Chris L

10 years ago at the Mecca re-union, Dave Burton came up to me and said "Helo Chris" hadn't him since 1973, 25 years thus. We keep in touch, I went to his wedding in Hong Kong where he lives, we DJ'd together in the Philippines and we went to Soul USA in 2006. It's like you've never been apart. Chris L

Not quite right here Mark, sure the music is a part, where do you play it ? In a pub, your bedroom your back garden or a venue with a dance-floor? Northern Soul has and still is about going out to a venue and dancing all night long. If you're making a movie situated in 1974 and with NS as a backdrop then the Casino is as good a place as any (although the Mecca tended to play more soulful stuff). Making a NS movie and holding BIDDS as your Northern Soul example wouldn't be correct either. Of course with all projects you have a goal, what is the goal of the movie ? If that goal is a story set in the mid-70Ts with NS music then so be it, lets wait and see the finished product, if your a "Roger Banks is the best DJ in the world" kinda guy/gal then this movie may well not be for you, then of course everybody is free to make a movie about anything including the latter day scene with perhaps the 100 Club as the centrepiece and good luck to anyone who does that. Chris L

It's so easy and rather pathetic to stand on the sidelines and pick holes in other peoples work. I'm not sure but I believe Soul Source has a couple of thousand members but on this thread there are about a dozen people who have repeatedly posted devisive and derogatory comments. I challenge anyone who's been knocking this film to list their contribution to the NS scene. I don't mean finding a dodgy naf record for $1.00 and selling to a DJ for a grand (mind you if that person did send back some of that money to the original artist that would be nice to hear about). What a comment "Northern Soul look ridiculous to those on the scene." really choice, an awful lot of people today on the NS make it ridiculous, trust me, the amount of garbage that gets touted as "Great Northern Soul ne Rare Soul" all of which deserves to be recycled into garden knomes. Any poor newcomer to the scene could be forgiven in thinking that the NS scene is cross between Cha-cha and bad R & B. No wonder there are "only 3 known copies" it's so bad there shouldn't even be any copies. I hope these guys make their film and what the heck, with Wigan as a backdrop (sorry for those who never went there and can't forgive the people who did) and I hope it's a big success, so what if all the music isn't all 1960T's released stuff, in 1974 both Wigan & the Mecca were playing current releases. Go for it guys, looking forward to the release date, wouldn't be marvelous if it brings in new fans who will just love that Motownesque music.

Wonderful, PM'd you.............

True, there's nothing quite like a female grabbing your trumpet. Northern Soul was never for me an obssesion say in the same way it was for some like Ian Levine or Richard Searling. When I got out of it I di realise how much I had departed from the real world took me a few months to get back into shape.

We all hope that the film "tells it like it is" in so much as possible. Apart from the dancing one does get the impression they are a little short on technical and historical input. Not much to do now except sit back and wait for the release, no matter what they'll be a lot of NS fans who'll go see the movie for sure (or buy the DVD). I predict the biggest SS thread of all time once the film is availble, something to watch out for. In any case I wish the film crew the very best of luck, trying to please NS fans is not for the fainthearted. Chris L

First time round I spent all my money on records and getting to the North of England, once I started dating seriously I couldn't afford the 2, have to admit sex beat NS :-((

That's not such an unsual occurance, you know NS boy meets girl, NS boy shags girl, NS boy marries girl, NS boy becomes a NS big boy and girl becomes a woman, have children, get a mortgage, have a life, etc. etc................. All sub cults have had this phenomena I wonder how many Teddy Boys are still alive, if so are they still kicking (parden the pun)? I guess one day NS will be consigned to the history books (or just Wikepedia) someboday will make a movie about it, set in Bolvia, slow dancing to cha-cha's, driving tractors and wearing Scottish kilts............come to think about it a bit like the Rare Soul Scene

Barry The 25 year old chinstrokers will take over, any NS choon with strings will be banned, any record with more than "3 Known Copies" will burned (at night on a big fire), dancing will only be allowed to slow R & B grunge. We'll be carted off to re-education camps, somwhere around the London area and everybody will have to line up in the morning and sing the praises of "Rare Soul". Of course we'll all deny ever going to a venue in the 70Ts or 80Ts. Now there's something to look forward too..............................

Does anybody know where I could get a back issue of a Togetherness magazine. About 3 or 4 years ago I wrote an article for it (about the Four Larks) I seem to have lost it, I can't for the life of me say exactly what issue it was but if anybody should know I would be grateful for that information, would help me in my search, many thanks in advance......................

Free for all - Philiip Mitchell, it really was a biggie at the Mecca circa '72, dropped dead the day it was released on Jay Boy

I asked Chris Bartley this question, he said is was Tony Talent & Van McCoys brother on that LP, when we played it he didn't recognise the tunes. Chris said that all the stuff he'd recorded with McCoy was either released in the 60T's or was now available on CDs. Chris L

On a pure personal, eog tripping, selfish, the big I AM, having filmed and recorded some of the artists it really was a knock to get to meet them, during the Tempos filming we were all in tears, these guys had no idea that their songs had been released even in the US. Their 60T's stories enraptured us, one helter skelter lifestyle, a miracle they were still alive, of course many are no not, I'm so glad the're on film, for as bad as Bobby Sheen was (and trust me he was bad, mad & frecked up) at the end of the night when we were sitting around talking and he pulled out his Capitol records recording schedule and he got to tell about a typical day his his life during the 60T's it was a moment to cherish.

Of course you can never beat the orignal studio recordings, these you have to see as an oppertunity to get a peek at the artists themselves, something like a live performance but from the comfort of your own living room

This is pretty nifty too, an old Mecca tune.........................

Try Mike Ritson's "The In Crowd" CD probably all you needd to know about Starter Northern Soul.

Thanks Rachel appreciate your comments, if only I could understand them

I make that four but of course us oldies are prone to make mistakes in our old age

Don't worry too much about it, about 90% of the people on this site were still in their nappies in 1974 (or not even born) members on this site fall into about 4 catagories, those who only read the stuff written they are called "Lurkers" they make up about 75% an contribute nothing, then there are "Humourists" mostly very funny but for purposes to be ignored, then there's the "Chinstroking Purists aka The Soul Police" who will snipe at anything they feel isn't 10000% pure Northern Soul (in their narrow tunnel like vison/view) they should be ignored even more so then there's the real soul fans, they'll be the ones encouraging, giving positive advice, pointing out the pitfalls, etc. I have to say if I was making a movie about NS I would steer 100 miles clear of this forum, the ability of a minority to slaughter their conceived enemies is legendary !! Good luck. ps how's the Vaseline thing going ???

The Olympics - Same old thing (very topical) Triumphs - Coming to your rescue Little Carl Carlton - Competition ain't nothing Mamie Galore - It ain't necessary

Very, very massive circa '72, must have been the lyrics that done it can't imagine anyone playing it now (though I suspect someone will post up it was played last week at BIDDS or sumfink!)

Whats the street name ?

One of the most famous was "Jon Slater" he'd write his name on all the labels, his collection (or a large part of it) got sold about 4 - 5 years ago, he even got a mention on the Richard Searling show, surely the pinnacle of fame !! Chris L

You're right, you'll need the maximum amount of bodies there, a few hundred will look well dodgy. Speaking as a Logistician of some 20+ years, looks like you are still working out the logistics of the movie, I seem to remember some musical film from the 70Ts (I think it was American Grafitti - I could be wrong) they went to dance shools and got volunteers then topped it up with ordinary shool teenagers. They cost from very little to nothing and give the place a right age feel, did you think about that ? What the heck do you do with "Vaseline" ??? No, on second thoughts I don't need to know !! This is what a 800 people look like : But I think you'd need an awful lot of Vaseline to make this lot look like teenagers Chris L

Not sure you can ever say "best ever" it's always a matter of personal taste, having said that how about Levi Stubbs & General Johnson, 2 of the best soul voices ever heard ?????