Mark Jones

I've been accused of having an addiction...."why are you buying records that you just put in a box?" They may have a point but I explain it's a passion as well as a hobby...but they still go away expecting me to download the mp3 off itunes instead. Anyway I digress...I reckon I'm quite conservative (deffo not politically!) and only have about one to one point five records arriving "to put in the box" per week. Some top drawer expensive (600 quid my limit)... others not at all.....yes I do spend too much of my income on vinyl when I should be sorting my house out but what the hell I'm a bloke with a 28 year old soul passion! So are you spending too much of your income on vinyl (or styrene for that matter) too? Surely the new 3 piece suite can wait can't it?....so am I addicted? P.S....can you tell I'm single lol

What do we know about Elbie? I don't even know if he's black or white!

Please keep away just has to be my fav Veep track of all time...in fact it may be my fav track of all time but always hard to quantify that as so many favs Not only that it's my avatar too! Elbie Parker - Please Keep Away From Me -

Most of you already probably seen this but I hadn't....nice live cover!....pretty true to the original. Thought I'd share!

Wow!

like most we forgot that Edwin and Blinky were supposed to be the new Marvin and Tammi...just talent pure talent omfg this is good! another record to show off their partnership. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-Q_W1jszGo

showing the talents we always were aware of but like me never heard. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKd-cTyEsRQ&p=E08FEBCC2AA60423&playnext=1&index=28]

My god....Edwin..so good...

I need to go and pay my respects. Miss you Edwin https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IhB0msCGZiY

Can't imagine anyone having anything bad to say about the guy...one of my favourite songs by Edwin edwin starr - if my heart could tell the story -

Yes John agree with you...and thanks for your honest reply...think we all took him for granted as he was in our midst...miss his talent and still have a 100 questions to ask the guy!

Just a question really rather than a profound point of view...just now he's gone thought I'd ask the question of us all really....saw him many times and probablly because he lived in Stoke rather than Detroit anymore I always had the opinion... oh bugger I missed him this time but will catch him next time!....and now feel what a mistake that opinion was . I remember chatting to Charles Hatcher (aka Edwin Starr for those who don't know) about his life and his cousin Roger for that matter...such a lovely genuine man...he made everyone who met him feel special and never took his northern "fame" for granted. It was just as important to him that you liked his music and performance as much as he was pleased with it...he never forgot his fans...yes I know I'm stating the obvious for those who knew Edwin a lot better than me. It's not until i search youtube and realise that there's no recording of him singing "If my heart could tell the story" "I have faith in you" etc etc that maybe we all missed out on a golden oppurtunity even though we all probably saw him many times. Miss you Edwin Jonzy

I'm sure Boris will help!

Yep awesome night...one of my first nighters

Wish it was on vinyl and in my record box! Best track by a mile on Cellarful Of Motown Vol. 4! Robert Dobyne - All I Need is a Chance -

Just been digging through the old record box with a beer in my hand and dug out the Shirelles - Call me...what a beautiful tune..not heard for ages...well never have actually heard it outside my living room... absolute blue rock class!...something special about the blue rock...don't think I've heard a bad track on the label. Shirelles - Call me

I like the other side!...classy tune Brenton Wood - i think youve got your fools mixed up

Just missed Morrisey (by minutes according to Ron himself) at Ron's Records in New Orleans who'd just popped in to buy a load of Timi Yuro records if that counts.

Bought mine in 1989...wouldn't part with...it's the iconic sound of Steve Whittle's spot for me!

Mon dieu! Wot eeez rong wiz zis guy confusez le hell out of mois pouqois I'l ne post pas a la Anglaterre! Eez zit a paintin of zee fallen madoona weez zee big boobis vous etes won a la ebay?

We can always send bank transfers...done that a few times when buying records here...no cost to seller then! Pretty honest lot us soul sourcers...might be the better option.

I like this version Paul....like it's minimalistic aspect...class!

https://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2010/aug/21/northern-soul-soulboy-film Last June, the 62-year-old American singer Nolan Porter flew into Britain to perform sell-out shows in Warwick and Oldham. Fans who revere Porter's two massive northern soul anthems, If I Could Only Be Sure and Keep On Keeping On, afforded the singer a rapturous welcome. Backed by Birmingham soul outfit the Stone Foundation, Porter was so taken aback by the response, he vowed to return to Britain as quickly as possible. Next month a new British film, SoulBoy, starring Martin Compston, Alfie Allen and Felicity Jones opens. Directed by Shimmy Marcus, the film (set in 1974) is your everyday story of boy meeting girl and girl dragging boy into northern soul culture. It's a warm picture, fuelled by a fantastic soundtrack and some nice performances. Unfortunately, it's ruined by a very silly ending. Still, there's always photographer Elaine Constantine's debut feature film, Northern Soul, out in 2011, to look forward to. Constantine's deep knowledge of the scene promises to make it a major statement. Certainly, there's a sizable audience already in place for such celluloid offerings. Every week, from Aberdeen to Brighton, people of all ages pour into northern soul clubs. The grandfather of them all, 6T's at London's 100 Club, has been running now for 31 years. Tellingly, some 6T's regulars appear in the video for Duffy's 2008 single Mercy. Many of Duffy's UK contemporaries from Amy Winehouse to Paloma Faith have looked to northern for inspiration, and it's a sound that's currently being mined by the altogether hipper likes of Janelle Mon¡e and Aloe Blacc. New musical subcultures come and go but northern soul seems to run forever. The scene's roots lie in the mid-60s and a Manchester club called Twisted Wheel, the place mods would later name, "the chapel of soul". The club's DJ was Roger Eagle and his arrival could not have been timed better. London, formerly the home of soul, was awash with LSD and psychedelia and a generation of mods had nowhere to go and dance. Eagle's beautiful selection of soul music was the beacon that attracted them from all over the UK. Northern soul's trademark dancing was also first witnessed at The Wheel. As the music of Ray Charles and Marvin Gaye filled the air, the beautifully dressed boys and girls would gather in circles before one of them would move into the middle to perform wild spins and floordrops. These dances were later perfected in other clubs and the unique and brilliant northern soul dance was born. Like all great mods, Eagle was a snob, a purist. His mission was to play a wide musical vista that also took in blues and ska. This laudable approach would have worked had the majority of his crowd not been out of their minds on speed, demanding faster and faster music to dance to. Eagle gallantly resisted until bowing to the inevitable and moving to the Staxx Club on Fountain Street. Again, his timing was spot on: obscure soul music was now being demanded by the crowd and, thankfully, America was full of the stuff. In the early-60s, Berry Gordy's meteoric rise to fame as founder of Motown Records had inspired thousands of entrepreneurs to start their own soul labels. However, despite producing some excellent records, these label bosses lacked Gordy's business acumen and struggled to find exposure. Labels, with names such as Shrine, Carnival and Topper died on the vine, leaving behind a small but fruitful musical legacy. It was that legacy which British soul DJs now began to cultivate, bringing in import after import to assuage the demands of their soul-hungry crowd. The result was beautiful: the most obscure American artist, a Little Ann say, or a Tommy Hunt, suddenly found themselves revered by thousands of British working-class kids. With the departure of Eagle from the Twisted Wheel, the focus switched to clubs such as The Torch in Stoke, the Blackpool Mecca, and what would prove be to be the Wembley Stadium of northern soul, the Wigan Casino. 'We always knew who the undercover police were: they had big creases down their jeans which no one else would wear' Photo of NORTHERN SOUL Photograph: Mick Gold/Redferns In early 1973 the Casino was struggling badly so local DJ Russ Winstanley approached the Casino's manager Gerry Marshall and offered to stage a northern soul night. Marshall's dwindling bank balance forced his hand. On 22 September 1973, 652 kids paid 75p and rushed into the hall to be greeted by the Sherrys' anthemic Put Your Arms Around Me. The Casino never looked back. This famed venue was known for its maple sprung dancefloor and a balcony that circled it on three sides. There were record stalls placed strategically around the club with dealers selling seven-inch import singles at eye-watering prices. By now, mod fashions had been replaced by brogue shoes, flares, vests, tank tops, and much longer hair. The girls wore long skirts, which were handy for sashaying across the floor, and many brought holdalls containing talcum powder which would be sprinkled on the floor to make it easier to dance. With only soft drinks available at the bar, again amphetamines helped fuel the scene, keeping the faithful going through the night. Some nights, undercover police would infiltrate the club. But, as Wigan regular and DJ Jo Wallis explains, fashion saved the day: "We always knew who they were because they had big creases down the front of their jeans which no one else would wear. We knew right away to warn the others." There was no trouble at the Casino, just the smell of Brut, sweat and soul assaulting your senses as the condensation dropped from the roof. And for years this huge youth cult went unnoticed, stayed unreported. The rock music press had no use for the scene, nor did the national newspapers. Which was fine by the northern soulers; they didn't crave celebrity or attention. They loved the secrecy of it all; it gave them personal one-upmanship. In 1974, Winstanley asked the Wigan crowd one night if a BBC crew should be allowed in to film them. The answer was a resounding "NO!", despite this being a time when appearing on TV was seen as an achievement. A year later, the Casino relented and allowed Granada's This England crew in. Big mistake. When the show aired, it switched on thousands of young Britons. Within weeks, record companies were issuing novelty records by made-up bands of sessioneers such as Wigan's Chosen Few, and hordes tried fruitlessly to gain entry. By 1976, the regulars had moved on while a new generation - Bryan Ferry and David Bowie among them - turned their attention to the jazz-funk scene developing on Canvey Island. For three years, northern soul lay fallow until two diehards, Randy Cozens and Ady Croasdell started a northern night in London's Covent Garden called 6T's. The first night was a huge success. The club then moved around before settling at the 100 Club. It's still there today, making it the longest-running northern soul club in history. In parallel, Croasdell started up the Kent label to issue great soul compilations, proof positive that the scene's canon contains some of the most exquisite music ever committed to vinyl, a fact picked up by many bands. In the 80s, Dexys Midnight Runners, the Jam and Soft Cell were the most obvious exemplars. In the 90s, after visiting the 100 Club one night, Noel Gallagher penned the brass-powered Oasis B-side Round Are Way. Today, the soul spirit remains. "People see our band and ask, why have you not had more success?" says Neil Sheasby of the Stone Foundation. "But I tell them I've just made an album which Nolan Porter sings two songs on. That to me is success beyond belief." The flame keeps burning.

Far more elliquant than me....but so correct...wrong format...missed oppurtunity.

True enough I guess...my mistake for listening really...just was a bit more hopeful when I saw RS was on the show. Didn't like when he glanced over the 80's in a sentence as if the scene was dead then...that's an urban myth...was a really happening transforming decade on the scene...very bouyant time...rictic revue,,,hinckley allnighters...Rotherham Clifton hall...and even more important Stafford TOTW ...and also Leicester oddfellows very popular too etc. If it wasn't for the 80's/TOTW/100 Club scene at the time it wouldn't be around today IMHO....apart from in a 70's singlet vest baggy trousers kinda way! if the scene is to survive it just has to look forward...respect the past...but move forward...I mean I'm a big Stafford TOTW fan/collector but even that was 25 years ago ffs!