manus

I have a copy too great record .

There's a review in the Times today of Benjamin Myers new novel "Rare Singles" and it's set on the Northern Soul scene in Scarborough . Premise is a woman in her 50s locked in a bad marriage and dead end job who lives for weekend Soul events. She travels to America to track down her Soul singer hero one Earlon " Bucky" Bronco to persuade him to come to England to perform.

Dunhelm House in Durham great venue for alldayers and then Alex Lowes put on an allnighter in 1977 which went really well and another was scheduled . The night came and the local Council pulled the plug at literally the last minute . I remember standing on the steps with Alex turning folks away including a bus load from Scotland who then had to go on to Wigan and I assume the folks on board like an earlier post had already digested their allnighter supplies.

I don't claim these are the greatest ever but they are wonderful double siders and certainly my taste in Soul and in the tradition of a dance record and a ballad on one disc. Tyrone Davis Running a losing race / I tried it over Sack Bobbie Jean Bland I'm satisfied just loving you / Do it Sack I tried it over and Do it are just wonderful Soul music in my opinion.

And there's Arthur Conley's wonderful take on Keep on Talking , my favourite cut of the song.

I went over to Huddersfield to see Dennis Brown around 1981 at a club that must have been the Venn St location. Fairly big place with large dancefloor and bar and a smaller bar upstairs. Dennis Brown was a no show but I remember it being a good night music wise.

Not a song about gambling Greg but by a singer with a gamblers name Roland Dice ( Olen Boudreaux aka Bobby Angelle)

I think you'd get Malcolm Hayes from anywhere between £70 and £100 but as John states I think prices will have to drop in the current climate. I'm seeing a lot of Soul friends posting on Facebook that they've lost their jobs , no income , no record buying.

RIP He made some great records and contributed to many more This is my favourite by him " I'll always love you"

A really good and decent man whose articulate words of reason will be much missed in these troubled times . His death is a huge loss to the Soul scene , RIP Win . My thoughts are with his family at this time Manus

I can understand a one off recording of an event and thankfully there's a bit footage of events that offset the idea that everyone dressed and danced in only one style ( Wigan doc). But mostly the video/camera recording is not about creating a document of time and place anymore it's more about a performance for the camera and folks aren't living in the moment of the record anymore but more interested in the resulting YouTube video.

I agree that back in the day even the top DJs would on occasions play boots or emi discs. I remember one well known DJ/promoter whose box was about two thirds emis and he was able to play all the latest top sounds which in fairness did attract punters. But if we are talking about it being the " sound" that counts then the sound quality was in the main really poor when playing the boots/emis and we may have put up with it when we were young but I wouldn't want to do that now. I was at a venue a about 5 years back and even without going up to the decks the sound quality ( or lack of it) of many of the records told you they were boots . Personally that would stop me attending an event as I want to hear the records clearly and I prefer to go to events that play original records. I would have no problem with someone playing legitimate reissues or previously unissued records as long as they were of a good quality and this detail was included in the promotion of the event but as I say my preference is for events that play original releases.

James Phelps for me first heard this at Mickey Powney's house in Birtley around 1975/76 and thought it was brilliant and then was very pleased hear it and the other ( all good) versions being spun late 80s.

I wish my postman would knock louder as I've lost count of the times when there's been someone in the house but the little red slip has been quietly posted through the door and I've had to go to the PO to pick a record up.