Pete S

It does, thanks. Weird thing is though, I had this at the time it was being played and never remembered the vinyl being particular thin.

Would really like an answer to this without people just quoting the JM book if possible, someone must know. Below are two copies of this record that I have, the first one is 100% bootleg with it's much brighter yellow label, flat surface on the label. The second one, I think is an original, the label colour is right, it has a dip before the centre. The problem with the second one is that JM says it should have an F/W stamp on it. This one doesn't. Surely this wasn't popular enough to warrant two separate bootlegs in different styles?

They are large letters in the UK and small packets when sent abroad.

I've got a reggae version of If You Don't Watch Out, well that's what it's called anyway, can't remember who it's by but I'd never heard the Eloise Laws record so I thought she was doing the cover version

It does explain this above, several times, about the sounds changing, the speed or BPM of the records increasing as the Northern scene got older.

It's going to be £2.28 or similar Chris. 1st class recorded in mailer with three bits of card. I asked them friday. Mentioned elsewhere.

I send every single by first class recorded, currently £1.86, this is going up to I think they said £2.28.

No offence intended here, but it says Nashville Matrix not Nashville Mains, why did people start using this term, must be 20 years now.

Sean, Gene McD - might have been played locally before the late 77 early 78 period but I never heard it at any big venue.

90's more like. Never heard it out. These sort of records were known as "tape swappers" records.

Well no not really because you also had records like Bobby Bland - Call On Me which were just as slow..that was played as far back as 1966

I don't get this BPM thing, sometimes if I do a mix podcast I'll put a jungle track on and these sound like really superfast drum and bass things, but the BPM calculator always puts them near the bottom of the BPM list, yet to me they sound the fastest!

Just thought of something, in early 1978 I got a copy of Garnet Mimms "It was easier to hurt her" on a reissue EP, well I put it on a cassette and played the tape when we were on the train to Wigan one night, he won't remember it but Eddie Hubbard was in the carriage with us, I distinctly remember that most of the people liked it but every single one said it was a ballad and just ridiculously slow. Which I suppose it was. But fast forward 15 years and it's an accepted beat ballad classic. People just weren't ready for that sort of thing back in the 70's, especially with the gear and the 100mph stompers.

Something else about beat ballads; the acceptance of these opened up a new world for both buyers and sellers, almost overnight, another 10,000 or so titles could be added to those already collected. Ditto R&B when that boomed in the early 90's. So since those days of the 70's when NS was at it's most popular, the amount of records there to play has quadrupled I'd say, factoring in other subgenres like Latin and disco.

Really? I kind of define it as something that lulls you into a false sense of security, starts out quietly and builds up to a big chorus. I found is strange when they started to play Gene McDaniels as it was considered to be a very slow track. Jimmy Radcliffe doesn't really count as it had been played since it's release in 1965 without a break really.

PETE SMITH 4 BLAKELEY HEATH DRIVE WOMBOURNE WOLVERHAMPTON WV5 0HW 01902 326306 pete.smith@freeuk.com A HANDFUL OF (MAINLY) ORIGINALS FOR SALE FROM MY OWN COLLECTION, GIRL GROUPS, BEAT BALLADS ETC CANDY & THE KISSES - THE 81 - UK CAMEO PARKWAY EX 70 Lovely copy, has a few marks but plays practically mint, lovely clean label too. This is not the copy on my blog site, this one is way better. SUSAN MAUGHAN - THAT OTHER PLACE - UK PHILIPS EX 20 Great version, top copy BOBBY SHAFTO - THE SAME OLD ROOM - UK PARLOPHONE EX 30 Have only had 3 UK copies of this in over 20 years, this is the first ever issue JOHNNY PEARSON ORCHESTRA - THE RAT CATCHERS - UK COLUMBIA EX 15 Great stompin' instrumental RICHARD TEMPLE - THAT BEATIN' RHYTHM - UK JAYBOY EX 10 All time classic VENETIA WILSON - THIS TIME I'M LOVING YOU - UK SEVENS M- 10 SOLD How great is this, extremely great I say, b/w/ Harvey & The Jokers - Soul Sound The rest are all USA copies TIMI YURO - CAN'T STOP RUNNING AWAY - MERCURY EX 20 Very rare red issue copy, has name written on label. SPYDER TURNER - I CAN'T MAKE IT ANYMORE - MGM EX 10 SOLD No introduction needed for this one TAMMY MONTGOMERY - IF I WOULD NARRY YOU - CHECKER DEMO EX 30 Superb early 60's dancer from the soon to be Tammi Terrell ANITA HUMES & THE ESSEX - WHAT DID I DO - ROULETTE EX 45 One of the best post-Stafford tunes. Small name on label. HEDY SONTAG - HE NEVER CAME BACK / BAD GIRL - PHILIPS DEMO M- 25 SOLD Two absolutely belting girl group classics KERRI DOWNS - YOU WON'T FORGET ME - EPIC M 20 Rare and excellent popcorn dancer THE DYNELS - BOY FRIEND - DOT EX 25 Rare early 60's dancer, books at some daft price THE PEARLETTES - DUCHESS OF EARL - VEEJAY VG++ 15 This is a cracking answer record to Duke Of Earl THE MARKETTS - A TOUCH OF VELVET, A STING OF BRASS - WARNER BROS DEMO EX 20 Really good and pretty rare version, backed with a super take on The Avengers theme MARY ANN LORRI - I WANNA THANK YOU - UNITED INTERNATIONAL M- 25 Nice midtempo dancer LYDIA PENSE & THE INVADERS - I'LL FORGIVE YOU THEN FORGET YOU - INVADER DEMO EX 75 SOLD Tremendous! TINA MASON - ARE YOU THERE (WITH ANOTHER GIRL) - CAPITOL EX 25 Fab version of the Dionne Warwick song, took me ages to get this ERNIE ANDREWS - WHERE WERE YOU / WHAT DO I SEE IN THE GIRL - CAPITOL EX- 20 Monster beat ballad with midtempo flip. Very very slight crackle at start. THE KNICKERBOCKERS - WISHFUL THINKING - BELGIAN LONDON W/PS M- 50 SOLD Kitchen sink beat ballad, this is the only copy I know of on this label - great pic sleeve too APRIL YOUNG - RUN TO MY LOVIN' ARMS - COLUMBIA DEMO EX 25 Another top beat ballad. I collect this sort of stuff y'see. ANITA BRYANT - MY MIND'S PLAYING TRICKS ON ME AGAIN - COLUMBIA DEMO EX 40 No takers for this last time? I'm amazed. THE SPLENDORS - PLEASE DON'T GO - KARATE DEMO EX+ 50 As above JOANIE SOMMERS - I'D BE SO GOOD FOR YOU - WARNER BROS M 25 Truly superb early 60's girly classic. Wonderful. THE ANGELS - I HAD A DREAM I LOST YOU - RCA DEMO EX 20 Two nice sides, big beat ballads GWEN STACEY - AIN'T GONNA CRY NO MORE - RCA EX 50 Total genius. MARGIE MILLS - WHAT ABOUT MINE - GROOVE DEMO EX 30 Yet another great early 60's girl dancer DAVID BOWIE & THE LOWER 3RD - CAN'T HELP THINKING ABOUT ME - PYE EX 40 SOLD This is a Spanish Pye copy, plum coloured label, looks straight out of the 60's but is actually a 72 release with a Ziggy era picture sleeve. I'd never sell this unless I had a UK copy. Which I now have. THE UNIQUES - NOT TOO LONG AGO - PAULA EX 15 This is the brooch design and looks later than 65/66 but as far as I can tell, there was no reissue POSTAGE £2 RECORDED FOR UP TO THREE RECORDS THEN 20p EACH AFTER OVERSEAS I'LL QUOTE YOU PAYMENT paypal, card, bank transfer etc Paypal name is pete.smith@freeuk.com

Well yeah I'm going to tell you that I never heard The Drifter played anywhere, ever, I didn't hear it until that United Artists LP came out (79?) and I went somewhere every weekend and most midweeks between 1975 and 1978. I am still trying to think of a beat ballad played during that period and can't. A beat ballad being (as someone said) Panic Is On, that tempo.

Did you make a mistake with the price of that last entry Tony? It doesn't say UK or anything.

No it is a good clip mate. Funny that it got publicity but then sold practically nothing. Yes very sad yesterday, fantastic turnout though. I had one pint and it made me ill!. Only upside was a gave them a fiver and they gave me the pint and change for a tenner :-)

Breaking news: Titanic sinks sorry Bod couldn't resist it

I'll try and find it. Trouble is, I did 15 or 16 magazines but only have about 9 of them myself! People will say no, it was much earlier, but in my reference to 'beat ballads', this phrase had only just been coined, they were being called 'midtempos' before that. Barbara McNair was a late Wigan spin, the earliest trace I can find of it being played is in 1979.

See what you mean. To clarify. I wrote an article in 1989 or 1990 about beat ballads as they were becoming so popular. "Before Stafford" refers to a time on the NS scene before Stafford, not my article being before Stafford.

No, 89. I wasn't writing in 79.

Gone off the subject a bit now though, the question appeared to be in a world dominated by uptempo stompers, which was the first beat ballad, so we're talking about the 70's Northern Soul scene here. Everyone would acknowledge things like I'm Gonna Miss You and Hey Girl Don't Bother Me were slower records that were played, but when NS was at it's peak, there were not many slow records played at all. I remember writing about the "beat ballad phenomena" in around 1989 so before Stafford, they are very thin on the ground.

A great record, worth £40.