Steve G

Shouldn't we include that one too?

most shops in NY RIDICULOUSLY priced - $25 for a £5 record etc.

You on "Soul Police" duty Simon?

How ironic is this - last tune played by Steve High frequency "Summertime"

Enough about Sean and his salary Seriously the scene has become so fragmented I am struggling to see how you would attract sufficient interest short of just starting something completely new. Like in a student town or something. Think about it oldies, newies, 60s, 70s 90s, Y2K, fast, midtempo, crossover, Hammond, R&B (spit), mamsy pamsey, new indies, soulful House, Mod - all very varied. A very fragmented scene. I was reading that Wigan thread and frankly I have absolutely nothing in common whatsoever with the baggie trousered Wigan oldies brigade that bounce around a shoping centre whirling round and clapping their hands in unison to "One wonderful moment". If my friends saw that on Youtube and said "Isn't that what you like?" my answer would be a firm "No way". Certainly the revivalists on the northern scene are in a large majority and as I have said before the number of people that would class themselves as being on the northern scene that actually WANT to hear new tunes is the minority - and that's just 60s new tunes we are talking about. Move the musical time machine forward a decade and a whole load more fall off of the wagon (ooh that's "modern / funk"). Slow the tempo down below 99 mph and more still drop off the bandwagon and use words like "midtempo dirge" etc. Play "It's available" tunes and the rare soul boys lose interest. Play rare tunes and the "It's available" boys get squiffy. That underlying resistance that dominates the northern scene to hear new music reflects the wider community as I have said before. Very few 40s and 50s like anything other than what they liked as Teenagers. That's how Genesis can fill Twickenham with pot bellied middle agers. And yet on our scene monthly / quarterly allnighters at the Upfront venues do little more than wash their face in terms of attendees. I really fear for the rare soul scene's long term well being. 800 people go to a shopping centre to hear Russ play bootlegs and the Flirts mash their way through "Little Darling" and we're lucky if 300 turn up at an upfront venue. The way it is going you would be forced to ask what will it be like in 10 years time without a serious injection of new bloods onto the northern scene? For comparisoon look no farther than the R&R scene - now confined to their "oldies" and a dwindling number attending fewer and fewer weekend "extravaganzas". I got into soul music cos it was cool, bucked the trend, was different, underground - and now looking at what the northern scene is becoming it's the opposite of all of those things. It does call for a fresh approach, but there is no easy answer. Let's be brutal - hardly any youngsters (I know there are a few) are going to be attracted to a scene where the majority of punters are old enough to be their Grand-dads are they. It's just not cool. Musically plenty have tried a 'fresh approach', but they never succeed. I do quite like "OF" for Original Format.

Agree it is a classic

Agree but those three are all on the rare soul scene. Agree about the Euro scene - it is SO refreshing. Don't worry some fresh stuff will be unleashed at Hitchin tomorrow.

I know Richard wasn't alone, we were all doing it in the early 80s - you lot, Adam and me down at the Fleet as Simon M will no doubt recall, Robin etc...but after 85???????? No the northern scene stopped embracing new / recent releases and the modern scene was self contained by then. Probably right about the two room thing having an impact. I remember once at the Fleet finishing with C L Blast "Love don't feel like love no more" off of the Cotillion album and handing over to the Vicar who looked disgusted at me and started with "Trypt on love" by Wakefield Sun. I thought then these two scenes are incompatible. Progressive DJs have played recent releases but much less so on the northern scene - the nostalgia element clearly don't want to hear them - terribly sad but that's the way it is. You heard the hassle James had at the Essex weekender and he was even playing northern! I tried really hard with that DJ Shadow thing - no one was interested and it's a great 45 (vinyl too). The Rare soul boys by and large don't want to hear the recent releases either, as obviously rare soul is rare soul and not new releases. Doc Peabody is an interesting example being nearly 30 years old (1980)- and even that has taken an age to take off down here. Steve

I understand what you are saying Sean, but as a regular attendee at northern / rare soul nights, its bloody hard to break any new record onto the northern scene these days. Some of them take years. A 2004 "indie" release from Memphis- pretty much impossible I'd say.

the Top DJs yes Mark. If they didn't they'd have something else to play. I accept the so called "village hall" nights would have been different.

A good post Sean, and as a general soul fan I know exactly where you are coming from. Fact is though the northern scene has not really championed new releases since the days of Stafford over 20 years ago when old Dickie Searling was doing his thing. I am trying to rack my brains to think of any new soul played regularly on the northern scene. The odd thing has eventually crossed over like Drizabone and Corey Glover - long after deletion and being hammered on the modern scene I might add. More recently UBP but that divides the crowd. And I know some have played those Levine thingys like Standing on solid ground. But other than that I am really struggling to think of ANY. The northern scene is essentially a 60s scene with records included up and until the 70s and the very odd thing from the early 80s. And perhaps that's why the preference will always lean towards vinyl - original vinyl at that

Plenty of people have offered their help over the years, they're just so incompetent they forget to use it.

They just need a journo who knows something about the scene.

Playing Modern

Thanks for the feedback guys. Simon - I only really started DJing on the northern scene a couple of years ago. Had too many records I wasn't playing anywhere. Before then I was ploughing my furrow largely in "crossover territory".

No, a pragmatic response methinks Steve.

Nah I've got a life mate. But it's quite a funny idea. I am in agreement with what Philly said - I ain't gonna travel anywhere farther than my front door to a northern soul gig if all I am going to hear is a load of boots mixed in. Will only travel to northern venues where I know there are credible rekkids spun. As a punter that's my choice.

Yes I will do that as my B&S are still in the house so not cold. Its Echoes I have a problem with - think the remaining ones are in the loft, but ex wife threw a load of em out at one point. They ended up on a refuse site in Peterborough.

I remember that letter and thought it was very good at the time. Of course we'll also now need to see Richards orioginal letter to which sam was replying.

Have you seen Martin's playbox lately? Good point, will add it.

in some cases the national release far harder than the local release - so more desirable to Collectors - oops damn after 23 pages I FINALLY mentioned the "C" word. Cue cries of "soul police" "soul elite" etc etc

Well you say you play OVO so not sure why you are kicking up dust on this. If you play OV do you want adding to the list?

Straight question - do you play bootlegs?

The Wand issue is however original vinyl. Might not be the first issue but it's still original vinyl. Might be easier if we called it "Authentic vinyl" and "Bootlegs"? Then we could have probably got a conclusion far quicker.