Peter Richer

And JM actually has another copy - with no centre - on his site for £150, set sale: https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/d/53345/GREEN,_TOM

Ha ha ha ... over to you Chalky ...!

... and contradicting yourself. Your comments are sounding like pop stompers of the worst kind, being played off cheap, tacky bootlegs! Gawd knows which promoter booked you ...?

Yes Chalky. And please, take over here ... it's getting so tedious. Anybody ... ?!!

Again. If true, then this is an argument for booking the DJ with the original vinyl. Where's my megaphone? ... TRY TO KEEP UP!!!

Oops ... posted twice.

Which brings us back to post 179. Which you actually agreed with by the way (post 182). Except you then, on a tangent, decided to imply that promoters shouldn't book DJs with original vinyl because it might wear their records out. Oh Lordy ... give us strength ... !!!

Actually, your original post was somewhat muddled (excuse me for saying so), but in its midst was this gem: 'I want to hear amazing & proper NS you can dance to, not hear stuff that someone has paid large amounts of money for, Kev get rid of the DJs with expense OVO collections and get DJs who know what the audience want to play'. Which I believe I covered in post 179. You've gone round in circles and off on tangents since then. I think you might need to lie down for a bit, or just relax with a big glass of single malt. Not a bad idea in fact ... I might do so myself! After all, it is Friday afternoon ... Cheers.

If that is true, and the 'masses' are clamouring to dance to it, then like I said - that is an argument for booking the DJ who has the actual record. Is it on Stardust, Casino Classics, or Black Magic ...?

With what? Name the records that he has exclusive access to ...

... and presumably he must have those exclusive tracks on vinyl. Which, of course, strengthens the argument for booking the DJs who actually have the proper records! Thanks.

Really? That will fill the dance floor with the 'masses'? Please do divulge the titles ...

OK. But that is not an argument for not booking willing DJs, who are happy to share their vinyl treasures with the attendees. It is, perhaps, an argument for persuading collectors and DJs not to be so cavalier as to want to go anywhere near a set of turntables with their prized and loved possessions. But that is not what this thread is about. There are more than enough competent DJs, with the desired records, happy to do the service of playing them out.

Can you name ANY venue where, within a 50 mile radius, there aren't several perfectly good DJs (with the 'right attitude'!) who between them have original vinyl copies of virtually all of the records your 'masses' want to dance to? With the possible exception of Frank Wilson, and maybe (only maybe) J. D. Bryant, Billy Woods, or Don Gardner. Why, in the name of Jumping Jehosephah, do we need your so-called 'techno'? Why?

And, again interestingly, the current highest bidder on the Wess Oliver (after only one increment, high bid at £13), and all other latest additions, is not listed as 'reserve not met'. So quite possibly 'reserve not met' is indeed a punter having a laugh. Cue several more bidders, highly amusingly, changing their user names to the likes of 'reserve pending', 'more money needed', 'higher bid required' etc. ...

Looks like JM may have been watching (as always), listening and taking on board. Interesting bidding status today on the newly displayed Ward Burton. Presently the high bidder is 'reserve not met' ... humorous (ho ho ?!?) user name of an early punter, or new site descriptor? https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/index.php/auction/9546/sweet-temptation

... and at least 2 more in the north-east, plus the £8k auction copy that went to Japan. Probably far too many (in excess of 20?) to be able to pin-point.

I think that just about sums it up. Come on. Really. Are there not enough good DJs - even with the 'right attitude' - with crowd pleasing original oldies such as this in their box? I'm sure we can all list another 25 records which can be picked up for less than, say, £150 each to make up an interesting, varied and exciting set of classic northern. Anyone who calls themselves a DJ on this scene, even those still living off past glories, should at least be able to manage that. You could do it on Motown originals alone for less than £30 each! For goodness sake, let's have a bit of integrity.

It looks as though it migrated over to the auction instead of your mail box (see post 41) on that same day. Could have been just an oversight in not updating discogs (I personally don't know how that system works). Anyway, here's a link: https://www.raresoulman.co.uk/index.php/auction/latest ... you never know, if you're lucky you might be able to pick it up for less than the original £85 price tag?!?

... no offence to Van Gogh intended!

Yes, I'm sure that can be a dilemma Kev, and one of the decisions of a promoter that they perhaps least look forward to making. I sometimes like to go to art exhibitions too, but I'd be none too impressed if when I got to one of my favourite galleries one of the featured artists (popular though he may be) had sold all their original paintings and replaced them with prints. Might be time for the curator to have a quiet word in that particular artist's ear.

Also essential for Shrine completists, who will want the Shrine-related output that was released on other labels too and not just the '19'.

I've no doubt that's right, and that these (and others) are first rate DJs with outstanding records to play. But how do they feel when the chap (or chapess) on before them sneaks in half of their big oldies off of Casino Classics or Soussan-specials?

Guys, there is another difficulty here which perhaps is being overlooked. And that is, that when an audience learn that you (as a DJ) have certain 'big ticket' items they expect you to play them. More than that - and let's not forget they are the paying attendees - they come up and ask for you to play them (to make sure you don't 'forget'), often several requests for those same records. This used to happen to me a lot (when I still had a few big records, and on the odd occasion I was asked to DJ) - examples being the Prophets/Cairos/Eddie Daye on Shrine, Gwen Owens, Del Larks, Brand New Faces, Al Williams to name a few - and now happens even more to one of my best mates (who gets asked to DJ a lot) who has copies of Eddie Parker, Tomangoe's, Salvadors, Bernie Williams, Sandi Sheldon and many others. OK, this is mainly the 'up-market' soul nights, rather than all-nighters where the new and surprising are expected, but it does kind of limit the amount of interesting variation which can be aired. It also sometimes depresses the DJ who wants the receptive space to play some of the other fantastic tunes in their box; plus, it can short change those paying punters who are more listeners than dancers and who have their own expectations for an evening out of good music. It is a balancing act (which I guess is part of the DJing art), and in a 25 record one hour set if you manage to play five or more records which delight each of several different factions in the audience, in an order which flows with some aesthetic and emotional appeal, then the job has probably been done well.

Well then, looks like all the opinions and sage advice really helped clear up the value question didn't it? ... up for 'offers'! Ha ha [No criticism of Doo Da intended - hope you get a good price. Oh, and let us know what it fetched.]