TommieOnTheSpot

Winnie the magic of northern soul will always live on. I can safely say Northern Soul has worked its magic on at least 100+ under 30's. I will never forget the my first all-niter at nuneaton, I walked in the doors, payed my money, walked up those stairs, passed the record stall, opened those doors and it was magical! The DJ was playing Major Lance - You Don't Want Me No More I can hear it now "Sorry, you don't treat me like you used to, you say you found somebody else" and then the backing vocalists beautifully echoed Major Lance, the feeling was indescribable, the song was heartbreakingly sad yet magnificently uplifting,¯»¿ all at once. I felt this beautiful rush with no unwanted side effects. I remember I was on the dancefloor with Elaine Sawtez dancing to Rita & The Tiaras - Gone With The Wind, the record ripped my heart out,¯»¿ showed it to me, and then sliced it into a thousands pieces before my eyes, I was singing and dancing my life away, when she sang the line "I give up everything the love of my life" I stood there frozen, then a chill came down my back and I ran to the dancefloor, pure magic and I have never looked back! x

ME! 14 and loving Northern Soul! :-)

I think Ian Levine has only posted a few videos and this one appears to not have been posted on Youtube unfortunately :-(

Yes there were recorded from fresh, for some tracks it spoilt them slightly but for others it did not make a difference, Copyright sounds like a logical reason yes :-)

Last night I finished watching this DVD called The Strange World Of Northern Soul, the producer of which believe to be Ian Levine who I believe was a DJ at the Blackpool Mecca. The film looked at the origins of the Northern Soul Scene, looked at what is Northern Soul, and what has made it so special to so many people for over 40 years, saw some stuff about The Torch, Blackpool Mecca, the legendary Wigan Casino etc... the fashions, the record dealers, the promoters etc... But the bit that really made the film for me was the fact that some Artists had been tracked down and filmed and had the 3 minutes of fame with their songs that they deserve. The two videos that made the film for me where Gwen Owens - Just Say You're Wanted (And Needed) and Barbara Mills - Queen Of Fools. Firstly Gwen Owens - Just Say You're Wanted (And Needed) is just in my top 3 and I love it and it made the hairs on my neck stand up, Miss Owens still had singing talent and in her interview she told us she was in-fact only 15 when she recorded the song! Secondly, Barbara Mills - Queen Of Fools... Honest truth, I got a bit tearful at this one, Miss Mills had lost that maturing teenage voice and now had a mature voice, it was not the best voice but it was magical and for a blue-eyed artist she seemed to be soulful and she seemed to feel the song as if it was her first time singing it. I just wondered who here has seen the film and if you had/hadn't enjoyed any parts of it or all of it and why? KTF! T x

Agree with you give me 60's 2mins 30secs, wham bang thank you ma'am any time! But then again one of my favorite records is seven day lover - james fountain and as much as I love it it does sometimes seem to go on a bit!

ahh but then again, the album "Where Am I Going" by Dusty that the track is on is a fab album too :-)

Well Spyder Turner is defo down at the bottom, what about Dusty Springfield, hers a lovely version? x

With so many great versions of this song, can't decide which is best, opinions?

I know that OVO is a touchy subject, I'm afraid I am not one of those OVO freaks I think the person who said I will be known from this and hopefully it will work in my favor. I lost my temper, which was maybe wrong, but we all make mistakes. However, I am still finding myself and because at the moment Northern Soul is basically my way of life any digs at anything are going to hurt me. A few people have made digs but on the other hand, I have had a lot of praise and its the little things that can niggle away at you KTF! Tom x

It's okay John x

The negative feedback was mainly on Facebook and I read some of the comments on here as negative. I have thanked those who have praised me and this was not aimed at them... I am sorry if it caused any offence.

I think if anyone has has nothing positive to say, don't bother posting. Unless you have all the records I played on the Original labels then yes maybe you have a right to comment. I agree that this is no set of rules that promoters or DJs have to stick to but the soul scene is about respect, I don't know what you are trying to gain from slagging off re-issues and me, it seems a lot of people are displaying zero respect for me so they can quite frankly do one. It would make most of your happy if I turned round and said 'oh yeah and by they were there were my dad's records' or 'bugger this DJing malarky, if a lot of soulies who are so far up there own butts, I am surprised they can see the PC screen, are gonna slag me off' But, I am not going to give you losers the satisfaction, I have worked hard for the records I own and none of you seem to respect that. I think what this all roughly translates as is the usual chatter and talcum powder wankers who are always ready to criticize and ridicule those who do, when they have done it themselves and just because are hidden behind¯»¿ their shabby and greasy keyboards of PCs they are suddenly big and brave and would be to scared to say it to my face at a soul night. SO GO ON DARE YOU, JUST TRY ME!

Exhumed - to reveal; disclose; unearth - the floor spoke for me and the soul scene reckons you want to encourage young blood...hang your head in shame.

I think a lot of you are missing the point, you may not be bothered about how old I am or how much I had to spend on what you played, but a lot of people on the soul scene DO CARE about this sort of stuff. I like the 'big sounds' as that is what puts the 'Soul' in Northern Soul it has the heavy beat and fast tempo of the mid-1960s Tamla Motown sound that makes them 'big sounds' and that is what I like and I am going to play. Okay yes the record may however, generally eschew Motown or Motown-influenced music that has met with significant mainstream success but thats the whole point of it. Most of the records I played have been exhumed and exalted in the 70's and that is still the case today. I don't see the point of bringing something different to the scene as why try and fix something that works? To begin with the notoriety of DJs on the northern soul scene was enhanced by the possession of rare records, but today the next generation are slowly making there way through. Now to be fair some people are giving me seconds thoughts of even bothering so, if anyone has a problem with me playing a set with Re-issues, sequencing together a collection of records to create euphoric highs and lows for the crowd, and trying to live up to the high expectations of the Northern Soul while doing this, they quite frankly know where to go.

Thanks for the support everyone, KTF! x

Hi all, at the age of 14 I do my best to keep my sets OVO. I would rather play a few re-issues and pack the floor than play OVO and have an empty floor, of the 6 re-issues I played all were legitimate and the floor was packed (I am counting Betty Boo as OVO as it is the first pressing of Grapevine and was not released.) I love my music and I am proud of my collection, it's not easy collecting Northern Soul and soul snobbery kicks in and people are too quick to judge, I probably did £890 worth of records in my set and at the age of 14 I feel that's something to be proud of, I shouldn't have to be explaining myself as it is being made out, on here and facebook, I have committed a terrible crime, for heavens sake, I PLAYED THE RECORDS THE CROWD WANTED! Anyway rant over, KTF! T x

Tom Page - 12 til 1 - Freestyle Room Fontella Bass - I Can't Rest - Checker Rita Graham - My Cup Runneth Over - Vibrations: Rita Graham (Album) Jackie Wilson - I'm The One To Do It - Brunswick Shane Martin - I Need You - CSP Rita & The Tiaras - Gone With The Wind - Dore The Ivories - Please Stay - Soul City Test Press Jimmy Robins - I Can't Please You - Jehart Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes - Get Out (And Let Me Cry) - Route Larry Williams & Johnny Watson - Too Late - Epic The Velvets - I Gotta Find Me Somebody - Disco Demand Linda Jones - Just Can't Live My Life - Warner Brothers Norman Johnson & The Showmen - Our Love Will Grow - Action The Servicemen - Sweet Magic - Grapevine (WELL I AM NOT MADE OF MONEY!) Don Varner - Tear Stained Face - Quinvy Marv Johnson - I Miss You Baby (How I Miss You) - Tamla Motown Martha Reeves And The Vandellas - Show Me The Way - Gordy The Marvelettes - Destination Anywhere - Sophisticated Soul: Marvelettes (Album) Rhetta Hughes - I Cried Myself To Sleep - Acetate Test Press Dee Dee Sharp - What Kind Of Lady - Action Ann D'Andrea - Don't Stop Looking - Jamie Betty Boo - Say It Isn't So - Grapevine Gwen Owens - Just Say You Wanted - Velgo Betty Everett - Your Falling In Love - There'll Come A Time: Betty Everett (Album) KTF!