Steve G

Tis a very good record and worthy of attention / reactivation by an inspired oldies jock.

Here is the East Coast Connection article from Issue 4 of NEW Blackbeat - June 1983 - authored by Sean Hampsey The Number 1 Nighter Cleethorpes Winter Gardens under the guidance of Steve Croft includes a policy of programming easily obtainable under promoted soul music. This had an amazing impact on the scene last year with Cleethorpes monsters gaining strong positions in the Blackbeat 1982 Readers Poll. Annis, Norman Connors, Dramatics, Mandrill, Rufus, and Finished Touch (sic) were played and accepted with great enthusiasm, breaking down the rare soul only barrier and giving the patrons an opportunity to obtain some of the big records without having to shell out a small fortune or wait 6 months until copies are two a penny - know what I mean? Cleethorpes' policy is firmly based on programming and promoting records regardless of scarcity, not with a view that a rare soul record is naturally bad, but that rarity should not be the primary factor affecting a records acceptance or rejection, and that availability should not be the yardstick by which a sound is standardized or judged. In other words, if it sounds right - that's enough. The following are all doing well or are about to do big things on the scene. Nothing expensive, or hard to find, so go get 'em. Leon & Whispers Gonna love you more" C/U Got to be the biggest thing at Cleggy since Norman Connors. A modern soul stomper which has had the rare soul buffs scratching their forelocks for two months now; infact not hard to find but certainly hard to follow. Edit the smooth intro and we're into bags of breaks along the way with rhythm changes by the score. Now exclusively revealed as being by The Whispers; from the Solar LP "It's a love thing"!! Featuring of course Leon Sylvers on Bass, which goes to show the lunacy and unimportance of cover ups! I was offered £20 for mine, did I sell? No way, a real kick in the arse. LTD "You must have known I needed love" (A&M) From the 1978 LP "Togetherness" featuring Jeffrey Osbourne in tremendous form on this Grey & Hanks penned killer. The standout tracvk on this LP which spurned funk gems in "Jam" and "Together forever" far more appropriate for our scene than the brilliant "Love magic". In fact this packed the Winter Gardens Floor first time out, and had Neil Page bouncing off of the walls! Well you can imagine! Cut Glass "Alive with love" (20th Century) Soulful femme vocals over a bass / synth backing. The A side "Without your love" did club business in 1980, but "Alive" is definitely the Cleethorpes sound in 1983. Long instrumental break in the third quarter with weird space effects and then she cuts loose again "how I wish that my lips could say the things that my heart can feel". 12" or 7" simply wizard! High Fashion "Hold On" (Capitol) Now then, from the "Feeling lucky lately" gang, this throbbing Kashif number is a real clincher for me and was accepted by the dancers immediately (Eric). Stronger vocals than other HF tracks, over a heavy backbeat which never lets up. Purchased from Mick Godfrey and a damn good quid's worth. Eloise Laws "1,000 Laughs" (ABC) Bought from Mary Chapman with the slogan "Dedicated to all those who used to be on the northern soul scene", and flip of "Number One" from 1978, and an under-rated track from the "If you don't watch out" lady. Skips along at a fair pace and injected with a generous dose of good old soul, peel an onion and shed a tear to this. Gil Scott Heron with Pretty Purdie & Playboys "Lady day and John Coltrane" (Flying Dutchman / Philips) Reactivated to coincide with the chappies controversial UK tour, this is an oddity which Steve Croft and Darren are hammering. Takes a few plays to grab you but it's certainly doing the biz at Cleggy so far, just thought I'd let you know! Stargard "I'll always love you" (MCA) This is going to be huge. No ifs, no buts, from 1978 the "Which way is up" LP, a SOUL singalong track of superior quality featuring Rochelle Runnels, Debra Anderson and Janice Williams, who deliver the vocals with the power of a neutron bomb, imagine Shirley Brown and Aretha rolled into one, you got the picture. Don't be put off by their image, this is devastating. Phew! Ruby Wilson "The feeling's still there" (Malaco / UK Magnet) Top side is the Randy Goodrum song "Bluer than blue", an improvement on the Frankie Gearing version on Beale St which leans heavily to C&W; Ruby's version is heavy soul, however "The feeling" follows the Lorraine Johnson pattern in that it is fast and aggressive with lots of ginger beer and at ten bob (50p) a shot not to be missed (don't tell Record Collector £30 is slightly too much to pay for this!)...Sean Hampsey Other interesting snippets from this issue Randy Cozens Star Pick was Big Maybelles "Oh Lord what are you doing to me"; Clarkey looked at Kent Harris and Ty Karim, Dave Thorley wrote an article on Clifford Curry, Trev Swaine gave us Bill Brandon and Sam Dees discographies, Jan Barker in "The Deeper side" was raving over Eddie Parker's "If you must go", there was some controversy over some comments made by Soul Sam on Funk, a lengthy letter from Tony Rounce, and amongst Sam's reviews....Mind & Matter, Michael A Smith, Image, and Cecil Lyde. He concludes with a review of the then new "Love Town" by Booker Newbury III... Steve

Nah I'd do it for free Simon. I was even thinking of employing someone to do it though haven't quite got used to the prospect of spending too much money on the process What Rog neglects is 1) lifting said typewriter up and down 2) tippexing typos 3) cut and pasting onto sheets of A3 4) getting a "photocopy" shop to reduce down to A4 (not the easiest task in those days!) 5a) getting it to printers or 5b) scanning on a gestetner scanner 5c) setting up the "scanned page" on gestetner and printing (what a messy job that was) 5 a b c depend on time, as we used both methods 6a) getting box loads of printed paper back home via tube and train with nothing more than a hand luggage trolley in the period we used outside printer 7) collating / ordering the pages 8) stapling it all together 9) writing out addresses (no fancy computer labels) or spreadsheets 10) lugging them down the Post office Boy those pre PC days were something!

I wish I could master this technology thing but I cannot. It's pretty good - he tries to sound like Lou Rawls, the backing is a bit thinner though. A Plinston play.

Anyone on here know how many they actually pressed up?

Sean I shall have a look for you, but now you mention it I do seem to recall you reviewing it. At some stage I intend to reproduce some of those early day articles on here, as I know most people don't have access to the earliest Blackbeats anymore, and they are fascinating to look back on nearly 25 years later. Just a matter of time.

Can only assume the Locarno promotor didn't subscribe to Blackbeat then! The description "Soul Sam's 70's scene" sounds a very ham fisted description to me and I doubt that Sam had any say in how it was described in the ads. I am afraid Sam's Blackbeat article was the first time I have heard the phrase, and that pre-dates T'Oak. Maybe it was one of those things that just came into common usage at that time.

Maybe the first person to use the term "Modern soul" was a "beatnick" in a "duffell coat" describing the then new "Tamla Motown" releases c 1964. In all fairness whilst I think Sam coined the phrase (as he was writing to me and others about it before his article, and his article appeared at the taile end of 1980), he may have heard someone else mention it (e.g. the Collective). I certainly think his column was the first major "manifestation" of the term in "polite society". I am still in regular contact with the lad, but I'd wager that if I asked him a mixture of "modesty" and "LTML" (Long term memory loss) may not help us drill any further into this. Steve Edited

What's the history on this? - is it Jamaican originally. I got my AIrborne copy off of Mick too.

I've seen the "What's it gonna be" clip on DVD somewhere, but that doesn't detract from what is a fabulous piece of blue eyed soul.

Paul I should have mentioned the article title was: "MODERN SOUL SCENE" Steve

This would be consistent with my review of old Blackbeats. I can confirm the term was from SOUL SAM. I knew him from Wigan and he we corresponded between our paths crosing at all nighters etc such as Wigan in 1980 and Bedford Nite Spot. We were talking about modern soul records (Sam's phrase), and I encouraged him to write a column for Blackbeat. Before his column the talk was of "70's" sounds and I wrote a column headed up "80s sounds and New releases". Thus I conclude that whilst we were talking about the same records it was young Mr Barnfather who coined the phrase "Modern Soul". His first column was written at the end of 1980, and published on 15th March 1981 Issue 8. This would be entirely consistent with the Oak iN Shrewsbury timewise. I reprint parts of it here - this was Sam at his best.... "In this my first column I'll try to explain the current support for uptempo soul music, how I became involed and conclude with reviews of recent releases. Until virtually the present time the only venues programming new uptempo soul (as distinct from Jazz Funk) have been northern ones but the amount played has varied from Snaith (over 50%) to Wigan (10-20%). With the temporary demise of Snaith, my sacking from Wigan (for playing totally 70's and explaining my standpoint in a letter to Black Echoes) the percentage played is considerably less...... Not I believe through a lack of support from a sizeable minority, especially at Wigan, but the unwillingness of the majority to accept the inevitable - there must be acceptance of developments in black music on the rarer soul scene. Letters I've received from such widely scattered places...plus the people I already know suggest a large POTENTIAL following, which from others I've spoken to, could easily be swelled by more from the Jazz Funk scene who are into soul rather than exhibitionism!"..... Over 18 months ago while at John Anderson's SOUL BOWL I heard a tape with records on it like "Over the top" - James Mack, "I wanna spend some time with you" - Top Cat....in less than an hour I was hooked! These records HAD to be played, but it took months before I acquired such gems. For the first time in years I was buying records not only because as great dancers they were useful for DJ purposes, but were also tremendous to listen to at home or on car cassettes. I was really involved in the music again. Ever since I have made regular trips to obtain SOUL BOWL obscurities and more recently some from DAVE RAISTRICK and JOHN MANSHIP...... The very fact that the soulful quality of the vocals was so strong persuaded me to take a closer look at some of the more readily available major label 7" discs most of which came into the UK via Record Corner of Balham...or Soul Bowl. Avoiding Jazz Funk, apart from personal favourites, I soon found that week by week I was adding soulful uptempo items after hearing them at a shop in Wolverhampton (run by...Pep) which took Record Corner stock, in fact too many to playlist at once. These have included Alfie Davison....Dee Edwards, Chuck Strong, Charles Johnson....To me this is soul music for today; my interest as a collector has been renewed and judging from the number of copies some of the singles I have resold, others feel the same, realizing that high priced exclusiveness doesn't necessarily mean a great record!" He then concludes with a few reviews including Daybreak, Tony Fox, Emannuel Lasky etc. Signing off "Till next time remember SOUL KEEPS MOVIN'ON" So there you have it. Interesting other snippets from that Issue. There were planned Grapevine releases for Eddie Holman "Where I'm not wanted", a reissue of the Tomangoes (which had been withdrawn, Joe Matthews and the Superbs though John had told me that releases had been delayed until April 1981! Rod Dearlove wrote a colum (this was pre Midnite Express remember) where he is questioning a £2.50 pricetag on Jimmy Mack on Palmer and starts his column "After the recent Wigan split will Sam call it a day"..... Got that one well wrong, and if you think that was bad I was speculating that the Top Cat cover up which we were all trying to locate, infact Larry Houston, might be Ace Spectrum - what a mess and how little we knew! Steve

Bill & Ben are back too and they were definately victims of the PC brigade. Still common sense prevailed in the end. Wasn't the creator of P&P a Polish refugee or something?

Simon If you go back to the old Blackbeats - probably c Issue 11 when I first got Sam to write for us, I seem to recall he did an introductory article which referenced "Modern Soul" and gave an explanation of what he was doing. WIll have to try and dig it out tonight to check as we are talking 1980-1. Previous to that I had been corresponding (there's a term you don't hear anymore!) with Sam via the old Basildon Bond paper method and we had been discussing tips, new records etc. Will get back to you once I have searched my "archives"

Yup, Early days yet - first BIG test Sunday lunchtime with the arrival of L**DS at Chez Selhurst. We usually misfire on lunchtime kick offs, but hey 6 points in the bag at this point is better than three. I am sure Leicester will be fine once they get started.

I have often wondered whether the sax playing frog was one of the earliest influences that submiminally pointed me in the vague direction of soul music He was excellent, but then again I was a big P&P fan in my younger days. Didn't an early incarnation of the PC brigade have them taken off air? And I believe P&P also moonlighted on the B side to The French Fries "Dancez a la musique"?

...or more importantly the question of why the thread is showing pictures of TOMMY Hunt when it's talking about PIERRE Hunt. Tommy is an all round "good egg" BTW and a very good singer before anyone suggests I am being miserable!

And a few of them ended up here

God I hope not - a truly abyssmal record. I do have acopy and it has Pierre's business card in it - he was a real estate agent (estate agent) by day. Presumably he valued your gaff and left you his 45 by your record player.

Fabulous record. In my Top 10 Ballads of the 90s!

Do we know why it's under a different name?

Must have heard it at the Plinston Gr8 tune

Yes he can dance too. Earlier this year in Spain he was encouraged onto the dancefloor by the SPanish folks when I dropped "It's a shame" by the Spinners on the decks. Quite a nifty mover he was too.

He did a gr8 version of "Be thankful for what you got" in the 70s as well.

He still has them!!!