Soul16

Yeah, it went within about five minutes of me posting. I am waiting for a box from Universal, ordered it on Saturday for a mate. Hoping there will be a Marvin Gaye in there too. It's all a bit weird really, a music scene based around rare records and here, before our very eyes, we are witnessing the birth of a brand new rarity...

As I type this, I've noticed that there is a brand new unopened set on Ebay for £40 including UK postage. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/The-Motown-7s-Box-Rare-And-Unreleased-Various-Artists-NEW-7-VINYL-SET-/151174939396?pt=UK_Records&hash=item2332ba8304 Note: This a not a recommendation, just an observation in case anybody fancies a gamble.

Could be, I've had another listen on a pair of 'high-end' headphones and I swear I could hear her breathing...

It certainly is starting to turn sour, anybody that has bought multiple sets to keep unopened, mint and unplayed may now have a double dilemma on their hands. If they have been bought with a view to being sold on in the future, they may prove easier to sell having been confirmed as a full and playable set. I notice that a reviewer on Amazon has passed comment on the missing record issue too. The Marvin Gaye 45s must be out there somewhere...

It's not you, on my system, the bass line sounds tighter and more defined in the mix. You can hear individual bass notes being played. It hasn't robbed the recording of it's original feel though.

A tiny little part of my brain is starting to become obsessed with questions, statistics, facts and figures that could be derived from this set of records... A limited edition of 2000 numbered boxes have been produced. I'm sure I've read a quote by Richard Searling, saying that there will 2200 made - Does this mean that there are 200 promo boxes out there and will the records have white labels with big red A's on both sides? How many Soul Source members have bought it? Will they play them? Will they download the mp3 copies? Where did they buy the set from? What number set do they have? Where in the world have they gone? Will the monetary value of the set increase? Is a low number more desirable? Will the sets with missing/duplicate records reveal a pattern? A numbering system is a great marketing tool, it also demonstrates a truly limited run. To be honest, I'm surprised that there are still any left for sale at all, given what is up for grabs. It will be interesting to see what happens when they start appearing for re-sale on Ebay. I'm keeping mine though, that is without question.

I would open it, if you slit the wrapper carefully with a sharp knife along one edge it can be slipped back on and it will look almost as good as it did before you opened it. Better to be sure now than to go on wondering for weeks on end...

My set was going to remain unopened until Christmas, but given that a couple of you have had duplicates/missing records I decided to open it. Thankfully all items are present and correct. It's nice to be able to download mp3 copies too, but more importantly, the quality of the vinyl is excellent - thick and firm - it feels good in the hand Very pleased with it.

That sounds OK then, it would have been too much to expect them to be like an old Tamla Motown 45 I guess. My main concern was that they would be no better than some recent 45 releases. The Frankie and Johnny 45 that came out a few years back springs to mind, maybe I was just unlucky, but my copy of that record was very flimsy and badly warped.

The Motown 7's Box Set just dropped through the letterbox, set number 896. The wife is buying it for me as a Christmas present, so I can't break the seal yet A question to those of you that have opened it - In terms of thickness, flexibility and warp factor etc, what is the quality of the vinyl like? Cheers

I still have that video tape too, I have a (pretty lo-fi) recording of Chuck Jackson and others live at a weekender in 1991, if I remember correctly. I also have some rare footage from the Old Vic in Wolverhampton, that has a good few minutes at the end with the lights on that shows a lot of faces quite clearly - I fully intended to upload it to YouTube, along with some other stuff I have uploaded in the past, but I am concerned that it may upset or cause offence because I am fully aware that certain people featured in it have since passed on.

I think you've been very unlucky to have had two records lost in the post. Waiting for expensive records from overseas can be a worrying business, I always breath a big sigh of relief when they eventually arrive! In my experience, 45s from the USA to the UK arrive between seven and ten days after posting. 'Lost' items have to end up somewhere - I posted a reggae 45 to a guy in Germany last year, he contacted me a fortnight after I'd posted it to tell me that he hadn't received it, so I gave him a full refund. Several months later it came back through my letterbox, it had been opened at some point and the package had numerous postmarks from all over Europe on it. It must have travelled thousands of miles in all that time. Don''t give up hope, your records may still turn up.

For me, it was probably the best documentary about Northern Soul that I've seen. It was well put together, done with real affection and made no attempt to poke fun at us Nice to see that 'Frank Wilson - Do I love You' was not used on the soundtrack, or the story of how much the original 45 has changed hands for, because that has been done to death. Elaine Constantine brilliantly described the excitement of being on the dance floor in a big crowd. Her forthcoming film looks promising too.

I sold all my Northern Soul Story LPs on Ebay a few years ago too, interest in them was low, each going for less than £7 and like yourself, one buyer bought most of them. I bought the first CD too, in order to get Epitome of Sound in 'glorious CD quality', but the sound quality across the CD was terrible, so bad in fact, that I felt ripped off and returned it to the shop for a refund. In my opinion, sound quality on the LPs was patchy to say the least. Kent LPs were in a totally different league, pure class.

SS102 is 'For Collectors Only' and like SS104, has some excellent tracks on it.

This is the Kelly Garrett Smash Boot/2nd Issue. I bought it 'new' around 25 years ago via a classified ad in (Black) Echoes. It came out at the same time as another two 45s - Jock Mitchell and Howard Guyton. I think they were £5 each or £10 for the three. They all look similar physically, in that they are all vinyl, have a deep slope around the centre and a raised outer edge (if that makes sense.) The sound quality on all three is also pretty good. I bought all three in fact, but have since replaced Howard Guyton with an original.

I would love Mid Tempo to make a return, I did hear this great example played out recently: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3rSa3-cLGLo&feature=player_detailpage

Blimey, the description on that listing certainly pushes home the idea that it's an original. 'HAVEN'T SEEN AN ORIGINAL U.S. COPY OF THIS IN DEMAND 45 LISTED ON E-BAY THIS YEAR SO PLEASE BID ACCORDINGLY.' That final sentence should have been extended with these words: 'ON THIS BOOT UNTIL AN ORIGINAL DOES TURN UP.'

I love the Spencers flyers! I confess to once owning two pairs of 40" bags: Airforce blue gabardine and Navy blue corduroys. My girlfriend at the time also had a Spencers full-circle skirt. Thankfully, by 1980 I realised that I'd made a fashion faux-pas and invested in a pair of the 20 pleat 'Zoots' in a lovely shade of Aubergene.

I agree, British releases usually have a longer run-in groove too, this gives an impression of manufacturing quality in my opinion. Lots of American 45s have really short run-ins and just 'grab' the stylus and drag it in with no finesse whatsoever. No big deal I know, but it's something that has always been apparent to me.

I have the spoken intro version on a red and white Calla Demo. On my particular copy, 'Promotion copy Not for sale' only appears on the (What shall I do) B side - The A side looks like a standard issue - Well, it would do apart from the big red cross that the Plugger/Radio Station daubed on the label.

£31 for the first issue of Northern Noise - I remember taking out a subscription for twelve issues, I only ever received three in total, although I understand that it did stretch to four issues. I must dig them out sometime...