Scallybob

I bet Brookes & Jerry-I Got What It Takes is in there. Get over it Andy, it's a 50p record. And wearing a rugger shirt to a Wigan all-nighter isn't what you do, by the way.

Dr. Bob, isn't that the BBC all over when it comes to black music? They cream themselves over Amy Whitehouse or whoever as the "Next Aretha" but ignore the real contenders. Did Mary J Blige ever get any airtime? In the seventies when, for me, there was a real opportunity to push black music forward, Radio 1 spent their time with idiots like Bates and Read gushing about being at the Bee Gee's houses or some other shite. Paedophiles like Gadd and King were heavily promoted. A&R men must have greased a lot of palms (or other parts of anatomies) to get Sweet, Bay City Rollers, Slade, Abba and all that crap on the air. I am eternally grateful it was so piss poor because it never distracted me from Al Green, Bobby Womack, the best underground music scene ever and sanity. The BBC was run by white middle-class beauts who all liked prog rock or anything with a nice Anglo-Saxon grid on the cover. Nothing's changed. And they still think Northerners are thick. But they've never heard Billy Woods.

The point is though, if the series is supposed to be about UK soul acts and their influences, they should stick to that. It all seems cobbled together to me. They seem to think they have to mention the Northern scene. Well, if it didn't influence any UK soul acts why bother? Hucknall's a blert, his music is background hum. Not soul. Paul Weller was clearly influenced (Start is Lee Roye-Tears without the royalties) but he's not a soul act. Bowie, Dexy's Midnight Runners and the like are as close to soul acts as Orville. So as they know nothing about the Northern scene and are too bone idle to find out they revert to patronising rubbish.

She's not sleeping with the horse is she?

Jazzy B's running a Northern night isn't he?

Lighter fluid.

It doesn't help when Levine perpetuates the myth that everyone on the scene worked in dead-end jobs in "dismal" northern towns. I live in Wigan, it's not dismal (well it is today but where isn't when it's raining!) and I've always had a decent job. I don't care what colour anybody is. No that's not true-I don't like my tunes being substandard white covers of proper records. But Paul Anka's OK. Northern Soul was developed in the youth clubs playing Motown, Bobby Hebb, Phillip Mitchell and the like and was our rebellion against Smashie and Nicey telling us to buy pap. The fact that the London-based music industry never bothered to try and understand it (not enough money in it, see) means it's still just patronised as thick northern blokes in baggy pants. Radio 1 refused to play Tavares-It Only Takes a Minute but played paedophile Jonathan King's version. I rest my case.

I was listening to Five Live yesterday and Stuart Marconie was on plugging his new book. It essentially says that people in the south sneer at people in the north despite never having been there. When Trevor Nelson did that bit years ago I was ready to kick the telly in. Steve Davis (snooker player) once mocked Robbie Lawson on a Radio 2 programme allegedly about Northern with a sarky "I suppose you had to be there". Quite. Did they actually interview anyone who'd been there? Answers on a postcard to "No They Didn't Competition, London". These whoppers know nothing of this scene and were never on it but the BBC seem to think they are qualified to comment. Levine should stick to talking about the Mecca. Why don't they find the real people for these things? The ones who carry the torch for a forgotten genre of music that would all be in landfill by now but for the likes of Manship, Anderson, Searling et al? For Christ's sake it's not hard to go to Lowton or Prestwich or Brighouse or Annesley or to find Sam or Ginger. Perhaps Marconie's right, they are scared they can't get a decent latte north of Hendon. As ever, it's London's opinion of their little insular world.

Some others I hadn't thought about there. Hmmm...a spot of nothing but Motown B sides and album-only tracks? Shorty Long-Baby Come On Home to Me, Marvelettes-Your Love Can Save Me, Monitors-Share A Little Love, Marvin Gaye-Only A Lonely Man Would Know...where to start?

No problem mate-is a Gordy demo OK?

All right Steve! Didn't know it was you until you mentioned the Keys!

Compared to the late eighties the scene is positively buzzing! After Wigan closed a lot of people decided that was that, did the family bit and "retired". But it never leaves you, does it? What also needs to be remembered is that as Wigan drew to a close some of us had had enough. Pop stompers, tourists, publicity wasn't what it was about. So the scene hibernated for a bit. Baz Maleedy and Flanny kept the Saints going and there was the odd do here and there but the scene came back to life when (spit) Northern tunes started to come out on CD. The kids were older so Mum and Dad could get back into it. Unfortunately it coincided with everyone thinking they were a promoter/DJ (partly because lazy people could play a big spot without searching out the records as they were all on CD) but great venues like Lowton, Prestwich, Bury Town Hall and the Grasshoppers started and it was game on. I think a lot of the tourists came back but they don't have that intensity about it. Maybe it will strip back down to geeks like me who talk about Motown records by the label number rather than the title but I hope not. There are plenty of Soul fans who know what they like and don't care about rarity or labels or anything else. There were at the Mecca and at Wigan. There are kids who, if they hear "our" music would love it as much as we do. I don't think music to today's kids is as important. They will never experience the joy of buying "What's Going On" and taking it home on the bus. The timeless artistic design of a beautiful red and white demo or owning a London demo of Donald Height means nothing to kids who can download the sound for 79p. But they like the sound. My thirteen year old has all sorts on his i-Pod but his favourite record ever is TMG515-I Can't Help Myself. I love the idea of going out and hearing anything from Terrible Tom-We Were Made From Each Other to Robert Parker-I Caught You In A Lie via Ace Spectrum-Don't Send Nobody Else. It's even better than the 100 mph non-stop of the early Wigan days. And at King Georges last week Bob Hinsley played a £10 record that I'd never heard. Absolutely outstanding! Billy Young-The Sloopy. No matter how long you've been into it, there's always a surprise around the corner. I love it.

Soul music has so little to offer that twenty minutes in we're on Bowie and punk. That God for all that shite-kept me following proper music.

Four Tops-Can't Seem To Get You Out Of My Mind is probably number 11 on the list! Unbelievable that such a classy side was just hidden away. If you move away from Northern-style tunes TMG602B Stevie Wonder-Hey Love and TMG707B The Temptations-Why Did She Have To Leave are brilliant.

Certainly before the all-nighters at Wigan. It's one that reminds me of Burscough/Southport/Rufford days. Perhaps a Ken Rigby or Pete Lawson spin?

Excluding reissues and things like Headline News that weren't really Motown records, what do you reckon the topten TMG B sides are-ones that really should have been on the other side? Pretty tough but mine are: 1 TMG564B Contours-Just A Little Misunderstanding 2 TMG652B Isleys-Why When Love Is Gone 3 TMG646B Edwin Starr-My Weakness Is You 4 TMG789B Undisputed Truth-You Got The Love I Need 5 TMG698B Four Tops-Don't Bring Back Memories 6 TMG864B Gladys Knight-No One Could Love You More 7 TMG535B Marvelettes-Your Cheating Ways 8 TMG725B Edwin Starr-Running Back And Forth 9 TMG636B Martha Reeves-Show Me The Way To Your Heart 10 TMG692B Edwin Starr-If My Heart Could Tell The Story I think Edwin was a bit harshly done by really. I know War charted but He Who Picks A Rose is better and that's on the B side!

Russ once told me that the highest number who paid on one night was 2600. It wasn't licenced for that many but several nights-Betty Wright, Jackie Wilson, some anniversaries and some of the last few were rammed. There were always loads who didn't pay to get in-DJ's and all their mates, people who knew Russ/Richard/anyone else and not forgetting those who got in free for sweeping up after the early sessions or simply hid inside until the lights went down again. The Council tried to close the Casino from the day it opened-if they'd had today's fire regulations it would have been simple.

Russ was selling records long before the market stall which was outside on the Market Street corner. He had a mail order record business operating from his Mum's at 10 Baytree Avenue. He opened that stall after the all-nighters started because he was flogging all the Selectacisc boots and Soussan stuff and knew that there was a demand from people who didn't go to all-nighters. He also sold originals there. The shop was in Hallgate, not Wallgate, and the old sign is just about clinging on to the wall there. Richard worked in the shop, he didn't have a share of it. That shop sold thousands of great records at the prices of the day: Frank Wilson UK demos £3, Baby Don't You Weep £4, Hesitations album £4 and all sorts. You could also order emidiscs from there. Two sides for about £3, any tunes you wanted. Any one-off (at the time) was available, no matter who had the only original. Russ has his critics but he was only satisfying the demand that CD or Sevens sales meet today. The legitimacy of the records is probably as clear now as it was then. Mike didn't have a shop but he used to sell records like the rest of us. He used to do mobile discos-weddings, the lot-and the stickers or covers with his details were probably to deter thieves.

I've got a convertible and I always drive around with my iPod playing through the speakers. Any Northern sounds good but I like Motown stuff when the roof's down.

Terrible Tom and Johnnie Mae Matthews. You can guess which is which.

Great if you want to pay £80 plus for a boot of the High Keys.

https://cgi.ebay.com/Gene-Woodbury-Ever-Aga...1QQcmdZViewItem Follow the link. Cheers.

I've put 32 tunes on. Some nice original demos and issues. https://cgi.ebay.com/Gene-Woodbury-Ever-Aga...1QQcmdZViewItem Follow the link. Cheers.