Steve G

Rock City was also evening do's, sort of 8-2. Whilst mentioning Peterborough, we mustn't forget Papa Luigis moddun evenings mid 80's which Nick Gilbert and myself organised. Plus there were loads of little do's round Stamford way - Mick Cooper, Russ etc. organised these. St Ives also enjoyed a brief revival, though I tended to concerntrate in the modern methodology at this point, and remember the northern room as being pretty basic. Fleet and Wirrina were on at various times through the decade, with various promotors and once at the same time :angry: . Always felt the Fleet was the more "cozy" of the two venues. That being said I was actually DJing when there was the bomb scare at the Wirrina - I can tell you when everyone came back inside you could have filled the dancefloor playing trad jazz everyone was so "up for it"! Fun times. Chrisseo - no prob with people having time off for kids, we've all been there, and that's not the point I was saying. Instead the point was that some people think the scene died in the 80's while everyone was away - this thread shows that it didn't die, far from it infact, it was vibrant, and perhaps more underground. But there again after Casino Classics etc that was no bad thing.....

The air guitar was actually late 70's "O" and came initially with records like 7th Wonder "Captain of my ship", and really grew in the 80's with things like Brothers Gilmore. Of course King Moses takes it to another level. I think it was originally a form of response to "Russ" playing "Price Buster" in the main room at Wigan...

The 80's certainly wasn't dead or a lowpoint. You always here the "everyone got married and had kids" argument. Tosh! A lot of people did drift away, but a lot of them (not all) were "makeweights" anyway, but the scene still had humungous vibrancy throughout the 80's. It's usually the 70's hasbeen and egotistical elite that decry the 80's (i.e. "we left the scene and so it must have died"). Some things of the 80's to put it in perspective: 100 Club ascendancy Stafford Hinckley "Ric Tic Review" Popcorn Wylie tour Morecombe Pier RSG Peterborough (Fleet / Wirrina - on occasions two all nighters on the same night!) Leicester Rotherham Clifton Hall Sheffield Romeo & Juliets Rock City (Notts) Many great records also got their first airing in this period, and the moddun scene came into it's own. The 80's was when the kids of the 70's picked up the scene and claimed it for their own......I won't hear a word said against it.

QOF - Equally there are plenty of people with dosh falling out of their pockets who are not great DJ's. There are other ingredients required too - ability to read the crowd, taste, passion etc.

Oh yes it does - great tune!!! Got my "pinkie" at Jim Wilson's shop In Leytonstone in 1978-9 for 25p

You just don't know when to stop lad

I'd be very surprised. I know that a number of the "Wand pack" are still searching for this, but don't think it's ever been really in demand. Quite nice but not outstanding IMVHO.

And legally reissued on Columbia SP in 1977. Believe the second hand book shop in Cheshunt has one Certainly the guy showed me it a year or two back, though he did think it was "very rare"

Anyone mentioned Sparkz on Bell (not the pop group!), which I think was Patrick Adams? Commanda also did it I seem to recall

Looks legit - but a bit used and abused .

I meant in terms of "IL" productions - always thought JB was one of the better ones. Oh and Frances Nero of course "Footsteps". But hey, lets not turn this into a "Levine Luvvies Love-in" - there's enough of that going on in other threads! In terms of the productions though, always believed that the number of "Dog's dollops" always far outweighed the number of "Dogs bollox" productions.

It is one of the (few) really good things that Ian has done. I rate it up with "Man up in the sky" by Johnny Bristol.

Wasn't it the year that "Casino Classics" started or was that 1978? Who cares anyway?

Good work lads. These rip off merchants need castrating without anaesthetic. Awake 502 is dead right - Arthur hit this one well before Stafford, I think he may well have found it when he went to the USA with Sam in 1980ish - and Arthur covered the group for us in an old Blackbeat as I recall. - Sorry to be the harbinger of such bad news darlings, but Keb only played it much later

I have fond memories of this place too and concur with everything posted in CH's favour. Who can forget a young Neil Page with his record box (50) with flashing disco lights fixed on it - which also made it's debut at CH. It was a very good venue in short, and a very good balance of sounds. Went on my own sometimes, but also remember going once with Dave G and Randy Cozens, in the back of Randy's "Wedge Roofing" escort van. It took ages from Soulgate (there was no M25 back then!)....and that was just to get onto the M1 at St Albans.... What fun it was bouncing around in the back of that van at 70 mph up the M1

Cheers

I am shocked Mr White. It's an absolutely awful record, not even good pop. I'd rather be locked in a cell and blasted with very loud looped repeat plays of Bobby Goldsboro than suffer this "garbagio", and that's saying something. Now there's predicatbility from me for you. You know how much I love these non soul things.

Can't fault Motor City Music - Top Bods. What is this record like? I remember Sam when he was staying over once playing me a very beaten up Tobi Lark record on a yellow label that was quite nice midtempo, and I presume this is what it was?

Also don't forget the banks in the City are paying big bonuses again, and the UK economy remains "buoyant" (probably more so if house prices stall for a while in the SE). As it happens, working near to some of these banking types, I have seen people "blow" more than the Eddie Parker price on a few bottles of "bubbly" with their team in the space of a couple of hours....so everything in perspective....and of course the next day they have nothing except a few million fewer brain cells and a stonking hangover. Now if I was in that enviable position and given a choice I'd go with Eddie Parker every time of course, but my missus would opt for the "shampoo" as she detests Eddie Parker. BTW I am not bidding on EP either, much as I think it's a fantastic record - price is out of my league already. But with a couple of "keen to haves" outbidding each other, and the testoterone rush when the auction starts to close, we can only guess where this will end up.

Weren't they an offspring of Wigan's Ovation? We should have guessed, no chance of it being black AMerican soul then....

Thanks for the update Simon and for putting things back in perspective.

I really meant as in unlikely to be other copies turning up, and therefore unlikely to be played by other DJs

Indeed and understood Trouty. He was hoovering up so many records 97-01 that he was bound to get some good ones no question. You just reminded me, I remember him at Victoria record fair getting 200 records off of soul bowl - filling his record box which arrived empty. And then the "manservant" who was employed to carry his masters box didn't put the lid on properly and all the records he'd just bought fell out over the floor. Ouch. Cue tantrum, beating with "Elephant whip" etc. BTW I did see multiple copies of all these "excloosivs" (Vandals, Valaquons, 7 Wonders etc) when I was doing my bit for "Vulture-ocity" .