John Murphy

I have two tickets for Whitby I will take the best offer. . I can post them or meet you at Whitby.

I would just like to apologise to everyone that turned up at Burtonwood Soul Club . I did ask soulsource to remove the venue but something got missed. If anyone would be interested in running this night the demand is there it just needs someone with a deck and a bit of hard work. Again sorry.

The first allnighter that I went to was the Room at the Top, in Wigan. I would have been about 15 when I first went. There was a cafe type of bar then walk up a few steps and you were in the dance/ stage room. It was fantastic, it had a sprung wood floor that was polished by hundreds of people dancing and it shone in the dark. I remember walking in one night and a record started that I hadn't heard before but I immediately thought that it was brilliant and it has been one of my favourites ever since, it was Soothe Me, by Sam and Dave. After a nights dancing it was on to the baths and we would stay in there til about noon then get a bus home. Because we were Mods we always carried a bag with a change of clothing, clean shirt, trousers, socks, towel etc. It was the greatest time to be alive, unemployment was virtually unknown, we all had lots of money and Black Bombers were 1Shilling and 3p each. that's about 6p for the uninitiated and six would keep you dancing all night. Great times and never so much as a handbag raised in anger.

I've always been a little puzzled why someone would want to go to a northern night when the most they know about the music is Knock three times on the ceiling or Band of gold. But the fault lies with us and the organisers, us for not turning up in enough numbers and the organisers who just want to make money so they will let anyone in as long as they have the readies.

In my opinion, The Contours: Crying in the night, or Mel Britt: She'll come running back, both great to dance to, full of soul and a message in the lyrics.

Where is it written that a record cannot be played twice in an evening? I was recently at a do in Warrington, where we arrived around 9.30, when I asked the DJ to play a record he said " that's already been played by the previous DJ" This was before 8 o clock. Most of the room were not even at the venue then so why can the record not be played again? I'm not suggesting that the same records should be played over and over but two or three in an evening is hardly excessive is it?

When I was a kid in the 60's I used to go to a club in Wigan called "the room at the top" it was a very popular allnighter and ran for years, does anyone remember it?

Nothern Soul (NS) is a seperate entity from Motown, NS is essentially the rare tracks/B sides that were never played by the commercial DJ,s. NS was a breakaway from the more main stream disco music of the 70's that became too poptastic and chewing gum type funk.

It depends on the DJ, there is a guy in Warrington called Colin Deeley, he yaps his way through every record he plays. I don't want to listen to him all I want to do is listen to the record.

As if it makes the slightest difference, as long as it's a good tune.

Unfortunately I will not be able to go to Prestatyn this March, so I am selling my Club Class apartment on Ebay. If anyone is interested in going to one of the premier events for Northern Soul this is your chance. Just click on this linkhttps://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=6597322705&ssPageName=ADME:L:LCA:UK:31 and good bidding.

Some of the DJ's are the problem. I am from the north and we are becoming inundated with soul nights. I could go to a do, on virtually any night of the week, and the busiest ones have 100 maybe 150 people, the majority have a couple of dozen The Viaduct is a prime example, it used to attract 300 now if fifty go in it's a good night. What has gone wrong is that there are too many DJ's playing records THEY want to listen to. I can't count the number of times I've seen the DJ dancing around on stage to some obscure record that he thinks the next big thing and the dance floor is empty. I'm sorry to state the obvious DJ's, but we are paying you to entertain us, not yourselves. Play what we want to hear. Rant over.

Has anyone considered Holland, Dozier, Holland?

I went to Manchester to watch Onceuponatime................ does anyone know the title and artist of the instrumental that is played? It is about the fifth or sixth record, and I must have it.

We have been back on the northern scene now for about ten years. However I am struggling to get my wife to come with me, as she says, that all the venues are a disgrace and it is impossible to get a decent glass of wine. What is it about northern soul that we invariably have do's at scummy venues? Is it because the people on the scene are poor?