Frankie Crocker

Yes, I’m a fussy collector and have been very pleased with the records from Carolina Soul. When the grading is conservative, you usually end up more than pleased. One thing I have noticed though is there are more records likely to be on consignment appearing - the grades of these are a little lower than in previous auctions suggesting dealers are unloading well-used records in the hope of earning a higher return. A problem that can occur with records auctioned on behalf of another party is shiv bidding... This is common on eBay and particularly affects rare records that simmer slowly before the snipers get stuck in. A look at the bidder’s history reveals whether they are selective in their targets, keen to get publicity by making dozens of low bids or plain dodgy by withdrawing loads of bids. Generally speaking, I have found the big U.S.A. dealers to be excellent in all respects.

No need to apologise Rob but you’re a tad wide of the mark. Northern Soul does not descend...it cherry picks the best bits to rise above other musical genres. Dora was a Chicago artist I guess, maybe like Timi Yuro. That’s enough in itself to put her on a plinth. She was devoted to her art. The cover versions she cut bear comparison with the original songs. She has left a legacy that we are giving serious consideration to. Pretty Boy is a classic uptempo number that has been played out in public for decades and compiled on albums. You are granted a pardon to be spared of the modern room on the strict understanding you listen to a few tunes by Duffy and Joss Stone to recalibrate your hearing... There’s also a few 60 year old grannies (and grandads) on here so go easy on us Brits - we might be getting on in years, but appreciation of a half-decent tune grows over time. Now where did I put those Dolly Parton 45’s on Monument...

It’s All Over is a nice track of hers - mid pace and ripe for playing out. She has several other recordings on Reinbeau, Cozy and Calamo labels that qualify as Northern but none as good as Pretty Boy. In fact, she could be a contender for one of the most prolific blue-eyed female soul artists.

At Wigan in the late 70’s, some of the youngsters looked 14 or 15 such was their desperation to be part of the scene. How many youngsters of this age attend events today and have a view of the current scene? As I look around at today’s youth, playing on their phones, buds in listening to Ed Sheeran, mimicing the dances on the Fortnight game, perhaps it’s fair to say the Rare Soul scene is safely underground and only likely to appeal to the most ardent of alternative culture seekers?

Spot on Chalkie. For sure, it’s a competition of sorts but an awful spectacle to watch. Perhaps this sideshow harps back to the Anniversary events of the 70’s but it is not representative of what the scene is about today. Dance competitions, dance classes, YouTube dance tips...all could be swept away and no one would miss them.

Well wide of the truth, sorry. The Beatles were great in the 60’s. They flourished as part of the Mersey beat scene, dominated the UK pop music scene and conquered America. They were heavily influenced by Motown and possibly by Spector given the ‘wall of sound’ music they produced. The Northern Soul scene developed in a totally different way. In the 70’s, you had your glam rock for the teen pop followers, your Sabbath, Zeppelin and Purple etc for your long haired hippy brigade and soul/reggae for the mods and all night dancers. The Beatles remain great today, partly due the shortage of comparable pop music in later decades, especially since 1990, the year that pop ate itself. Northern Soul has surfaced as the worthiest genre of vintage music, crossing over to a wider public (for better or for worse) as is evidenced in vinyl sales, widespread events and media exposure. Hardly a week goes by without some 60’s or 70’s soul side receiving acclaim after 40-50 years of being overlooked. The future of soul 45’s looks healthy but I have some doubts about LP’s in general and especially the prog-rock output of the past given the listening habits of the youth today.

PM’s sent. Thanks for the interest shown. Patch on hold, sale pending.

Mid 70’s patch in excellent condition. Blue border with yellow East Anglian Soul Club lettering, white centre with crossed black fists. Genuine patch just unpicked from 1976 shirt, never washed or glued so in really nice conition. PM to reserve or have photos sent. Priced at £15. Free postage to UK address. Payment via Pay Pal Buyer covers Fees) or bank transfer. Thanks for looking.

An old culture in the hands of youthful men as I see it. Vintage music from the 50’s and 60’s in the custodianship of 60 year old spinners and 20 year old backdroppers. The music keeps you young at heart. As has been mentioned many times on Soul-Source, folk of all ages rub shoulders at Allnighters and soul nights, Weekenders and Alldayers - the scene is progressive but has a fine history to look back on. It’s all magic to me as you drop the stylus on the record, hey presto, you’re transported back to the 60’s soundtrack, reminded of the 70’s and lapping it up in 2018.

Copy in VG+ condition for sale at £225 payable via Pay Pal (buyer covers fees) or bank transfer. Price includes postage, packing and full insurance to UK address. Has light, superficial marks and labels a little grubby but top side plays perfect. VG copy sold on eBay for £288.69 20/5/18. PM to reserve or for further info. Thanks for looking.

Two very nice records up for grabs. Price includes free postage, packing and insurance to UK address. Payment via Pay Pal (buyer covers fees) or bank transfer. PM please to reserve or request further info. Thanks for looking. Ringleaders-Baby What Has Happened To Our Love-M Pac VG+++ Plays perfect. Name of previous owner etched neatly in runout. One noticeable superficial stylus trace mark. Clean labels. Beautiful copy not far off mint condition. £325 Bobby Paris-Night Owl-Cameo DJ VG+ Plays perfect. Sticker on Tears On My Pillow side partially removed with slight label damage and a few light marks on the vinyl. £225

Time Marches On... Saw KC and the Sunshine Band there in 1974 and went to just the one Allnighter in 1978. Not quite Cleethorpes Pier but neverthelesss a good venue for this part of the country. Big following of the music up there back in the day with plenty travelling from Holyhead, Llangefni and Bangor.

Stop. Stop. Stop... Crazy Baby... Will this thread never end? Great record, but best bought as a white demo on vinyl if you want an original. As Charlie Big Potatoes informs us, the disc was booted on vinyl as an issue. The original issue has been booted/reissued so lookalike styrene discs appear very similar at a glance, but closer inspection reveals significant differences highlighted in this thread and Manship’s fifth edition. A cursory look at Popsike will also clarify the key details.

Without sounding too pedantic, the Kwai Bridge is over a river in Thailand... After I’d filled up on chicken sandwiches, I was so wide awake, I’d study my Geography Atlas on the train back home.

It was Coke that kept some of us going at Wigan. Bottles and bottles of it, you could fill a round table top with the empties. That and chicken sandwiches from the upstairs bar, totally delicious at six in the morning with hunger kicking in.

Getting rolled in the bogs wouldn’t have been very pleasant with the floor three inches deep in piss and beer...

I can remember one night in August 1977 when the punks were chased up the alley alongside the Casino as a rumour was going around that a punk rocker had taken a pop at a soulie. The only argie-bargie I saw in the Casino involved two blokes from the same place squabbling over a girl - when the bouncer stepped in at the front right of the stage, someone said they knew there’d be trouble if so-and-so came - evidently an incident barely worth mentioning.

Don’t give the few drunken wallies who used to stagger around any credit for their presence. Getting off the last train from Manchester was an uplifting experience as every carriage was packed with soulies - there were hundreds of people filing up the road to the Casino so there was never any feeling of being intimidated. Same with the last train from Bank Quay, especially with a crowd of mates - never saw any aggro from the locals. I think it was the early-birds in the pubs that got the beady eye and maybe got chased off, but that was the 70’s for you anywhere. I never saw any real trouble inside or outside the Casino despite the place being packed with plenty of ‘likely lads’ from all over the country.

The record must have suffered distribution problems as many copies were pressed up with labels reversed. A small number of copies turned up in the 90’s so it was given the exposure it deserved being a decent, mellow mid-pace dancer. Turned out to be another Chicago flop in a sea of more commercially successful records, but that’s what makes it a little bit extra special for those of us who appreciate overlooked sounds.

I heard someone went dressed up as a palm tree. How they got up the escalator in fancy dress, I do not know. Is this another urban myth or can anyone remember seeing a palm tree at the Mecca?

Some interesting points here Joey. On the one hand, the OVO thing has become more accentuated with rising prices being paid for genuine records selling to dedicated collector-DJ’s. On the other though, you have the arriviste DJing to a pub full of half-sloshed youngsters and authenticity of the records is of no real significance, as long as the tune is catchy. The proliferation of soul-nights has enticed newcomers into DJing and at the same time, exposed fresh ears to the sounds - in time, some of the more committed listeners travel further afield to the bigger events featuring a top DJ, keeping the stream of young blood flowing. Many of these event-goers not surprisingly expect to hear genuine records that are worth the trouble of travelling for, especially if they have modest collections of Grapevine 45’s or OOTP boots etc. Nothing the matter with original vinyl except there’s just not enough of it to go around.

Well, you had to wear a tie to get in. This was usually of the kipper variety so went well with giant rounded collar shirts. Think Harry Hill but not pointed collars, semi-circular ones instead. Can’t remember if you had to wear a jacket? The doormen at the top of the escalator made a thorough search of your holdall in case you had a tape recorder. I think it was otherwise standard Northern gear in the mid 70’s morphing into pegs, capped T shirts etc towards the end of the decade.

Holly St James has featured on several Northern Soul LP’s and CD’s over the last three decades so that qualifies it as Northern Soul in my book. At venues I’ve attended in the last year, it’s gone down well with the dancers and packed the floor, especially with the younger crowd coming onto the scene. The younger fans have brought an ‘up for anything’ attitude with them so dance to funkier stuff, crossover and RnB, you name it, they want to listen to it, dance to it and who knows, maybe buy it in some form or other. This can only be good for scene in the long run as us old fogeys stuck in a rut, shuffle from the dancefloor to the doctors’ waiting rooms... I like to see folk in the venues making an effort to dress up for the occasion. I like to see youngsters carrying holdalls of clothes to change into - no objection to patches either... if it was good enough for us in the 70’s, it’s certainly OK in the ‘anything goes Teenies decade’ whether we’re talking about sons and daughters of Stafford goers, the grandchildren of Wheel/Torch/Catacombs attenders or anyone just dropping in for a look. The scene continues to evolve so there’s no point in hankering after the golden days...the best times are right now and it’s up to soulies of all ages to make the most of them. The scene is becoming increasingly youthful, not just in Britain but across several continents, so the omens are good for the continued appreciation of the 57 varieties soulful music.

I don’t own this record, but other multicoloured Revilot records I do have, were pressed on styrene. This material is notorious for its fragility and cracks easily. Styrene also suffers from the wear and tear of a heavy tone arm and worn stylus, so after a few plays, the dreaded hiss develops. Paper labels spoil more easily than moulded ones. I guess more than a few copies were disposed of for these reasons.

I agree Chalky. More to do with the sound and the buying public. Back then, record players were somewhat crude so a sound like this would not stand out as catchy. Today, our appreciation of the Detroit Sound, acceptance of slower tempo and Jackey’s gritty vocals make this a record to hunt down.