jocko

It's on DVD and well worth a purchase. Very special man and it shows.

I really don't remember this as being over poppy, blue eyed yes but still soulful I thought. Probably haven't listened to it without stimulated ears so need to dig out CD and headphones and give it a proper listen. Definitely an iconic Northern record surely.....

Ah Norma Rudd, carried away by the success of TM, I covered up Norma Rudd, and within 30 seconds of its first play I couldn't get near the decks for the queue of people waiting to tell me what it really was. Some you win etc etc.....

I got one last weekend at Peebles, and am really impressed, as I said on FB its very stylish, very well written and superbly edited in the way it weaves peoples comments in and out depending on timeframe. Some great pictures, both old and new, as you would expect. Its quite different in that it focusess on peoples experiences, rather than records/charts etc, and it reminds me very much of Gerri Hershey's great Nowhere to Run in context. Off to buy one as a pressie!

I was being a bit naughty and nationalistic, and slightly hoping old Patrick would be reading this over his morning coffee and spluttering it all over the screen in temper when he seen my cheek, and more than slightly hoping that old Patrick forgets my words before he sees me next and doesn't feel the need to scud my lug! As I say below mate, its impossible at that time to pin everything down, and Bradford at that point was an allnighter I spent more time on the stairs or nooks and crannies rather than listening in dance hall.

I don't think Colin played it our right away, thats when we brought them back, I forgot I got one as well, must check if its still there. I would go with Chalky it kicking off in 86 when Colin was starting to dj all over England but not an every spot play and then massive at Allanton from start, it stayed c/u for a few years. Andy says 90 and I wouldn't go against that, it was amazing how many people asked what it was at time and didn't know it. Although to be fair its a bit off the wall so you can see how it might have been passed over by traditionalists. Like all these things mate its impossible to totally tie it down, particularly for a record like this and that period when more venues were regionally popular, despite my tongue in cheek responses to Phil, there was so much getting played and it was a period I was out ever weekend, I sometimes spent more time in corridors or record bars than the dance floor so there is no way I would state it as 100% positive, I would be very surprised, but not shocked, by 100 Club (later years to be fair, I didn't start going till 1984 so not sure what format was earlier than that) or Stafford plays, but the rest is more than likely. I think its fair to say though it was Allanton where it found its spiritual home, and thats always what counts for me for a record. And as Andy said it was amazingly unknown to majority of people.

I wasn't doubting you mate, more a jocular dig at the London mods that used to come North, ala Mr Smith, Franklin Simpson etc. As I say later, pre internet I suspect lots of things were being played in more than one place, although would be surprised at 100 club as again lots of regulars went North and South then.

Was JJ Daniels getting a run then? I didn't know that till much later. Its amazing how many big label stuff had new plays at that time with minimal fuss. I think its easy to forget pre internet days how many things turned up later, particularly as it was the second wave of people digging through different sounds, Also pre internet its perfectly feasible for different people in different areas to be playing same records without ever knowing, so it is perfectly feasible that Phil and Pat were playing this in second level all nighters and we weren't aware, however as Colin was playing at every main all nighter that played new stuff then, my eyebrows remain raised without documentary evidence......

Bollocks to Stafford, another of your dodgy selective memories methings Philip. Just had it confirmed from Colin we found it in Florida which places it as 84 and it was covered up in one of our midweek sessions, so as I thought. Chance of Pat coming up with an equally ridiculous cover up name that just happened to be identical is slim wouldn't you think. Re 87/88, possibly. Most English all nighters were following in our wake by then and to be honest all the good guys were only paying attention at Allanton.....

Colin covered it up as Willie G, pretty sure from one of his sessions round his house when he had a batch of new records, which was almost weekly then, it was definitely Shotts so after Stafford. Theory was it would be known to hard core collectors but worth a cover up to get some plays out of it, it stayed c/u for quite a while although Guy found a couple. which he sold c/u. Would bet my house against Pat having played it, and certainly not as Willie G as it was a name created at Shotts time Neither of us ever went to any London mods clubs so can't comment, but lots of London mods were coming to Shotts and none of them got it,...

In my experience its someone in a frilly shirt, lederhosen,silly hat, trained monkey, accordian singing Schlager music, or in kilt, frilly shirt, silly hat, trained haggis, playing bagpipes, sure there are a number of local variations. Fck knows what its got to do with DJing at a Northern gig, Or then again.......

Surely the question should be has it really gone away, and if so why did you let it if you are still on scene. This p*sh about people not liking it at nighters was proved wrong for many years according to my experience. Maybe its our fault for being too apathetic to ever step out away from keyboard, but when I see the records getting discounted I know where I am better off. Again surely its all about the quality of the punters, and the bottle (or lack of) of the multitude of "new" DJ's! Some of the records on here being described as midtempo answer that really, Sandy Fn Golden, Barbara sodding Lewis, just proper Northern Soul records that if they spoil your night, then I repeat you ain't on the scene I was on, thankfully. I think the definition of stuff like this as being too slow to play says more about todays sheep like punters than the quality of music. Mr Cane sums up mid tempo to me perfectly, and don't bother arguing with me. I am right. Sad shaking head smiley required please.

Fck me Leonardo, don't do it, one of the finest Northern Soul singles anywhere. It laughs in the face of anyone who thinks Northern is just a glitzy smooth poor mans Motown rip off, it pis*ses in the pocket of those who moan whenever a record doesn't have a repetitive 4/4 beat and dares to change arrangement mid song, and it sh*ts in the mouth of anyone who thinks mid tempo is dead. Its as proper as you can get for me. I would be tempted if I had more than 4.5p in my pocket., Rare Soul scene summed up in a few minutes,.

I am pretty sure it will be David Ebo, who was singer when they came to Stafford I thought. Fantastic singer if same guy. Have at least one solo thiing by him, a great 12". Just googled him to see if he was still signing and it looks like he died very young, sadly https://articles.philly.com/1993-12-03/news/25942868_1_sisters-survivors-cancer

Is the WD much harder on this, I always thought it was, but I never see that reflected on price. Probably just wishful thinking on my part!

I love the way people use the Northern based "Modern" scene as a metaphor for soul music in general, and particularly thinking that people in a studio in America would be aware of it as their inspiriation, its a bit like the people who are convinced Enid Blyton used Noddy as a metaphor for porn! Not sure re-edits and mash ups should be mentioned in same sentence, absolutely nothing to do with each other. I have loved some re-edits in car, been ecstatic at them in the hands of "proper" DJ's like MAW, and hated them at weekenders when they become the equivalent of the Saturday afternoon sing a long at the British Legion. As always I reserve my right to deny my remarks if seen dancing, singing and waving my arms to The Love I Lost re-edit part 74 at a soul venue.

No. Yes. Next Question.

MOody Scott, well forgotten classic, Clifton Hall and on? Don't see that around much.

And the Thrills has one of the all time great beat ballads on flip, Underneath My Make Up, on one of the early Kent LP's and introduced me to the slower sides. Amazing record

How do you know if you don't use it...... Its also full of people posting up the same records 10 times a week, thats why noone goes out any more, they can get the same repition at home! Did Colin swear on air? I hope he hasn't gone all professional now........ PS Jim you around after 11?

No, Bob the Bert thinks he is the only one in the world that likes Northern and Soul, even though he wasn't into Northern, he was only into soul, as it was before Northern was invented. He did invent the term soul though. Glad to see you back Winston, and glad to be able to exercise my sarcarstic glands now my SS political career is finished having lost the public vote.......

Go somewhere you don't get in free due to your connections, somewhere that is still going after 1am, it will be very different since last time you were on the scene in 1967, speak to real people like the promoters Chalky's Dyson's Watermans etc that go to all nighters all the time, and then you will see how the music fits in. I won't hold my breath.

PS the other side of Larry Houston is fantastic, been on my most recent "mixes" (aka as load of MP3's thrown into a file) Lovely memory to end the evening.

Omni was definitely 1980 release. Got me thinking what one of the first records would be, too early for Leon Bryant, and too discoey for Eloise Laws. It could have been the real Lee Moore as he played the 12" of that a couple of times on the Saturday,. October 80 was start of my weekly (well nearly I suspect) journey till September 81, Never to go back, a short but perfectly formed starting of the journey into the world of magic that was to follow.

Okay a bit of googling, https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/d/138985/SCOTT,_JOHNNY The Portra one, is there another Portra one? What is this like? Do I have it already? https://www.cdbaby.com/cd/JohnnyScott11 And a relatively recent one, nice to see him still going, description doesn't really sell but may download it tonight as a thanks for his earlier stuff. Anyone heard this?