manus

Yes mine was definitely too big at first - I remember wearing into to a local youth club music night - it was when the Tams had just crossed from the clubs into the charts. And this older bloke asked to try my coat on - I knew who he was and said ok ( dodgy back then I know) and to be honest it did fit him better than me - then he started to make noises about how he was going to "borrow it" I made my mind up quite quickly that as big as he was he wasn't going to be walking out the door in my coat and it started to get a bit heavy but luckily my older brother turned up and the coat was given back to me sharpish. Lovely days lol Cheers Manus

I had a crombie coat made at Jacksons in early 1971 ( Or should I say crombie style as few people had real crombies). It was made really well but the tailor who measured me kept insisting that it should be bigger than needed as so as to allow for a suit jacket below - I thought I'd gotten the message through that I didn't want it too big - but the tailor thought he knew better than a youngster like me. Just as well I had a green tonic suit as I could never wear the crombie without the suit jacket. Cheers Manus

I mainly listen to Deep Soul at home but happy to listen to any decent Soul any tempo from any era - without a doubt I prefer what I play myself at home but I do like the social side too. But I can't be bothered to justify myself as a Soul music fan - it's a Soul music site and that's why I post on here and that's about it. Cheers Manus

Different strokes and all that I'm a Soul fan - if I go to an event I go to listen to Soul records I couldn't care less if they cost 10 pence or whatever and lot of good Soul records don't cost another mortage.

I would have thought most of us on here are obessed with the word Soul

Hello Rod - it was certainly different where I lived in the 70s as the Soul nights tended to be midweek or on a Sunday ( comedown) and were mainly populated by the same crowd I saw at all nighters - and we tended to hear a fair few of the current top allnighter sounds at these events too due to the availabilty of emidiscs. Cheers Manus

They're playing some great tunes - really enjoying the show

Yes I could see both Chuck Jackson and Clyde Mcphatter doing great versions - but I like Donnies take - Along Came Pride is a great tune too ( as posted by Sebastian) and is available on 45 on the flip of Get Ready on British. Cheers Manus

One of my favourite Donnie Elbert tracks In between the heartaches

Thought this was a good programme - maybe overlong but definitely worth watching in my opinion. Cheers Manus

I haven't made it up to Just Soul yet as I live on the South Coast it's a bit difficult - but the playlists are phenomenal and Sean and Tats recent Solar radio outing was the finest two hours of Soul I've ever heard on the radio. Cheers Manus

Benny was a character - I wonder is he still playing table tennis - give him my best if you see him Frankie. Cheers Manus

Hello Shelly Chris passed away last year - he was running a bar in Thailand it was bit of a shock when I heard about it as he was a larger than life character and always good for the craic - the Newcastle fans website NUFC.com posted a picture of him and some words on his life which was a nice touch. I understand he'd been suffering from stomach pains that resulted in a burst ulcer. He was a great lad - I hadn't seen him since the 80s but he always had a big smile on his face. I remember one particular naughty night at Bloomers Monday Soul night in Newcastle about 74 with Chris and Benny and a few others which still makes me laugh today. Swifty's still around I saw him about 5 years back at a good friends funeral and Frankie McCue is on here as Timemarcheson and was a regular at Walkers so it must be him that you remember. I left Newcastle in 86 but it's possible we might have met at some point Cheers Manus

Hello Frankie I remember that dancefloor at the Oxford used to bounce like a trampoline lol and everybody used to walk around in circles around the dancefloor and the same upstairs with the booths. Heady days and I agree many great lasting friendships made through the mutual love of Soul music. Cheers Manus

Sorry Steve- I thought you were talking about Steve Tulip's post but now I can see you meant an earlier post about Easington - must drink less wine but it was a wee bit confusing. Cheers

Yes Jimmy 1977 - I was drunk for a month lol - great days. All the best Manus

Hello Steve - hadn't realised it was you mate - thanks for the kind words about the Balmbras/Collingwood nights - always good to see people like yourself and Ronnie down there enjoying the sounds. Cheers Manus

In fairness I don't think he said that - he said it was "one" of the best and maybe it's best to qualify that statement with "that I attended" to save argument but checking his posts he only has 14 so far so he's obviously not used to the jungle that is Soul Source. It wasn't a Soul venue it was 100% Reggae so I don't think he was comparing it to specific Soul nights but to music nights in general. After all these years it's great to hear how much people enjoyed the club - I wouldn't make great claims for it other than we all had a great time and some fantastic tunes were played - but I can say for certain that it was the best Reggae club in Newcastle at the time without fear of contradiction - as it was the only Reggae club in Newcastle at the time lol. All the best Manus

I remember a particular lass who used to dance to Wet Dream - she had a Julie Driscoll type cut and was a year or two older than us and we used to sit and drool when she was dancing - and I ended up getting together with her about a year later - Great Days

Just been talking about my local Welfare Hall under 18s nights - and I remember as a 13 year old hearing Jimmy Ruffin Farewell is a Lonely sound in 1969/70 and whenever I hear that record I can almost smell the old Welfare Hall and sense the young me - it's a real time and place song for me another would be Max Romeo Wet Dream from the same period. Cheers Manus

I was too young for the Go Go my first experiences were the Oxford Galleries ( under 18s night) in Newcastle 1970 and the local Welfare Hall in 69 both played predominantly Tamla Motown with some Reggae. I remember the Club A Go Go as being the only place the older kids talked about - it had a room for younger ones - called the Young Set I think and all the local mods went, Otis Redding and Hendrix were among the acts that played there. When you say Quinny - do you mean Chris Quinn (RIP) or maybe Johnny Quinn who were both on the Soul scene and Frank Lucas ? or maybe Frankie McCue both big Soul fans and I'm sure Frankie McCue made it too the Go Go being a couple of years older. Cheers Manus

Hello Frankie - Hope you're keeping well - I heard you were up in Scotland now. All the best Manus

Thanks Mike Radio could have been one of the local stations as they play a lot of Soul but I remember doing a spot a couple of times for a pirate station run by some students in the west end of Newcastle and playing Soul and Reggae but that was the early 80s. Cheers Manus

That nighter was at the Sombrero Tony ( it had been renamed Togo's by then) - Biff Swift and myself ran it and I put on a bus fron Newcastle - the nighter ran throughout 79. Maybe this thread should be merged with the one about NE venues in All Our Yesterdays - Moderators ? Cheers Manus

Hello Jeff - just spoken to old man Matty on the phone - he said he remembers a couple of nighters at Hofbrauhaus in Newcastle - mid 80s ? I think I'd left the NE by then but I remember Martha Reeves playing there about 82. All the best Manus