maslar

Mel Farr and Lem Barney of the Detroit Lions (both close friends of Marvin Gaye) sang backing vocals on What's Going On (the single). This was the same time that MG was considering (in his world at least) going into American Football. He managed to get a try out with the Lions but I'm pretty sure they were just humouring him.

In my opinion the best way to learn about record collecting is to collect an artist (preferably one you like/admire). Your favourite artist might be a good start. Through starting off obtaining all the standard issues you'll learn about standard issues, variations, originals, reissues, demos, promos, foreign releases, picture sleeves, acetates demos etc etc.

I knew/know ( i haven't seen him for a while) a guy who was collecting back in the 60s. He had the full set of all UK Tamla releases on demo I'm not sure when his cut off was but he had collected every 60s Tamla inc all pre-TM label releases on demo. He sold most of it off over the years. Obviously I was impressed but he made a point that it was somewhat easier than what it sounded. He worked as a semi-pro (I think ) dj and got sent lots of Tamla demos (not all of them obviously) . He said that if regular djing at reasonable club you'd get sent lots of stuff free. I asked what the hardest one was - the last to finish the full run. He thought it was Sweet Thing.

It's easy to forget (for me anyway) just how unusual and new tracks such as Festival Time must have sounded at the time. Definitely fits in the jazz soul pocket.

i don't know how you can class Ric Tic and Golden world as Motown? Both were established as the Motown sound was still developing. Speaking very generally I'd say that the main distinction is that RT and GW had a more jazzy sound. I'm pretty sure this was a deliberate move to create some distance from Motown. The instrumentals are all pretty jazzy . But it really shows on tracks like Stop Her On Sight and Headline News. You could actually imagine Frank Sinatra singing those tracks quite easily. A definite jazz influence/swing to the whole thing.

Motown was label but it was also a sound - The Motown Sound".. That particular sound reached its apex in 66/67. It's this largely on the fours beat that became the bedrock of Northern soul. When Dave Godin first used the term I'm guessing he was mainly referring to Motown or influenced records. I once heard a well known oldies dj refer to Motown as the foundation of Northern Soul and I'd agree. and let's face it. many of it's biggest hits are much better than the obscure things that sometimes get raved about. Often the emperor has most definitely lost his clothes. The strange thing is that many of the biggest and best Motown hits have never received any time at NS events. Yet other records not as good have. E.g The Tams chart-topping Hey Girl Don't Bother Me which must have been played at least once at every Wigan oldies night I went to. . I bet there are people on the northern scene who've never danced to Get Ready or You Keep Me hanging On. and would probably run off the floor if they were played. Very strange. In a sense their lack of airplay gives these records a kind of rarity on the northern scene.

Interesting to see Procol Harum in the Cashbox R&B New Group list. Obviously on the back of the soulful Whiter Shade and also Homburg.

Yes, as in (from a more recent era - mid 70s) the the segment in the Heatworn Highways film where Townes Van Zandt singing Waitin' Around To Die moves old Seymour Washington to tears. A great clip.

I first saw the phase "country is the white man's blues" in The Story of Pop magazine I used to buy in the early 70s. I'm pretty sure it was attributed to a blues artist but I can't remember which one. But the country music they were referring to is what I'd call real country music, not just any old country and western or county pop.

And neither of these artists never made a record you could dance to? One thing about the Northern scene that stuck me back in the day was the strange selectivity that went on. A jazz-funk record like On Broadway by George Benson would be played - but not other similar jazz funk records. Likewise with Curtis Mayfield's Move On Up. Artist such as james Brown, Redding, Franklin, et al were largely ignored yet all produced dance music. And I'm not even going to comment on the assertion by Solidsoul that Otis Redding never made a record as good as Tear Stained Face. It's a Friday, the sun's shining and I'm trying hard not to be rude. I mean. what the actual f***?

I'm actually ON TOPIC - that's what I'm talking about. How the adoption of a tag lead the scene in a particular direction. I'm not talking about paticular records or venues. "Churlish - adjective, rude, unfriendly, unpleasant". Snowflake - a lovely light little white flake of snow that falls from the sky and quickly melts in your little warm handy pandy.

But didn't the Wheel era scene (and before) also play Black artists that were later largely ignored in the Wigan era? James brown , Otis R, Aretha Franklin (considering her output) plus many. many more?

The example I gave is perhaps an extreme one (though true). But how about Franki Valli over Otis Redding?

The UK "Northern Soul" scene became one that place Gary Lewis and the Playboys over James Brown. A simple fact which says so much.

Yes, but I don't think it's given a capital "S" which denotes a strict genre or name (noun). As opposed to "southern soul" (where southern is an adjective). Likewise you'll hear the term "northen soul" used Stateside to describe Detroit/Chicago 60s soul as opposed to Memphis, Muscle Shoals etc. Genrally it's far a more relaxed adjective rather than a noun. Anyway that's all I remeber form English "O" level. I've probably got it all wrong anyway. As to the orignis of the tem NS I really don't know but I would imagine the record companies marketing depts, in the early 70s would have played a major part.