Frankie Crocker

Northern Soul is a hobby. Only a fool gets conned. Buying music you like is sensible. That’s what money is for - buying what you like. Paying stupid prices for records is reckless, but sometimes necessary, but doing so for investment purposes can be foolhardy. Sure, there are conmen in the record business - I’ve certainly bought bootlegs in the belief they were original records. None of us wants to be conned or even taken advantage of, so returning to the original question, buying records and attending events is pretty straightforward if you know what you’re doing. Only the gullible end up being conned, but you wise up quickly when you realise you splashed out too much cash.

Serious collectors who value the music and can afford the outlay. Plenty of pension pots being blown wisely and successful businessmen investing in priceless assets. If we all had the dosh, we’d all be doing it but sadly there’s not enough of it to go round.

A vintage selection of top tunes last month. Some of them were in mint unplayed condition. Sadly, I couldn’t land any of the biggest ones but did hook Rose Battiste. Competition for these rarities has definitely increased.

No-brainer then. Disable the comments. Provide visual enjoyment and cut back on admin. Spoil it for the trolls, make them even sadder, waste more of their time and worthless existence...

Shameful. Pity the poster of the video clips is unable to override the comment section. Trouble is, there is no option, you post a clip and it automatically has the comment section for trolls to spoil.

So Tim, why did he give it up? Are you able to clarify? Jud’s contribution was excellent and valued by many.

I really like Jud’s clips. They are good quality and give an insight into what venues are like. Providing the videos are taken from the sidelines, I don’t think there’s a problem. The wider problem is everyone with a phone seems to think it necessary to photograph anything, anywhere, anytime - this ruins the dancefloor atmosphere. Slightly off topic, but I was walking through the East Village at Stratford on Tuesday, admiring the Olympic accommodation and taking photos on my camera. Two security jobsworths came up to me and told me taking photographs was not allowed. So, I really detest being told I can not take photos when there’s no law against it but I think photographers should show real restraint when inside soul venues when choosing who to video.

Tricky question to answer. Are we talking about records that have been played by top DJs at major venues? Or minor records of dire quality that are played after a buying trip to the States? Some of the records already flagged up have an irritating facet, perhaps due to overexposure, but there are dozens like these that annoy some but please others. I reckon many of the tailor-mades fit the ‘Hated’ description. Four Vandals comes to mind and wins the Drosscar. Biddu Orchestra’s Northern Dancer on Epic is similarly dire but surely never played out by any self respecting DJ. Some of the Casino Classics releases are so poor they sunk without trace and are not worth playing even for a laugh. Such is the depth of brilliant soul music, it is a real struggle to identify the worst record as nobody would bother to play it. If I had to nominate one horrible sound, if only to provoke debate, it would be ‘I Love My Baby’ on GSF but I don’t care who sings it... I would run off the dancefloor if this was played in public and applaud the DJ who snapped it into two.

Topic has been covered before on Soul Source. Could be that some of the top U.S. soul acts of the mid-to-late 60’s such as Major Lance and James Brown displayed a shuffling style of footwork. The showmanship of their contemporaries threw up back-drops and splits etc that were adopted in the earliest British clubs such as the Twisted Wheel. The dancers featured in the clip are an invited audience bopping freestyle. The character you point out who exhibits moves commonly seen at Northern venues is simply moving with the minimum of effort in a very basic pattern. The earliest soul dance styles in Britain were pretty energetic by all accounts.

Always paid to get in - well worth the price of entry. Beachcomber warm-up was free and a welcome haunt when introduced. 1975 Footsee period was a bit of a media-frenzy with huge numbers of new faces but most dressed the part, lads and lasses. The crowd was the best dressed in the country bar none. 1976 was a good year. 1977 was a good year despite the Oldies v Newies debate - we still danced to The Flasher, Big Nasty, Kim Tolliver etc. 1978 was a good year. 1979 was possibly the last I went so cannot comment comment beyond then. I think the great times totally outweighed the bad so we can wallow in nostalgia 45 years down the road. The 70’s decade was generally a time of austerity but those who got to Wigan had the good fortune to be in the right place at the right time.

Great tune. Packs the floor when the lucky few who own a copy spin it in public. Always been rare and unavailable. Would be mighty proud to own a copy. Hard to convey just how good the record is but it’s a superb dancer, distinctly haunting, so tuneful it hooks you, just perfect for the scene.

But little or nothing in London week after week... OK, the 100 Club pops up every month or two, but given the population and number of visitors in the capital at the weekend, there is very little going on. Perhaps the people north of Watford should be pleased with the number of events to choose from? That said, it is plain bonkers to have too many events competing with each other in the same area at the same time. Fewer, but larger events are the way forward - people will travel to them and support them. Trouble is, everyone wants to be a DJ and self-promote their event resulting in a plethora of poorly attended, unsustainable venues.

Of course, it’s a Northern Sole website...

Good DJ’s NEVER play reissues, bootlegs or carvers. That’s partly why they are good DJ’s! Any collector with original vinyl can get by DJing if they have some nous. Dancers attend venues to hear authentic records and can generally put up with mumbling, fumbling DJ’s if the sounds are decent.

Never trust a person who knows the price of everything but the value of nothing. Some records are priceless. Others may be affordable but unavailable. Market value is a fickle concept - the perfect market comprised of a large number of buyers and sellers does not exist in the world of record dealing. The laws of supply and demand do not apply to trading rare records when often demand becomes more feverish as the price rises and nobody bothers with low-end items. For any given record, there are range of prices depending on condition, status of seller, potential availability, current local demand, currency, type of sale and other variables too. Bottom line is, a record sells for what someone is prepared to pay for it whilst its ‘worth’ is subjective. Bet you loads of us have paid too much money for records that we have enjoyed enormously at first but now realise the purchase was rather hasty...or...like the sound more and more with the passing of time and are glad we shelled out sooner rather than later.

Surely must have been spun the once and then set aside. MGM had some crack tunes back in the day and many still sound good. There were far fewer tracks around in the 70’s and an urge to spin anything that might appeal so naturally there were a few duds. Fortunately there were more than enough good tunes to keep the dancers happy. I still go weak at the knees when cratedigging in the States and turn up Yellow MGM demos.

Today’s handbagger could be tomorrow’s dyed in the wool soulie... All venues these days should expect first-time visitors to the scene as they have been drawn in by rumours of wonderful music awaiting them. The scene has become incredibly tolerant of diversity at venues and this is something to be proud of. The Soul Police have been phased out in most venues to be replaced by Guardian Angels, easily recognisable in their red berets, patrolling the dance floor perimeters, ensuring no drinks are spilled and talc is used in small quantities...

You forgot ‘Holy Grail’... Is this is the best descriptor for Rarest of the Rare or just eBay sales pitch by an over-optimistic seller who knows little about records?

Rarity applies to the number or records pressed. Availability pertains to the number of records that come onto the market for sale. I rather like John Manship’s diamond classification in Million Dollars of Rare Soul - OK, not perfect, but nevertheless a solid guide for the most part. Because we communicate with each other and attend events where rare records are spun in public, some of us have a pretty good idea who actually owns the scarcest records. Key dealers also have knowledge of rarity/availability through sales/stocktake figures - their comments are always worth taking note of. Finally, Popsike indicates potential record rarity/availability and should be checked before bidding on expensive items. Bottom line is, if you like the record enough, pay what it takes to own it.

The record did not have a DJ promo copy release as far as I know. The issues have a white label. You might be better off advertising for an ordinary copy. Good luck in your search.

Almost impossible to remove from a paper label without leaving a trace. Some sort of powerful solvent may weaken the adhesive eg Goo-Gone. Over a long period of time, the adhesive may dry out to the point peeling may be possible. It might be better to just leave it alone to avoid unsightly label damage.

Know what you feel like Len. Restless nights until you find the record or come up with an explanation. Did you leave it on the decks when last DJing? Always best to list records sold in a little book - helps preserve sanity and keep an eye on the profits. Hope it turns up but you need to go through the whole collection a couple of times to be absolutely certain that it’s gone AWOL.

Excellent news Kim. Wrong Crowd was bootlegged and the original release is very hard to find. Great record back in the 70’s and very popular at Wigan Casino. Please give my regards to George.

Rediscovered in the mid 90’s. One of the biggest spins by the late 90’s. Hammered to death in the Noughties - by now a poppy-soul sound featured everywhere, filling the floors up and down the country. Can’t believe it’s still being discussed, let alone played, at the end of the Teenies decade. Funny how a slightly different different record gathers a cult following. I think records by Terry Callier (Ordinary Joe) and Les Mc Cann (Sad Little Girl) did much to popularise mid-pace tunes such as If Only I Could Be Sure. That said, Nolan’s record is very common and a staple in every Wannabe DJ’s box which perhaps explains why it hasn’t gone away yet.

Just thought of Tony Middleton and Lou Johnson as two class acts to add to the list of those not yet mentioned.