Frankie Crocker

Valid point. There was a considerable revenue stream and little of it appeared to be invested in the fabric of the building apart from Mr M’s that seemed to have had a facelift. That said, the Victorian ballroom complex was reaching the end of its working life and probably approaching demolition, was not worth the major investment. Much of the revenue went on staff wages - look at the poster to see the team of people involved. A lot must have been spent on publicity with adverts in Blues and Soul, posters, badges etc. We know Russ had a raw deal as he opted for a fixed fee to DJ and missed out on a cut of the weekly takings. Bottom line is nightclubs are expensive to run, involve huge hassle, and legal issues often result in premature closure like it or not.

Harsh criticism methinks. Gerry Marshall did a fine job of nursing the Casino through the twilight years. Mike Walker did a terrific job making us all welcome and ensuring the Allniters happened: not sure why he committed suicide but at this point, we all need to be grateful that he was around in the 70’s. Sure, the council were behind the ultimate demise, and maybe behind the arson that finished the grand old lady off? More recently, the council could have included a rebuilt Empress Ballroom in the shopping centre redevelopment but it probably didn’t even occur to them. My late grandmother worked at Trencherfield Mill and danced at the Casino ballroom when it was the ‘Emp’ in the 1930’s. This was the era of the big band and the dancehall would have been a magnificent sight in those days. Even in the 60’s, the venue hosted top acts such as the Beatles and many of the leading artists of the day. When we were going in the 70’s, it was still a place of awe and you could not fail to be blown away when passing through the double doors at the back of the main ballroom. Nobody in their teens or twenties regarded the venue as a ‘dump’ back in the day, and it would be more fitting if those who actually went said the Casino had seen better days and left it at that. The posters, memorabilia, patches etc evoke such nostalgia, you can't help feeling the council missed a golden opportunity to rebuild an entertainment complex plus museum for future generations.

Great piss-ups Len. You were OK though as you were wearing wellies. Bar was always six deep and the second bar was only opened once if I recall. Roger and Mick when DJing always struggled to put on a record more common than the previous one. It was always a relief to get back to street level and be barged by fewer drunks.

An interesting take on the legendary venue. As a veteran of over 100 Allniters there, I would have to say the do’s generally bordered on splendiferous and unsurpassable. Cloakroom pranks probably down to Tef or Brummie Mick, perhaps on a quiet night. Attendances recently have dipped with fewer diehards travelling from up North, but full marks for anyone who went the extra 200 miles month after month, decade after decade. Sure, there’s always been a few bewildered new faces it being the capital city and Time Out steering some unsuspecting tourists down the stairs. The Anniversary Allniters bear comparison with the best do’s ever held on planet earth, but some Saturdays struggle as the once-a-year merchants can’t be bothered to support a regular event.

There have been a few at the fabled 100 Club down the years. Going back to the 90’s, Ady put on a Modern Soul Allniter. Hardly anyone turned up and virtually none of the regulars showed up apart from myself. I left after a couple of hours as the music was so dull and uninspiring. Ady said he felt he had to put the event on as the followers had no other events to go to. Needless to say, the promotion was not repeated. Some of the 100 Club Christmas Parties were far from soulful. Dancefloor covered with beer. Toilet floor flooded. Venue packed with handbaggers, tourists and groups out on a bender. Very little rare soul played. Sound system struggling above the racket. Lots of well known Motown and commercial soul with a liberal helping of poppy Northern, some leaning towards the festive season. Largely a great piss-up for those off work the next day.

St Annes Square where the posh folk do their shopping. A sight of rare beauty...in a dark dancehall at five in the morning. When I bought my McAfee brogues on Bond Street back in the 80’s, the shop assistant said ‘these will see you out sir’ implying the shoes will last longer than I will live.

Hi Steve. Sounds like you gate crashed a wedding by mistake. Best to go to any pub on a Saturday night as there’s a strong chance a Northern Disco will be happening in the back room...

You were in luck. It could have been Judy Street, once voted the most popular track, Sharonettes and Lloyd Michaels. Evidently the DJ’s had flogged their copies of Tomangoes, Cecil Washington and Yvonne Baker. Still, must look on the bright side as you were spared Joe Ninety, Hawaii 5-0 and Ghost In My House...

Horses for courses... Would you wear plimsolls to dance in at an Allniter - probably not? Still not sure why dancers feel the need to wear sports footwear to dance in when there are enough smart shoes on the market that have the same attributes. Whatever way a dancer chooses to move on the floor, there is a leather/rubber/vinyl sole that is fit for purpose and tones in well with the clothing. Once upon a time, you couldn’t get in a club wearing training shoes (or jeans or without a tie) - now it seems anything goes.

Never come across these before. Evidently of some nostalgic value to someone. Certainly a museum piece...perhaps someone’s opening up a Museum of Northern Soul. Would look good framed on the wall of a record room. Very much doubt they will be played by the eventual winner, let alone spun in public.

I rather like Northern Soul. Proper Northern Soul that is. I detest journalists who think they are hip using the term Northern Soul to describe a restaurant in Highbury or a cottage in the Yorkshire Dales. I thoroughly dislike U.S.A. dealers tagging any old 60’s up-tempo track ‘Northern Soul’ in the hope some fool might buy it. Rare Soul is a term used for music that is not Northern Soul but liked by people who dabble in the realms of 50’s to 70’s black music of varying tempos. Sometimes the sounds are not rare or soulful but can be liked by those with an ear for them.

Cheers Kev. Thanks for confirmation. No doubt Simon was a key source of top tunes back in the day. Even today, it is very hard for a DJ to break one new tune given the reluctance of the dancing public to embrace star-quality first time out, so not surprised to learn a mass of instrumentals received a luke-warm response.

Never heard of SS DJing at the Casino. Perhaps Richard, Kev or Pat could verify this. Did anyone on here actually attend an Allnighter he DJed at? Even if he was invited to DJ, he would have only played something that became a bootleg later anyway?

Thanks for posting it Derek. I remember it well. Leaky roof. Inside, it felt more like a hut than a store. Made several visits in the 1990’s and got plenty of nice records.

Agreed Kirsty. The book needs re-writing and the playlists need a makeover. The scene has moved on considerably and a few more ‘crown jewels’ have been revealed. I suppose these gems would be the highlights of the best collections, but realistically, few collectors will ever get close to owning them all. Sure, there’s a case for putting forward the hallowed classics, Right Track, Surprise Party, Out On The Floor etc. That said, some of the top tunes exist in small numbers and are only played out infrequently but qualify due to high soul quotient regardless of rarity eg Connie Austin, Camaros, Karmello Brooks, Margaret Little, Gerri Hall etc. I would struggle to list 1,000 ‘Crown Jewels’ as like yourself, there are many thousands of tracks I like, but it seems there is a real correlation with extreme rarity hence Mello Souls would top plenty of lists along with Ray Agee, Caressors, Sweets, Prophets, Walter and Admirations, Tranells etc There are some really good unexposed tracks out there also that deserve ‘gem’ status and at the risk of doing some DJ’s unearthing, I put forward Louis Jordan on Pzazz, Ricky Gee on Conduc, Herb Ryals on Jubilee, Bands Of Gold on Smash. There are hundreds like these awaiting their time in the limelight and often widely available for a small sum.

The so called Top 500 is badly in need of a review. There are loads of recent biggies not in the Kev Roberts books. If I had to suggest a tune it would be the Joseph Webster/Angela Davis number, My Love Is So Strong. There are of course plenty of other artists that have produced great records such as the Oxford Knights, Parisians, Constellations, Ward Burton, Talmadge Armstrong etc that could feature in a ‘best of the best list’ without being plagiarised by some struggling DJ.

PM’d you but copy is only VG+

Enjoyed re-reading the thread. Some nice yarns here. Can anyone remember the address of Cappy’s. Was it on 8 Mile?

Probably a desperate DJ or a millionaire. Has now become a must-have record for the playbox. Mind you, it was a scarce issue copy.

An object of sheer beauty Ted. And here was me thinking you were spinning the Admirations earlier this year. This could well be the nicest copy on the planet...

This is a particularly delicate issue. Does your regular home insurance cover record collections? Much depends on how valuable the collection is. If you are planning on taking records out of your house to DJ, there is a risk involved and this can be insured against. Ultimately, your best bet may be to burglar-proof and fireproof their storage. Sad to say, the biggest risk to your record collection is allowing a fellow record collector to have access to your treasures. Useful thread though, and thanks for the contact details above as I have had considerable difficulty sorting out insurance in the past.

Best to avoid MP3 venues unless in Majorca, Canaries etc and it’s Trance, House or Techno... If the DJ has a laptop, he’s not a proper DJ - you have to spin discs to be a disc jockey. The DJ with a laptop is a crowd pleaser but only because the term lap dancer was already taken...

Depends on the record and the venue where it could be played. Nothing wrong with boots being spun at the youth club, pub back-room on a Tuesday, charity barbecue at the cricket club etc. The venue may even be a drinking den where nobody ever dances but they like the tunes despite not having a clue what’s playing. if it’s a few youngsters spinning largely to their mates, who’s really bothered? This topic has cropped up so often, it’s about time someone invented an OVO trademark for events’ flyers, posters, web-pages etc so everyone knows where they stand. Maybe the Record Police could be given free entry to supervise the DJ’s and publish playlists? Podium girls (or boys) holding up placards with OVO on to reassure the most critical... I doubt that any top DJ would stoop to play a bootleg at a major venue in prime-time. If they did, I hope someone would name and shame them, ideally on here.

Very slick. Great tune - credit to Nige Brown for putting me onto it and Butch for selling me a copy. Smartly dressed, deft of foot, tailor made for the scene, might have come from Yeovil in Somerset but need to confirm this...

A bit of everything really. Freshly acquired stock from a wide network of sources. Some auction items on consignment from collectors. I think that one or two may even be eBay wins bought fir the shop window to maintain interest. Not sure why some auction values appear on the site after ending whilst others don’t show up. I was looking out for Tommy Bush and a couple of others but they just disappeared.