Epic

Yes Pete - Green Door is crap but I really like Look At Me Now!!

Remember buying "Who Is Gonna Love me" as a new release - point I was trying to make is "Love is......" was never "big" at The Mecca - a couple of spins maybe - never ever seen it on a Mecca compilation because it is not associated with the venue. Same for Bobby Sheen, Gloria Scott etc. should have been big Highland Room records - unfortunately they slipped through the net.

"Demo" as in CD Burner Copy !!!! DO try to keep up Ian!!!

Interestingly enough a version of 10% that Ian did with The Trammps got a remix by DJ Romain & it has quite a following on the Underground Soulful Dance scene.

Probably didn't help sales that by the time Sony got round to releasing it most people who wanted it had"demo" copies in their collection already.

Ian It seems to me that you have never embraced modern soulful dance music ie Blaze - Louie Vega - Quentin Harris - Stephanie Cooke - Marc Evans - Jon Cutler - Susu Bobien - Arnold Jarvis etc. Have you ever really listened to it? I often describe it as the "new" Northern Soul - obscure dance music on small labels with that all important beat.

Yea - Pete Haigh - Steve Naylor & Andy Lett - we could have a Mecca Reunion Dave - Ian would be more than welcome to join us!!

It's on East Coast - Mecca record yes - a Colin Curtis spin from the famed "last hour".

If You & I Had Never Met - Magic Night Time Passes By - James Bynum You Better Watch Out - Gwen Owens Happy 'Bout The Whole Thing - Dee Dee Sharp Trying To Get Back to You Girl - Jackey Beavers What About Love - Marboo Betcha If You Check It Out - The Quadrophonics What Makes Her A Woman - Danny Reed

You must not be listening to the right stuff - plenty of good modern jazzy funky tunes out there with not so much as a hint of "elevator music" about them.

................Soon after they heard that people actualy danced to the Theme From Joe 90

A lot of those people still attend modern events & listen to Modern Jazz - Soulful & Funky House. Upstairs at The Orwell next Sunday (August 24th) will give you a fine example of what I am talking about.

Cracking list Pete - especially The Lovelites - would make a great oldies spot methinks - just let yourself down with Monique - never saw you as a Frankie Crocker or Skullsnaps kind of guy. Nice one mate.

Daylight Saving Time - Keith Summer In The Parks - East Coast Connection Wee Oo I'll Let It Be You Babe - Louise Lewis The Flasher - Mistura Dizzy - Lester Lanin Boo On You - Chuck Jones Astral Trip - Mystic Moods Whiskey Talking - Ronnie Forte Ice Man - Billy Watkins

Dave Godin coined the phrase "NORTHERN Soul" - must have been a reason for it!!!

It's quite frightening how many "pop" records have been played & we have all danced to some of them - it is all about interpretation - I see Paul Anka "Can't Help Loving You" as one of the all time great Northern Soul records but think Sam Cooke "Sugar Dumpling" is a pile of poo!!!

Sammy Davis Jnr doing a vocal version of Hawaii 5 0 - that's really all you need to know - apart from obviously avoiding it like the proverbial.

I am not fond of Beethoven's work - doesn't mean to say it is bad - the chap undoubtedly did some fine symphonies - they are just not for me.

Think people are confusing "bad" with "don't like". Gary Lewis - Muriel Day - Lorraine Silver etc. are all good pop records that people tried to pass off as Northern Soul records - that is not the records fault.

Lots of tunes that have been played I don't like - as mentioned earler it doesn't make them a bad record. Harry Crosby cited Esko Affair as an example of a record he doesn't like - agree the lyrics are naff - but the Vince Montana production is spot on. Think a record like Cats Eyes - Life ticks all the "wrong" boxes for me. Don't really understand what it is supposed to be - it definitely is NOT a soul record - it is in fact just a poor piece of music all round - dreadful beyond description.

Listen to George Blackwell & The Del Larks - then play Dean Barlow. Then have quick game of "odd one out" with yourself. Easy innit !!!!!!

The Robert Plant track "You'd Better Run" on JM's site was also done by Ruby Jones on Curtom - had a few spins at Blackpool Mecca round 74/75. Proper bloke that Robert Plant - Wolves fan - seen him at Molineux a few times.

My slant on it is this - Beach Music is generally snappy, happy, poppy - sometimes soulful good time music & doesn't pretend to be anything else. Northern Soul can be all of the above - but can sometimes be beach music itself & not really "soul" music at all - it just pretends to be. The Embers - "Watch Out Girl" is it Beach, Northern or both?