Russ Vickers

Phewww I was pretty certain these were different groups. The MBS Ascots is a Miradon production, so the same group as on Miradon, I also assume the Ascots on J&S - What Love Can Do - are the same group as as on Mir a Don, as they are NYC based. For information, James Kelly Duhon - Graveyard Creep/Talmadge Armstrong - Color Me Soul, both from the Crazy Cajun LP, came out on Jetstream also, one on one side, one on the the t'other of the same 45. Russ

Was Talmadge Armstrong in the Mir a Don, MBS Ascots group...???...sorry if im being thick...

Is it the same group, I didnt think it was, the Mir a Don/Crazy Cajun group... It may have been recorded earlier (?), but wasnt released until the late 7ts....

There is a 7ts boot Andy, not sure of the matrix, but probably why it didnt really get many plays back then, think it was booted pretty swiftly.... Best Russ

Another old school soulie crosses the bar, a proper gent, always had time for everyone, always up to mischief, always talking bollox.....will miss Toby....RIP bro' & sincere condolences to family & friends....

Harry Chipezt.... Here's another thread about the Chips stickers. /forums/topic/100522-gold-stickers/ Dave Moores unused roll of 'Chips' stickers might have come in handy recently to authenticate the current batch of bootlegs....oops did I say that....lol

Ok apologies if Im missing something here, but can we have a straight up answer as to whether these are dodgy or not....youre talking in tongues lol Russ

Was actually asked to leave a store in Portsmouth VA, when the guy heard my accent. Was also at a Soul Night darn south many, many moons ago, had never been there before & cant say that it particularly stuck in my mind, other than the fact that when I picked a few discs out of some ones tut box, there was an exchange behind the table with one of his mates & all the prices became suddenly more expensive, when I asked why, I was told his mate had told him who I was....lol, laughable, as I am a bloody nobody, especially when it comes to buying cheap records out of the crap box blind !!!.... Russ 'worst record finder in NATO' Vickers

Joking apart, Traktor could be a compromise for some, especially with international gigs, never liked flying with me rekkids....

Traktor...

Ok I have only really skipped through this thread TBH, but I understand why we have to have a debate about it. Here's my take: There are too many promoters/promotions already without adding download nights. There are too many DJ's already without adding Laptop Jocks. There isnt one main regular venue a la Wheel/Torch/Casino that is a must attend, where the new is played alongside the old & we all congregate & get excited about attending, we're all too spread out over many genres & venues, without adding to that further. So do we really need to add to the already overloaded soul calendar with download nights ?. Especially as only tracks that are 'available' could be played, which kinda defeats the object for me. We are an elitist scene, that is what attracts people to it, along with the music of course, people want to feel special, like they are doing something that is different & that they are part of an elite clique, by playing downloads we're just advancing the nostalgia side of the scene, it wont make it better, it will just dilute it further. Download nights would only ever appeal to people who probably wouldnt take things any further than that particular event & it would be a night on the lash, with potentially leg over & chips with Tracy at the end, if she'd downed enough Babycham. It would serve no purpose in advancing or broadening the appeal of NS as a whole & TBH who needs even more DJ's, albeit playing from a laptop. Pandoras box is open, downloads are out there, they cant be put back in. My thoughts are that many of the best tracks are either illegal or extremely poor quality. I think if some enterprising person, put together a very proffessionally made & managed web sight, that anyone with a passing interest would find when Googling NS, that made available for sale, legal, good quality downloads of classic Northern/Modern Soul records for a nominal fee, & maybe a truthful, historically accurate history of the scene, venues & DJ's it would be invaluable to those people curious enough to want to investigate & hopefully take things a little further by attending a traditional event after listening to the 'sounds' & knowing something about it all. Thats how we should be utilising technology, & also to stop the bootleggers & make legal good quality downloads available to those that want them for thier personal use. And finally...........there are lots of younger people finding NS, attending, dancing, collecting etc, etc, just like we did....ask them if they would like to attend a 'download' night, I know what the answer would be.....I think this last point, says it all really, those that take it seriously dont want the format to change, unless of course its a previously unreleased track, only available via download !. Best Russ

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Pete, you are a proper stand up nice guy, & you are 100% loyal, but I think there is more to this than you think, I KNOW you, personally, would never be dishonest, but I think people are being mis lead & thats putting it nicely. Best Russ

The reason the boots will sell for money, certainly initially, is because of the 'they are not for sale' thing, therefore giving the impression, that theyre exclusive to a few special people. The fact that it has been inferred that there are only 30 copies of each, also gives the impression that they will soon be gone, therefore if you own one or several, it wouldnt be too long before people would just assume you owned an original. Its a brilliant sales pitch & I imagine this thread & the FB one will have the airwaves on fire, with some people desperate for copies before they 'disappear'. BTW Nik Mak is a nice bloke & has been around for decades, including having promoted Yate for a short time, he is also a well respected producer & DJ on the dance scene. Whilst I think Nik may have been a bit guillable, he has posted this information to ensure others are made aware of his experience & can consider this before they decide whether to go down the same route. Best Russ

I love the Crow, I would call it funk ?...not every ones cup of tea I know & I would be the last person to say I like every NS record, cos I don't, but to me, the record this post is about is a stinker for NS dance floors, but not saying that within its genre it isn't considered a good example, I don't know, as Im mainly interested in Soulful/Funky dance music. Best Russ

I really do appreciate the 'do it for the love of the music' attitude, but we are so behind the times on every level, I attended venues last year, which I had travelled a couple of hours for at least in some cases & disappointed would be a huge understatement, yet if you read the promotional blurb & the post night write up from the promoter or promoters mates/DJs you would have thought it was the best night on the planet....18 people including DJ's in a 200 capacity venue, 12 people in a venue that at most would have held possible 50 if you were lucky....I'll be honest, I've had better house parties with better attendance....it puts me off travelling now & that's from someone who would jump in the car at 10pm on Saturday night & go 'right where are we going'....Im up for it, but seriously few venues that are worth it......

Seriously, on the South Coast you'd be lucky to get any decent venue below about £300, maybe a little less, but not much, you may also get lucky & stumble across something suitable for less, in the same instance, a venue I looked at last year wanted £600 for a Saturday Night 8pm - 2am, not including security, add on your equipment, back up equipment, sound engineer, DJs, promotion costs etc, etc, etc, working that out quicly, based on 100 people attending (hopefully worst case scenario), your talking about £10 - £12 entrance fee. If you wanna use cheap, unsuitable, venues with no atmosphere or class (or amenities) then do it on a shoe string, but I think most people are prepared to pay a little more to get a quality, classy event....depends upon how proffessional you are really, it is after all a business venture, admittedly for most of us, non profit making, but it is business & I hopefully have a reputation for putting on events with a bit of class. And yes, ALWAYS pay the DJs the pre agreed fee, ALWAYS. Russ

Sorry...who ???....:-)

I was charging £5 the £6 entry to a Soul Night in the 9ts. I had great venue, top sound system, security & 'name' DJs who always got paid, even if it had been a quiet night & it came out my back pocket (fortunately there wasnt too many of them). Promoters should be using good venues & quality equipment & have security (I thought security was a legal requirement ?). If I was to promote again, my prime concern would be to provide a quality night, with all the above & more. I would be charging at least £8 entry, possibly more & that folks, is it in a nutshell, you provide a quality experience, & when you work out your outlay for the promotion, you charge an admission that covers all the costs, as well as your personal costs as the promoter, if you cant afford to do it & do it properly, dont bother, thats why we have every Tom, Dick & Harry promoting, using f*cking Scout Huts, with sh*t equipment & mates DJing for free thinking theyre Fatboy Slim or summat, with a box of bootlegs & re issues....the worst thing is, that idiots actually attend these cowboy events, which takes punters away from the REAL Nights doing it properly. IMO a quality Allnighter should be charging at least £15, if they are doing it proper like. Best Russ

Definitely not for me, there are so many brilliant soulful dance records out there, why play white pop records ?....I'm sure its respected within its genre, but should not be played at a Soul event. Best Russ

It was of course you who reminded me of this Keith....Happy New Year my friend. Best Russ

Don't know mate TBH just a great record & t'other side aint too shabby either.....hopr your well buddy.. Best Russ

Trinikas - Black is Beautiful - Pearce Please PM with price & condition, original only NOT the Numero re issue. Money waiting, with immediate payment for the right copy. Thanks Russ

Loved it....great article on what were amazing times for cutting edge Rare Soul....this era pretty much defines me & my tastes to this day, I felt that by just attending these venues we were influencing the scene....without the venues of the 8ts, I truly believe that we wouldn't have the scene as we know it today.....thank you for documenting the era so well Chalky & a book would really ensure that these truly fantastic All Nighters could be documented for all time, as there is still a massive chasm in some peoples minds with regards to this era, a book would ensure that this hugely influential period of NS history was recorded accurately by a person/people that were there, as it is quite often shamefully ignored or written off as the 'lean times', when we know they were the best (better ?) times....thank you

I want one !!!.... If anyone does know it can they either post or PM me pse. Russ