orchards of Kent that Jerry O is back living in Llandudno under an alias????

Hi Russell, I've got to admit that it was but I think it was Jo who soiled the hallowed decks with it.

Were Round Robin `Kick That Little Foot Sally Ann` or Travis Wammack `Scratchy` played at all when the Wheel closed? Where there other sounds that did?

Ages ago when I used to go record hunting in the US, dealers were always asking about the Jiving Juniors on Blue Beat, a big Vocal Group collectors 45. I'm guessing that it didn't get release in Jamaica???

If I recall in John Manship's UK Price Guide there are some examples of where there is a difference in price but I guess it might only be for aesthetic reasons as I agree with Pete in that you see the same 45 from the same year but with different centres.

Normanton baths certainly did, Dave Box used to do a Friday Soul nite there. Where were Donny baths by the way, do you know? My mum and dad both came from Balby and I spent a lot of time there.

Here's a few ads from May 6th 1966 The Algiers is where Diamond Jim Riley was shot in the car park. fuzzj, yopur post made me smile, did you go? .

I know the thread is getting old but thought some of you might like to see these. Both fly posted in Wakefield, one '67 the other '69.

JOE BERRY - (DO) THE WANG DANG DO - JERRY O 112 MILTON JEFFERSON - COLE SLAW - BOO GA LOO 467 SOULMATES - SOCK-IN-SOUL / CASINO ROYALE - DOUBLE SOUL 464 WASH ALLEN - ODE TO WASH ALLEN GIRLS - DOUBLE SOUL 10068 JOHNNY MOORE - SOLD ON YOU / YOU'RE THE ONE TO BLAME - BRIGHT STAR 145 JOHNNY LITTLE JOHN - WHAT IN THE WORLD / TANGLE WOOD BLUES - 4 BROTHERS 145 Thanks for looking