Russ Vickers

I'm so pleased you have fond memories of the Sam Dees night........it was & still is a high light of my soul life. Your recollections with regards to the DT interview are correct, but what happened to it is anybodies business, I do know there was a small bar provided in the Green Room & I can only guess it was used . Maxine & Keith are dear friends who we seldom see these days, but along with Ben Summers & Lloyd Attrill they were part of the fabric of the Uptown Down South promotions as resident DJ's, they also helped in countless other ways too. Thank you for your response & kind words............BTW Boomerang would be MY cup of Char, but difficult at present as I am working abroad........but when the opportunity arises I'll be up like a shot.......! Best Russ

Nothing special at all - Just a below average boogie tune, love JJ voice, but over synthed like most of its genre.......dont think we would be discussing this if it wasnt perceived to be rare. Best Russ

I have to say I quite like it, its the sparse naivety that I like, but I'm sure Dave Thorley sold one recently for far less than this ???......I dont mind paying market price for discs on my 'wants' if I'm a bit flush, but some people will pay almost anything seemingly !. At the end of the day people can & will pay what they feel a disc is worth its there perogative, but I thought this was over the top for the condition. Best Russ

Papa Bear & Cubs You're So Fine VG- Finished on ebay last night at $1625 (almost £1000) ..........is this really worth a grand, especially in this condition ???. Best Russ

Thats fantastic..........thank you very much. I'll get back to you. Best Russ

I've had this on a carver for years.......I have never played it out, as when I asked Butch he said NO ........this was before he had played it I believe. Best Russ

Its a pleasure mate............I'm ex Royal Navy (30 yrs man & boy ), couldnt hack it as a 'civvy', so I work for the Foreign Office in Baghdad now..........I get home every 6 - 8 weeks or so for a couple of weeks, so still do Nighters & Soul nights when ever possible. My link with Soul civilization is shows like yours & of course SS & other internet sites.......keeps me sane out here in the sand pit . Keep at it........... Best Russ

Listening to the show lol ......I'm in Baghdad & there's a time difference, still stupid '0' clock tho'....I'm afraid after all these years I'm a bit of an insomniac.......thank you for the info, really enjoyed the show mate....keep it up. Particularly enjoy the progamming of both the new & old, right up my strasse. Best Russ

Think its worth knowing there is a listen again feature on the radio station sight..........wanted to listen to this show for months & didnt realise until now......... Best Russ

Hey mate, you n the Welsh contingent were bloody marvellous, every time Jenny & I would see you it would make our night, knowing you had put that much effort into being with us. I'm very good & will hopefully catch up with you some where when I'm back home..... Best Russ

Thanks Steve........are you able to scan it up please. Thank you. Russ

Thank you Theresa, happy days indeed, you, Drew & the gang were always there to support us & were very much a major part of the fun.........nothing much as changed then . Thank you for posting the photo.......that was a hell of a night........ Say hey to Justin for me....... Thx Russ

Ben, how are you mate.........that would be fantastic if you could scan em up. Will never forget your contributions which were such an integral part of it all. BTW Can you remember the TV show which filmed at Abshott & we all went to the studio to watch the filming there with Lloyd & Julie. Well, I had a copy of the footage shot at Abshott (which was very good if I remember correctly). I lent it to Lloyd & have neve seen it again . Dont spose you have a copy do you Ben ?. We should get together mate for a beer or summat..... Best Russ

Hi Garv So glad you enjoyed the UDS promotions, very happy memories for me too. Thank you for the kind words. Best Russ

Thanks for the reply. Best Russ

Hi Paul - Hope all is well with you, as like you I am very suprised generally when I see an Allnighter as finishing at 4am, however promoters wish to spin this its a Soul Night........IMO an Allnighter should finish at the earliest 6am to be described as such. I can only guess that by misrepresenting events in this way it gives the promoter & or the attendees the presumed kudos of saying they have promoted or attended an Allnighter. We had the best of times Paul & I look back on that part of my soul life very fondly indeed. I'm not sure the scene will ever be the same again or recover fully from the mass of returnees & the sheer volume of localized events that have sprung up to accomodate them all over the country. I think there are still some hardcore attendees & travellers left out there who have always supported the 'real' Northern/Rare Soul scene & there are some great events that cater for them, but on the whole other than supporters of the nostalgia events its a very small scene indeed & will continue to dwindle. You only have to look to our own backyard to see events like the Railway Club in Bournmouth with its more diverse & interesting music policy closing its doors & more oldies/commercial type promotions like the Pier seemingly over flowing with punters, this isnt a critism, just an observation, as a promoter its fantastic news, as a lover of events with a more diverse playlist & a view to at least playing a few unknowns/new or recent releases along side everything else its not so good & the soul scene is a poorer place for it. I tend to agree with all the points regarding my brain wave about using clubs after hours so to speak & I'm pleased it has answered some questions. I should be home mid July mate & we should hook up if possible, give my love to Jay & thank you for the input, I am now removing my rose tinted spectacles . Russ

Now that sounds like a good crac mate........so long as you dont laugh at my records like Disco Dave does...him & Jas have me in bits when we have one of our 'home' sessions......strangely I remember the culmination of one particularly heavy night, was us discussing how we could blow up my shed with nothing more than a bottle of vodka & a sock....I think Mr C was there too ..........I also remember one of Daves birthdays were we were running round Mollys garden half naked pretending to be a horse, I cant remember now how or why any of this happened.............. be scared Paul, very scared . I will be in touch my friend Russ

Thank god Andy........I thought I was the only mad one left lol . Hope you are well mate best Russ

Thing is Chalky, I'm an old romantic & cant help hoping that I can eventually promote successfully again - its not for any personal gain, more about the music & the buzz, its an itch that wont go away. I'm well aware of the venue over kill at the moment & as you know, I'm working abroad right now, but eventually when the time is right I'm hoping to come back with a bang !!!...........& I have a cunning plan Hope you are well mate Best Russ

As I have mentioned this is all about information gathering really, but I would envisage that a bar would be open for the sale of non alcoholic beverages, tea, coffee & snacks. I have nothing in mind particularly other than gauging opinion with the prospect of using the information possibly in the future, but nothing planned as yet.......it was just a thought regarding finding a suitable venue & on the surface of things using a venue after there usual night seemed to be something worth pursuing & the information you guys provide especially the promoters is invaluable in order to make informed decisions. Best Russ

Your very kind Dave, many thx. Russ

An extremely good point mate & one I have been considering for a while now. Thanks for the reply. Best Russ

Hi Chris, thank you for your reply.........I was only just thinking about you & Marcelle, hope you are both well. I think you have a point Chris, its just soooooooo difficult to find suitable venues at the right price, particularly round our neck of the woods, so I was trying to think outside of the box. On the south coast it would be nigh on impossible to even think about getting the numbers in that some where like Radcliffe does, mainly because of the location, nothing to do with how well said venue might be promoted, so a left field approach to securing a quality venue, at the right price seems one way to do it & this was just one idea I was considering. I became a bit side tracked as I wasnt expecting 'no alcohol' to be a major issue & was suprised. This is all a little rhetorical anyway, as in my current situation I couldnt really do any promoting & I would certainly have to think about the busy soul calendar & whether another Allnighter was either wanted or needed at this present time, albeit on the South Coast. Take care mate & love to Marcelle Best Russ

Oi you steady on .........of course there are many people like ya self Dave who can indulge without spoiling it for others & I personally dont mind whether alcohol is sold or not.......it wasnt aimed at you or anyone in particular it was a generalisation & intended tongue in cheek slightly. I also appreciate you travel Dave (which is no mean feat as I know you dont drive). The point is there are venues out there that might be extremely suitable for an Allnighter, which after 2am are sitting empty, I think what I am suprised at is that it seems some people might not attend because there is no bar, especially as in theory & I know not everyone has the same taste, the music policy & line up were right. Also, Karen, I was thinking of the Soul Night being on the door step or extremely close to the Allnighter venue, certainly within staggering distance, this is all supposition of course at the moment. When being insulting, if I have missed a genre of the Soul Scene, let me know & I'll try & include them next time lol . Hope you are well Dave, see ya soon Best Russ