Davenpete

Used to use windowlene to get water marks (as opposed to grease) off records. Dave

Thought that was pretty well known - one off my all-time favs is: The Showstoppers 'What Can A Man Do' - the B-Side of one of the biggest selling of all Northern tracks and just brilliant. 'I Still Love You From (from the bottom of my heart)' - the Four Larks - stunningly good, though pretty well known of course. Dave PS Isn't 'You're So Young' only the B-Side on the reissue? And Sammy Ambrose on UK has 'This Diamond Ring' on the other side I seem to remember - a great track in its own right and played long before Dreamsville of course.

Except for Prawn Cocktail - they should be banned. Pigeon Fancier's the first nighter with alcohol? Aside from the Ritz which pre-dates the PFC signficantly (and recorded all the naffer results that can follow from alcohol in its time - some woman called Judith got chucked out for sneaking in a bottle of Bacardi as I remember) give me a break - pretty sure the Unicorn (1985 RSG in Leighton Buzzard) and the Fleet (1983 Dedicated Soul Club days) served alcohol (though I may be mixing up the alldayers - all a Riker blur I'm afraid) and I'm sure they weren't the first either. Still think it goes against the grain big style. Dave

NO - has had nothing but negative effects on the nighter scene - hate it. Dave

If a DJ has been booked for the sounds/genre he/she has and then punters come and request stuff of a different ilk it can end up with his/her spot becoming just another spot of the same ole, same ole and defeating the object of booking them. Also in the days I used to DJ I put great store in planning a spot, so that if I played a request it meant also changing the 2 or 3 records preceding and following it to fit the flow (one of the advantages of doing the first 2-3 hours til 12 or so at you own nighter). I must admit if I was asked for a request for something I really didn't want to play I wouldn't play it (and it's easier to say 'yes' than have a stand up argument whilst you're trying to cue the next track), but if someone asked for something that I had intended to play and I didn't get it in before the end of the spot - I'd go and say sorry if I saw them. Dave PS Kris Holmes - great DJ!

Fair enough - but as I said my Pete never saw it happen when he worked there - was done on some of the pressing I believe to make them look more authentic. Dave

I notice that the header ad strip for the new book has a quote from Pete Lyster (who is he BTW - Pete doesn't know him) saying that people were requesting record centres to be punched out to make UK CP and Stateside issues records look like US issues - Pete worked there through the early 70s (71 to 74 with RS) and says he NEVER came across this - obviously Ralph did have a press, but this was for the purposes of juke boxes. Interesting how legends like this are born, I once invented Bud Harper 'Wherever You Were' on Burgundy Vocallion only to be lectured by the guy I'd wound up about it a year later about how it definitely existed coz he'd seen one. Dave

'No more flat voice to cause me pain, no weak lyrics that expose voice strain... The sound that was big back through the years is now over, it's over - better that it's over' Yuck - always hated it - one to go on the Doug Banks bonfire. Dave

Just a wondered - is there any difference between the M&C and the UK Chilites copy on Beacon? Dave

The one you're talking about is an RCA acetate isn't it. It was cut at RCA for RS when Richard worked there. Dave

Maybe he sold it BACK. Dave

Knocks spots off 'Thrill' (which personally I always found a bit lugubrious) - superb tune. Dave

I think you WILL start seeing people (like me) start sniffing around buying again (especially as many have said) now that there is a lot of quality stuff at more sensible prices kicking around - who cares about the sheep's goldrush stuff (we've ALL had a fair amount of it when it wasn't insanely overpriced)... Apart of course from the ones it still hurts not to have - will get em sometime. Bought my first half dozen records in about 4 years this month (despite the fact I deliberately don't have my record player set up at the mo as playing em causes the need to go out more than my business will allow - and with a deaf ear turned to the grumbling noises coming from the boss' chair), expect I'll be picking up more - still amazed how pricey a lot of the long term quality £5-10 jobbies I have/have had have now risen to though (must be my amazing record picking talent of 15 years ago of course ). Dave

White spirit is in fact a light oil and as such can leabe grease stains. Acetone is also a solvent to printing ink so is a no-no. Dave

Those were the days Dave

Petrol Lighter Fluid - it's what we have always used in the design business (where cut and paste artwork meant we had to do A LOT of this). You don't need to rub (which may damage the paper surface and ink) just soak it well and dab it away with a tissue. Lighter fuel is also fab for degreasing/removing finger prints off records - and doesn't touch the vinyl (be wary of using on EmiDiscs/Acetates though). DON'T use TCE / Genclean though as it's an ink solvent (think it's now banned anyway). Dave

I had originally included the point that many Motown albums during the 60s had to be released with new cover with white kids on the front in the vain hope they'd sell in the southern states, but had removed it as I felt it was too involved - there are numerous examples that can be made of this type in regards to soul/black music released in the 60s and 70s and the way it was ignored by the mass media and the wider white record buying public in the states who preferred white pop mush. As for 'don't give a flying f**k about the history of the artists, the music, the culture or any of the politics that make up the world that created Soul music' THEY DAMN WELL SHOULD - it's easy to group the SLIGHTLY interested 'Babylove' likers that go to the innumerable lightweight soul events in with the serious lovers of the music and then extrapolate that 'most' of the scene don't care about the associated knowledge - but it's like saying that everyone who bought a Soul II Soul record is part of the modern scene and therefore the modern scene is built on chart success - patent crap. As for racism - it is TOTALLY incompatible with a genuine feel for the music - the one thing a deep love of soul should teach us is that, black/white/purple, inside we are all the same. Dave

I agree with you - I didn't say anywhere that other countries shouldn't have this music - I believe in spreading the word and am always chuffed to meet you foreign johnnies at allnighters. Dx

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr! Absolute crap - every word. HOW DARE YOU talk about caring/passion for the music - guys on the UK scene have worshipped this music their entire adult lives - time on the scene must average 30++ years (even I as a relative youngster have been going 25 years - with 10 of that weekly - and that means two allnighters EVERY weekend - I missed 22 weekends in 10 years, including christmases etc when nothing was on - when you can talk about that sort of level of demonstrable love for this music THEN you can question OUR love for the music). As for 'shouldn't you have some basic respect for where the records came from in the first place' if you're black fair enough - but it was white America that ignored all this fabulous talent for purely racist reasons - occasionally buying pathetic sanitized white cover versions by the likes of Pat Boone instead - 'some basic respect'? Bollocks! We should have some deep sense of utter disgust with white America for this and every other offensive racist act perpetrated by your country in the 50s and 60s... And YOU should be utterly ashamed of America for failing to recognise this talent until WE did. You may now have a scene but (despite being where the records come from) has it EVER discovered a completely new Northern Soul record that has gone on to be popular anywhere else in the world? NO. I would say that in a market driven economy we don't have much choice about where the records go - but you're only getting our leftovers... In the 80s I knew a few of the California lads - they used to come to the UK to buy Northern coz we had it all. Dave

Was he f*ck. Though some of his Soul productions are stunning - that's equally true of Ike Turner though. There isn't a single one by any stretch if you're talking earliest quotient of soul in a voice that ain't gospel on record - but how about Paul Robeson or any number of the Blues men and especially women. On what level does Teddy Pendergrass come into it? He's only a pup (though a cracking singer of course) not being born until 1950 - he was only about 4 when HM & the BN were formed. Dave

Isn't that Richard Searling on the far left? (can't tell for definite as i can't see if he has basketball boots on). Perhaps we should run a competition for which Soul artists they look most like - a touch of dark tan boot polish (which I've no doubt the band will be wearing on Russ' show for extra authenticity) and they'd be a dead ringer for Edward Hamilton and the Arabians... Bet they can sing at least as well too Dave

Not very much as they're the most common by far. Dave

I would point out that actually Bob Kingston owns the music - well the sort of stuff that goes with this whole gorgonzola concept. Perhaps they could call it 'Pondyland', you could start the tour with a full body search, then you could have a teapot dancing masterclass to the stomping sounds of the folky shite that was used on 'This England' and finish off with one of Russ' special candlelit processions to 'the carpark' so American tourists can get a real feel for what Northern Soul is about - once they are released tourists could proceed to the souvenir shop and the special opportunity to buy a load of rare bootlegs of 'My Heart's Symphony', reproduction signed photos of Anna Ford and genuine Spencer trouser extensions... Or perhaps they'd rather pop into the caf for a tempting selection of pies and barm cakes, sherbert dips (in very small packets) and specially commissioned official Wigan Casino liquorish torpedos in black. Of course the toilets would be an experience in themselves - and an excellent revenue source through sale of the footwear concession to Hunters Wellingtons. Dave

Rain - Out of my mind. Dave

No the Scene opened after the Flamingo (which on checking up actually opened in 1952) - the term 'Allnighter' (in reference to our type of thing) was coined by the Allnighter Club that was held at the Flamingo. BTW according to Brian Rae the two girls who DJed there were playing newly released Okeh tracks on Okeh there in 63-65 coz they were going out with a couple of black GI's who were record collectors themselves, it tended to be much more soul oriented than the Scene, specially later on. Though why has the statement been made that the Twisted Wheel pre-dates Northern Soul at all???? After all the late lamented DG used the term (arguable whether he or Mr Bellars could claim its actual invention) specifically in reference to the music being played at the Wheel (we all know the story) and from what I know of TW music, the core direction of the Northern sound was pretty well formed by about 69 (though of course there was still a fair amount of proper RnB mixed in - Duke/Peacock/Chess/Kent/Modern type stuff, not that jump blues crap)- with a lot of our stalwarts already being spun there in the last 2-3 years (some of which are pretty surprising - Brian Philips played Patti and the Emblems there for instance). Dave PS Don't forget the Cats too.