Tomangoes

Used to buy blind from Soul Bowl lists in the 70s as I was starting out. Best records out of the bunch (none were bad) Four Sonics - If it wasnt for my baby, Joe Murphy - Its a weakness. Great value in the £1 section. Even better, the soul packs were at least 30% full of decent records. Ed

Just listening now. Wow KWALITEE or what. Thanks, its made my day, week, month, and year. Hope to return the favour. New Yak deffo got the finger on the button. Ed

The Four Tops: It's All In The Game / Love Is The Answer TMG 736 - May 1970 Marv Johnson: I'm So Glad You Chose Me / I'm Not A Plaything TMG 737 - May 1970 The Jackson Five: A B C / The Young Folks TMG 738 - May 1970 Kiki Dee: The Day Will Come Between Sunday And Monday / My Whole World Ended (The Moment You Left Me) TMG 739 - May 1970 Jimmy Ruffin: I'll Say Forever My Love / Everybody Needs Love TMG 740 - May 1970 Dont know the exact date of release but these are the motown single that month. Ed

I bet you like House of pain - Jump around, you weirdo record lover you..... Ed

Scratchy is indeed a crazy record, and even though its an 'early classic' how the hell did it ended up getting played? Cats Eyes - Life, another weirdo tune. Once had a record called 'big limas' by the Cobra Kings on Black Gold, and also 'Soul Kiss' by Dizzie Gillespie on Perception. Always thought these were border line for playing at a nighter if stuff like Scratchy got accepted. Ed

If I was (still) a kid, I could dance to that...... Ed

Triumphs - Coming to your rescue - Okeh Sorts the men out from the boys on the dance floor. I think I was the former once, but with my glass back, I know I am the latter now....................... Actually the list would be very long if all qualifying records got listed, thats why Ive just named my fave of this ilk. Ed

Little darling - Flirtations The bigger they are - Fabulettes Poppies - Pain in my heart Jeanette Harper - Pick me up and put me in your pocket Rain - Out of my mind 5 popesque records from Cleethorpes WG 76 era. Frowned on now perhaps, but back then you couldnt get on the dancefloor it was so packed when these were played. Ed

At least 2 versions of 'Theres gonna be a showdown' Archie Bell is OK, but a bit too fast for my feet to dance through the whole thing, and the there is the absolute 'soul experience' of Rance Allan. (Wah Wooh Wayye - inspirational...) Even bought a 'best of RA' Stax Lp, on the strength of it. Ed

Surely if you just put RICHARD SEARLING on the package, it would find him. If you put it in an inland revenue envelope, its deffo going to find him...... Ed

Cant imagine Gwen Owens - Wanted and needed, being the same record on a dancefloor without the dancers clapping, same goes for Manifesto and a shed load more. One of the first big records for me was strings a - oops - double cookin, clap clap and more clap. Just dont clap where you should'nt or you will be singled out and slow clapped off the floor. Ed

10 euros on Tenerife Los Cristianos Sunday market, so not a bad price. You should tell them its 'any' picture that can be put on the side. Good luck Ed

On this debate I would say it comes down to two items, respect and power. The promoter can do anything they want to as any financial loss would hit them. so who could stop them. Most promoters that fail do so because they do not listen to the customers and treat them with contempt, just because they can. On the other hand to gain respect the promoter could not do as is suggested as they would be rejected and never be taken seriously as a DJ, especially by other DJs who are respected. It depends on where you want to be in the strange world of Northern Soul. as suggested many times on this forum there are two scenes running side by side, if you want to be in the inner sanctum, you have to play by the rules. If you are happy with 'anything goes' do what you like but dont expect to be taken seriously. Ed

Come on theres more response to the all time low thread than the all time high thread.............. We need more Tempos than Shaun Robinson, if you get my drift. Off to Rife tomoz, so Manhattans ear we cum just like a guided missile. Ed

It was big at Cleethorpes WG, along with Black Soul, Cathedrals, Out of my mind, etc. 1976. Come out on UK issue eventually (Pye I think, I had a demo). USA original issues were easy enough to find then, but I suppose now they are more than a fiver. Used to love the 'orchestra de salsa' bit after Jobell. Ed

What a way to talk about your mother. Ed

Theres enough happening on the scene to bring you down, especially if you take things too serious, but what gets you back up again. For me (I think I have been put in the MP3 moron box) its when a few top tunes come on ( ipod, computer, or soul night) that I havent heard in ages. Just listening to Scratchy, TW. Not sure why but it sounds fantastic. Its probably best If I dont hear it again for another year, but for now Im where its at. Ed

As a matter of interest, especially on 60s records, I wonder how many recognised 'MOST PLAYED' sides are actually the flip anyway as opposed to the official plug side, 'Interplay' and 'End of our love'for example. Must be a fair percentage. Ed

Is the 2007 Ian Levine albumn NU SOUL? ------------------Joking. Whats up with commercial R&B ? If you mean acts like Mary J Blige, I love it..... As an interesting point, about 15 years ago I started to tape Robbie Vincent on his Sunday night show for a few months. At the time I was not all that keen on about 50% of the records played, but now when I replay them every so often in actual fact there is not much that I dont like. Maybe as with Northern Soul, a few years have to pass by before the new records get fully appreciated, and by which time the artists have gone back to the day job because they could not sell enough records. Ed

I would love to have every good soul record of every genre, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER. Thats about 100,000 tracks I suppose at least. In actual fact I would prefer them on an ipod/hard drive/lap top type storage media. It would also be nice to have original vinyl, and may have been a possibility if it was me who won the euro millions the other day. Compilation LPs/Tapes/emi discs/8 track/cds all played a part in 'spreading the news' as HB sang. Northern Soul Cds cannot have much further to go in terms of 'whats not' already on a cd, there have been illegal mp3 CDs out for years, so why should this not be also done by legal methods? At least this would give better quality, and in theory anyway, pay some royalties to the artists. Ed

As Darrow Fletcher sang 'Changing by the minute'. I like variety, and a good mix of all the genre's. When something crops up thats new to me (probably played out to most!!) like Ann Robinsons vocal of Bird Walkin that I only heard a few months ago, I get a real buzz. At the moment, I am working my way through a Sony boy Williamson cd, and although more R&B, its great to sing along to. Ed

Play your brothers record - Joe Cato - Im so glad. Good luck Ed

Have CDs had their day? Now you can fit around 300 MP3 tracks on a CD (OK this has been possible for over 5 years), and most car CD players can read them, how long before the record companies re-produce the likes of Wigan Casino volumes 1 to 15 and sell it commercially? Ed

I think the next generation will come via another mod revival as it offers the whole package, clothes, style, gangs, image, dancing, etc etc. As before what goes around comes around. As before once youve got the bug, youve got the bug. Some offspring who have been forced to hear NS from birth will carry it forward, but to get new blood in numbers (14 -18 year olds) there has to be a complete package just like there was 30 -35 years ago. Not sure how 14 year olds and 65 year olds will mix. I remember going to Cleggy WG in 76 and thinking Soul Sam was ancient, and he must have 30 something. Ed

I really cant understand Ian Levine, he went from hero to villain and in a nostalgic way seemed to be getting a lot of credit again for what contribution he made to the NS scene, certainly in the late 90s Just look at the individual record notes in Kev Roberts top 500 NS records book to see his name on virtually every 3rd record as the 'discoverer'. He should leave it at that or go and discover some more stuff, not try and make it. Its as if he wants the world to think that he can manufacture a sound that puts Northern Soul into a 'one size fits all' box. If he wants to make records, thats great but nobody ever manufactured a NS record and had it 100%accepted. He could produce something on the scale of 'Too Darn Soulfull' and it would still get rubbished. He is on a hiding to nothing. He should just make the records as pop. If it sells, it sells. It must be almost impossible to label a record as Northern and get it to sell enough to chart, simply by the fact that there would not be enough 'NS' buyers to acheive it. Whatever credibility he had as an NS icon, he is loosing very quickly. Ed