Frankie Crocker

Ray Pollard. Gene McDaniels. Dean Parish. Major Lance. Romance Watson . Not mentioned so far in this thread but pretty close to Roy Hamilton when it comes to belting out a song. Impossible to pick a Top Three as there are dozens and dozens of unsung heroes.

It might have been me who suggested a change in tempo at the end of a set. Of course, it doesn’t have to be a mid-tempo sound to close a set, but after a few fast and furious records, something like Bob and Fred ‘I’ll Be On My Way’ or Johnnnie Mae Matthews ’I Have No Choice’ goes down well, fills the floor, builds the atmosphere, allows for some hand-clapping, gives the dancers a chance to applaud and helps the next DJ cue up a hjgh-impact sound.

Mello Souls is as good as it gets and is certainly ‘top trumps’ as a party starter. So few copies around and when do you ever see a DJ copy? Anyone who hears this played in public is sure to have a jolly good time. Tricky record to surpass so drop it down a tad to Four Tracks, Sandy Golden, Timi Yuro, anything to give the dancers a breather.

In his recent book, Richard Searling linked the decline in Saturday attendance to the monthly Oldies All Nighter. Richard also expressed concern about some of the sounds spun by fellow DJ’s...even though he was championing ’Modern Soul’ as it’s now called. The Casino of course had been condemned and earmarked for closure - the protracted period of uncertainty surely deterred potential travellers. Wigan rode the wave, right time, right place, right DJ’s, right sounds...all crazes come to end at some point. Looking back, we had it so good for so long, it’s not worth dwelling on.

You’re absolutely right so sparing readers any deep philosophical justification... Jades - I’m Where It’s At - Nite Life Delites - Lover - Cuppy Admirations on Peaches or Fortson and Scott on Pzazz...this is where you have to make a tricky call and read the crowd to help make the decision. Fast, Fast, Faster or Slower...

First record you can plan for. Got to be a party starter. Previous record was an ‘ender’ so you know to pick the tempo up. You have to stamp your mark on this first spin so make it count. Maybe a classic rarity. All depends on the venue, the crowd and of course, the timing of the slot in the DJ sequence. Have a longlist of possibilities in mind but they need to be proven floorfillers. Second record...you’ve got 2 minutes 20 seconds to shuffle through a few, pick one, tee it up, check out the dancefloor action, maybe crank it up a bit further and segue into the next track or mumble a few words and give the dancers a breather. No time to overthink things as autopilot takes over - be cool, take it one record at a time.

Try putting the best bits on Soul Source. That way, they will find a good home and you may achieve a better price, particularly if meeting the needs of someone’s wants list. Plenty of other dealers would appraise them but might be inclined to ‘cherry pick’ and leave you with the harder-to-move-on stuff. Maybe better therefore to sell as one job-lot but only receive 50-60% of full value. That said, I would advise you not to sell, or just sell your least favourite records if you really have to. It’s easier to get the money somehow than it is to replace your treasures. Most serious collectors will tell you they regret selling such-and-such a record and wish they hadn’t.

Always an interesting read. Loads here I would be proud to own. Looks like a more bountiful month than some with plenty more really good Northern spins up for grabs. Prices seemed a bit more realistic and reasonable. Just goes to show there’s plenty out there still be picked up...

Copy from dead stock in company sleeve. Probably unplayed so in mint minus condition. Priced at £50 plus £2.50 postage to UK address. Payment by PayPal preferred, buyer to cover fees. PM to reserve or for further details. Thanks for looking.

String ‘em up I say. Flogging’s too good for them. Bring back the stocks. If you can’t do the time then don’t do the crime. This kind of activity gets Northern Soul a bad name so add another three months in solitary confinement.

Did anyone ever get framed by the drug squad reception parties? That would make a more interesting read if indeed it actually happened. I think we should give Russ the respect he deserves. As Billy Whizz says, he put Station Road on the map. He brought Richard and Kev into the fold. He played some fantastic records back in the day. It’s because of Russ, dozens of Soul Sourcers, and maybe hundreds more, are into the music he introduced us to all those years ago. I was in Wigan last weekend, checking out the memorabilia at the Casino Cafe and pleased to bits I could tell the other lookers on that I was there. Thanks a million Russ.

Surely it’s up to us to denounce this criminal practice? I get pretty sick of seeing this rubbish for sale and fault the buyers just as much as the bootleggers. How do these cowboys gain access to a pressing plant - surely this could be more tightly regulated. Can’t believe the sums of money involved - there are obviously lots of people who need their heads tested for squandering their cash on this trash.

Thanks for the info. Two really good tracks on the disc and still not all that well known. Ted Massey was after a copy a while back which tells you something.

Absolutely, but since when have the ultra-rich worried about us little people? But surely nobody other than the underbidder will pay such a colossal sum for Little Richie in the near future.

Did anyone note what the Talmadge Armstrong white demo went for? Vaguely thought it was due to finish next Wednesday... As I’ve remarked before, the buyer of these big-ticket records is very wealthy and does not consider the cost of them as most of us would do. Only a person with vast wealth can spend like this.

Hey, I’ve just had a great idea. Maybe someone should promote just one major central venue, say in Stoke or Crewe or Wolverhampton or Nottingham or Wigan. Somewhere accessible by train so folk don’t have to drive. Then all the wannabe DJ’s could go somewhere at the weekend to listen to great music and leave their little record boxes at home. Instead of having a hundred venues attended by ten people, there could be one huge dancehall full of vinyl addicts, filling the dancefloor and browsing in the record bar. I reckon this idea could really catch on and save everyone the hassle of reading events listings.

Agreed but best pitched up to 47rpm with extra talc on the floor...hit it...

Very saddened reading this thread years down the road since Pete’s post. Bobby delivered three records of the highest quality and was easily a Hall of Fame calibre artist. What a shame he never earned a long-term financial reward for his work but at least he was alerted to the immense contribution he made to the soul scene.

Interesting that the red one does not state ‘Gents’ on it. Did this one date from before the Northern years at The Casino? I have two yellow cards in my name and two green cards belonging to the ex. I first had a blue card that I tore in two to let a mate in. The number of us that had multiple membership cards makes a mockery of the often cited figure issued - 109,000 according to Richard’s recent book.

Spotted this earlier and thought no confusing this with the real thing. Early gents card was red then blue I think then yellow. Ladies card was green but there may have been others, not sure.

Very sad news. A real character. 100 Club stalwart. Will be sorely missed.

That’s my take on it too. Kev was signed up later. There’s a thread on Soul Source that discusses the First Allnighter patch which makes for interesting reading. The seller of the patch shown indicated it was home-made - you would be hard pressed to tell it apart from the genuine article. This of course makes it rather difficult for buyers of genuine memorabilia.

Cheers Dave. Clever stuff eh? Might get myself one and start up a new company...Bootleg Badges I’ll call it... On the other hand, maybe I’ll use the time to play a few more records.

These home-made jobbies look pretty authentic. To get the Tommy Hunt profile accurate is quite tricky but he has achieved it. I think these unofficial versions were made a long time ago in contrast to the profusion of current replicas. The guy who has made them has copied the originals quite closely so I wonder if he has a textile industry background...or was just very good at needlepoint?

Cheers Steve. Two of the above are destined for Crocker Towers. The other was very keenly faught over by two collectors chasing the elusive 3rd anniversary patch - I have been in touch with two Soul Source members about this collectible in the last year or so. Also up for sale today was a home made Wigan lookalike Tommy Hunt patch with white trim. This brings the total of home-made patches to three varieties in the last month or so.