BrianB

Robb mentioned this old heart of mine, which was copied by Lily Bryant for Meet Me Halfway?

I bought my copy of owo at Burnley Cricket Club at the Tuesday night sessions in 1974 for 50p. It was well known and played at the local venues such as the Ukrainian club in Todmorden. I never heard it played out after I bought it. Great record. To me Martha had an outstanding voice and I never tire of listening to their albums that contain some brilliant tracks. I always thought Heartless would have got more plays as I am sure it was played at the Wheel. Maybe too easy to get hold of in the old days?

Thanks Roy. I have now accessed it from my PC, but had no luck at all from my phone. Great performance.

I can't find the video. Can someone please post a link for me? Thanks in advance. Brian B

I remember reading Dave Godin quoting these lyrics in B&S around 1972. He said then they were crazy lyrics! Great record though.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/095695930X?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00

Read Al Abrahams book. He was the Motown publicist and kept every article and photo published in the press. Its a fantastic book. I'll put the link up in a second.

Took my lad (Paul B on here) to Sheffield Wednesday vs Newcastle around 2000 and they played Judy Street's What at half time. We are Burnley fans, but it was an arranged football day out with the Scouts....they played a Sheffield Scouts team in the morning, and the match in the PM, then onto Harry Ramsdens. I have never heard a Northern tune on Turf Moor, even though Burnley has been a NS hotbed from 70/71 onwards.

I have never got my head round Breakaway by the Valentines....Breakaway from the hot, steaming junger?

When we were starting out on the fledgling Northern scene, not one of my mates, male or female, ever said "I feel like a good dance tonight. Might be good to go to a (then) rare soul night, so I can dance to music I don't know". Bloody hell, in Burnley we would have got filled in saying we wanted to go dancing! I have never been a good dancer and go for the music first and foremost and still do. I am sure 99% of true northern fans started out just going for the music, but I do see the other side, and I think that the scene has evolved and a lot of people nowadays go for the dancing first and the music second.

I went to my first NS venue 45 years ago at the age of 15. Hoagy Lands, Quitter Never Wins, Breakout, The Kid (Or the Holiday depends on what you believe) and loads more. I didn't know it was a different kind of music night, but I was a big Motown fan and that night hooked me for life. I went to a lot of clubs after that. Didn't know how we were going to get there, and didn't worry about getting back. I used to wear Ben Shermans, black blazer with big vent and loads of buttons, brogues, Royals and Levi Sta Prest I would like to think I looked good. I wore a tie for the Blackpool Mecca, grinning like an idiot at the bouncers to make sure we got in after catching the free bus from Burnley, about 30 of us fresh from fighting on the match. So I can say that I grew up with the scene. I get the scene, I get the music. The problem with the attendees that wear the baggy trousers and circle skirts, and change 3 times a night at an 8pm until 1pm event, and also with most newbies, is that they get the music but they don't get the scene. They don't understand how to behave, or our possibly insular, unwritten rules. Some great posts on here and the other thread, but I think we are going to have to live with the fact that only around 40% of us on here survive from the halcyon days (and that means your own era, not just mine), and get the scene, and that is only going to grow less over the years. We might eventually be left with people who really believe the scene is 500 records, baggy pants, vests, bootlegs allowed, drinks on the floor and the BBC is our friend. I am happy nowadays to listen at home and in the car, and attend the occasional event: but I am still passionate about the music, and will die with that passion. I believe they are just as passionate as I am in their own way, but they won't ever get the scene. Hopefully they will learn from their mistakes.

Some great tracks here. This takes some beating...Tell Me I'll Never Be Alone, the Vandellas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbWyvWI-3gg

A bit off topic, but what happened to the Ivy Jo Hunter CD that was mooted a few years ago? I love Where Are You and would love to hear a good recording of it. This is new to me also...A Touch of Venus by Marvin, at around 9 minutes. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WUgojenOqLg

Thanks Tony!

When I saw this thread, I agreed with the comment that we have done this several times before and I thought that it would disappear swiftly. But we are suckers for Motown and some of the tracks mentioned on here - well known and not so well known - are just amazing and I have thoroughly enjoyed reading it. My number one Motown track has to be Stevie Wonder I Hear a Symphony...just about the best record ever made. I love all Motown, particularly the uptempo/northern stuff, but 2nd place goes to the Tops version of Do What You Gotta Do. Err, can anyone put Stevie up for me?

Martha is so under rated. Heartless is a top record, and some of her/their album tracks are immense!

Definitely played at Wigan in the main room, probably late 75. Ginger also played it, and it was played at Burnley Rose Room and the Circ all dayers.

Day without love by the Love Affair always had that beat for me. A lot of the stuff mentioned here was actually played in 69/70 before the import boom really started.

Bloody hell Steve...I thought it was "don't send me no letters, no send me no postcards!!"

Got a song in my mind, I been singing it all day....Gonna teach it to you now, come on and answer when I say, Hey, hey!!

Funny, I was just thinking of posting the other day on just how good DJ Honky's free double CD was. I played it recently and it has to be one of the best compilations ever, and they were free, with free postage! Full marks to him for that. I love the RCA ones and some of the Motown twofers have seen some great, relatively unknown tracks become available. The Vandellas ones were particularly good.

You might be in a slight minority on here?

TYFTUARC (Thank you for the update and running commentary)