Rhys Roberts

Dave, I hope your CD has arrived safely. I ordered the 7" box set and the CD from Ace yesterday and they arrived safely today. Fantastic compilation and excellent service from Ace Records.

Really enjoyed the film Mixes the events of the late 60s with some amazing live performances from David Ruffin, 5th Dimension, Staple Singers, Stevie Wonder, Edwin Hawkins, Gladys Knight, Sly, Mahalia, BB King and more. This is 1969 so leather waistcoats, afros and Black Panthers. If you are into the full spectrum of soul, funk, gospel and blues then it is well worth catching it on the big screen. The Sly And The Family Stone performance of Everyday People was one of the highlights for me too.

It's showing tonight at the Odeon in Bridgend, S Wales at 6:30pm. Looks like the only screening this week...

Rick, Thank you for the reply. I managed to get a signed copy from Brad for £16 including postage (using PayPal) I just finished reading the book and it really was a great read! It's one of those books that keeps your interest and you just don't really want it to end. Lots has been written about the 60s Mod era, becoming hard Mod, Skinhead, Suedehead etc. This all seems to go up to the early 70s and then resumes again in '79 with the revivals. The great thing for me was to learn about the vibrant scooter boy scene up North in the mid 70s before '79. This was was an evolution / continuation of the Mod, Skinhead, Suedehead scene in fashion running parallel with the Northern soul scene, which was just moving above ground. There are some great photos in the book. These include early shots of the club initially in authentic US M51 fishtail parkas, which then become donkey jackets by the end of the book. It is great to hear about each of Brad's Lambretta projects and the changing tastes in scooter customizations. You really get a sense of the thrill, camaraderie and pride to be riding one of the scooters in convoy to the next rally. There are several passing references to Northern Soul including one interesting anecdote outside Wigan Casino. I was born too late. I started my lifelong interest in all things scootering and Northern in the early 80s at the age of 13. This is when the story is starting to come to an end in the book, so we do cross over for a while. It is also interesting to see how the club acknowledges that although it all originated with the Mods, the club has adopted the scooter boy identity and the distance widens from '79 on. Something I remember vividly, when the Mods started their own separate scooter rallies. There is also a very happy ending to the book which many of us will relate to on the forum. I hope that the book is reprinted so others can enjoy it, but don't wait - get a copy now while you can. Wish I had been there with the Roadrats S.C. Cheers, Rhys

Does anyone have a copy of this book that they would like to sell? Thanks

Thanks for the replies. No it was a simple red mug with the clicking fingers logo. I did actually get a reply today - details below in case anyone interested: email: mod@soulsvillefoundation.org Hello Rhys Roberts, I would like to thank you for visiting the Stax Museum, we do have red mugs in and would be happy to ship it out to you. Attached to this email is a copy of our credit card authorization form. If you'd like to fill this out and email it back to me, I will begin processing your order. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. All the best, Iona Green

Just got back from a trip to the "Deep South", which was awesome. The Stax museum is well worth a visit for $13, if only to see the vinyl hall of fame or Isaac Hayes' gold plated Cadillac. Loads of parking behind the main building too. I bought a lovely red mug from the Stax museum store for $9.99...but it got smashed on the way home There is no real online shop as such and I tried to email the museum... If anyone is going (or lives nearby) and wouldn't mind picking me up a replacement then I would be most grateful!! I have a shipping address in the UK and USA and could PayPal the cost & postage. Thank you, Rhys

I had the pleasure and privilege to meet this wonderful lady today. Pat is being recognised in a new music documentary: https://totalexperiencemovie.com/2018/08/07/our-movie-poster/ She sang at Jimmy Hendrix' funeral and also for President Obama. We all know her soul classic "Little Love Affair" but having her sing this for me today was just incredible! Pat also kindly signed a record sleeve for me - I just need to get the vinyl now... Cheers, Rhys VID-20190525-WA0005.mp4

Sounds like the sad taste of sour grapes when someone in the family thinks that money is thicker than blood. Perfect material for a soul ballad...

Thanks for the replies! I can see the regular issue for sale here on raresoulman: Joe Simon ‎– Message From Maria / I Worry About You Any idea how much the promo would be worth?

Hi, Label: Sound Stage 7 ‎– SS7-2617 Format: Vinyl, 45 RPM, 7" Country: US Does anyone know why this is blocked for sale on Discogs? The message says "This release has been blocked from sale in the marketplace. It is not permitted to sell this item on Discogs." I have seen it for sale here a few times and I have the SS7-2617 in both regular and promo editions. Cheers, Rhys

Thanks again Ken, I managed to buy a copy of the Shades of Soul Issue #8 -Aug 1986 on eBay last week.

Just found this thread. Still have this fold out version at home and love this album! This was my first compilation too and these tracks have remained some of my favorites as a result. Funded by my job in the fish & ship shop at Trecco Bay in '84 when I was 17. Wish I had Vol 2 & 3 - see they are around online for < £10.

Thanks a lot for the upload! I have never seen that one before so it brought back some great memories. Yes those revolving doors were like a soul grinder . This was the first time I had seen proper Northern Soul dancing and I remember saying to my mates (Pritch, Chris T, Darren, Daf, & John): "OMG they look like pond skaters, how do they do that?" Took a lot of soul nights and a lot of cider & black (these were pre Strongbow Dark Fruit days) before I took to the floor...

That would be great to see the fliers! Please upload some photos or scans if possible?

Hi Wilxy, Thanks for the reply. Do you remember when the soul nights stopped? I can remember going around '83 to '84. Cheers, Rhys

Thanks Fred. I think this is the Al Kent from Blackwood (S Wales) but there is another soulie named Al Kent in Glasgow: https://www.facebook.com/al.kent.5 He may be a member here? Regards, Rhys

I was walking through the fair ground in Porthcawl yesterday and curious to see if the sign for the Manor Suite was still there. This was my first Northern Soul venue back in 1983. As you can see, it all looks very tired in 2018. Looking through the window, it is now a storage room; full of junk and old amusement rides. Back in the day, this was a fantastic venue and the soul nights were always packed out with great music from the resident DJs. Those nights always stuck in my memory and led me back to the addiction many years later. I remember seeing these posters around town and had to get my mate to buy us tickets because we were only 15 at the time. It was a lot easier to remember phone numbers back then with only 4 digits! Great to see that Nigel has organised an event for next March and there is still a great crowd in Porthcawl. Would be great to hear the stories from anyone who attended the Manor Suite back then (and see some more photos). Does anyone remember when the first and last nights were held at this venue? Thank you. Rhys

Thanks Kev & Ron! Really appreciate your replies and advice. Cheers & KTF, Rhys

Found this blog which is pretty helpful: https://blog.discogs.com/en/record-stores-san-diego/

Many thanks for the replies so far. Cheers Rhys

Hi All, Will be working in California next week and then tagging on a holiday to the end of the visit. Staying mostly in San Diego but then travelling up as far as San Francisco. Does anyone know if there are any soul nights in the area between now and the end of August? Also would be good to know if there any good record shops in the San Diego area? Cheers, Rhys