paultp

Saddened and shocked, even though I only pop in now and again. I didn't know Bob but I always enjoyed his contributions on here, knowledgeable is an under statement and I loved his dry wit. i'll really miss him on here. RIP Bob.

Soundfiles: Day side: The First Day side:

Choice Of Colors -Day/The First Day - Good Guys Anyone know anything about this and have a current valuation please? I found a collectors frenzy listing from Nov 2012 for $405 and a popsike from may 2013 for $300. Day is sort of psych/funk and the first day is funky crossover (if there is such a thing). Anyway, does anyone have an idea of real world value and rarity of this, I'm going to sell it as it isn't my cup of tea. Thanks

It's at times like these I sip my red wine and thank f*uck I said no when the BBC wanted to come down and film These Old Shoes. There is no embarrassing clip of BBC wankers taking the p*ss out of something I and a few others thought was a bit special and enjoyed, to haunt me for the rest of my life. A big thank you to the BBC researcher who lost patience with me repeatedly asking "Why do you want to come and film? What is the purpose of the programme you are making? What is the angle that you are going to take?" and said "is it just a load of old people dancing around to crap music then?" i said "yes it is, why do you want to film it?" End of conversation One of the few sensible things I've done even though I say it myself.

I'm still p*ssed off about the limited edition rip off - 2000 limited edition (then we'll just keep selling it) - that's not a limited edition. I'm going to buy this second box set but as Pete says, it does look a bit dull. Who has compiled it? Cheers

The OP mentioned a focal point for the scene and that's something that could only exist in an age before the internet. People had to travel to the focal point to hear new records, pick up knowledge and transfer them back to their local scene. The focal point now for many is soul-source, facebook etc. Information and music has never been more available, you can see a record play listed or talked about or up for sale, hear it instantly, get an idea of what the price should be, buy it from anywhere in the world and have it delivered in about the same time as it would take to get a record off a list in the 70's. You can research labels, groups, writers, artists without having to travel. People talk of the current "circus" but these people have always been part of the scene, the focus on original vinyl is something that has only ever appealed to a minority. Most people just want to hear the music. I'm still amazed that events where the tunes are played off mp3 are not more prolific. In its heyday, the scene was about venues and DJs, the playing of bootlegs and emidiscs by DJs was common, but this was because new sounds were being discovered all the time and to get them accepted needed them playing to the audience at the focal point. Having the actual records was less important, its only become important as people built up collections and new sounds became more difficult to find. You can bootleg new sounds straight away now if you want to, but it should be remembered that to bootleg something you have to have access to it and that was always the case. I can't see any venue becoming a focal point for the scene ever again, there's no reason for it.

Just a handful (sounds for reference, not from these copies): Mavis Rivers - Footsteps of a Fool - Reprise Promo VG+ £40 SOLD Glossy with just a few marks, number stamped on both sides, footsteps title crossed out in red The Impressions - I'll Always Be Here - Curtom M- £10 Gorgeous 70's soul The Soul Survivors - Mama Soul - Atco Ex £20 SOLD Tipped last year, just some very light marks and slight ring wear on label Lou Rawls — See You When I Git There - Phil Int M- £8 A classic now Major Lance - That's The Story of My Life - Volt M- £15 This should be massive Barbara Acklin - Raindrops - Capitol Promo M- £12 SOLD Jay Rhythm - Soul Emotions/Wouldn't It Be A Pleasure - Leo M- £20 Seen at £40 plus That's the lot for now, thanks for looking. PM me please Paypal as a gift preferred but up to you Postage: £2.60 recorded or £7.00 Special delivery (Don't blame me blame Royal Mail!)

Can you imagine the excuses when someone returned the records trying to get their money back: Sorry mate, this one and this one cleared the floor I played them in the order you gave them to me, but it just didn't work The decks were pitched up so I ran out of records i was told that this one, this one and this one are not Northern Soul This cover up - Jim Johnson - let me in tender woman - everyone f*cking knew it! Any more?

Hiring out records? Nooooooo! They're mine! All mine!

Yes, as, you're absolutely right. If you're going to join a Northern Soul Forum to ask about music you know nothing about and requesting DJ's to play it as your first post, a really good user name is Casino Classics or something similar. Not only will you give credibility to your first post but you will also gain acceptance by your subtle nod to a venue considered important to the scene. I'm truly ashamed of my cynicism, it has blinded me to the fact that this is a bona fide homage to Northern Soul by someone with a real interest in the music, the history of the scene and the future of it, and not a venue and promoter cashing in on one of the cyclical embracement of Northern Soul by the general public. It is to be applauded and hopefully they will give some sets to young DJ's.

Perhaps a less wanky username together with a better explanation would have helped, just brought out the cynic in me, which isn't far below the surface I'm afraid. i just couldn't see why anyone would put on a night playing music they knew nothing about.

So you advertised what you are going to play but you don't know what the tunes are .... And you haven't got any DJ's Is that a bandwagon you've jumped on?

I must say well done to anyone who posted up a potential set list, that is a pretty brave thing to do as those lists usually get pulled to pieces. When I dj'd (very minor scale) I stopped planning sets after about 3 months, I used to try and work out what my first three records should be on the night and then go from there. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it didn't. Perhaps a new topic: "Post up your DJ set" - what you would play if you got a set somewhere, it might give promoters an idea of what people play and save people from that fate worse than death - doing a spot somewhere where you don't want to play the music the people want you to play.

An aside to the above, the posts from Europeans about what they do in Europe show one thing - they do not have the baggage that goes with a scene that started in the 70's - they are influenced by it but find their own way. From my limited experience the scene(s) in Europe have a much younger average age group and consequently no nostalgia section so their scene(s) have evolved in a much different way, probably now influencing what gets played in the UK to some extent. I think youngsters in the UK are far too influenced by what went on in the UK in the 70's and that is why when people list their sets they look like oldies sets. Just an observation

That's the nub of it, if I was 20 the thought of djing to a load of 50-60+ year olds would not be an attractive proposition in the slightest. But playing those records to people in their 20's would be fantastic, as Pete says - they would be new to their ears. Why bother trying to get the acceptance of a load of grumpy b*ggers who have heard everything there is to hear over the last 40 years? Take the music somewhere new, have an over 35 age ban, stop mimicking what I wore in 1974 and find your own thing. Somebody said earlier that they would start their own night for people their age but there is no demand - how do they know? Start one (not in a working mens club either), play music that gets young people dancing, enjoy yourselves and forget what has gone on for the last 40-odd years cos it is stale.

I appreciate what you're saying but seeing as Universal have continued issuing their limited edition, I don't think there is any relation between the records and their packaging anymore - they just put some in numbered boxes. You'll be able to pick up the records easily in a few years as there will be literally thousands of copies pressed. I actually think the numbered boxes may become more valuable than the records, maybe someone will bootleg the boxes Anyway, I have a complete set for myself so splitting up the box set seems the way to go. Also, I can't get what I paid for it as I paid 54 quid and some postage to Universal and you can get a numbered set from Juno for less than 52 quid including postage. I guess demand was pretty low and then lowered again by Universal's lack of quality control.

I'd split them to make more money out of them. I don't have a bottomless pit of money so the way I afford records is to buy and sell them for a profit. When I get a suitable pile of money I buy a record or two for myself. If I can make some money on this box set I'll spend it on records, if I make more money by splitting the records up I'll do that. No original artists were harmed in the writing of this post.

My wife bought me it for my birthday but when I opened it we noticed the label damage. At first I thought I'd done OK as quite a few people were missing the record from their pack, but then I bought another set to replace the Marvin Gaye (the first box was a low number - 210). So I have the spare set. I thought initially that I'd sit on it until they all ran out then make a profit, but then Universal started selling the set un-numbered (which makes a bit of a mockery of releasing a limited edition - the records are the same in both sets). I'm still leaning towards a) as I will probably double my money and be able to sell the box to someone with an un-numbered set.

I have a spare Motown Box Set of singles, from the numbered limited edition series (number 1427) before Universal just issued them un-numbered. All the singles play through but the label on the Marvin Gaye - Love Starved Heart is slightly damaged (it looks like its torn round the edges when applied - perhaps why it was missing from many sets?). What should I do with it? I don't think the value will rise much as un-numbered sets are readily available (thanks Universal you tw*ts) so my options are: a) Split it up and sell the records individually b) Sell it as a numbered box set as it is. c) Buy an unnumbered box set, replace the Marvin Gaye then sell them both (maybe split up the un-numbered set). d) Glue them to my record box e) Make fake labels and sell them as discovered US issues (or better still demos) Any thoughts? Cheers Paul

Unfortunately, this will probably deteriorate into a knob waving contest with people claiming to have got an Eddie Parker wrapped up in a full run of Thelma 45s as there is no way of checking what anyone got in soul packs. Tastes change and ears are opened over the years so what was once fodder can turn into diamonds. I bought a soul pack in the 70's as I was just getting into the music and thought it might be a way of finding out more. Can't remember how many was in it but I do remember feeling well ripped off as I thought every record was crap and never did it again. I wonder what I dismissed?

When I lived in London we used to discuss how odd it was that on such a small scene records could be considered played out in one part of the country and virtually unknown in another. It became a bit of an in joke to say after a a record that had just cleared the dance floor "that's big up north at the moment". On the other side of the coin I sold a mint copy of The Four Pros - Just Another Girl for £40 (what I paid for it) as it just kept clearing the floor, didn't know it was going massive up north at the time. The guy that bought it actually phoned someone up in front of me and bragged about how cheap he'd got it (and still owes me £10 off it - if you're reading this Steve) FFS. Funny old world.

I have three bank accounts & three paypal accounts, will I need 3 mobiles?

I got a Martha Reeves - No One There in a London record shop in the early 2000's for a fiver, I keep it in the cardboard sleeve it came in which still has the price on it and something like "Nice Motown" written on it.

I use facebook for keeping in touch with old army mates as they are spread all over the world. The thing about advertising on there or getting the word out on something is that if you post something on someone's timeline all their friends see it and may post it on someone else's or share it or summat - things can get to a lot of people quickly. But facebook is sh*te for a discussion as it tends to be quite an instant media (though not as instant as twitter which I still can't see the point of). I like this place as you can pop in and see what is going on, comment if you want, come back later and see where the subject has gone, comment again etc.

Brings back a memory ........... I worked in a clothes shop in the mid 70's and when we ran short of customers to take the piss out of we used to think of other ways. Across the street was Chelsea Girl, most of the girls that worked there were pretty fit but the manageress was an absolute dragon who would chase us out if we wandered across. I think she wanted the fit girls for herself! One of our favourite japes with new Saturday staff was to pretend to sort out some stock and half way through moving stuff about we would say we needed something to put all the stuff in .... .... a cardboard box? ..... a big one possibly? .... just nip across to Chelsea Girl, they had a delivery yesterday so they'll have loads of boxes ..... ask the manageress, she usually lets us have one .... get a big box if you can Once they had headed across we would watch and listen from the doorway, nine times out of ten the dopes would walk in and just say "Have you got a big box?" or "Can I have a box, have you got a big one?" and as this used to happen every other week she was well hacked off with it, you could hear the shouting all down the street. We were easily pleased in the 70's