Frankie Crocker

Hi Rob. I see the record staying in Britain where it will hopefully grace a top collection of British soul releases. That said, I also feel that we in Britain should continue to gather as many American soul releases as humanly possible, ideally for as little as possible, as the appreciation level over here greatly exceeds that in the USA.

Really good article too. Much better reading it in an original newspaper as well. Don't mind the online take but prefer to get my hands on the hard copy. Can't see anyone in Hull stumping up for Frank Wilson and pretty sure John would not disclose any details of any winning bidder.

I heard this place was closed as he'd retired to Florida. Can anyone confirm whether it is still there or closed?

Val's is in Philadelphia. Outside Pittsburgh there's George's Songshop in Johnstown.

Cool, cool and more cool...

It's the Christmas post season so expect everything to be delivered on December 27th or January 2nd. Make sure you stay in the house for the next three weeks otherwise someone will leave a card saying no one was in and your parcel will be returned to sender in the next two hours... Don't give up hope as packets can take a month or more to arrive.

The earliest one was red. There were pale blue and yellow versions also. The ladies card was green. I have a blue one, a yellow one and two green ones in the name of the old girlfriend. My first membership was separated into two, as were many others, as the wheeze was to give a mate without a membership, half of one to flash to the bouncer on the door. Estimates put the total membership at 100,000 but this is probably an overestimate given the number of us who had several membership cards.

Yep. Ray Dobard. Another thread on here with a detailed quote from John himself. Vaguely recall there were other premises in Oakland not sequestered by the IRS so there could still be more records to uncover QED. Barry Wickham located the warehouse and invited partners to the venture - John, Barry and another dealer put up $250,000 and won access to the records. There was a photo of the team loading up a truck with piles of stock on a table, the Servicemen on Wind Hit topping one stack. Definitely the find of the century, any century. The Sacramento haul was a huge collection containing many unplayed big-ticket items, again, the find of a lifetime, but one that was dwarfed by the Oakland haul.

Looks more like the Oakland find that Barry Wickham had a share in?

The vinyl that's selling well amounts to limited edition releases going to a boutique audience who have woken up to the pleasure of hearing music played on a turntable. Sure, sales of new vinyl are on an upward trend relative to previous years, but the actual volumes are paltry compared to the 60's and 70's. At least the marketing of new vinyl gives a boost to turntable production and keeps the hi-fi separates market moving. Some of the vinyl converts may well turn to second hand records in due course, so this is encouraging for the stockists who have had a tough time of it lately with many outlets closing due to falling trade.

Confirming this is a scam, ruse, underhand ploy, deceitful practice, self-serving money spinner, call it what you want...

Dave, you're right, the GSP is real pain and another eBay scam that benefits the middlemen and not the customer. Plenty of us already boycott the sellers that have settled for the dubious practice. The sooner the sellers wake up to the loss of revenue, the better, then we can return to the situation as it used to be, mutually beneficial to vendors and buyers.

This is not on. It is unethical and unnecessary. Too many events in a locality at the same time only undermines the attendance at all of them. Surely it makes sense to plan accordingly without rocking then boat.

Well said Kev. Good to see there are principled figures on the scene. Sounds like the venue owner should have a chat with the current promoter to help smoth things over.

You're absolutely right. Trouble is, counterfeited goods advertised as FAKE just won't sell so they're called second issue or something similarly deceptive. The problem really occurs when a seller omits to state a record is either an original or a second issue when it is known there are two variants. Sad state of affairs that this hobby of ours has been hi-jacked by fraudsters who pay no royalties and give record trading a bad name.

Some thick spray on cleansers such as Mr Muscle and Mr Sheen supposedly help as they help the stylus gouge ingrained gunge out of the grooves AND theoretically fill the cracks giving a dampening effect. Never tried it but a metal polish abrasive wool like Duraglit might help lessen the worst scratches - used it to buff up surfboard dings fixed with fibreglass and it came up a treat. Ultimately, there's no quick fix for the problem other than to buy a better copy when the chance arises.

Further evidence of the fickleness of selling in-demand, rare records in great condition. Jades went for a four figure sum a few months back but has now tumbled 20%. William Cummings has jumped crazily, virtually doubling in price. Irene and the Scotts selling for less than hyped-up for but more than its normal valuation. Clearly someone is hoovering up the best specimens burning cash in the process, but heck, that's what it's for... Cancel Christmas and treat yourself to the best present you've ever had...

Spot on. Thanks for jogging the memory.

No, tongue now pointing at you with thumbs in ears and fingers wiggling... Don't recall any rant but have posted controversial remarks on the subject of tourists at the 100 Club. You must have been at Wigan late on in the minority of baggie wearers but you were the genuine article - the others were pretenders, tourists, jazz funkers, hand-baggers, call them what you want...some saw the light and stuck with Northern Soul, others merely experimenting moved onto Punk or whatever the High Street was pushing. After a few visits to the Casino in parallels, I upgraded to cord bags and bomber jacket, then Spencer's and trenchcoat, I guess like many a diehard and a good few dyed in the wool soulies on here. The only tosh I see on the topic is when the term 'clown-wear' is used to denigrate the many wearers of 70's dress code attending contemporary soul events. ATB Frankie PS What's a ski jumper?

Hi Steve. Was referring to the early years at Wigan as it's the photos under discussion. You're right about the skinhead/suadehead fashions before this, and of course Skinners parallel wide-bottomed denims for the Manchester followers and something similar for the Merseyside lot, was it Coopers? Parallels were in by 1972. Parallel cords were in by 1974. During the first years of the Casino, tailored bags or Spencer's cords by mail order were the norm, if memory serves correctly, through the Footsee years, This England programme and a year or so beyond by which time, the High Street fashions of 1977 were making an impact on the dress code as the Spencer's brigade fell by the wayside and a new crowd emerged.

If you were at Wigan 1973-81, you must have worn bags, possibly Spencer's or something similar as these were the dress code from the get-go. Anyone at the death in Spencer's was probably an old soul boy, maybe me... The tourists were in drainpipes or pegs. Proud to be a baggie wearing soul boy and respect to the Teds and Mods for being cool and committing to their music/dress regardless of what others thought or said.

Does Tim Brown buy his own records so he can come up with figures for a Price Guide that no one buys? Seriously, Tim is entitled to run his auctions as he always has, and in the strictest confidence in case your wife finds out... Most of us now avoid these sealed bid auctions as they are archaic and not mutually beneficial. John Manship sets the standard for the industry whilst eBay is at least fairly transparent.

Nice one. I guess that's what passed for a good night out in Northants in the 70's. Never considered myself one of the criminal elite in my trenchcoat back in the day. Now the proud owner of three floor-length leathers, tailor-made for next to nothing in Bali. Wore one to Tesco on Sunday as it was slashing down in London and drew one comment from a passer by, 'nice jacket mate' - made my day as he could have called me an 'emo Goth tosser' or something similar but he probably thought I was an elite criminal...

Statement with tongue slightly in cheek... Hacks me off when latterday arrivals hurl flack at the earlier generation for what they wore. Towards the end of Wigan, and despite the many great 60's records emerging, the Jazz Funk brigade were steering the dress-code along High Street fashion lines, hardly an underground cult anymore. You're right, the Wigan DJ's tended to dress ordinarily with the exception of Dave Evison and maybe a couple of other latecomers. Don't recall Gethro much after the mid 70's but he was always sharply dressed. At Soul On The Square on Saturday, there were plenty of lads and lasses dressed the part, kitted out to dance and a world apart from the students present.

Thanks for the background on this. In the early years, a large proportion wore leather trenchcoats. Mine cost £32 from a shop in Swansea, a bit below the going rate for one at a the time. As I was only earning £25 a week doing a summer job, it was a sizeable outlay but one of the best moves I've ever made.