Frankie Crocker

I feel your pain...

I feel your pain...

Popsike reveals that 41 copies were sold directly by 'M Spivens' (of Howell, Michigan). I suspect many more were sold as Second Chance offers. On the last day of the auctions when six copies were up for grabs, I was well pleased to win two copies, especially as I'd been outbid several times in previous skirmishes. The hoard must have numbered 100-200 copies with the going rate averaging at c$550. As Richie Rosen offered me his copy for $2,000 and subsequently $3,000, I was delighted to part with $1,065 for a pair. Massive thanks to Mark Bicknell for spinning the record at The 100 Club and turning me onto one of the best sounds ever.

Just seen Laura Lee on Manship's auction list, but without the picture sleeve - expect it to fetch a hefty wodge...

Hey, look on the bright side, at least you didn't lose any records...

I must have been careless... I took 33 Anne Haywood's and 2-3 of everything else. I left a small quantity of Exits and a huge load of Precisions on Skippy's label - did you get these? By then, the local funk boys were into the place and had snaffled my stash from previous year, but in six visits over seven years, I was pretty pleased with the pickings.

Great pair of tunes. Rarely turns up for sale so must be pretty scarce. As it's on styrene, I wonder how many survived the wear and tear of the past? Never seen a Bell stamped vinyl copy yet this is cheaper in the price- guide, a second pressing perhaps? Was a big sound in the 1970's fitting in well with other up-tempo sounds; perhaps it's due for reactivating but it never really went away.

Hi there Quinvy. Horses for courses... Most of us Northern fans listen to music in the house. Some of us have mates round for a session. Loads of us still play mix-tapes and CD's in the house and car. Many of us use commercial CD's to identify the vinyl tracks to seek out. As you're in the house more than at a soul venue, it makes sense to indulge yourself, especially as it's an ongoing quest for many of us. That's why some of us are sitting on libraries of good music, it just happened along the way... Yesterday a copy of Sunny And The Sunliners 'If I Could See You Now' on Key Loc arrived. I have this on RPR, LP, CD and mix tape but even the missus was singing along with it, probably 'cos she's heard it dozens of times in 30 years. Well, it sounded brilliant, so clear, and every instrument identifiable it was like being in the studio with them. On a high quality deck, near-mint records are an unbeatable experience. Nothing wrong with having a box of special sounds to DJ with but the committed addicts, myself included, need the best records from the past to look back over occasionally and a supply of fresh sounds that provide enjoyment, even though they may never get the exposure they deserve.

Couple of goodies on Canadian RCA... Laura Lee 'To Win Your Heart' on a turquoise label with picture sleeve Tommy Graham & Big Town Band 'Pick Me Up' on red label - terrific sound, dead rare, virtually unknown, well worth tracking down...

Sherry And The Inverts 'I Was Made To Love You' on Tower is a decent vocal - I have the instrumental on a Bell Test Pressing and am not sure this ever had a release on vinyl. Can anyone confirm?

Bang on Bob. Just wish the 'junkers' would turn up a box of George Pepps... Proves there are still hoards of mint stock to be found 50 years down the road but this has to end sometime.

On the Northern Soul of LA Vol 2 CD so almost certainly from LA. Odd that over 30 copies were found at Skippy Whites in Boston and other finds have turned up, notably on Craig Moerer's auction lists.

No way. I feel rather envious as the hard work of digging up the records has been done so collectors only need to source them and transfer funds. New collectors do not even need to travel to the USA. The staggering volume of excellent, very good and ordinary tunes that awaits collectors will make the journey more than worthwhile. The real dilemma is for the wannabe DJ - spend big to get famous or collect for the love of the music? And looking ahead 20-30 years, most of the rarest and most desirable tunes on the planet will be handed down to the next generation, possibly at reduced prices...

Interesting conjecture Russ. Like your good self, I am somewhat baffled by this business. My shiny label copy sounds the same as any matt label, and as it is clearly stamped, I am fairly content, but you can't help feeling you paid too much for the record, brilliant though it is...

Lew Stanley came up with the Oxford Knights. Fantastic record and muchos credit to Ion for bringing it to Londoners' attention. The stock was in pristine condition like it was pressed yesterday, prices duly fell but try finding one now...

Tony Tisovic of St Louis made the find back in the days of Goldmine and Discoveries. When I went to his house, he was down to his last two so I bought them at a hefty price. A few months later, Don Parker phoned up and offered me one. More popped up on major dealers' lists and in collectors' sales boxes so I sold the spare copy for what I bought it for. The stock came from the label owner's family, and having followed the saga quite closely, would estimate the haul to be at least one 25 count box but no more than two. There were no other good quality, good condition records at Tony's house despite there being box-loads - he still turns up the occasional record but the St Louis market has been cornered by another dealer who is letting out quantity finds in auction lists.

Dave, thanks for the heads up - Russ confirms this. Dream Team was in every other sales box at one stage with speculators moving on multiple purchases.

Acrobatic dancer or clown looking for a circus... Freestyle dancer or the Lone Groover with no one to dance with... Wigan Walker or why is that bloke doing sentry duty without a rifle over his shoulder. The strange world of Northern Soul or the strange world of Northern Soul...

Danny Moore rather than Danny Monday. Tracked down by a New Jersey sleuth and shipped in bulk to the Potteries. A few punters had their fingers burned on this one, myself included. Same partnership brokered the Dream Team on Gregory I think. Richie Rosen had quantity of Frederick Hymes III and was behind the flood of Reverend George Mortons, fingers burned again... On the plus side, it is good to see the trackers uncovering hoards of good records such as Four Tracks, Clara Hardy, Willie Pickett etc - the down side is paying too much for a copy in the hurry to be at the front of the queue. Trick is, get to know the dealers and their M.O. so the records can be sourced for a reasonable outlay. And if someone says 'this is the last copy', maybe think twice before handing over the cash.

Monday 27th January 7.00 p.m. and it's just been aired again - first time I've heard/seen it. Shows the BBC have some taste but witnessing a classic instrumental reduced to an advertising jingle is blasphemous. Who is the mole at the BBC who has the power to choose the Northern tunes foisted on the public? Does he/she have a title? Anyone know who it is? Are there royalties to be paid? I'd rather my license fee was spent on pop music jingles or the BBC orchestra - Northern tunes deserve to be kept out of the limelight...

Went there October 1992 and Val said no one was allowed behind the counter. He also said credit cards weren't welcome so I left empty handed. Since then, stock has increased from two to three million records but as most are Doo Woppy things on ghastly maroon labels, I would imagine sales are rather slow. There's a clip somewhere showing a smirking Val putting a Temptones or something on Arctic into a box to tempt diggers into ploughing through picked over stock - when I read comments like Ady Croasdell's Jimmy Andrews, I know who is having the last smirk...

Yep, maybe late August. The Casino was heaving. Getting in was a real scrum with just half the front door open and everyone pushing in at the front.

It is not February 1974. I went to the Casino on 24/3/74 and 31/3/74, first two occasions, and I am sort of in the picture, very top with shirt only visible...read on. A roughly similar picture features on the Soul Function DVD and The Wigan Casino Story CD GCSD51 and I can clearly see myself. Sadly, I can not name any fellow dancers but recognise about five of them as regulars, memorable in some way. About half a dozen people feature in the two photos wearing the same clothes, some almost in the same positions. The shirt I am wearing is very distinctive and was bought in the summer of 1974 - I went to the Casino a few weeks before the first anniversary to get a ticket so I suspect the Footsee photo was taken in late August or early September 1974, perhaps 31/8/74 or 7/9/74. Another version of the Footsee photo appeared in Blues and Soul edition # 209. If folk who attended roundabout the above dates could check these other photos, we might be able to make a few more positive ID's.

Well reasoned Brian. I always thought it was the first anniversary but on this basis, it is evidently not.