Joesoap

From what I can remember it was a Caribbean club rather than rasta. We all had to go through a metal detector to get in..first time I'd ever seen that. Then they had whatever northern djs they'd booked playing and all us lot but also the regular clientele there as well. I don't think there was actually a dancefloor. Very funny night.

I've 'sold up' a few times. Depends what you've got but in my experience you never see whatever you value the whole collection at. You can sell the whole lot or do it piece by piece. Both ways, the money is never as much as you expect and if you do it the latter way, it's a lot of work and ends up coming through in dribs and drabs so you don't really notice it so much. I also always used to think I could get things back for cheap, which you could at one time, but that's long gone now thanks to the internet. Wouldn't do it right now unless absolutely desperate for cash!

Definitely remember this one! I think that space is now (and was possibly then) part of Royal Society of Arts. Went there for a work-related meeting a few years ago and it all came flooding back! I remember there was a second one scheduled there. We all turned up to find out the venue had fallen through and buses laid on to take us to a fallback venue which I believe was a place called, The Palm Tree Club in Edmonton. Anyone remember that? That was a very funny night!

Does anyone remember a regular soul do at a place called The Metropolitan, I think it was near Farringdon station, mid 80s? I seem to remember having some great nights there but for some reason, I can barely remember anything else about it! For that matter there used to be loads of midweek dos in London in that era - loads of assorted memories. Venues I remember were White Lion (?) Putney -that was always outstanding; Drummonds (opposite Euston Station where we all used to cross the road to get to 'Buzzard' from afterwards...lol!); Angels Snooker Club (near Chapel Market - later became The Paradise Club); Alexandria (?) was it called, in Clapham? - that used to be on every fortnight and was excellent. There was somewhere on Edgware Road in later 80s called, I think, Jo's Winebar where you had to run the gauntlet of feral West London kids outside to hear Clarkie, Simon Dunmore, Bob Jones, etc play top notch modern. Plus loads and loads of one off nights.. Can anyone fill in details? All a bit sketchy but I do remember a very vibrant, progressive and across the board scene in those days which sadly, seemed to die off quite rapidly by mid 90s... Any others or recollections?

Always liked these two. Both came out by Ronnie Barron, who's the singer but slightly different takes. These versions turned up on a terrific budget LP credited to great Dr John in the 70s. Ronnie Barron and Dr John worked together in the early 1960s. ...There's also a stomping Northern instrumental on this LP!

Thanks for posting. Had forgotten about this one!

That's interesting. I've been looking at various accounts of his career this morning. Another version I've seen is he kept being fired. Be great to read a definitive account of the fascinating story of The Temptations - so many interesting and enigmatic characters and events involved. Don't suppose we'll ever see one now that all the main participants are sadly no longer with us.

Brenda Lee Eager 'When I'm With You' Anyone got one for sale? PM with (sensible) price please. Thanks!

No, it's all good. My question was about the influence Motown records had on other less successful records. But I suppose it is a bit chicken and egg - the ones that influenced the northern sound are also the same ones that subsequently got played and influenced our tastes!

Okay, this isn't a thread about 'what's your fave Motown northern soul record?' It's about which of their records that was a big hit, influenced the sound that which we know as 'northern soul' now. The success of Motown is surely, undeniably the number one, key factor that led to the records being made that later got championed by and made the northern soul scene. Motown was the breakthrough and had loads of success and then loads of other people tried to make records that sounded like Motown records, right? My question is, which of Motown's hits had the biggest influence on the sound we love? Commentators often cite, 'I Can't Help Myself' but I'm not sure about that. It's a good record but a bit polished and 'poppy'...My vote would go to 'Nowhere to Run' -it's got that harder, relentless impetus, a breathtaking tempo that gets you going, a really committed vocal and some ragged edges that add to its beauty (the wayward piano, tinkling in and out of the mix towards the end). Very sophisticated piece of work but sounds totally non-contrived and spontaneous. I can imagine aspiring artists hearing it at the time and thinking 'We can have a go at doing something like that!' Its stamp is all over loads of classics of the rare soul scene. Am I stating the obvious here? Wouldn't be the first time. Any other suggestions or thoughts? (..and 'Frank Wilson' is not a valid answer, for what I hope are obvious reasons!) :-)

;-) It's on, 'It's Your World'. Or there's an unofficial 12" , one of the 'Loft Classics' series from New York, of it that should be fairly easily obtainable.

Aren't you thinking of 'Home Is Where The Hatred Is' though? Agree the Esther Philips version of that is outstanding (didn't it win a Grammy or Aretha, who won the Grammy, said Esther should have won it..?) But not sure it 'slaughters' GSH's version tho. They are both top drawer but different. And then there's Gil's live version - out of this fucking world for me, that!

Ah, okay, thanks I see..Didn't know about different b-sides. It's more danceable than 'Save the Children' then, for sure, which makes it more collectable.

Hi, Apols for bringing this thread back from the grave but I think I saw on here that Manship sold a UK one recently for about £300 and a comment that suggested it's a different take, or something? I can't find that thread tho, sorry..Can anyone provide more detail? I do think the UK release is a rare record, Can't imagine who in the UK would have rushed out and bought it at the time or what market they were going for!. Can only see it having had an initial, cautious pressing. And I must have gone through at least, hundreds of thousands of soul records in London / UK record shops since the early 80s and the only copy I have ever seen is the one I've got. Catching up a bit now, maybe but I've always thought it odd how highly prized / priced UK rarities from the 60s are compared with similar items from only a few years later in the 70s. Brilliant record by the way. GSH at his best is the greatest in my book!

I'd also like to know what 'retro soul music' is. My view is that rock 'n' roll (or whatever you want to call it) and all its offshoots, of which I believe soul music (and all its offshoots) is one, was a phenomenon of a particular period in history that has ended. There used to be continuous progression but big shifts every 10 -11 years but that doesn't seem to have happened since the late 80s. So therefore, a soul record from 1965 isn't a 'retro soul' record, it's just a soul record from the 60s. We live in a different era now and I think in general, the music of all kinds that is made these days is just self-conscious variants on what has been done before without adding much that is spontaneous or new. This can be enjoyable but its rarely innovative or different or fresh so is less interesting to me personally. For example, I think 'indie' rock bands are still harking back to the post-punk era. 'Retro-soul' bands from Australia or wherever, trying to replicate the sound of the JBs, etc and as played on the dreadful Craig Charles' radio show are just pub bands basicallly and I couldn't be less interested.

Thanks all for the suggestions on my dilemma! I will try some of these out...

Thanks for the very detailed reply. Bit technical for me but I will look again in the morning when I am completely sober! It used to solve the problem for a bit if I jammed a bit of rolled up cardboard from a cigarette packet between the two plugs that go into the back of the amp. But who wants to keep messing around like that when you are playing records on what ought to be reliable components? With Garrard, I didn't mean the 301, which are obviously superb. I just meant the ones like this: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=garard+deck&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOtdD5r_TYAhVKB8AKHZ5MDy0Q_AUICigB&biw=1067&bih=513#imgrc=ZQo_rByMMKN3iM: which seem to have been a standard component for a period, fitted to better quality UK built record players aimed at the more affluent end of the market but at not the out and out hi-fi enthusiast. They feel very robust and just the click you get when changing speed or something seems very certain and dependable. Lol! Dead easy to fix when they go wrong, too!

I've got a 7" from Nepal somewhere, not soul though, unsurprisingly. Furthest flung soul record I've got is Linda Lyndell from the Philippines found in a local record shop with John Manship's handwriting on the sleeve speculating that it's a local, Philadelphia release! At risk of being done for going totally off topic, best Egyptian record is Jonathon Richman 'Egyptian Reggae'. Always went down a bomb when played at parties for a more general music loving crowd. I reckon you could just about pull it off at a broad-minded enough soul night, given enough alcohol! (Edit: Actually, just listened to 'Egyptian Reggae'. Definitely sounds like something that Roger Eagle might have played had it been around in the early days of The Wheel!)

I've got a Technics 1200 and a Pioneer SA 508 amp which is a great amp from the 70s and works perfectly well with the CD player I have running through it. Trouble is the amp and the Technics don't get on and emit an awful buzz when connected up (including earthing cable). I have no way of knowing whether the problem is with the amp or the turntable. The Technics was bought new. I don't want to shell out for a new amp only to have the same problem. Anyone know of a cheap-ish amp compatible with a 1200? In response to the broader question, I always think better quality turntables from the era your records date from are good bet for playing old records. You don't really need absolute top end. Always been very fond of record players with Garard decks. I bought a lovely reconditioned early 70s one last year with internal amp in an attempt to resolve my home hi fi dilemma. But my other half quite liked it so its taken up residence at her place on the other side of London, leading to development of a parallel record collection round there...!

Thanks!

...Anyone?

There's also a picture of him at the piano, with The Dramatics on the gatefold of their, 'Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get' LP. The 'Unsung' episode about The Dramatics is quite informative about Tony Hester btw..

Hi all, I know about the UK 'Right On!' label which was Dave Godin, right? But I notice from Discogs there was a Canadian version with same label artwork but some releases that didn't come out in UK. These are in the same sort of rather leftfield kind of soul vein as the UK releases (leaving aside that dreadful orchestra one)... There's Sammy Gaha; Dolly Gilmore; Ad Libs and Heem: https://www.discogs.com/label/5405-Right-On! What was going on here?