Souljer6

Here are two photos of Martin. First one in our flat circa 1978 after Leeds Central the other at the Brooklands. Always remembered him as a non stop talker - you had to wait your turn.

< br /> Yeh, yeh, yeh

Nearly! IT WAS 1971---Boxing Night at Up The Junction. Whether it was played or not Ive been in northern soul orbit ever since. Oh! and another..........Im Standing........That was a relatively late Stateside discovery, I seem to recall

NO! VaVas was '73 wasnt it? And Mr Proudlove told me you were an expert!

OK, my first "proper" allnighter. Its a quiz so who can tell me the venue and the year? Pretty sure the following were played: Major Lance-- Investigate Jackie Lee-- Darkest Days & Oh my darlin Sam Nesbit-- BMG Sonny Stitt-- Wade in the water Various Ric Tics Poets-- Ive got 2 hearts Parliaments-- Dont be sore at me Williams& Watson-- Quitter maybe Joy Lovejoy Anyone?

Ive got a Capitols compilation LP on Solid Smoke somewhere. Got some good previously unissued tracks on it including a version of Bobby Moore's Chained to your Heart. I've been meaning to try and dig it out. (My records get reorganised----but not by me!)

For me, individual artists, probably Freddie Butler or The Spellbinders. But my favourites, and a great education, are Ady's Kent compilations. eg. the one with Porgy & The Monarchs- Congratulations and The Fawns- He's Barbara's Guy on it. (sorry cant remember its title or have time to find it ). The cds follow the tradition and, of the recent ones, The Northern Soul of Goldwax is sublime.

STEVE, STEVE & BRENT Thanks Lads! See Jocko, I've got friends! Steve S------Havent seen you for years (have I ?) and you will be ecouraged to learn that I have incorporated many more exciting moves into my routine. Sure that now I could be a featured Soulboy mover. Brent-------Those were my early driving days, just getting to accustomed to the way of the roads(on a Sunday---or was that "incident" a Saturday evening?). Steve P------Well I saw you last night. 'Nuf said. Happy Birthday again---From me and Gill (she says).

Was Pat Thomas the original? It would seem so from the credits.

A little bit of lighthearted banter. Nothing personal. I havent seen the film. Idont know you. You dont know me and I think on the basis of this I'd prefer to keep it that way.------SOULJER6

I never thought it was a US recording. When it was first released here it was slated in Blues& Soul (just one *). Some months later it took off at the Torch but Ember seemed to have a distribution problem and no one was able to get it. I had ordered it from my local record shop but no joy. I ended up writing to Ember and they were kind enough to send me a copy. The distribution problem was never sorted and that black label design was shortlived. Actually maybe they ran out of the right colour of ink.

I would like to mention a less mentioned but should be a revered classic sound---HALF A MAN--by Sams brother, LC COOKE. I do not have the wherewithall to post a clip but perhaps someone could on my behalf------------THANKS!

Hasnt it bombed?

I think you've nicked my shades

THAT'S A LIE! Well, ok, I'll concede the Janice Nicholls point but if I had copied your "work" I would have ended up with a wad of empty pages. You were never there; always wagging it looking for records.........to the extent that the School had the signature of the guy behind the counter of Ralphs Records in Stockport as your mother's on your sick/ excuse notes. What does that tell you readers of our Rodders?

Dont understand the lingo mate but for me the only Harlem Shuffle is the UK Sue release and yes, I do have the northernised Jay Boy 45 (crass) and the Traits Pye Int (white, although I dont mind white).

Just returned from the beaches of Dunkirk....... Amazed to see this "poll" has attracted 100 responses......and SOULBOY- THE MOVIE has not yet been released! Presumably no one including me has seen it then. I must therefore assume that marking is to be based on ones imaginations, just as it seems SOULBOY- THE MOVIE is based on the imaginations of the non-Wigan attending filmakers, although, in fairness they have taken direction from Russ "Mr Wigan Himself" Winstanley, so at least we can be assured that true soulboy credentials are properly in place. The marking----well I dont know. I'm inclined towards conservatism so I think I may go for a middle of the road "5". Or, taking a leaf out of Cathy McGowan's book "Oil give it foif" (5). ( Perhaps with a few more exciting reviews I might tip it to a "6").

Anybody?

Dave, if youve got something to say, lets hear it.

Steve, I'm really surprised by a fairminded guy like you exhalting this kind of behaviour. This MSS guy is surely mocking these poor lads. It's not their fault they dont know what they're talking about and good on them that they talk about it with such authority. I didnt fight at Agincourt but if I was a filmaker it wouldnt stop me making a film about it.....and who could say I was wrong if I decided to put the French army into 2CVs? As for poor maligned Russ and the Third Reich's propogandist----I dont get that one. Please explain it for me.

THE MOON Someone mentioned The Moon. For those of us from the Tameside area in the days before northern soul became Northern Soul, the area was a hotbed. There were lots of clubs. I remember The Bower in Stalybridge, The Crystal in Glossop, Hyde United and Redferns in Hyde, The Birdcage in Ashton. There were others but for me, the best was The Moon in Dukinfield. A converted picturehouse with seating "craters" formed from plaster covered chickenwire and a shiny metal clad dancefloor. This is where I cut my northern soul teeth. At one stage i believe it was open every night of the week. ( Actually maybe it closed one night, Monday or Tuesday). I was usually there all the time. It helped that I lived directly opposite! The resident dj was one Al Devine, a true soul devotee and aficionado who "broke" many sounds even before The Wheel. His 2nd in command was Al Ford who was also a committed soulster. There was a constant tussle between the djs and the management about the playlist. The management wanted "some pop" but Devine was resolute that nothing but soul and Motown should be played. Whilst we suffered the jingolobas, titanics, na na na nas, 3rd finger le...etc. we also learned the delights of The American Poets, Darrow Fletcher, Alexander Patton, etc. The Moon and those times went many years ago but me, I keep on going.

Charles Colbert later cut "What price for love" on Bennie Shaw on Excello. It is far superior to the Heatwaves and is, imo, in the premier league of midpaced northern releases. It is a superb record waiting to be "discovered" and is extremely rare.

Sublime..Beautiful..of another world. The music on this label is for me some of the finest soul music ever recorded with productions way ahead of their time and probably touched by the hand of The Almighty. There are so many but of the less obvious tracks try listening to Phil Terrell's "I'm just a young boy" or The Lovettes b side "I'm afraid" or....well I could go on and on. I remember not giving the label a lot of time in my younger years.Later Gilly of course used to bang on about it and credit to him but it was the cd series that did it for me. I had bought most of the Kent albums and cds. They were and still are in a different league from virtually everything else, put together with heart and love for the music. But Ady's finest moment must be his Carnival moment. These cds are for me the greatest compilation of any genre of music EVER imo. Cant say more than that .....but without Ady's dedication the world would be a less musical place. (OK Ady, thats the winners of the fancy dress sorted then)

How did you know it was me? I put 141 before my icon. Thats how I manage to connect with life.