Davenpete

Les Cokell once told me that on SOME nights at the Wheel there was SUCH a high proportion of gay (god I hate that term) blokes that today it would be considered a gay club, as it happens Zan made a similar comment last time we were out with him. I strongly agree with the comments Dave made - and indeed had similar discussions myself with him in his later years when I got to know him, similarly I draw a connection between those who are Jewish and soul (the old Blackpool Cyberman himself being a prime example). Whilst we've never been huge in number, we've ALWAYS been on the scene and in perhaps larger numbers than you breeders may be aware of - though of course NS is basically an egalitarian scene where it SHOULDN'T matter either way. Dave PS Though long before my time - the area around Canal Street has been 'gay' for a long time - way back before the Wheel was there.

I would point out that he used to DJ for the International Soul Club events that Kev used to do in Coventry. As far as I was aware he's never done anything but heap praise on Motown and Soul in general - unlike so many UK pop artists/producers others who've just ripped it off wholesale and never given credit - why all the scoffing? Dx

More like 'Mod on a Mountain Top'. The girl looks like my cousin who as it happens is a conservator at the Natural History Museum - though she's not one of our's. Dx

Er... it closed January 30 1971 (the boss was there). How about theft of the Wheel collection resulting in the involvement of collectors in DJing and a resultant move towards more obscure imports etc and a rapid development in 'the sound'. Dx PS Russ the move to Whitworth street was 66

Carl Carlton knocks spots off this. RSARSE?

Craig Westwood and Gary Warmsley

Vince whatever happened to jacking in collecting - you're a bad man Hope you're well Dave

Watch the bleedin film. Dx

I suppose this is more or less the right place for this porridge brained ramble today - and I'm sure it's been said before but... Having received a copy of the Soulboy DVD as a 'special birthday treat' from little brother I finally got round to watching it about 4.00am this morning (note to self - remember that unlike yer usual fry up weekend an evening do on a Sunday does NOT provide 24 hours to achieve a vague semblance of normality ready for work on Monday). Amazing! Music set 'feel', period, actual records included - all wrong for the ostensive year (and not simply in detail - it just WASN'T anything like right) - after several replayings and rantings by the Boss we discovered Double Cooking burbling in the background that must've come on by accident from Tunstall Hospital Radio on the old radio that was scene dressing during the 'please cut my hair so it looks like it will do in 5 years time please, give us a snog' scene... Kev surely you've got licence option on about £50 worth of licensable material from the KTel (seriously) vaults that'd been more representative of the supposed period... Alarm bells rang when I saw 'specially recorded original Northern Soul soundtrack' flash on the cover, should've said 'ill-advised investment of limited budget on inexplicable own goal'... Then out of dazzling glare of the gloom beneath the 'Wigan' balcony Jimmy Radliffe and 'The Black Ship From Hell'?... Were there subliminal messages being sent out there? Dancing patchy of course (why not just pick out some of our lot and get the makeup artists to nip down B&Q for polyfilla) - what was weird was that the floor moved just completely wrong as a whole - I guess the extras must've been filled out with show kids from Yvette Pottie's Five Towns Academy for the Performing Arts (and Launderette). Loved the Rambo style dance off - they must've got confused when they saw those bits about kick boxing champions in past Northern TV documentaries. ...The whole thing felt like a strange sort of 'legendary gritty realist dramatists triumph again with new Grange Hill spinoff 'Zammo Goes Casino Crazy for Piped Vests and Barm Cakes' - no doubt much lorded amongst Guardian and Independent Arts Critics for it's uncompromising portrayal of a young girl choking to death whilst trying to swallow giant black and whites on the dancefloor ('they MAY have been 4 times the size of a red and brown, but for all the good they did me I might as well have stuck them up me arse' - no change there then) ... A later-day Boys from the Black Stuff for the 3 Day Week Generation - only with big trousers, no tarmac and Les 'The Ginger Harry Green' Battersby. Must admit though you have to give the young production team their due - I never thought that the BBC's Wigan Casino Play for Today from the late 80s would EVER be out-dafted- at least THAT was darker inside than Shotts at 4.00am in mid summer... Though you know I DO have to say that it's not until you hear oldies that've not been played for 25 years-plus that you're reminded just HOW good they were - and remember that as a group they recorded so many more great storming cuts that are so much less well known than Tiger Feet - which appeared to be the key theme track that tied the whole package together. 'Music consultant Keb Darge' - you NAUGHTY man. Still towards the end it was lovely to see everyone's favourite (especially mine) dancefloor sprinkler system - Graham from Cheltenham - a west country diamond amongst the taffs. Dave 'I hope my head's less potted when the clients role up this afternoon' Carne PS What goes around comes around - did anyone notice the 'With the Support of the Stoke City Cultural Heritage Fund' credit? Do you reckon anyone can persuade the West Yorkshire Police Community Liaison Team to put on a Charity Northern Soul Gala Dinner and Evidence Planting Dance in aid of the Queens Hall Allnigthter World Heritage Site Campaign Committee (incorporating Crofty's Echoes Bankrupcy Memorial Garden and Paul Philips Heritage Trail project). .. .One last thing - promise - once again a VERY happy 60th to that finest TRUE gentlemen - Mr Sneddon - from both me and the boss.

I for one haven't eaten cat food of any description since I saw those ads, despite the fact it tastes much better than Lambrini. Dave

That's exactly what it is - simply MG speeded up - remember it coming out, it was pretty well known that was what had been done with the release (probably got one kicking around somewhere myself). Dave

Looking at this I'm amazed!!! Seems to me Funkaddict is giving a quite reasonable 'be a bit wary' heads up and all he seems to have received is abuse! FA says clearly he knows the guy doesn't own any of the records. I've seen similar warnings from dealers on this site about other ebayers etc with no more proven justification than FA has supplied (which seems pretty damn well reasoned to me) and yet they aren't bombarded with suggestions that their post is sower grapes or a sneaky way of knocking out the bidding competition. On face value FA seems to have been trying hard to be helpful... And I now see from the last postings that the aforementioned suggested hooky ebayer has turned out to be exaclty that - are we now gonna see apologies delivered to FF with equal gusto? Dave

CDs give you warts. Dave

Brian Rae knew a guy at Stateside in the promotions department who said that there were an absolute minimum 500 copies pressed of every single red and white. Dave

I used to ride down from Hull where I was at college in 83/84/85/86 with Martin Midgley from Bradford and Striker from Hull etc (then up from Oxford), remember doing Loughborough/Stafford double from Oxford on Scoot, then soon after Bucky's Lowestoft nighter followed by Chelmsford alldayer and then the 100 Club (350 mile round trip), the first year or so out of college I did almost all my nighters by Scooter on me tod (unless I had a passenger - now that WAS tiring!) regardless of where they were (inc Morecambe, Brian's Wheel Revivals and Mexborough by Scooter from Oxford and Peterborough then Leighton Buzzard alldayer from Hull). Used to see Ratty from the Mansfield Monsters everywhere I went on his scoot too. Remember someone with broken leg - didn't you go to Leighton Buzzard with it too? I remember someone off their head, being quite pleased as to how good a cast was for spinning on. Dave Carne (ex-Oxford Roadrunners)

Fond, fond, fond memories of this place - where I started my regular nighter going, the little room used to be great when it was totally pitch dark. Dave

It's not a case of 'faking' an Emidisc - they are merely a brand of acetate available to anywhere who bought them to cut at the time - this could be a legit record company, a school language lab (where most of the machines were) or some dodgy b*stards in Carnforth. Dave

Absolutely - if talc isn't needed in the 'right footwear' how come professional ballroom etc dancers use it? (well french chalk - same stuff without the pong) That said I hardly dance nowadays as I'm fatter than ever and miraculously unfit - and rarely bring talc (as I nick a bit of what's on the floor when I actually do jump in for half a record). Too much talc as the original post is however a ridiculous affectation that ain't got a lot to do with improving the floor's characterisitics - and indeed is positively counterproductive as you'll end up arse over tit if you put any effort into your feet. Dave

A goodly chunk of the above can be attributed to young Mr Roberts (it's actually Liz on Corrie who's the old soulie - Kev got chatting to her at an airport and it kicked off the story line). ...However with so many people having been on the scene over the years it's inevitable that it will surface, just think of the number of pop stars who have popped up here and there over the years at nighters never mind anyone else. Dave

Personally I loved it from the moment I first heard it (Peterborough 83), long before I was aware of rarity etc - the 'hand made' quality of the recording/vocal adds to the 'realness' for me. Given the simplicity of the label etc I would be very nervous of the fact that at the current price tag you could well afford to invest in matching the original perfectly with a counterfeit (don't know what matrices are on it - but even the most complex could be perfectly matched by a gravure die maker). Dave

Got to know him fairly well in his later years and I have to say it was an absolute privelidge on every level (he was a great lover of our dog who always got his own Christmas card) - rarely talked about music at all with him (something of a relief I think for him given how much he got bombarded with one track conversations when he made it out) - we shared a lot of interests and politics... As I'm sure everyone would agree he was truly a one-off the like of whom I will certainly never meet again. Dave

The Admirations - always leap on the floor and then remember I just cannot catch the beat even though it's one of my alltimers. Dave