Davenpete

Billy Butler and the Artistics have got to be up there somewhere. Dx

Sam Dees ludicrous - remember selling mine for £20 (nigh on 30 year ago of course). Dx

I believe that the Billboard 'Best Disco' label (so Kev told me) was based on claimed membership (200k+) and Billboard assuming that the members would all vote for their own club - had it been Troggs in Hull (yes there was one, with the same sparkly batcave decor as Pete tells me Farnworth had) with 210k membership the IT would have been awarded the world's best. Dx

Johnny Gilliam 'Room Full of Tears' - hands down. Dx

I know that Brenda (and Patrice) had a deal where she paid for her own studio and production time (in exchange for a better royalty deal for the stuff that WAS released) - so getting her in the studio excessively meant that Motown were owed lots of money, making their books look great to the bank at a time when the company was actually skint (in fact she still technically owes them about $50k - though nevertheless they've always been very good at paying her royalties). It strikes me too that much of the unreleased stuff sounds quite 'independent' Detroit compared to the bulk of their releases at a time when BG was driving hard to consolidate 'the motown sound' as something different and identifiable. Dx

Remember RS playing Bobby Womack's Gypsy Woman and announcing it wasn't due for release in the states for three weeks. Fabulous allnighter. Dx

We did Shotts from Swindon in deep snow most of the way on a SECOND night once (about 750 miles) - forget where we went on the Friday. Me and Pete co-ran the White Heather on a Friday, down to Donny at Saus and Wendy's all Saturday and then the 100 Club, back to Donny - home Monday lunchtime (about 700 miles). Did Morecambe allnighter from Oxford on a scooter (450 miles), and on another weekend Lowestoft Allnighter, Chelmsford Alldayer and the 100 Club on a scooter (350 miles). Always did Peterborough Fleet on a scooter from Hull when I was at college (220 miles). Dx

We have quite a number of these - and some very early Blues & Souls that Les Cockell left us. Dx

Er... I haven't seen our lady of the Springfields. Or indeed Bobby Paris. Dx

Gene Woodbury - cleaner sound. Dx

Given it was written after Marc Bolan died this is crushingly sad.

A good rule of thumb is that it's impossible to own too many Margie Joseph records....

Fairly obvious - but it's got to be Clyde McPhatter - Please Give Me One More Chance...

Tony & Tyrone - Please Operator - Les Cokell used to have it on his answerphone. Dx

Arguable how 'Northern' it is but love Deep Sensation 'Somehow, Somewhere (there's a soul heaven)' - plus it uses a great sample (Southshore Connection 'We're On the Right Track') Dx

Looks like slight water damage - maybe someone tried to do something silly like bleach the felt tip off. Dx

RS once told me he thought the most perfect Wigan sound was the Casualeers. Dx

I was including for its awfulness. Dx

Dave ran the school blues club and even though a few years older than Jagger - DG continued to operate the club after he left and so was running it when MJ got involved. Dx

Wigan pop sh*te. I can't see how any of the nasty ones slot legitimiately into a 'Top 10' - gives quite a skewed impression of Northern.

He's tending to stay in at the mo. Dx

Rick (and Sue) is one of the very best of the best - with a simply fabulous collection too. Dx

There's always payback from all those years getting on one - you can't escape the flashbacks Algis my friend - you can't escape the flashbacks Algis my friend - you can't escape the flashbacks Algis my friend. Dx

Seem cheap on the whole to what things seem to be going for nowadays - everyone must be spent up going to Benidorm. Dx