Agentsmith

DAVE.E AT THE CASINO YES.....GREAT VERSION ON 12" AS WELL BY SOME OTHER ARTIST CIRCA 80 CANT REMEMBER NAME

OOOH,......( SHARP INTAKE OF BREATH & CHIN STROKE).....DONT KNOW ABOUT A TENNER STEVE?,....NOT EVEN IN THE 70'S....BOOT FOR 50P YES BUT ORIGINAL?...TKAE A RAIN CHECK ON THAT.

little scotty tune......GOOOOOOOO.....ONNNNNN!!!

ACTUALLY.... THERE IS ANOTHER VERSION.........THOUGH, AND HERE'S THE CRUNCH.....ITS NOT ON MOTOWN IN 1979 A U.K. GROUP CALLED THE YACHTS DID A PUNK RENDITION!

ACTUALLY, BECAUSE ITS A WHITE ARTIST AND ITS SUNG "WHITE" WITH LYRICS THAT ARE NOT TYPICALLY BLACK SOUNDING.....IT WOULD HAVE SUITED CHRIS CLARK DOWN TO THE GROUND....SO MAYBE WHEN YOU APPEARS HERE NEXT, SOME BRIGHT SPARK MIGHT LIKE TO SUGGEST HER HAVING A GO AT IT......YES?.....ARE WE ALL IN AGREEMENT?. ANOTHER REASON IS, AND YOU MUST ALL REMEMBER THIS, NO-ONE KNEW SHE HAD COVERED FRANK WILSON'S ANTHEM....UNTIL THE 80'S AND, AS SOMEONE HAS ALREADY MENTIONED, THE BACKING TRACK WAS CARVED A FEW YEARS AGO SO THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEM WITH SUPPLYING THE ORIGINAL MUSIC?. ........JUST IMAGINE THAT AT PRESTATYN.......BRING THE HOUSE DOWN OR WHAT?!.

Y...... HOWS THAT CHALKS?

first proper soul night i went to was around 1972 at the long acres pub in willenhall, as did a good many from secondary school at the time! those who were older than us were already frequenting the torch and the cats but the acres was the place where these people learned to dance and we, as the next generation went along to watch and learn and eventually we made the transition to wigan and the mecca. even the djs bought tunes back from the torch or from max in wednesfield. bob relf, cooperettes, just bros, travis wammack, robert knight, billy butler, o'jays, johnny jones, shakers, guy darrell, johnny sayles, trammps, bob wilson, sam & kitty, rose batiste, timothy wilson, triumphs, rufus lumley......the list is endless, my initiation....a drug of the best kind....you cant shake it off.....its enduring. the postscript to this is tinged with irony....i made an unexpected pass by the old building that had been closed for many years, just recently and to my astonishment it has re-opened and as we speak, will be hosting nolan porter in a matter of weeks at a gig being promoted by my old mate, steve powell. nolan was due to have met up with max and chalky and was contemplating a fishing session as chalks has posted....the longacres is a venue that as far as i can remember max never played, but im sure had he made the date, he would have been there, giving nolan a big hand. one of the best dancers to grace the venue was a man,i, personally never met but only heard about, jerry stack. i was only told that he was one of the top dancers at the torch as well. rob.h

if you pay attention to the interview with richard "pistol" on the SITSOM dvd, he quite clearly states whose trademark drumrolls were who's. this inevitably, for me anyway, suggests it was benny benjamin and it was 1965.....couldnt see stevie wonder doing it either. with all the literal paraphenalia we have at our disposal, it appears we have come up short with a concise dictionary of who played on what....can you believe that after 50 years?. and we'll never answer it because in the early years motown simply didnt have time to create an inventory of so many productions when they were searching for the next hit. sadly that applies also, to all the none hits, the tracks consigned to the vaults...and with many musicians now gone, who could maybe have shed light on our enquiries, we can only summise. rob.h

chalks, a big thanks to you, nolan, neil and gaz for such a touching tribute last night, can i tell you that our friends, rona and kenny.b were tuned in at my behest in edinburgh last night as were many, many other people....those who knew him, those not...it dosnt matter, he touch people's lives in a broad sense of the term and for this we owe him a great debt of gratitude. went round to see kenny onions yesterday and he is bearing up....now the bewilderment and emptiness can be corrulated into one big showing of strength and solidarity as we prepare to gather together for a celebration of max's life. once again, you did him proud and i know he is proud of you. rob,h

well, strictly speaking, we assume its a boot, but......that may not actually be strictly true as it was produced by ron murphy and being as both he and popcorn have passed away, technically we have no varification that it was a legit reissue or otherwise.

hi ezzie, just thought you might like to know, this is an old catacombs record

i was talking to ken earlier this evening about photographs featuring max, i suppose many of you out there have pictures of him, mostly the kind that announce "this is me with the legend!", having been a fixture at prestwich for a number of years, i was well chuffed when terry davies asked max to come and play a set at the longfield suite. this was off the back of terry appearing at goodyears some months earlier and being introduced to our lad then. i know terry appreciated the experience of a veteran showing he had lost none of his sparkle, exuberance or style and naturally entertained the dancers like water off a ducks back. it capped it all for me taking a photo on stage, max with his closest entourage...j.p. and ken. i also have the pics of max with ginger at prestwich and goodyears. i got a lot of pleasure being able to introduce tim brown to max as well at trentham gardens and, funnily enough i was also speaking to tim about him tonight and he remarked what a likeable guy he was on that occasion. probably my most poignant picture of all....is one i also took at goodyears about 7 years ago, that of max standing by the host of sales boxes, one arm round derek allen...thats a choker....another all-round good egg too long gone, two of the nicest, most unassuming blokes you could ever wish to meet. .......theyre upstairs now spinning, and guess what?.......ITS SOUL HEAVEN!

absolutely bang on! , and perhaps whoever you promotors and djs are and no matter where you are this weekend, everyone should observe a minutes silence or clapping even at say, midnight ( as most gigs are on at least til then or after) as a tribute to the man nationwide. rob.h

careful toad, you might get struck by lightning ( x-men)!!

thats an absolutely top idea that neil has had, especially for cats rats, many people we havent seen for years. get together after the dedication and have a drink before the trip to great wyrley. it probably hasnt gone un-noticed by many but there's a book in here as well as all the other tributes. so many stories to relate, max could read like a dictionary. havent been to temple street for decades so it will be very poignant, solemn and spinetingling just standing where THAT BUILDING stood and HIS MUSIC rang out. im sure you all agree that what wolverhampton c.s. are doing is a marvellous gesture that will cement the memories of max and his affinity with the city for all-time.

appologies, but i would find it hard to envisage marvin being given the task of producing the backbeat on a worldwide hit such as this, regardless of the fact, he was an accomplished musician and, he had already had hits....beside that the complete house band were in place and it was 1965 just prior to tamla motowns u.k. inauguration ( original stateside release). at this point benny benjamin was at the helm and dispite having a quick scan of my numerous manuals, there is precisely nothing to suggest otherwise that this is not benny's trademark drumroll...remember benny was one of the first musicians to be recruited by gordy in 59 from amongst detroit's jazz club ranks.

with reference to any posts here mentioning paying tribute at your respective gigs: so it should be and of course, a minutes silence in his honour......can all you djs and promotors assure that happens this weekend...yes? YOU MAY ALSO BE AWARE THAT ON JULY 10TH,NEIL RUSHTON IS STAGING THE CATS REUNION AT GREAT WYRLEY....36 YEARS SINCE IT SHUT ITS DOORS AND NOW ITS MOST LEGENDARY ASSET IS SILENT....HOW TRAGICALLY POIGNANT....SO IN HONOUR OF MAX WILL EVERY SISTER AND BROTHER MAKE THIS DATE AS SPECIAL AS POSSIBLE, IN PARTICULAR ANYONE WHO WENT TO THE CATS AND HASNT FOR WHATEVER REASON, ATTENDED A REUNION BEFORE, NOWS THE TIME TO MAKE THE EFFORT AND SHOW YOUR APPRECIATION OF A TRULY GREAT GUY...I KNOW THAT WILL MAKE NEILS DAY. i mentioned about the wednesday night sessions, yes max always did them on his own...at least thats what i observed....saturdays were for neil, bill baker, bazil and pep. i havent forgotten, however, there were others involved as well including: carl dene, oscar micheal, alan day alan.s, bob crocker, graham warr and various guests. i would like to think they looked on max as the star act and they were the supporting cast, views may vary on this but there's no doubt BLUE MAX WAS A GIANT WHO EVERYONE FOLLOWED. rob.h

elkie brooks, for a while, was lead vocalist with a group called vinegar joe. she was also referred to as one of the "3 liver birds" along with priscilla white and beryl marsden

WEBBY LAD, somewhere down the memory banks i seem to recall that the lead singer, and incidentally i cant recall her name at this moment in time, may have been the same person who fronted a group called liquid gold who, in 1980, had a big disco hit with"dance yourself dizzy".....now it could be chopping block time because if im wrong, then itll be pete smith calling the shots....so sharpen the axe just in case! rob.h

SORRY KEN, NOW IM TOTALLY MIFFED....NOT WITH YOU MATE, BUT THE FACT THIS IS ANOTHER DIFFERENT TAKE....YES ITS AN ACETATE AND IT HASNT BEEN DOCTORED BUT THATS AS FAR AS IT GOES....I HAVE TO TELL YOU THE ONE I REMEMBER IS DIFFERENT FROM THIS....IT HAS A DISTINCT BREAK IN THE MIDDLE AND CRYSTAL CLEAR CAR HORNS THEN A TEN BEAT RAP OF DRUM STICKS THEN BACK AT FULL PELT,....WHAT YOU HAVE THERE IS A DIFFERENT TAKE.....ILL POINT OUT THAT I WAS NOT PRESENT AT WIGAN AT THE TIME FOOTSIE WENT STELLAR AND I DONT KNOW WHO BRYN GOT HIS COPY VIA BUT IT SURE WASNT THIS VERSION. RESPECT, ROB.H

aye up ken, well spotted and i stand corrected over that minor oversight but fook! i havent seen one of these since the st. giles y.c. all-nighters!. and webby lad, pretention is the soul fox strings, BUT, its actually the belles band ( as described on the original acetate) DO YOU KNOW,....I WOULDNT BE SURPRISED IF IT WASNT THE SESSION MUSICIANS POSING AS THE BOB & EARL BAND OF "MY LITTLE GIRL".FAME. SIMON DID DOCTOR IT THOUGH WITH THE STRING SECTION WHERE THE VOCALS SHOULD BE - THE ORIGINAL BACKING TRACK IS....EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS ON THE TIN!!.

if you dont mind me relating another story which im sure j.p. and kenny will smile at: max had been booked with jp to do a gig wednesday evenings at a club/bar in macclesfield, so we jumped in max's 4x4 and toddled off. it wasnt really a northern night as much as something to entertain the locals and bring a bit more cash over the bar as midweek is a dead scene.after 2 efforts we got to july....a nice warm sunny evening.....got to the gig only to find the owner had gone on holiday, neglected to tell max and had even stowed all the disco gear away and the bar staff didnt have the keys, so that was short but sweet.......a nice leisurely drive back then......so we were passing a fishing pool....j.p. of course being astutely observant quipped: "THATS A NICE LOOKING POOL.........WONDER IF THERE'S A BILLY BASS IN IT?" we fell about!, in a manner of speaking, it was unbrldled laughter and pleasure for the next hour or so as we all played off against each other with northern soul artists names changed to sound like fish!! PERCHY WIGGINS, JIMMY RUDDCLIFFE, DANNY WHITEBAIT, WHALE'S WALLACE, PIKE AND TUNA TURBOT.....IT WENT ON AND ON!! the upshot was j.p. couldnt let this one go and must have put the thread on ktf ( dont know if soulsource was going then) 2001 and all of a sudden it went ballistic. levine, who cottoned onto this was not having any of the funny side of it, proclaiming we were all being silly which resulted in the throw the bottle out of the pram comment: OOHH PERRRRRRRRLLEEEEEEASE!! HAD SO MANY GREAT NIGHTS OUT WITH THE THREE AMIGO'S BUT MAX ABOVE ALL, ENJOYED THE BANTER, MISCHIEF, JOKING AND CAMERADERIE THAT WE FOUND IN EACH OTHER. never a dull moment with max, always chased the clouds away....he will be an eternal ray of sunshine in everybody's memory forever. rob.h

kev, without doubt, and its been mentioned here, the fabulous emotions - "funky chicken" which was the cats signature tune and my personal "headbanger" and max's anthem psychedelic soul by saxie russell, vala reegan - fireman....just 3 off the cuff....hope that helps cheers, rob.h

ken, if you and claudette are of a frame of mind, in the near future, would you please do us all the great honour of keeping us abreast of developements with regards to arrangements. its less than 2 days and the grief is still fresh and raw but if the soul fraternity pulls together we can all be strong for each other...and for you who, were his closest friends. my only wish is that we could be meeting in happier circumstances but it seems that in recent times, fate is conspiring against us. miss you loads, love rob & may

ill never forget the week after i left secondary school, i started work in a little printers/stationers in walsall 1974. in those days some employers made you work a week in lieu, so i thought i wouldnt get any money straight away, so i told my mom and expected nothin. to my amazement and delight however, i was wrong and come the end of the week, i recieved the princely sum of £8!.....i didnt tell my mom and payed no board.... .......GUESS WHERE I WENT AND SPENT THE MONEY? i purchased the likes of paul anka, laura green, dean courtney and a few others and not a penny left!!....WAS I HAPPY OR NOT?! MAX'S SHOP REALLY WAS A SPECIAL PLACE, FULL OF GOOD TIMES AND HAPPY MEMORIES....AND GREAT TUNES rob.h