Len

Send him mine to please Kevin - Thanks. All the best, Len

Funnily enough, I was talking to Glen Bellamy about this very subject just a short while back at The Nags Head, I asked him about a record I bought years ago (Can’t for the life of me remember what it is right now though) Glen remembers absolutely everything about records, and as he says, he normally only has to be told the once and he’s got it (in the memory bank) I do think there is definitely something unique in some collectors, and the more they use it, the stronger it gets. It must have something to do with being really interested in the subject (You listened at School if you were actually interested) but on another level - Gary Holyman is someone else who seems to have that gift. …..Unfortunately, I do not (far from it) and at times I find it really frustrating, even a bit embarrassing in my younger days, but nowadays I actually find it very amusing at times. Well done to all those who do have ‘the gift’ - I am a tad jealous! All the best, Len

It sure is Kev Len

I knew that!!! Len

Pretty much up to the time of The Embankment's final night (2007) things were still underground. As Carl Fortnum said about it - Back then, if you weren't on the Scene you simply wouldn't have known about it.....Which is very true (and in hindsight, very special) Len

This has absolutely nothing to do with 'marketing' I'll have you know! (For a rare change I have to admit!) Had you seen this second Vid mate? I just scanned through it again, and I just luv the old strip lights at the bar above the Silhouettes of everyone - Just as I remember the good times ....Oh how things have changed....... Len P.s - See you at 'Lennys' Oct 11th

Of course - We'll never forget Lord Vanner! All the best, Len

Here's the actual link to The Wellingborough Soul Club Final Night at The Embankment Club 2007 (I could have done both as one thread, but wasn't sure how long my mate was going to be messing about with You Tube - I hope there's no confusion!) (As stated on other link) I like the bit where Roger Banks is playing ‘Sam Fletcher - I’d Think It Over’, and the camera pans round showing the footage on the wall from the projector. Also Dave Vanner playing his ‘Mellow Souls - Hey Girl’ C/U - A Neil Bull discovery (Mick H also picked up on this a while later) ((7 Mins 29 secs in / not much of it actually!!!)) Len https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfVrKUUlQkM

I know - There's no hiding that fact now! Len

The Wellingborough Soul Club Final Night at The Embankment Club 2007 Hi Folks, Here’s the Final night at The Embankment Club in 2007. It manages to capture the atmosphere pretty well. I like the bit where Roger Banks is playing ‘Sam Fletcher - I’d Think It Over’, and the camera pans round showing the footage on the wall from the projector. Also Dave Vanner playing his ‘Mellow Souls - Hey Girl’ C/U - A Neil Bull discovery (Mick H also picked up on this a while later) ((7 Mins 29 secs in / not much of it actually!!!)) Again - Enjoy! All the best, Len P.s - For The Wellingborough Soul Club 3rd Anniversary at The Embankment Club 1997 see this link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NfVrKUUlQkM

It may well be! I didn't know him back then Brace yaself for the Final Night Vid (10 years later)......By the way, did you clock the great pic of Carl Fortnum in the photo's at the end? ....Also Gary Spencer is in there somewhere (amongst others) Len

The Wellingborough Soul Club 3rd Anniversary at The Embankment Club 1997 Hi Folks, For those that are interested - After a lot of hard word getting this to load on You Tube (courtesy of a good friend) here is a film of The Wellingborough Soul Club’s 3rd Anniversary at The Embankment Club from1997. I actually started the events there in 1992, under the banner of ‘Soul Time Promotions’ along with Rob Glover, and after two years we went our separate ways and I started The Wellingborough Soul Club, continuing the events at the same venue (Whilst Rob started The Buzz) It is over an hour long, so you need a bit of time on your hands - It includes some good interviews with some of the characters from ‘days gone by’. Admittedly it’s bit ‘amateurish’ but it captures ‘a time’ quite well Long live the Glitter Ball! Enjoy All the best, Len P.s - To follow (at some point) will be The Wellingborough Soul Club’s Final Night, which has some great footage (albeit a bit ‘wobbly’) Edit - Here's the link to The Wellingborough Soul Club Final Night at The Embankment Club 2007 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T72WSwuBasU

It's a tactic - As are many descriptions of records........"An absolute must for any Northern Soul D.J"..........."This is the holy grail".......etc, etc...... Personally I luv em - they often make me chuckle (defo not a major crime) All the best, Len

Although I appreciate the lady (or whoever that may choose to hold these lessons) means well, to me, Northern Soul dance lessons are just ‘wrong, wrong, wrong’ I remember my first few nighters at The Fleet in Peterborough, I didn’t dance at all because I was too scared to - and I like that! A while later I was at Loughborough Town Hall (1985) and it took what seemed like an age for my mates (all older than me) to ‘lure’ me onto the dance floor - I felt a right pr*t (and more than likely looked liked one) but my mates simply smiled, and eventually I found my own way realising that it didn't actually matter - That is one of the special things of the Scene (or was) Even today, some 30 years later, I still much prefer to find a DARK corner, and do ‘whatever I do’ - It is not about ‘looking good’ All the best, Len

That's a fair comment mate, and fair enough that they are not for you. Although I have to say, there are good Mid-tempo tunes and bad ones (as in the wrong ones) if that makes sense. I do think the appreciation of this type of Soul music is somewhat regional, and my experience of events in and around London for instance seem to really like these type of tunes. Although I disagree on the awkward beat bit (well for the ones I play at least), and have seen lots of people thoroughly enjoying dancing to these, I do agree they are not Northern in the traditional sense. I prefer a night to have 'light and shade' musically, which of course includes the traditional Northern sound. All the best, Len P.s - To explain my comment....."I don’t want ‘the same ol’ same ol’ OR ‘the same new same new’".......We all know what hearing the 'same ol same ol' is, what I mean by hearing the 'same new same new', is that if I may go somewhere like Life-line for instance to hear these, I don't particularly want to hear those same records somewhere else (or being played by someone else) time and time again, as even those great records risk getting stale. P.p.s - I saw a young lad in somewhat 'traditional' dress this Sat gone. I don't know him, but he was really getting into it, definitely feeling the music, and was by no means a 'div' (It was nice to see)

I disagree with this (kind of) as in - there are plenty for a lot of people……… Ok, so most (if not all) have been played before, but no one, and I mean no one would know them all - In fact I’d say on average most people would know less than a quarter. Through the 80’s the D.J’s were playing records for only a matter of weeks before they shelved them, and in that time relatively very few people would have heard them. I don’t want ‘the same ol’ same ol’ OR ‘the same new same new’, I want the middle ground. I intend to spend my ‘D.Jing time’ breaking these records for a second time, and hopefully a wider appreciation can be had for these fantastic ‘underused’ tunes (There are loads of them) My take on things is actually a positive one, I think while all around we are moaning and criticising (which I often do as for me, generally this past decade hasn’t been up to much) there are little pockets of (what I call) the ‘New Wave Soul Scene’ developing, and I think they will eventually flourish into something very special when a lot of events fade away in the next 5 years or so. All the best, Len P.s - Although some of the young people have had criticism for maybe being slightly misguided, I also think they will find their way ok and be in there at the beginning of what will be an exciting time (getting the same buzz as you older guys did in the 70’s)

Btw, my first 'taste' of such a thing was when I read the back of the Destiny L.P 'The Record Collector', where it stated things like 'Arin Demain - Silent Treatment' - First played by Soul Sam at......etc. At the time I don't think I knew who Soul Sam was (or any of the D.J's mentioned) but I remember it absolutely intrigued me, so I guess that is where my interest stemmed from. All the best, Len

I've always been very interested in who discovered records (also credit where credit's due) Then after that (and they are two very different things) who broke the records, as in who managed to 'sell' them to the dance floor, because that bit can take some doing. Again, credit where credit's due for doing so. Nothing sinister or political in this, I just find it interesting. All the best, Len

I'm on it Len

Well said mate. I'm also finding it interesting - This threads situation is purely and simply someone wanting to hire a venue to celebrate their Birthdays (Happy Birthday btw) which it seems, unfortunately resulted in confrontation when a nice chat would have sorted it. Putting the Birthday Party situation to one side for a moment (and to streeeetch the thread out as long as humanly possible) - looking back over a number of years, no one would dream of approaching a venue to hold a Soul event that was already being used for that reason by somebody else - That person has the Soul events covered there. 'Defensive' is the correct word, as in to defend the event by 'batting off' anything that would effect it - this especially includes someone else putting on another event because doing so 'muddies the water', and worse could confuse the punters when they are not the same 'product' (Worries being that this second person's event could put people off going back to the first persons event) That 'defence' was never needed a few years ago - there was a lot more communication between promoters about dates - Nowadays, there's a lot more promoters, and less communication (or burying ones head in the sand!) All the best, Len

No one wins though - I feel for ya mate All the best, Len

He better not! :D Len

Yeh I know - We have it covered! ......I was leaning towards him using the 'Charm offensive' Len

Ok it was 'very very' badly worded All the best, Len