Mark Bicknell

You are welcome Bish, i can't remember the price though but it was around the prices mentioned here i think...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I'm almost certain John Manship had a copy in his 'sales box' at Silk in Wellingborough Saturday so might be worth sending him an email, Regards - Mark Bicknell.

This seems to be a national problem rather than just in some areas, far too many venues with not enough people to go round, every aspect of the current scene has reached overkill, it's bending fast and is about to snap, perhaps time for everyone to take stock and do something about it before it's too late, it's getting watered down and more and more people are calling it a day or simply staying away from the venues, the Corner pocket is not the first to close and i suspect not the last, it's a shame that venues fall by the way-side after all the effort and hard work that goes into putting an event on, what i find hard to deal with is the constant in - fighting, bad blood, clashing and total lack of consideration in some circles, far too many less than average nights which seem to want to run no matter what continue to run and this is a shame and a sad reflection that all is not well on this wonderful scene of ours, time to get our house in oder before it falls down. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I know Steve superb tune but was simply highlighting the top side perhaps i should have mentioned it's a superb double header...cheers.

Cool.... i simply heard him play it at Lifeline Saturday and mentioned the fact, as i don't attend R'n'B based venues or rooms too often i was unaware of this, sorry if i got it wrong and as i said in my original review here i have had the record! well not been to Cleethorpes for about seven years and must have got it at about the second or third weekender and have played it on the show many times over the years...a very good tune indeed. Credit to Hoss and you Sir...cheers. Regards - Mark Bicknell

Bugger me, i just looked on JM's site and i see what you mean...but the 'bugger me' was the price £150.00 but thinking about it the tunes quality backs that up, i really had no idea it was that kind of money so sorry for not providing that information, well worth a punt. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Me and sound clips don't get on...lol but i'm sure someone on here will be able to provide one...Joan is pretty good at that sought of thing and i'm sure she has the record..the flip is also a nice tune so John is also right on that one. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Nice one...you play it son and i'll humb it...lol or the other way round...cracking tune like you say. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

These are the meat and potatoes threads....lol not sure if you mean new spins? or current favs but the following get both Soul Shack and gig turntable action from me, most of this list are as cheap as chips but do it for me at least...... The Chimes - The Beginning Of My Life - Down To Earth - If this was a one- off it would be a Grand plus no problem, superb floater crosses over oh so well from Chicago. Timothy Wilson - Just Another Guy (On A String) Buddah - Published by Jobete this record is sublime and should hold cult status already. Continental Showstoppers - "Not Too Young" - Seventy Seven DJ - Eat your hearts out The Camero's.....lol stunning version, on a number of wants lists this one i bet? Roy (Cortez) Butler - A Dream - Boo - A little harder to locate than the first three but well worth the hunt, can't stop playing this tune...yummy! The Bronzettes - (Beggin) Baby Don't Leave Me - Double Soul - Holds the same backing track to Jerry - O's 'Karate Boo - ga - loo' or one of those type of records, instant quality produced by him so there is a connection, great female plodder holding a solid groove, wonderful record that must have been played way back, gonna give this one some serious turntable action, books at around £100.00 but not seen too many copies out there..... This could capture the imagination of the scene i'm sure. Jimmy Love - Two Sides To Every Story - Josie - Class tune well worth £40.00 of anyones money, still has play's in it this one. Sonny Rhodes - You Better Stop - Galaxy - Credit to Karl Heard for playing this beauty at 'Lifeline' last Saturday night, had this one for a good few years after buying it from Butch at a Cleethorpes weekender for about £25.00, took me a while then to get one having been on my wish list for a good few years before that, stunning West Coast, gritty, in your face dancer. Johnny Barnes - Real Nice - Cap City - As the title suggests simply a 'real nice' not often played quality oldie, top of my pile anytime and for around £30.00 you won't find too many records better or in this class for the money. The Four Voices - We Live In The Ghetto - Voice, Sublime group soul far easier to locate than their Monster on the same lable' My Love Is Getting Stronger' but of the same quality. Chuck Ray - Come Alive - Five - O - Written and Arranged by Eddie Silvers so strong Chicago connections here, a very cheap record....well it used to be and i'm sure it still is, wonderful tune that has had some turntable abuse in the 'Soul Shack' www.solarradio.com Not monsters but nice records...a few more tucked away for another time...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

James, Rod is coming to Sunderland with his beautiful wife Clare, Jacqui's best friend so we can all sit down and have a few laughs about this class thing....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Is this not a little like having your cake and eating it too??? if i'd had cut a dub of all the records i've had through my hands over the years then i would have a room full of the things....well maybe not but you take my point, if you wish to sell to buy new tunes then fine sell them and move on but wanting the best of both worlds seems to be a little odd when you are dealing with in the main collectable rare records, half the point and the whole ethos of rare records is to own the original, first generation and the real deal anything less well at best is second best, owning rare soul records when being a DJ on the scene is often your ticket to building a reputation, holds respect among your fellow DJ's and peers and has to be a paramount consideration. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Possibly Simon...lol i always got on with him, ain't seen him in years, he did have some very good records in the early 80's or did you lend them to him....lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Ok, personally from a DJ perspective if i'm kindly asked to play a few tunes at a venue then i go out with the Soul (sorry) intention to try and blow the windows out, entertain and do the very best i can with an authentic box of 45's, some of my recent spots i feel have become a little similar so i am trying to do something about that but that's another issue really, as for someone telling me what to play sorry no chance, build it up and take them to the bridge i say!!!! way back at The 100 Club one night Ian Clark and Dick Coombes between them palyed the following all in my box ready to play when they were huge records...The Empires, Cashmeres, Bobby Kline, Elbie Parker, Ron Baxter, Troy Dodds, Eric Mercury, Joann Courcy, Jesse Davis, Johnny Rodgers etc. etc. panic yes but i thought about it and dug a little deep and pulled a blinder out of what was at first a disaster situation perhaps confirming my point of having a little more depth to your playbox than banking on twenty or so records to use all the time or base your spot on, it would have been easy to repeat the records but i went with other tunes, just an example which confirms that records are free for everyone to play and are never exclusive to one DJ. Is this music not about sharing it? we all love to have good records, we eat, sleep and live the bloody things with a passion and i find it really difficult to accept that someone feels they can dictate who plays what when...no sorry don't get that at all. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Would it make any difference? after the fact as it were. Mark Bicknell.

Bit of a bargain me thinks...wonderful tuneage. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Which one then Barnsey???? lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I was a bit slow off the mark there...but beautiful Rod as ever spot on mate. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Rod's about....here we go....lol go on Son let's have it!!! Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Tea, Coffee or Hot Chocolate....sugar mate?...... and some nice Digestives...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Still not a bad price. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Sorry that can't be right.....can it???? Regards - Mark Bicknell.

Cool totally agree with you, so basically established records/oldies etc. are fair game which is pretty much my field anyway with the odd personal thing from time to time...lol Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I was speaking more in general rather than on discovered by said DJ's personally, simply play something else rather than repeat was the point i was trying to make. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I have lost count over the years how many times x,y,z has been played by the previous DJ's which i also hold in my collection, hard lines and tuff titty really! so what do you do? play something else simple as that and perhaps where the 'Hotbox' falls a little short is down to it's limitation as all your eggs would appear to be in one basket or box in this case, i'm not having a dig 'James' either, fact is if you limit yourself to a run of say 200 records what you consider to be hot, upfront, exclusive etc. and the DJ's before you play several of your tunes as long as they are authentic and sourced in the same manner as yourself then where do you go??? so the exclusive eliment does not hold water really all of the time unless you DJ first or before others, yes for someone to play repro's/boots/dubs etc. is a total no - no and i'm with you on that one, i just feel if you limit yourself to one box of tunes with no back up of a collection as such and a little more depth then the repeat situation or some of your playlist to be played by other DJ's is bound to happen again and again as many of the DJ's pretty much chase the same type of records, rare, hot, indemand etc.etc. I guess if you work on the 'Hotbox' method then the art and challenge to stay ahead of the game must be very interesting and judging by your spot at 'Lifeline' Saturday mate you are certainly making this method work. I have to work with a bigger rotation of tunes, two main 100 count boxes and base collection of around 1800 records, new additions and so on, more records more choice, select box according to gig etc. for example the box i'm taking to Wellinborough Saturday is at least 50% different to the one i took to a Soul Night at Pilsley last weekend...yet i still seem to play the same tunes...lol before anyone says anything! Good thread this. Regards - Mark Bicknell.

I just put the kettle on anyone fancy a brew????? Regards - Mark Bicknell.