Thinksmart

Download the iPlayer app, set a reminder in MyRadio there and can easily stream or download at your choice of time

I feel gutted at this news. During this week I had been thinking about who is left from the 60s-70s with Leon still forward looking and active. I always looked out for anything he was involved in and tried to obtain his own works over the years. Huge thanks for his contribution, often inside the release name of others.

Loving Manhattan Soul 3 and the Screamin' Jay Hawkins when listening to them new this morning over breakfast.

To avoid any issues in running this site which is careful to respect copyright I suggest the link is now removed. There are huge amounts of music in copyright within that link that some readers of this site who are legal label owners will be unhappy about. Links to such sites can see a call and desist notice issued to all sites promoting the link and a heavy handed block put on by search engines seeking to protect themselves.

The book will be a lifetime of reading and re-reading, which is a great thing.

Thanks Tommy for the joy of your music and the positive impact it has on those who hear it. I am listening to 'I Can't Do Enough For You Baby' with a smile on face as I type.

It's Torture is an old Kent LP and not a CD. I had all those Joe Boy EP CDs, they were quite nice but fundamentally useless at only four tracks. The Dean Parrish is in the mono 7" version on the Cleethorpes CD (the version heard at events) and is a lush stereo version on the 'Kent's Magic Touch' CD. Goldmine's 'Big City Soul volume 4' double CD has a lot of Scepter-Wand tracks only compiled on that set but the sound isn't up to that of Kent.

I do not believe there has been. His songs are spread across the following various artist CDs: - 'The Class of Mayfield High' CD (x11 songs, also covers non-Okeh Billy Butler and Major Lance). - 'The Brunswick Years' (best CD version of 'I Love You') - 'The Blue Rock Records Story' (x4 songs) - 'Keep On Loving You' is on 'Soul Time volume 1' (which has been repackaged as a few other double CDs I think) - 'Gotta Right To Try' is on Goldmine's 'Cream of Vintage Soul' CD box set - 'Boomerang' is on Goldmine's 'Out On The Floor Tonight' CD - 'Nobody But You' is on Goldmine's 'Northern Soul Lost & Found' CD Hope that helps. Thanks Mark

Yes a good book. The interviews are those for DJ History site when it was most active. You may enjoy the earlier 'DJ saved my life' by the same authors and the recent book by Dave Haslam. The USA early dance/soul DJs are very interesting too in the book. Venues such as The Loft, Paradise Garage are legendary. If you haven't read it the Keith Rylatt book on Twisted Wheel is a vital addition to Record Players. Good also to have such as Jeff Dexter properly interviewed in the book, I wish such as Guy Stevens, Steve Barrow and Count Suckle were in there too. Also later DJs such as Greg Edwards are interesting to read interviews with.

Although tracks licenced to compilations at last no major Cameo Parkway soul set yet. I would welcome a proper one on Buddah too.

Although tracks licenced to compilations at last no major Cameo Parkway soul set yet. I would welcome a proper one on Buddah too.

Oh I wish I still had all my Kent vinyl. I loaned it to a friend while I was working away off the scene who within a year ruined all it all by playing them out and at parties. Nearly thirty years later it still annoys me. I never got to the bottom of it but he also seemed to have given away a lot of it, we were young and dumb so didn't know the deep personal value to us of the vinyl from that time. We're still friends though. I had almost all the Kent LPs, all the Soul Supply/Goldmine, Grapevine, Inferno and other cheapo compilations (remember the 'Keeping The Faith' volumes sold in Woolworths?). I get my hair cut opposite Rob's Records in Nottingham which was a second home for decades and I'm constantly tempted to go in and just start buying up all the old compilations I can find. I have to treat it like a minor addiction and not let myself step back into the shop though, once I start that will be it again - subscribed to all the lists and spending far too much on vinyl I then dare not play. Actually....I do now have a separate building outside the house I could store and play it but......no stop that!! I've had at least four Northern Soul collections and inbetween early House and others. Those Kent LPs especially seemed to alluring and mysterious when I was younger. I used to buy as many as my Saturday wages would get me from the racks of Northern Soul at Pendulum Records stall in Nottingham Victoria Market. Sorry I'm getting nostalgic, but vinyl does that. The memory of the covers, the smell. I really do wish Kent would put out a book of the front/back covers of all their compilations. I would prize it for life. I've got almost all the songs now, but it's the covers I crave I think. Ian Clark's work on those covers was important. I featured it at my blog a while back (which I must get back to) at: https://squareendknittedtie.tumblr.com

Normally PRS is covered and where relevant paid in the country of the performance unless there is a partnership arrangement with another country to collect it. This page sets out all the arrangements between UK including the one with China: https://www.bmi.com/international/entry/reciprocal_representation_agreements_foreign_performing_rights_societies The Chinese PRS equivalent details including direct email and phone numbers are at: https://www.ifrro.org/members/music-copyright-society-china Their main page is at: https://www.mcsc.com.cn/ It may be worth a quick call to PRS in UK who through their partnership with China's body may be able to give a bit of advice.

Yes the Stuart Cosgrove book was very good I thought. I haven't read it but Gethro Jones' 'They Danced All Night' was also published last year. In a different way, the Dave Rimmer Rare Soul Bible reissued books were invaluable too. Checking my shelf I also got the 'Motown - Sound of Young America' by Adam White in 2016 as a new book. It was a lavish book that while great had odd omissions. Some major artists are not featured at all while others get too much attention. Still, a great book that is excellent to dip into.

I think it's been a vintage year for books on the history of soul music.... View full article

Excellent list to which I add Keith Rylatt's 'The Birth of Motown' which is a UK fan perspective on how it was supported here in the early days.

The film misses the fun and joy a bit and is a bit too dark and grim I felt. It is made with care but did not connect with me. In particular it misses the communal togetherness. The soundtrack is good. The related picture book is well done too.

I am up to 1968 in reading the book and learning so much, what a story there is around the label(s). By including songs distributed through Scepter Wand it extends the reach out across USA and internationally. I am enjoying it greatly. Many facts, artists links and pseudonyms are explained that add context to the music.

I have just finished reading 'The Record Players' book which links nicely to this and I will check it out during seasonal time off.

Original Prince La La version is great in that loose New Orleans early R&B way. Spencer Davis Group and Otis Redding both did strong versions too.

I am half way through and agree this is an immense achievement. I am learning enjoyably on every page.

It is often worth hunting down the original mono mixes of their own single artist CDs of not on a compilation. I collect each variant, which runs to a few edits and mixes sometimes. Mixes for a single were generally mono, album versions stereo.

If for personal listening starting out, buy a load of old Kent and Goldmine Soul Supply LPs, original Out On The Floor LP from a second hand shop. Build up a diverse range of tracks to listen to.

I certainly like Jimmy's version of Forgotten Man better than Gene McDaniels though enjoy both.

Walter Jackson for me absolutely nails this song, far better than the others.