The Northern scene has always been about records that fitted the bill at the time , some being ultra soulful , many crass stompers , and some white artists that happened to sound right at the time .With the lyrical content and the fact that The M.V.P 's sounded different to a lot of other records at the time I can quite understand it's popularity , particularly as it's part of the sound track to " This England " , which would elevate this waxing to legendary status in many folks eyes .I wouldn't really care if I never heard it again , but with a lot of these records , they aren't just pieces of plastic , a lot of memories etc are tied up in them, and people can relate to them, rather like looking at an old photo , memories of a bygone era flood back .I don't think the black / white issue really comes into it , much of Gene McDaniels , Lenny Welch and even some of Ray Pollards sides veer close to M.O.R at times , as Cliff suggests , it's more a case of was it made as a Soul record [ Magnificent Men is a great example , they were obviously Soul fans .] It would be interesting to interview members of the group and find out what market they were aiming at .Best ,Eddie