Sean Hampsey

What?........... Spencer Wiggins lives in Mansfield? Seriously GREAT tune Kev. Sean PS: Get to "Soul Or Nothing" this Friday night if you want to hear it played out LOUD!!!!!

Me too, I've got quite a few (J. Wilson, Lavern Baker, Marvin Smith etc) and they all sound just the same as my US copies. Sean

The Willie Walker has got you as excited as it has me Brett. It's a truly fabulous track, great lyrics, amazing vocal, just beautifully put together. The Willie Bollinger is also a track to die for and I'm tipping it to do great things. Both sounded fabulous when I've played them out, on the Big systems. I can hardly wait for the weekend! I guess what's exciting me most is that all the tracks mentioned on this thread are top drawer Real Soul music that have stood the test of time, beyond fad or fashion. The cream rises to the top and Quality always wins through in the end. Sean

Agreed Gareth. Fabulous news all round. Along with the fabulous 'crossover' tunes, that have recently come to light, it's the unreleased and unheard Deep material that's exciting the fool out of me! All credit to Tony Rounce and the Ace guys for putting in over 15 years of effort to get to this stage! The next few years are going to be incredibly exciting for Southern Soul fans. Sean

In that case, I'll take two for me fifty quid! Sean

Looks like it didn't sell at the £5k Jez, so the seller relisted it a week later and it sold for 50 squid! https://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=160396355592 I've never seen it before. Reckon I'd have paid £50 for it... had I seen it! Sean

Yes, of course it can. Next question. Sean

Hi Brett, The tracks I played at Just Soul & Soul Essence are Willie Walker "Runaround" and Willie Bollinger "I Don't Wanna Cry No More" both from the magnificent Sounds of Memphis Catalogue and due out on Kent end of May (God Willing!). And you're right. Both are INCREDIBLE tracks, I annouced the artists and titles each time I've played 'em so they aren't really under wraps. Just unavailable at this time! The track Steve is referring to is from FAME and is every bit as good as he says it is. Sean

I was in Baltimore with Tats and Bully around 15 years ago when one of 'em pulled a minter out of a back room in a Shopping mall. So I figure it can't be that difficult . Think I'll try my luck at Meadowhall in the mornin' Sean

Agree mate, The 'Here To Stay" LP is always in my box and a regular spin of mine at Yarmuff etc. Must give it a spin this weekend. Sean https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0kO8EXDdChE

Yep - just a bit OTT Makes my UK Demo a Highly Desirable and Pricey thang! Lovely old Bradford spin of mine, Brett. Sean

Agreed, great outfit, embraced by quite a few Soul fans over here for the past few years. Get the whole story here www.marcellandthetruth.com Good post. Sean

Fabulous Jock and thank you - especially for the mention with regards that famous Tank Top! :o) As you may recall, at the time I started playing the record (especially at AllNighters) nobody gave it a prayer. It was a bit of a non-starter for many people. Far too subtle, no stomp-stomp beat and it was always regarded as a Darrell Banks third grader (by many on the NS Scene at the time) in comparison to 'Our Love/Pocket' and 'Open The Door'. Consequently it had been criminally ignored, by most, since its release. But it sums up for me what I was aiming to do at the time (and am still doing to some extent, if I'm honest) and that was to help shatter the prejudices and rules that bind, blind and shackle the music policy and playlists on the UK soul scene. Looking back, many of my spins around that time would now be deemed 'crossover'. But, back to the track. It's a truly GREAT Soul record whichever level you view it from (amazingly and cruelly relegated to the 'b' side on release) and, in my view, it needed to be heard on the scene. Of course, in these more enlightened times, its thoroughly deserving of its status within Soul music circles and highly regarded by even the most hardcore NS fan... (even if that recognition came many years after its release). Better late than never eh, mate! And agreed, great thread Gareth. Sean

It's worth a ton, just for the flipside. "Just As Soon As The Feeling Is Over" written by Sam Dees, is one of the greatest Soul records of all time (IMO). Sean

That first commandment is nonsense. I collect UK labels and doubt anyone who knows me would say I'm not a real soul fan. But I'm quite happy to go along with the other two. Sean

They weren't ready for it then Mike. Needed a few years to go by before it became a Clifton Hall & Cleethorpes monster, for yours truly, Mike. Sean

Yep - I'd have said 20 years was about right, Paul. Bobby Reed, Corey Blake, Joseph Webster, Tom Brock, Sonny Til etc - all very much moldie oldies now mate . Sean

Yep, well I thought I'd agreed with you on the above (in that the artists weren't trying to make records to cross over to non-black audiences) and I'm sure you're right. Am certainly also with you in that, as far as I'm concerned, the 'tags' and 'labels' are pretty much defunct (never did like any of them TBH ) and it is all 'Just Soul' which, of course, is the entire rationale behind our new gig - It's not crossover, Northern or Modern it is just what it says on the tin. BTW: There's a car load coming down from your neck of the woods, Paul. Would be good to see you with them... and I think you'll find that the Music policy supports your view of how things should be completely. Sean

As a footnote to the above (in case its not clear) the numerous definitions we've been reading these past few days are probably all correct if we're applying the word 'crossover' in a different 'context' on each occasion i.e. "crosses over from one room to another" "crosses over from obscurity to broader acceptance" "crossing over from one decade to the other" etc. but the latter is most certainly how it was initially applied, from my perspective, on the (UK) Soul scene. Sean

All good points Paul, however, the 'crossover' term as we initially applied it on the UK soul scene (i.e.prior to it being misinterpreted, reassigned or simply misunderstood) was purely about the crossover of decades from the 60's to the 70's (a period of 4-5 years) where Soul Music took on more varied rhythm patterns than in previous years. That's why the beat, tempo, rhythm (whatever one prefers to call it) is difficult to pigeon hole. Quite simply, it has (or rather, had) absolutely nothing to do with tempo or pace as it was really only used to plot a period of time in the musics evolution (that rich period, post the 4/4 'Motown classic formula' years). I think its fair to say though (as I go out on a limb here) that many of your observations are spot on regarding the music itself, in that by this time, even at Motown (i.e. Temptations in the Whitfield years, Marvin Gaye "What's Going On" etc.) many artists and producers had definitely begun to try to appeal (again) much more to a Black audience (doing their own thing) and were often producing more 'soulful' records as a result. In my experience, those fans (on this side of the pond at least) who embrace that particular 'crossover of the decades' period are more likely to be inclined to be lovers (and collectors) of the deeper shades of Soul, from all eras. There I've said it. And it's worth a whipping! Sean

Errrrrrrrrrrr..... you might find the answer here... But I doubt it! Sean

Darrell Banks "I'm The One Who Loves You" Stax / Volt My tune! Sean

Its incurable mate. I had the EMI one first, picked up the Demo a year or two later and then the 'Knowing i Love You' one at an early Yarmouth. Have never had the time or inclination to play them one after t'other... but as its the gig on Saturday I might be spending an hour or two in the Record room, so hopefully (if i find em) I'll be able to have a listen and compare. Sean

Me too John Sean

I think its a fair comment, but agree Alice Clark's version is pretty much perfection already, so difficult to improve on that. Always imagined the flip "Heavens Will Must Be Obeyed" being sung by Linda. A stunning 'B' side that is up there with many of Linda Jones greatest ballads. George Kerr certainly knew how to stretch every ounce of emotion from the artist. But Lindas family might well say that's not all he was capable of. Sean