Mike Lofthouse

Sean - Adam's right - we are from Middlesbrough - we never know when to quit - why we havent even started - we still have noses to cut off yet One thing this thread has done is it has flushed out the 'closet' Simply Red fans, the Man Utd fans, philistines, vulgarians, and opportunists, f**k 'em all Mike

Well that would be in Mojo no 85 - December 2000 edition - 'Bobby Bland - The singing chauffer of soul tells his life story. By William Lee ellis' They have always given excellent coverage of Black Music - indeed that edition had Dave Godin select his top 20 soul singers also. Mike

but you would say that Ian Mike

A-when you got a headache, A-headache powder soothe the pain..........

I would agree too - it was me who posted up re the What's Going On - $1128 - and there was more one nutter chasing it I would happily pay £50 for an original sealed copy of any classic album like that to replace a worn out copy (but not $1128 ) Mike

Nev - A couple have recently gone through ebay at $261 & $199 - doubling my money and selling for £2 back in '87 does not look so clever now Mike

Not sure if they are the rarest or best but four of my most treasured UK albums are .. Ain't nothing You Can Do - Bobby Bland - Vocalion (pictured) Call On Me /That's The Way Love Is - Bobby Bland - Vocalion You Got My Mind Messed Up - James Carr - Stateside The Duke & The Peacock - Various - Island The latter opened up a whole new world for me - Bobby Bland, O V Wright, Johhnny Ace etc along with those wonderful 15/- Island albums This Is Sue and This Is Blues (or were they 14/6 ?) Mike

I'm sure you're right Steve - I was asking not saying , I don't have it , however, I hate the words '..it was an ABC US Demo 45 only.....which normally means paying through your nose!! Mike

Back to back on the same UK Probe 45 to boot. The album also has his version of 'Take Of your Make Up' does it not? great stuff Mike

Not sure there is any 'fuss' as such and I'm not sure why it is illogical and balmy to pass comment on it if you are a life long fan of Bobby Bland (from '69). What does seem 'illogical and balmy ' is that buying Soul records in Manchester in the early 80's gives him some ability or qualification to record such an album. If this is measure I would say Tony Rounce would make a better stab at it. In my opinion it will do Bobby Bland absolutely no good what so ever - and if it it did, it would be too little , too late. Hucknall on the other hand will make a lot of money out of it. Did it do Bettye Swann, John Ellison et al any good when Joss stone did the same thing - I doubt it! And finally what is the point? by its very nature it will be inferior to the original - because he can't think he can improve on it can he ? if he did he can't think much of him in the first place. Mike

'Hucknall: Tribute to Bobby' - Bobby being American singer Bobby Bland Much amusement in my house on Sunday when my two sons spotted the tour dates for Mick Hucknall in the Mail on Sunday - only a tribute to Bobby Bland - album, tour and film!!!! My pet hate 'does' my all time hero Call me stupid but surely these two are mutually exclusive? How could anyone who likes Bobby Bland like Hucknall ? and how could anyone wanting to go and see Hucknall like Bobby Bland? I'm sure the ginger one will be able to buy some more Irish fishing rights and a few more rows of vines in his Italian vineyard from the proceeds - but I bet Bobby don't make much - some tribute Please , please don't discuss it's merits on here - just listen to Mr Bland's records and be thankful for small mercies In case you think I'm making this up =>https://www.simplyred.com/index.php?id=342 Mike

Of course - I was one of the few with Mr Rounce. Yes Bloomfield was a great player - as was Robbie Robertson - the other great Dylan sideman. Love the story of Bloomfield when spotting Hendrix entering club wishing he could be Albert King just for the night!!! I think without fail I prefer American musicians over British any day of the week - Stevie Ray Vaughan being another that always gave his heroes due respect and reverence. Mike

Great clip, but why are you biased? I'm intrigued. Mike

Good article on the subject in the Observer this week...along the lines ... What a shame, though, that brains and other important body parts - ears, guts, gristle, balls, belly, soul, that kind of thing - have also seemingly vanished from female pop's body politic in the wake of Winehouse's success. Every record label is chasing their own Amy - preferably a white one and one without all that ink and crack. (If you are black, British and - say - called Estelle, you have to take your retro soul-pop stylings to America to be given a proper hearing.) Suitable candidates are being fast-tracked into tidy marketing synergies and given generous press coverage. All these second- and third-generation Amys are, without exception, easier on the ear and a damn sight less trouble than Winehouse herself. Never understood the obsession on this list with white artists trying to sound black...why not just listen to music that sounds good? Mike

Me too - and I have never heard it played out since Mike

The LP version is 5:07 too Mike

and an absolute bargain!! Mike

Colin Curtis - when it came out! Mike

PM'ed you Jan

Col If you cherry pick the 'Soulful Thangs' vol 1 to 6 you make up a fairly decent compilation for a tenner! mike

They are back to back on a RCA single. I am a big fan of both singers but unfortunately the record promises more than it delivers. A bit like the Sam Dees and Bettye Swann offering on Big Tree. Good but not outstanding. I have it at home so if no one else has a mp3 handy I'll try and do you a copy Mike

Have a full set of 'Black Music' before it became 'Black Music & Jazz Review' plus a fair number of those. Excellent magazine that I kept buying long after 'Blues & Soul'. Levine's column was great - at one time switched from purely Northern to 'collectable' soul and would feature labels like 'Cle An Thair' - his knowledge was immense and sounds he listed each month as 'breaking' at the Mecca are staggering when you read back now. Would anyone be interested in me scanning and posting these? There was always rivalry with B&S with Godin eventually returning to them. The coverage was across the board Black Music with less of a 'fanzine' slant. And Tony Cummings could ceratinly wind up the Norther crowd!! Once won a competition in 'Black Music & Jazz Review' for a gigantic poster of Weather Reports' Mr Gone album cover Mike

Whenever these discussions on DJ's take place I'm always amazed by how little is said about Ian Levine - when NS was at its peak in the early seventies (when it was fresh and vibrant) - Mecca, Wigan, Cleethorpes etc - he didn't just lead, he was a country mile ahead of the rest including Searling and co at Wigan. The sounds he broke (as well as Anderson sourcing them, he found many himself) nigh on defined the sound and to this day are the cornerstone of the scene. Never mind what he went on to , I don't think there is anyone to touch him. I hear so much about late period Searling at Wigan but were the sounds really better than those championed by Levine? and Soul Sam? - he has longevity and enthusiasm for sure but that's all. Mike

I agree it is a rare soul scene and you pay to listen to rare records and I don't think boots or pressings should be played .....but I don't pay to listen to rare records that the DJs have paid a lot of money for. Anybody can pay a lot of money for something (provided they have a lot of money) .....indeed I hate DJs who just pay a lot of money for records I prefer my DJs to have a love of Soul music who play a set of original quality Soul that might well contain records that they have paid a lot of money for alongside records they had the foresight to get before they became expensive and also those records that remain cheap but are quality IMHO Mike

Plus his 'I Wouldn't Be A Poor Boy' - Atlantic ATS 542 - brilliant Deep soul and also his great version of 'Dark End Of The Street' on SA Stateside. Thanks to Denny - who I think is on here - he found quite a lot of stuff over there - that he kindly passed on. And of course there is the 'Silver topped' London Darrell Banks - Open the Door...etc' Mike