spot

We started in October 72, Myself, my Best mates Barrie Cornthwaite & Gary Wood, closely followed by my now Wife Gail & others from Goole but a few guys a couple of years older than us had introduced Motown/ Dance Soul to us from 70 onwards, I didn't know at the time they'd been to the Wheel & other Venues, I just remember Bunny Sigler - Let the good times roll, John Miles - One Minute every hour, Guy Darrell - I been hurt, Shakers - One wonderful moment, Willie Tee - Walking up a one way street etc being something different, wanting to dance to them and going where more were played. I think it's bigger and more accessible now, few people travelled, there where hardly any Motorways, the M62 wasn't built, I remember driving along the first section which if I remember was the M1 Junction and Wakefield junction and thinking it was great, it took us 6 hours to get from Goole to Blackpool Mecca and we only started going to Wigan so we didn't have to drive home in the dark on A or B roads, I'm glad we did though. I think there were pockets of NS around the Country, the West Midlands & North West mostly but Goole for it's small size & Selby down the road had a large number (For their size) travel the Country, Mr Dewhirst can back me on this as the Northern Soul Road Show was always there, along with Him & Soul Sam etc. The underground feel was taken off a bit by the cameras at Wigan and it became the new Black for a while plus some of the total dross they started playing didn't help and we went to Wigan less, having got Cleethorpes Pier & Winter Gardens, Unity Hall as well as St Ives etc to add in the mix but you still had to be a devotee to do all the travelling. So yes it's more popular now and more must attend, just look at the number of nights on offer around the Country each week, they're also all differing kinds of Genres/ Rooms, which never happened in the 70's, the only second room I knew was Mr M's and the tunes were only a few years older than what was being played in the room. I wouldn't change any of it though, now or then. Spot. p.s. Gail has just reminded me that Her & Andrea her best friend went to the Mecca before any of us, so I'm gladly putting the record straight.

Now Brian is that really true? I remember your comment after I did you a couple or three cd's of newer/ Rarer tunes, I think your exact words were, "They'll keep birds off me allotment". So not quite as open minded or fully embracing as you'd have us believe.

Also try Howard Earnshaw or Colin & Shirley Wood, they edit it etc.

Shows how Old & crusty I'm getting,EVERYONE looks to young, it's not fair. I'm glad they were out with a sensible & responsible person & You , of course. Spot.

No not the Youth, they seemed ok, although I never venture down into the dark, as Norman Stanley Fletcher would say, "Not with these feet". Some Old dodgers like us, one in particular from Wolverhampton way I'm told, only ever seen him at Rugby but have noticed on odd occasion him taking p*ss, so it's not the Youngsters that are knobheads but some of the older generation. I did notice 3 girls who didn't even look old enough to have started at Big School yet though.