Zed1

30-40 years ago many of us were also just working class kids who loved the music - interestingly some of these same working class kids are now the promoters and DJ's at many of the events you attend. No amount of TV exposure or "Oxford educated media" types have managed to kill the scene thus far - indeed it's proberbly stronger today that at any point in it's history, however what WILL eventually kill the scene is the lack of new blood such as yourself. 'underground' may be good, but not to far underground as it becomes buried along with the rest of us, so the Torch (no pun intended) will sooner or later be passed to people like yourself. Your mission (should you choose to accept it) is to promote this fantastic music to people of a similar age which may include using any/all of the available forms of media to get like minded people together..... This message will self destruct, blah, blah.....

Where are you from, Jocko? (if the names not a giveaway )....... Those first 2 faces look kinda' familier. I stopped going early 80-ish.

Here we go again - "Wigan was a shite disco after 77" and This England was responsible for the death of NS, the bubonic plague, Adolf Hitler, the 3-day week and the end of free school milk - and of course anybody who joined the scene after This England was shown only ever goes to NS events to dress up in period costume and dance around their handbags to Frank Wilson all night!!.... As we enter 2010, on any given Fri/Sat night I can have the choice of countless venues to attend playing EVERY genre of the music, I can also listen to this music at all-nighters/dayers,and weekenders. I can also listen to my Soul 'In the Sun', on a Ship, and even on a Train. add to this I now have access to this fantastic music at the click of a mouse or the push of a CD button - Music that at one time was only available to a VERY select few...... If all the above has come about JUST because of one TV show 30+ years ago then thank God for 'This England'..... Right, I'm off to sew some NS badges on my blag Prada handbag and buy some new white socks. Eat the Cake, people!.

https://www.youtube.c...h?v=9GQ-bqU_9y4 about 8 minutes in........

11: Thou shalt ALWAYS blame the equipment no matter how ham-fisted and useless you are 12: Thou shalt always start every track by saying ".....and here's another one from the Windy City" (even if it's not!). 13: Thou shalt take no notice WHATSOEVER about the large empty wooden space in front of your decks - remember you are not a jukebox.

For me also 'Strange Change' - Herb Ward.

'......and here's another one from the windy city' 'These decks are shite' 'What Dancefloor?' 'I don't care if it was played half an hour ago - I wasn't here then' 'Wigan was shite after 77'

My perfect three 'enders' would be....... 'Just Loving You' - Ruby Andrews 'Sugar Dumpling' - Sam Cook 'Tribute to Betty Swallocks' - DJ Genitals Mainly because I've usualy fooked off half an hour before the end.

Everytime I hear this I think is this realy Motown...

Hope you didn't do any Spins, Kev!.

Was going through an old box of my 'Wigan' Vinyl the other week and thought so many of the tracks just never get an airing these days - had to laugh looking at stuff like 'Stick Together' Prince and Princess, 'The Swim' Bobby Freeman, 'We got togetherness' The Jewells etc, etc.. all what you might term 'proper' 100mph northern tracks that kept me/us on the dancefloor for hours - yet if they were played at your average 'Accross the Board' venue today would have the dancefloor looking a deserted wild west town...... or at least the need for several paramedics in attendance Now even though the above are not exactly 'Top 500' many on here would class the above as "Dinosaur" tunes because they arn't 'Soulful' (what-ever-the fook that means) but they are for many the reason we got into the music in the first place, ie Hard Core Dance music that was very 'different' to the shite TOTP was trying to force down our teenage throats back then......but did any of us realy pay that much interest in the lyrics from our 'Brothers from the Ghetto'? - did any of us even know where the fook Detroit and Chicago were for that matter?, it certainly had little interest for for me living in our over-crowded council house and going to work everyday doing a shitty job I hated - Fri/Sat nights for me were about dancing my rocks off with a load of like mined people, and generally trying to have a fooking good time before the realities of Monday morning started again... Fast Forward 30 odd years and things are VERY different, I often ask myself would I have got into the Music in the first place if 30 years ago the scene was like it is today, ie for the most part 'Safe' and 'easy on the ear', the answer would be proberbly not, BUT it's not 1977 and I'm not 17 (sadly) however that wanting to be a little different and thus wanting to hear something 'different' is still there with me so when I go out I don't want to hear the 'same old-same old' stuff every week - I want to hear something new that leaves ME to decide if I think it's anygood or not, now I agree that some of the newer stuff is being played for no other reason than because it's 'New' (WTF is DJ Genitals all about for EG?) but some of it is fooking VERY good in having that 'different' feel which is the very reason I got into the music in the first place - combine that with some of the lesser known and 'new to me' oldies/60's stuff and IMHO you've got a dam good night out that covers most of the scene but still holds true to it's core values.. It's a very simple formula IMHO, but one that so many venues get wrong in just playing the percentages all the time and keeping it safe.

I would also agree with that, but with a proviso that the 'Oldies' side of things is not realy 'that' new given that the Friday Oldies night at Wigan for Eg were - towards the end - better supported that the 'main' Saturday nights proving that even 30+ years ago people still prefered the safety of "What they Knew"..........

Also worth noting that certain of the so called "overplayed" tracks seem to have a greater 'gender' appeal, ie Ace Spectrum - Bobby Hutton - Bobby Womack etc always seem to get the Girlies up first...

Round these 'ere parts (NW)..... DJ Genitals - 'Tribute to betty Swallocks' is getting close to replacing Ruby Andrews as the most overplayed track on the scene ever.... It's intersting (re:- Harrys regional point) that the above mentioned Flaming Emeralds was almost a rare track around here untill a few years ago - it them got completely murdered for a few months before disappearing of the radar again.

Seconded.... I still attend venues most weeks with great people I first met at Wigan 30+ years ago - the Casino was responsible for a whole new generation of us discovering the Joys of the music that is Northern Soul - yes it had it problems - yes it wasn't perfect (as we are constantly reminded of on here ) But I, and I know many like me who wouldn't have missed it for the world. This section of the forum is called 'All our Yesterdays' so what WTF is wrong with us celebrating one of best venues ever, on here - without being told to "move on"? .... If certain people could only get past their preconcieved ideas that Station Rd was just about Frank Wilson and Casino fooking Classics, they might discover some of the best music ever played on the Northern scene - as ably demonstrated on this thread.. Happy Christmas.

But thats my point John..... You are asking people who are already involved as a DJ/Promoter of an "Off Norm" nite - would you attend an "Off norm nite?" ........ the answer is going to be obvious. Also I know countless people on the scene who you would describe as 'just' Punters who only EVER browse this forum - yet when I ask them why they don't contribute the answer 'to a man' (or woman) is always "Fook that!, they'll all take the piss out of me".. Is it not fair to ask the 'Punters' what the Punters want - instead of asking just DJ's/collectors/promoters what the punters want?... Clearly there is a problem with support for rare/underplayed nites so rather than just doing an Ostrich and just blaming the 'Top 500' crowd all the time - why not try and involve 'everyone' (somehow) in the debate.... Like I said - Just a thought...

I know thats an obvious answer to my very obvious question John - but whenever you/they go to another or new venue as just a 'punter' how hard is it to leave 'your' DJ/collector hat at the door?.......whatever happens it's still going to have 'some' influence on your opinion of the nite.

Can I just throw something into the ring here........ As big and as popular as this forum is - it only makes up a very small percentage of the scene in general and most 'average' punters don't contribute here. add to this the fact this forum has a very heavy bias towards DJ's and Collectors - are these 'realy' the people in best position to answer the above question?. Just a thought.

What swings it for me Matt was this.... ........and not realy this Move On! Rare Soul Club Now I know that might seem a very stupid statement - but in your first post you've put a bit on meat on the bones as it were - I've done a fair few nites advertised as 'Rare and Underplayed' only to be met with a half empty room - a fully empty dance floor and little huddles of people around tables looking through record boxes, not to mention a playlist that you leaves you thinking "Fook me!, no wonder these tracks were 'Rare" Look forward to meeting you.

Sounds my sort of night Matt... Might have dig out the sat-nav and head south for a change in the new-year.

TBH Barney I think the scene lost it's working class roots many, many years ago - the arrival of middle age and a 'Disposable income' put pay to that... Back in the day we all thought nothing of travelling hundreds of miles via shite public transport to all these far flung northern towns many of us had never even heard of....... these days most I know won't even get in their brand new cars and drive 10 miles to a venue because it means they won't be able to get pissed... Also 'back in the day' the DJ's were a very select few who had the access and/or money to get hold of the music we all craved, hence the popularity of Boots with many - nowadays a disposable income and ebay allows pretty much anybody to become a DJ and, for some develop a conscience about those boots which helped drive the scene back then... In many ways I miss those forays into the unknown via public transport - that element of exitement and a little danger of going to a new venue in a new town to attend what was still then a very underground scene - a scene that many were still unaware of, which made us feel different and 'superior to 'normal' people..... Great days - but I'm not sure even I'd want to go back to standing around on freezing cold railway platforms at stupid O'clock at night with only 50p left in my pocket to last me all week......

So you've seen me dance then?.....

Just like a Dog - A Tattoo is for Life not just for Christmas.. How many of us (and I include myself here) had Tattoos done in the past that were considered (then) either cool/trendy/clever/Hard/loving (insert your reason of choice) and now regret having them done?. What you choose to adorn your body with is of couse your choice - but will said tattoo still look great in 10 or 20 years when it (along with it's surroundings) doesn't perhaps look quite as good?... Just a thought thats all..

IMHO why not buy the record 'instead' of the Tattoo?... You get bored with the record you sell it and get your cash back - not quite as easy with a Tattoo... Tattoos, Dogs, Life, Christmas etc, etc.