Sean Hampsey

Yep, you're right Pete. It would have took a while to break at a Nighter. We played it locally a helluva lot, in South Yorkshire. Most folk played it off a cheap UA LP. Took me a while to pick up a UK Liberty 45, but even that would have been pre-78. Think it was big with the Notts lads as well at the time. Course, that's how many of the Big Nighter sounds got started, out in the field, at club level. Either way, it was almost certainly the first big 'Post-Torch' Beat Ballad played at an Allnighter. Sean

I guess this comes down to whether we are talking about the Pre-Torch era as opposed to the Post-Torch era. Certainly the 'Pre-Torch' - 'Soul' 'Rare Soul' 'Club Soul' - nights and allnighters (Mojo, Wheel etc.) played slower records; Garnett Mimms 'It Was Easier' 'Cry Baby', Jimmy Radcliffe, Bobby Bland 'Call On Me', various Billy Stewart's, Jackie Edwards 'Feel So Bad', Artistics 'I'm Gonna Miss You', Jerry Jackson 'Rough Out There', Little Anthony 'Hurt So Bad', Ray Pollard, Tams, etc. But the Torch, Va Va's, Mecca, Wigan etc. accelerated the Pace / Tempo and that became the 'fashion' or 'in-vogue' to the point where anything below 100 mph was virtually unheard of. Imagine dropping Ray Pollard in alongside Terrible Tom? No way! 'Sapphires 'Gotta Have Your Love' was about the slowest record I would have heard at that time (more of a fingersnapper!). Soon after 'Garnett Mimms 'Looking For You' became a big tune and it was clear there was room to slow the tempo down and still keep a dancefloor. But Pete is right, the first BIG Post-Torch tune, in a climate of 'Stompers' to be classed as a 'Beat Ballad' was Gene McDaniels 'Walk With a Winner' - (though I would have said I first heard that played out around 76). Jock, you're right. I often played Barbara McNair at Clifton Hall, in the middle of the night. It was huge and slotted in beautifully, as 3 minutes respite after a 12" Norman Conners or a Skip Mahoney Love the 'Funky Hunk' handle by the way. Think I'm gonna insist on that on Flyers in future lol Sean

And a 'cash in' reissue is more likely to play DOWN Frank Motley. Interesting one Joe. But too late to investigate too hard tonight! :0) Cheers. Sean

Have you got it? What's the flip like? I think it looks earlier than the Stop copy mate.

3 x copies on Popsike Is it Canadian Joe?

Yep! Love me a bit of Jackie Shane!

Brilliant job Pete. Really enjoyable. Just like looking through a huge pile of old British 45's. No feeling on earth quite like it! Sean

Really Imaginative and Refreshing playlists there folks. Triffic! Sean

Valentinos. Sean

Billy Preston attached. Also seen Valentinos - Definitely exists as a WLP. Sean

I've had three copies Pete - and I'm not a dealer. The popularity of 'One More Chance' this past 10 years and the 'bootlegging' of the Back Beat copy has obviously pushed up the price. Sean

This is a typical example of the UK Sue Demo you're probably referring to. Seen and had many of these over the years and always understood them to be Demo copies. Sean

Big crossover spin in recent times! :0) Sean

A beaty play on the 'Shirley Brown' 'Woman To Woman' saga that really deserves your attention. Sean

Will never forget her rendition of this... live! It was like we were the only ones in the room and I swear she was singing only to me! :0) Sean

An INCREDIBLE artist and performer. Try this one on for size. A lovely fingersnapper I used to play out many moons ago - and still sounds good! Sean

Vocalion had been around forever; from 1916 - 1940. IThe name was reactivated by Vogue (France) in 1963. They licensed a stack of tracks from Duke / Peacock / Back Beat / Sure Shot from the infamous Don Robey in texas (questionable whether most of his artists ever got their proper dues). Tracks included a pile of Bobby Bland, OV Wright, Junior Parker etc. They found a lot of interest in Europe (inc UK) from Soul fans in their material and looked for other tracks via Fat Fish (Leon Haywood) Everest (Jimmy Holiday) Galaxy (Rodger Collins) Vault (Tommy Neal). their biggest hit was probably the Olympics ' I Wish i Could Shimmy' with two of the other big sellers being Rodger Collins 'She's Looking Good' and 'Tommy Neal ' Going To A Happening', (both massive Twisted Wheel tunes) which as far as they (Vogue / Vocalion) were concerned were fully and properly licensed with dues paid in full. The Collins and Neal 45's were in every respectable UK Soul collection through the late 60's and early 70's (mine included) and their legitimacy was never in question. Then (I think around 5 years ago) a Belgian counterfeit appeared of Tommy Neal. It was a facsimile (albeit poorly printed - - - piss poor actually) of the UK 'Legit' issue and pressed without the centre. It's easy to spot when you see it, clearly a non-UK pressing (see below). But the other stuff is (IMO) about as desirable as authentic UK Soul collecting gets (especially the Red Demo's). Have had a Red copy of Rodger Collins for decades but never been able to snag a Red Tommy Neal... yet! Cash waiting folks Sean Just a thought - Benji suggests the Boot was UK pressed for the Belgian scene. This is probably the case, but all copies I've seen have been sold from Belgium (hence I've described it as the 'Belgian Boot') and it certainly doesn't look like a UK pressing. Have shown the Belgian Boot (cheap, nasty, horrible), the UK issue in sleeve (perfect!) the missing piece in my collection, the very desirable UK Red Demo and the UK 45 issue with its centre knocked out (we used to do this to try and make em look like 'imports'... LOL).

Ultimate Classic on acetate. Will aim to upload more at the weekend! Great thread. I do love me acetates. Sean

Previous discussion here: Sean

I was asked to fill in a form only once, Ian. Lyric Hall, Dinnington, 1973. The old caretaker, Reg, was very strict about it. We had to 'LOG' every record. But I've never been asked to do so since (other than when a promoter wants a playlist for their own website or whatever!). The 'logging' is down to the venue to enforce. They are the ones that hold the PPL & PRS License. I'm finding that PRS are becoming much more active these days. You aren't allowed to have music played in your place of work, without the owner having paid for a license (£40 - £100+ per annum depending on nature of business). For pubs and bars etc, one obviously has to pay more. Reproduction of music would (at one time) have come under MCPS (the 'physical' stuff still does (Vinyl / CD's etc.) YouTube and Digital reproduction / Replication is 'technically' covered by PRS for Music, but it all seems pretty much up in the air at the minute as the organisations are all trying to deal with the transition and having to cope with mass duplication and 'broadcast' like never before (60 Hours of Video uploaded onto YouTube every minute). Interesting thread. Sean

Thanks folks for all your kind comments. Courtesy of Zane Hunter, the downloads are available here: https://www8.zippyshare.com/v/16598323/file.html Part 1 https://www34.zippyshare.com/v/91752917/file.html Part 2 https://www1.zippyshare.com/v/13579380/file.html The whole nine yards! Thanks Zane. Thanks also to Steve Plumb for his superb Engineering work! Cheers all. See you on the 24th! Sean

It'll be music like you never heard before on't Radio Steve! Have you got your room sorted yet for 24th? Sean

Prepare yourself for another 'Just Soul Special' on Solar Radio's 'Soul People', tomorrow morning, Sunday 11th March 2012 10:00am - Noon - Featuring Sean Hampsey & Tats Taylor - You might just hear something tasty! https://www.solarradio.com/ Sky Digital Channel 0129 Sean

Early - Mid 80's Adam Buchanan had the first copy, as I recall. Dont remember where he got it from. It was soon (a year or two) after it had become a big record on Fairmount. So we were all perplexed at the time when it appeared. I'd have said Cleethorpes Winter Gardens or Loughborough would have been the first Nighter he would have played it (on Rouser). But it was a Wigan & Clifton Hall Rotherham tune first. Sean

Coincidence that mate. Bill Payne used to play it at the Attic in Doncaster back in '71. Big ATTIC tune! :0) Sean