Davenpete

Like the O'Jays, but it's just gotta be the Whatnauts - it's still amazes me when Ms Jones fires up those pipes. It's just a shame how relatively little product there is on her that's of interest to us (at least Northern that is), such a shame she died young - always loved the nuttiness of 'Your Love Hit Me Like TNT' (heard the obvious ones simply too much and sold them both a long time ago - kept TNT!) - I heard it said she was only 14 when she knocked it out, don't know how true that is. Dx

Does that mean you can send it back after the first month when you realise what an appalling mistake you made and only lose £50? Dx

Dave told us he remained a Director of UK Tamla Motown throughout the sixties - though he only took a peppercorn salary. As regards 'putting pressure on' he only told us that he did that with Atlantic to get Barbara Lynn and Loretta Williams released (his championing of BL was why she was so eager to meet him at the Cala Gran and why he introduced her on stage), there were others - about half a dozen, but I forget which - apparently Atlantic didn't even know they had the rights to them at the time. Dx

Judy Moss

Speak for yourself mate - never drink at nighters to speak of even when I can and never have (and well remember a universally angry reaction to people who were drunk). And actually the first night Pete went to the Wheel the old crew that took him said in the pub that he was 'allowed' 1/2 a Stout (because it fortified you) or if he REALLY wanted a drink then one Rum and Coke (though they made it clear it would be frowned upon) - of course they also gave him three Red and Browns. Dx

Personally I think the late licensing of nighters was the worst thing to happen to the scene. Dx

Ah... but do you include RicTic and Golden World/Revilot as Motown post buy-out? And what about the 'evil' Motown CW label? Dx

There are as many answers as there are records and Northern fans - I know old Wheelers that think the move away from RnB around 67 was a betrayal and that Motown is merely pop music made by black artists for white people. Conversely the boss (who started in the last days of the Wheel) is a total Motown obsessive and rates it more highly than a lot of out and out classic Northern Detroit indie stuff and hates a lot of the R'n'B I have that his older friends like. I don't think there IS a line because where Northern-ish Motown becomes 'Northern' the edges are just too blurred - partly because I don't think you can define 'Northern' any more definitely than 'music played at venues that call themselves northern soul clubs' ...and once you get into 70s and 80s stuff (Motown or whatever else) well it gets REALLY messed up - I've seen people very recently STILL damning the Mecca's move into playing 70s and disco as completely wrong more than 40 years ago on here only a couple of weeks ago. The trouble is that about 90% of Motown interest globally is in the popiest chart hits by Diana Ross, Marvin, the Four Tops and Michael Jackson with zero interest in the supreme work of the also ran artists we revere - and that the most truly expert Motown fans are those with a love of soul largely rooted in a Northern Soul youth - even if they have moved away from it as their core interest. I think nowadays most of us are old enough, mature enough and know enough to recognise that there is A LOT of soulful stuff that is great that isn't strictly northern (RnB, soulful house, disco, jazz funk, mid tempo, deep etc etc) - and a lot of currently/recently popular 'northern' stuff that wouldn't have been recognised as such 40 years ago. Dx

Heard last night from Judy Moss - didn't know him well, but he was such a nice guy - such a pity, our sincere best wishes to Val. P&D

When I started going at the beginning of 83 you could still join WCSC and get an official membership directly from Winstanley; never did, but I think they were yellow, you could also buy genuine original Casino patches - I have two or three I bought then in my copious collection of 'stuff'. Dx

Shocked to hear he passed away last night unexpectedly. A real shame - nutty as a fruitcake but a real landmark character on the scene. RIP. Pete & Dave

ONE version is a gazillion times better than the other which is so bad it's insulting IMO - no prizes for guessing which one I vote for. Dx

Nice - sounds like she's trying very hard to sound like Corey Day/Dr Buzzard. Dx

Took me years to find out what The Mayfield Singers was having had it on a tape of obscure stuff that Mickey Cruise gave me - kept bumping into various versions of Bobby Calender, Smokey Robinson etc instead. Anyway the whole thing is just fabulous, one of my all-timers, and never heard out - only come across it on the other side of ONE pressing of Don't Start None. Dx

Shadow of a Memory - one of my all-time favourites. Benny Curtis is daft though - sold mine for about £20. Dx

I watched you SLOWLY slip away belted out is a bit of an oxymoron to me - Howard Guyton all the way. Dx

Pete received a copy this morning. Have to say it's an absolutely superb job - huge credit to RS on this one. Dx

Surely it's how LITTLE you've paid for a record... Joann Courcy mint demo £20 about 30 years ago when it was in high demand off (black) Ivor Allen (ended up giving it to a close friend who'd had his records nicked as it was the one 45 he had really wanted but didn't have). Other than that never paid over a ton- though I haven't bought anything of real value for about 20 years - several I used to have are easily in the £2-3k bracket now. Dx

If you're THAT stupid how do you manage to make enough money to pay that kind of cash? Dx

Italo-disco

Bobby: Modern Soul - Vicki Sue: Disco - Both brilliant, but Vicki Sue Robinson defo the more 'Northern' and the more played - a favourite at the Whitney-Carnes:

Rita defo - the pained, yet resigned sound of her voice nails it. Betty Willis sounds like a bad school band with the key to the tambourine cupboard - and I think the brass section is playing a different tune altogether. Dx

Best of the best - probably my all time favourite 60s track - in fact we booked Dickie Watt to DJ Carlisle Allnighter in the late 90s specifically coz he had it (amongst other things). Dx

No yellow Mala pattern in the background and a clearly stuck on label on profiled vinyl rather than flat styrene for Musicor? Is it not obvious? Dx

Just occurred to me, I remembered it was a cover - and look at the writer - J Hayward.