Mike Lofthouse

what about the last hour Blackpool Mecca classic... "Laid Back Love" by Major Harris Mike

I was at this night - did they not record Tommy Hunt this night and then repeat the exercise the following week? Technical reasons they said - I just think it made a lot of money It's fantastic stuff - you really forget out big, brash and in your face it was back then ...and every week!! Hundreds of teenagers (with full heads of hair) going mad! It's interesting the play list - nails the lie about 'split' not quite exclusively 60's stompers that are associated with the place - Skullsnaps, Anderson Brothers, Liberty, Frankie Crocker etc and even by '75 playing Levine productions and whatever happened to instrumentals? Girl You Better Wake Up, Ton of Dynamite, and The Champion - you just couldn't play them now etc etc Thanks Mike

Richard Searling (Wigan Casino) listed his top ten of 1975 in Blues & Soul no. 178 - 1 'She'll Come Running Back' - Mel Britt (FIP) 2 'I Can See Him Loving You' - Anderson Brothers (GSF) 3 'Let Me Make You Happy' - Billy Woods (Sussex) 4 'I Got The Vibes' - Joshie Jo Armstead (Gospel Truth) 5 'Lend A Hand' - Bobby Hutton (ABC) 6 'Now You've Got The Upper Hand' - Candi Staton (Unity) 7 'Have love Will Travel' - Rosey Jones (Today) 8 'I Love My Baby' - International GTO's (Rojak) 9 'I've Got The Need' - Moments (All Platinum) 10 'Breakaway' - Ernie Bush ( Contempo) Imagine a Mel Britt, Billy Woods and Bobby Hutton turning up now in the same year now! Mike

[quote The guy who plays Silvio in the Sopranos is Bruce Springsteen's saxophonist from the E Street Band.

I think it was a bit unfair too, considering on the same show they also played 'That did It' by Bobby Bland. To be honest I find the show fascinating when it does play these alternative versions - also played 'Sweet Thing' by Georgie Fame, it always amazes how these things were picked up in the UK. And for sure the artists had as much passion for Black American music as we had/have. Mike

Two of her Neptune sides are available on this CD From Amazon - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Greatest-Hits-Rema...8303&sr=1-2 Ooh Baby You Move Me I'll Be Sweeter Tomorrow the rest is pretty good too - both sides of her Atco single plus 'Hit Me Like TNT ' strangely the first 12 tracks are programmed as her WB album but I'm sure some of the versions are Turbo recordings Mike

My favourite too - have tracked down numerous versions inc - Dan Penn Percy Sledge Clarence Carter Oscar Toney Jnr Dorothy Moore Roy Hamilton Joe Tex Artie White Aretha Franklin Bobby King & Terry Evans Ry Cooder (live) Little Milton Phil Dino Willie Hobbs The Glories (Date) Lee Moses (Gates Records 1502) James "Thunderbird" Davis Jo Jo Benson plus some great 'Non-Soul' versions ..... Ry Cooder (Inst) Mud Boy & The Neutrons (group featuring Jim Dickinson amongst others!) Gram Parsons & The Flying Burrito Bros (Country) Gary Stewart (Country) Eva Cassady Chuck Brown with Eva Cassady plus some others I'm aware of Diamanda Galas Moving Hearts (Folk?) The Comittments Barbara Dickson (!!!) Peter Greens Splinter Group Finley Quaye (as performed live at Glastonbury '98 - on record?) Richard & Linda Thompson (Folk/Rock) Prince Buster (Reggae) Pat Kelly(Reggae) Little Boy Blue (Reggae) Linda Ronstadt Stil love Jame's version the best Mike

Martin - a minor point but it was 'Solid Funk' , I think it might of got a Mecca spin! Mike

Don't worry steve - there are other philistines out there too Mike

A few things for sale - all are Excellent to Mint unless otherwise stated. Pay pal preferred - PM me. 1. 'When A Boy Falls In Love pt 1' - Willie Hutch - RCA - £30 If you have understandably overlooked this one you are missing a treat. Not the version on 'Season For Love' - that is part 2 (on the b side). As Blake said in 'Shades Of Soul' no 31 - 'miss the first 30 second doo-wop style intro and off we go into crossover perfection' - well worth a spin out! 2. 'Uphill Peace Of Mind - Frederick Knight Castle Records - £15 Played by Soul Sam at a recent Soul Essence. Same song as Facts Of Life. Mr Knight himself does another version on the East Memphis the Hits box set 3. 'Here Stands A Man Who Needs you' - George Wilson - Black Circle Records - £30 Fantastic crossover. 4. 'It's Been So Nice' / '(I Feel Like Making That) Early Morning Love - Roszetta Johnson - Columbia £25 Two great Sam Dees songs and productions 5. 'Don't Waste Your Time' - Catherine Miller - Tyson Records - £30 Nice vocal from 1975. 6. 'You Brought About A Change In Me'/ For Once In My Life' - Jackie Wilson - Brunswick - £10 Classic Jackie. 7. 'Love Takes Tears' - Johnny Bristol -MGM - £10 Great 70's - his best for me! 8. 'Whatever I Am I'm Yours' / 'Mine Was Real' - Sylvia Pittman - Mannequin Records - £30 Strange one this - two classic Sam Dees tracks - produced by the man himself - but Sylvia (if it is her on label), looks like Tammy Wynette! 9. 'Trustin' In You' - Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells - Atlantic - £50 Nice Red & white Demo - A Curtis Mayfield composition and an Ian Levine spin on his return to the scene. A Soul Essence spin for Steve G ? 10. 'You Forgot How To Love'/'All Or Nothing' - Patti LaBelle & The Bluebells - Atlantic - £10 Much earlier but two nice songs - only vg + with small writing on the edge of label - not noticeable 11. 'Shout About It- Lamont Dozier - M&M Records - £10 From 1981 12. 'Stay' - The Controllers - MCA Records - £10 UK copy - 'Modern' soul from '86 13. 'Extra Careful' - Billy Cole - Power Exchange- UK - £25 UK (and Jamaican) only - only vg + to excellent with a name written on the record centre 14. 'Heavy Love Affair' - Marvin Gaye - Tamla - £10 Someone should give this a go - great jazzy dancer from his 'In Our Lifetime' album 15. '(Tears) Can Only Make The Problems Wet'/ 'Open the door To your Heart' - Sonny Munro - Epic -£25 Cutting my losses on this - half what I paid. Big in Japan - sold my mint copy there for two quid a few years ago This is a collection filler only - Some people have a funny idea of VG. Recently went for around £200 on well known auction site. 16. 'You Left The Water Running' Otis Redding - Stone Records.- £15 The famous boot - of Otis'demo for Wilson Pickett - Soul Music history !!- . Was withdrawn by the Redding estate when they heard about it. Features in Nick Hornby's High Fidelity too!! Plus two albums.... 17. 'Nobody But You' - Jackie Wilson - UK Brunswick. - £15 Jackie's last studio album. Still has shrink wrap on - so mint cover. Ex+ vinyl. Contains the UK only 45 - 'It Only Happens When I Look at You' plus its b side the awesome Sam Dees penned 'Just as Soon As the Feelings Over' 18.'There'll Come A Time' - Betty Everett - UNI - £10 Contains the fantastic album only 'You're Falling In Love'. Only VG+ - cover and vinyl but plays well. Thanks for looking Mike

Most certainly the place to mention it. Be sure to include the 'Do You Love Somebody' album in it entirety - one of my all-time favourite albums Mike

I knew it was about his brother - I didn't mean it literally- just strange (and a bit corny) lyrics - seems to be taking the moral high ground - kettle calling the frying pan grimy arse if you ask me!! Mike

My thoughts on Womack......................... My brother got me into him and wants me to play 'Fly Me to The Moon ' at his funeral... I saw his first appearence in this country at the Hammersmith Odean in 1976...he was fantastic but it was far from a Soul show. If I remember rightly UA had advised to cut back on the singing and just play!! He traded licks all night with two other lead guitatists including Charles Fullilove. Ian Macglagen from the Faces was on keyboards. Favourite album ... 'Facts Of Life' Always thought 'The Poet'' and 'Poet II' were overated..sorry Love the melody and performance on 'Harry Hippy' .. but what the f**k is it about!! BW is a bit of a dead beat himself One of my favourite tracks by him is the gospel version of 'Looking For A Love' - 'Couldn't Hear Anyone Pray' by the Womack Brothers (pre Valentinos) .. he must 16 to 18 years old and never sounded better Mike

Don't bother - you won't ever convert these people to Bobby Bland. Amy Winehouse is just the latest in a long line - I did exactly the same when Joss Stone put ot her first album with Bettye Swann, Soul Bros 6 , Joe Simon etc etc covers. People are not interested and simply don't care. And that is not a critisism of Amy Winehouse - I bought the album and enjoyed it for what it was - a decent pop record record. Mike

On UK too - 'Deep soul' - Dave Godin's sister label to Soul City. I still Love is fantastic deep soul - featured o one of his later deep soul collections for Kent. Mike

This topic was discussed way back on the old ANS forum - once again here is a posting from it - Ian Levine was adamant that Vickie Sue Robinson was the first .......................... I'm sorry but I not only know my stuff here... in fact I was a consultant on many TV shows about the history of Disco music ...... but I was actually THERE at the time. In 1975 Tom Moulton took me to the Infinity in New York. Vickie Sue Robinson was the very first twelve inch, the invention of David Todd who worked at RCA. This was a full year before either Brainstorm or Double Exposure. Other early twelves included Silver Convention's "Get Up And Boogie", Jay Black's "One Night Affair", Yvonne Fair's "It Should Have Been Me", Alfie Davison's "Who Is Gonna Love Me" (frighteningly rare - I've never even seen one), The Brothers "Under The Skin", and several others I can't call to mind this early in the morning, but it's UNQUESTIONABLE that Vickie Sue was the very first. And our own Kev Roberts brought the very first copy into England, and gave it to me as a present early in 1975 on a return from a trip to New York, where he obtained this new "novelty"................................... I remember digging out my old Black Musics .... The first mention of 12's I can find is August '75 in the 'Grapvine' column and I quote.... 'Scepter Records of New York now sends out records to discos in the form of 12-inch 45's, to keep recording levels as high as possible'..... so that would point to Tom Moulton, of which there is a full article in January '76 edition without a single mention of 12" mixes. It's a really pity he is not still on the list as he could settle it for sure. And finally Vickie Sue Robinson's 'Never Gonna Let You Go' was listed as a new US release in February 1976 - would you and Kev Roberts really have the 12" a full 12 months before its release? Mike

I have a nice UK promo of Robert Palmers 'Which Of Us Is The Fool' b/w 'Pressure Drop' on UK Island promo from 1975. Mike

Seem to recall the Temprees - 'I Found Love On A Disco floor' as being one the first commerially available Mike

Frannie, Yusef, Bishop, Eddie et al very 'colourful' bus trips those were Steve Mike

Good call on the first two Turbo choices Tone - played them back to back in my one and only spot in the Downbeat lounge at Soul Essence. The Turbo version of 'If Only We Had Met Sooner' does just pip the Loma version. 'Yesterday' eh? an interesting choice that one - prefer the otherside but of course she can do no wrong! Mike

What's the story with 'It's My Life' - love it by Timmy Thomas on Goldwax - but the the 45 credits the writers as Thomas- Claunch - Russell, were they rumbled as the Kent CD credits Roger Atkins and Carl D'Errico ? Was this a case of Black America 'ripping off' white England Mike

Always loved the version by Laura Green on Epic - always thought/hoped it would have it's day again Mike

A bit of fan the lady myself but this is her one 45 that eludes me. Back in the days of the MECCA I passed on a copy for 4 quid - my limit was £2 in those days! However, it is not my favourite dancer of hers!. The b side 'Fugitive From Luv (sic)' can be picked up cheaply on Cotique b/w Bessie Banks 'Go now' and as Sean says different than the Turbo version. Agree that 'You Can't take it' on French Warner Bros 7" takes some meeting - loved the LP version for years until that turned up. And I like both sides of her Atco single - and the Linda Lane thing isn't bad either. The question I would ask is what do you prefer her Loma or Turbo recordings? I think the overall production, quality and slightly less tortured vocals on the Loma stuff edges it for me. Mike

Anyone see this end last night? https://cgi.ebay.com/MARVIN-GAYE-WHATS-GOIN...1QQcmdZViewItem $1128 for a copy of What's Going On But what would you do with it? surely its value is because it is sealed - open it to play and you lose $1000!! Mike

Fantastic record - with an equally fantastic flip - 'Do What You Want, Be What You Are'. Good version of 'Come On with It' by the writer Clarence Reid on Alston too. Paulette Reaves 'Secret Lover' on Blue Candle is another favourite 'Deep' side of mine. and I have to mention 'Calypso Breakdown' - Ralph Mcdonald which along with 'Kill that roach' by Miami were massive Mecca sounds! Mike