Soulstu

A big bugbear with me regarding some re-issued northern tunes on CDs is this: Some superb mono vinyl recordings have had the most brutal stereo effect added from the original tapes. The worst examples are the CD versions of Mitch Ryder's Breakout and You Get You Kicks. Unlistenable, specially on headphones, it's isolated parts of the song that should be part of the whole sound, the drums are all in one speaker.... awful! Same goes for the dreadful stereo versions of Frank Wilson and also You're ready now.... maybe its just me?

They've recycled the old Spark LP photo. Tracklist is slightly more adventurous than I would have expected.

Ha ha I'm just a lover of all Rickys - I had an '81 Jetglo 330 (LH) for many years and it was by far the best guitar I've ever had - sounded absolutely fantastic - so versatile. I was the guitarist in a 3 piece indie band in the 80s and 90s. I never used it as a Weller/Townshend clone guitar, got quite a dirty sound out of it tbh, and I also take issue with the myth that the 330 is no good for lead work. Selling it in 95 is a massive regret and they are now well out of my price range. I started off as a bass player at the age of 16 and I always loved (although never owned) the 4001/4003 - it's a design classic - the horseshoe magnet, the upper horn (phwoar!). If you're interested in vintage guitars I've got a nice '63 Hofner Verithin (stock Bigsby) under the bed. My main guitar these days is a Jazzmaster (I've also got a '76 Precision and a 'workhorse' strat - although I've never really liked them!). Gone a bit off topic methinks ha ha!!

Don't ever sell the Ricky!!!!! a work of art mate!

1st issue TMG1170 promo Ex+/M- with pic sleeve £170 inc postage (tracked and signed for). PP gift or add 4% if not. Only four on popsike in the last 2 years, last went for 200, they don't come along too often with the sleeve. Sleeve's in good shape too, used but not worn.

Brilliant article as are all Dave's pieces but the grim trainspotter in me just has to point out that the Supremes pic with Flo in the centre is actually Cindy Birdsong. Sorry Dave. ?

Inspirations - Gotta Find A New Love - so good!

Duke & Leonard - Just Do The Best You Can (see avatar)!

Philly Dog Around the World - the line when Jimmie name checks Georgia and the line before it....sounds like 'Shot it Malcolm N, bleugghhGeorgia' etc... drives me barmy.

Ha ha, just imagine the number of Bobbys, Johnnys, Jimmys, Chucks and Jackies!!!

Artist A-Z (surname or group name) for me, regardless of label (Motown and subsidiaries included - it's all northern to me). Then each artist is filed in chronological release date order. I'd save Philip Mitchell and Prince Philip Mitchell together under 'Philip Mitchell' (M) Backed up on an Excel spreadsheet along with matrix information etc.. and a small photo of each label saved on my hard drive. 2nd issues and pressings kept separately For example if I did it by label then Major Lance's records would be spread around my collection (OKeh, Dakar, Curtom etc) instead of all together. I'd find that troubling. If that way of filing is OK for John Peel then it's OK for me.

To me it's always sounded like a rough demo, certainly not fully rehearsed. You can hear the musicians feeling their way around the song gingerly rather than playing definitely rehearsed lines and notes. Maybe 'L', Leonard, Larry or whoever turned up with a sketch for a song and they just jammed it for a couple of minutes with the tape running and as it didn't sound too shabby, left it at that. The bit in the middle where it goes funny sounds to me like the drummer and bass player getting a bit lost and not knowing when to come back in for the singing. I've done that plenty of times in my dark music playing past!!!

Hmmm ADT.... Alan Day Taxis? 'Carrying the Torch for Quality Travel'

I'm sure the Bowie/Jones of the mid 60s would have been aware of and influenced by the early soul scene in London back in the day, for sure he would have been checking out the likes of Georgie Fame at the Flamingo and US acts on tour....all well before his 70s Philly obsession. Correct me if I'm wrong as I'm a bit sketchy on pre- Oddity Bowie. What I'm trying to say (badly) is that surely his obsession with soul music wasn't a sudden fad, it would have been an integral part of his musical upbringing and timing and circumstances brought it to the fore.

Picked this up a bit ago, a nice loping very late 60s dancer, great vocals...ooh look - Gerald Sims, Fred Smith, Eugene Record, Sonny Sanders - that'll do for me!

PM'd you, bro

My copy arrived this morning - both sides are nice and clear sounding, love it! it's archetypal Popcorn (with a capital P). For the price of three pints you get some proper northern in your box!

Don't know if anyone on SS knew this but Jerry Ganey died last summer. Nice tribute site here by his family https://www.facebook.com/jerrygeeganey You Don't Love Me is a fantastic slab of big city northern soul and that record alone is worthy of this post, thanks for that Jaygee.

Most of Ollie Jackson The Day My Heart Stood Still Really frustrating record for me cos the backing track is fantastic and his voice is pretty good....but..... "hey ding dong would you believe that a seal could play ping pong" etc etc, bloody hell, I love our music to bits but that don't half stretch my patience. This would have made a brilliant instrumental.

'Distributed by the Florida Record Pool' - I'm a doctor - I can decipher anything!...NEXT!

I'll kick it off Mike, surely 6am has to be a bare minimum? Isn't that the point of a 'niter? - sun streaming through the gaps in the venue's curtains as the normal world are waking up? Any earlier and it's a glorified evening do! That's my opinion as a punter.

...to Barbados, oooh palm trees palm trees - that may as well have played that!

What's with the frickin' jiving (00:40) - not what I signed up for.

Thanks guys, hope this isn't going to be the start of a a Kev/Chalky scrap!

Looks like the Kent one is the 'safest' option as expected!... Thanks for clearing that up Stu!!!