Frankie Crocker

Two sides to this one - flip it over for a superior version of Ball Of Fire. DJ copies seem to be more numerous than issues but both are hard to come by. Methinks it's in demand for the powerful mid- tempo side rather than the run-of-the-mill up tempo side...

Do any US dealers offer free postage? If they did across the board, sellers would use the lowest cost/maximum security approach that Dave advocates. Too many small dealers skimp on packaging to profit from postal charges. Generally speaking, the main dealers use USPS and pack the records well. However, in an unregulated industry with more amateurs than professionals involved, it usually makes sense to pay whatever it takes to ensure the record arrives safely. However, with some UK collectors taking delivery of a dozen or so packets a week, it makes sense to keep postage costs down hence Dave starting this thread.

Interestingpoint. Was it the maroon Wigan badge that spawned the KTF slogan? What inspired the badge designer to put KTF on the badge? Is the Citations 'To Win The Race' on Ballad anything to do with the catchphrase? Personally, I Don't Care [What The People Say]... Keep On...

My recollection also. 1977, 4th Anniversary Wigan dance competition was won by Sandy Holt outright. Last anniversary I attended. Grapevine has it he won again, 1978 it appears, perhaps after being eliminated in an earlier round? All good clean fun and an integral part of the scene. All winners should be cast in bronze and put on plinths between Wigan Wallgate and Station Road.

I remember buying Tony Clarke's 'Landslide' on an English label in one such shop in Leigh. Was stopping with friends in Culcheth one Saturday in March 1974 and went to Leigh baths for a swim. Crossing the road, I saw the record in a shop window but had no cash on me. Caught the bus back to Culcheth, got some cash then caught the bus back to Leigh for the record and a swim. This impulsive urge continues still. Went to the Casino that night and can still recall listening to the tape made as I hung around Leigh bus station...Velvet Satins, Gwen and Ray etc. I think the records in Leigh then were catering for a booming market, particularly a local Manchester influenced youth scene.

Or was he a diesel fitter...

My recollection also. Steve Caesar from Leeds won in 1974. Kim Habbits [from Leigh who featured in This England?] Jethro from Wolverhampton, the Peoples' Champion in third but you couldn't separate them, it was so close.

Corking soundtrack. Lots covered in a short space. Nice balance of past and present. Fran's still got the moves and Trickster's slowing down. Best bit for me was the Young Soul in his bedroom - such commitment bodes well for the future. Shame there's so little movie footage of the Casino so it tends to be recycled. Congratulations to Paul for a job well done.

Nowt wrong with nostalgia events like this. It was a pivotal era after all. 'Bout time the council rebuilt the Casino, opened up a museum and provided a top class venue for us. Good to see the Empress Ballroom in the media so let's hope for some objective coverage. In decades to come, will the last few who attended the Casino make the news like the last survivors of World War One? I certainly hope so. My feelings were hurt when the invitation to the reunion failed to land on the mat. Is it too late to dust down my beret, polish the trench coat and pop down to Boots for a bottle of Johnson's Baby Powder? Just bought myself a pair of Terry's brogues - brilliant for doing bum- drops but useless for taking penalties in. See you there Out On The Floor...

Cheers Kevin - was unaware of the other two so really glad I lost the auction. Missed the record from the same seller a couple of years ago so was extra keen to secure this copy. Have even been to McAllen looking for a copy: studio at address on label now gone, thrift stores are devoid of vinyl and Smitty would not let me in the back room of his juke-box museum. Now I can sit back and wait for a flurry of them, hopefully from a Texas hoarder who has the distributor stock...

It's a crock. Likewise the tosh about tons of cut-outs being used for ballast. The airmen at Burtonwood had the perks of US living on base so there would have been Motown stable labels floating around: however, the military faced limits on what they could ship around so box loads of 45's were not brought over en masse to be abandoned when the tour of duty finished. Liverpool was a flourishing port in the '60's and there was a ready trade in all sorts of imports from broken crates, but the sheer volume of British 45's overwhelmed those from the US.

Succinctly put. There's a lot of collectors out there and a load of good records deserving to be spun, and not necessarily off eBay although this offers a quick fix. Sure the money helps to acquire the records but information is also required plus good contacts in the UK and USA. Access to venues underpins the trend so collectors with connections in pubs and clubs can promote themselves and reciprocate with mates doing the same at other venues as davidwapples suggests. However, a lot of these guys are not egomaniacs, just keen on the music and eager to rotate on the decks between decking some beers. Now the upshot of this is a proliferation of record-spinners and countless venues per weekend - is this a sign the scene's in good health or contributing to a reluctance to travel to the larger venues - you can decide by either supporting or ignoring the local soul eve or attending the regional 'nighters, or as some do, a mix of both. Either way, this is the way the scene has evolved and you can vote with your brogues or carpet slippers. Finally, a word to the youngsters; the future of the scene is in your hands so get practicing on those Technics in your bedroom and pub back-rooms as there's some harsh critics out there.

Ted, let's hope so as I bid on it and lost...

Also in the same boat but remember Rule#1, Never Sell Your Record Collection... It's probably easier to be more selective over future purchases than to agonise over what to cull. Under extreme duress, I would move on styrene copies and keep the vinyl. I would keep any autographed records even if I had a pristine issue also. Much depends on whether you have catalogued your records - if they have been listed in a book or on the computer, it is a real pain to delete them. My suggestion would be to put up more shelving, dig a basement or move to a bigger house. In future, put the 'spares' into the sales box before adding them to the collection so their destiny is pretty much decided - I find this solution handy for the records I stupidly buy then discover another copy hidden in the collection.

I remember the clapping back in the day being partly for the quality of the sound but also appreciation for the DJ. Today's rounds of applause continue this trend but there is also an acknowledgment for innovation eg Butch's latest find, the record that captures the moment eg Jackie Wilson's 'Because Of You' and when the floor is chock-full of vinyl connoisseurs eg 100 Club.

The question about rounds of applause was prompted by the forthcoming film aiming to achieve authenticity. Everyone who is looking forward to the film probably wants it to succeed - who goes to films to pick holes in them? Inevitably, viewers of the film will make comparisons between c1975 and the film representation; as it's a film, there is plenty of wriggle room for the production time to be true to the era portrayed and release a really good movie that works on the big screen as well as on DVD. A detail like hand clapping would not out of place to any die-hards like myself who were there '74-'79: details like the records played, dance moves, shirts worn and hair styles will definitely be under scrutiny though by Casino regulars.

So if a round of applause emerged in late '76 or early '77, does this not count as the mid 1970's? Did the film wardrobe people make sure the tailoring was spot on? Are all the sounds from 1975? Synchronised claps on the beat or at a break plus ripples of applause were around before 1975 so could have been factored in to add to the aura of the film regardless of authenticity.

Finished reading it last night. Enjoyed it very much. A useful addition to the books on the subject. Well researched. Really insightful comments. Congratulations on getting Butch to contribute - a mate of few words but always worth paying attention to. Ian Levine's contributions were excellent. The chronological structure was spot on - all the key periods given their due. Really enjoyed Delise 's vignettes - if you're reading this, tell John that D & C will be in the Arkle pub before the Southampton match. Hugely enjoyed Joel's contribution at the end - wonderful to see 'Soul Pupils' like Joel and Ollie carrying the scene forward. Anyone interested in Northern Soul should read this book - the illustrations are a mixed bag, some being familiar, others fresh and several redundant - judged on the text alone, it is compulsive reading.

Females - easy... Ty Karim Timi Turo Esther Phillips Males - nearly impossible... Lou Johnson Roy Hamilton Chuck Jackson

Good topic for debate. All us serious record gatherers end up with cracked records like it or not. Better to own the sound than go without, then upgrade when the opportunity arises. My Delites on Cuppy is cracked across the run-in and first four grooves but it would make £200 in a cash deal or more in trade. I reckon 20% of value for a rare record is about right. For a dead rare record, say less than 10 known copies, you have to accept the condition and hope the crack is a NAP. The crack can be fixed with tape, superglue etc but I have wondered if it could be lasered - anyone gone in for an eye op and asked the Doc to fix the vinyl while the machine is on? Now the styrene separation mark that looks like a crack is another issue altogether - just don't prod at it to see if is a crack because it soon will be even though it wasn't.

Who is Alex Ferguson? Got my copy today. Slipped it out of the Amazon box like it was a rare record. Felt like a real book with a hardback cover. Looked at all the photos then the credits at the back. If the best thing about Northern Soul is the music, the next best thing must be reading about the music... Well, whatever, I'm looking forward to reading it and watching the film. What label was Alex Ferguson on? Was his backing group the Hairdryers.

True Pete, some of the JM auction items recently have been commoner records but Gary Dean has been a hard to find record for a couple of decades, the lack of DJ demand reflecting scarcity and price rather than lack of quality as it is a proper Northern dancer. Sticking my neck out, I guess the Royal Oak dealer had less than a 25 count box and these only seemed to trickle out so maybe it is pretty scarce with less than 50 copies out there QED? Sure it's plain daft overpaying in any auction but there are plenty of sound reasons for going out on a limb to secure a specific record from a certain dealer that can be relied on.

Shrewd observation Pete. For a book about a music scene centred on imported 45's, I would expect scans that would have the serious collectors drooling, off-the-scene old timers revelling in nostalgia and watchers of the film further informed or inspired. Sure there are plenty of books with scans out there, but there is a level of expectation that the next book will better those that were published earlier or it least match the successful formats of the Mick Ritson then the Tim Brown volumes.

Another interesting auction item from the Sotherby's of the Northern Soul world. Fancy a trip to Detroit to the source in Royal Oak or buy from the leading British seller and save on travel expenses? Wonder how many turned up in this haul as a good few have moved on eBay recently. My mint unplayed copy from Royal Oak upgraded one I bought off Rich Rosen a decade ago when he had a small quantity, but sadly the styrene hissed from sampling it on his carving-machine of a record player. Now this great tune has become more available to DJs it has stimulated further demand, yet again defying the laws of supply and demand (when an increase in supply normally results in a price fall). Manny now HAS to maintain the high-calibre range of auction sounds on a weekly basis so expect to bid against him more often in future when the mintiest rarities are up for grabs in the US eg Exits on Kapp, Maurice Williams on Deesu etc.

Richard Searling on the telly, now that's what I call culture. Top man. Gets my vote. Marked it on the calendar, thanks.