Barry

Thanks Willie, that is the kind of answer that look for when I set my sometimes mis-interprated questions - a simple straight and informative view.

Time!

I may be wrong but I'm sure Evo used to play it - good shout! "Sugar Pie Guy Won't You Tell Me Why?"

... but is it a truth? Yesterday belonged to the few, all financially and passionately involved, of course. But as the kids clear out of the homes, passions are allowed once again to flourish, the money free's up, your circle of 'real' friends burgeons - the more nights spring up. Now I do not doubt that there is quality played at any of these burgeoning events, there cannot fail to be, they are all put on by devotee's with a history. But can these events ever cause the stir that yester years did? Do they need to? Do you secretly long to attend a venue thronged with the urgency that you took when the scene was run in it's apparent infancy? Does recently acquired, quality, unplayed on the long standing Black Music scene, releases that are aired by devotees at local events make up (in message board space anyhow), for the times when the Glitteratti ruled the roost? I miss the structure if I'm honest.

Cheers.

Obviously it is nothing to do with money. When have you ever weighed up what you a Montclairs issue would cost you when you and the missus have gone doing the weekly big shop, - you haven't. Just like cocaine and all the other drugs, money don't enter into the equation.

Oh, stop it off. Again, my question has asked for an adult response and not attained it. I sit and read on here about dj's being allowed a 'hotbox' allowance for eg - it seems that it is an accepted practise...by normal punters/collectors/NS people....if you are a dj that is. I have parted with records - ONLY - when I have been financially F*cked...and it's broke my heart, and had the asre ripped out of me by NS people whom have give it the silly 'You should never sell your vinyl' line. If jocks and influential people on this scene felt like us Gamma types, they would never sell/get rid of stuff...but they do, to get on, stay relevant whatever - and that is okay, it seems. But is Sam's/whoever it maybe's Dad REALLY bigger than mine? Any clearer?

I'll give you my lowdown on stylus - you can waste a lot of wedge and get nowt - in my experience, and I have played records out four nights a week for 20 odd years, the Stanton Groovemaster (in it's many forms over the years - it's changed colour and size etc), brings the best out of your record, it can almost take the place of a bigger an more costly amp as regards quality output. Listen to to the £16.95 people if you wish - I am happy to give you an educated view. You will get 18 months to two years out of them GM stylus, a bargain for the response you get out of them. Otherwise, you can spend £40 on a pair of panel pins that you think look cool.

As little respect that I give my vinyl, when I am off me tits playing out, I would never dream of sticking me records on a deck that has been prepared by an all nighter promoter - you may as well bang a fecking clout nail in the head.... ....ask Steve Croft!

They sound p*ssing awful.

https://av-sonix.co.uk/groovemaster-package-170546-p-658.html How hard is it? Take your own ffs. Or does that mean you have to put yer hand in yer pocket? I know the script mate 'Trevski', or whatever your Mam called you. Direct your put downs at me, and not at me via one of your mates. I can cope (that is, when I can see that you know what you are talking about anyhow, otherwise I may think that you are talking out of your arse).

'Two step' is a term, and I feel that I have enough spent enough time on the BAS (Black American Scene) to have a view, describes a time when venues, and their jocks, began playing tracks in the vein of Keni Burke's - 'Rising To The Top' (easy target), Bobby Womacks - 'How Could You Break My Heart' (Ralph Tee's beautifully obvious 12"), Keith Barrow, Harold Melvin's - 'Prayin' etc etc... This period, which was post Northern/Modern, was instigated by movers and shakers on the scene at the time (Searling/Edwards/Rose at al) was borne of a love for deeper, heavier and more refined productions - tracks that had been appreciated from the home and the heart, but had never been given a real forum on the dancefloor - it was almost a real adult reaction against everything that had gone before. Richard's - 'Halfway House' - Blackburn - 'Parkers' - Manchester, 'The Cricket Club' - Earlestown and a millenia of local events made it real. 'Two Step' was a coat hanger term. There was a period following the NS scene, when (obviously) people moved on from the aforementioned, maybe didn't attend but still kept abreast of the BAS, they listened to their local BAS jock (Mike Shaft eg), more album tracks got exposure, more downtempo things got played - basically people opened their eyes, and moved on. 'Two Step' is an old term, to me anyhow, it probably means something different nowadays I don't know, but the music - and the lads that championed that sound at the time - have a great deal to do with people growing up musically. Not all to do with the jocks, they are nothing without the direction given to them from the dancefloor, but 'Two Step' as a term alone doesn't do the music that that term encapsulates any favours. A major force in the scenes progression.

Is the ability to be able to expend heavily on vinyl, therefore proving your love for a music/scene more than the next man (see the John Cleese, Ronnie Barker & Ronnie Corbett 'Class' sketch) really prove anything at the end of the day? Without another to display your collection/expenditure to (a scene for eg), is collecting vinyl nothing more than keeping up with The Jones'. The majority, not all may I add, of collections that come up for sale have always appeared to come from people that have dropped out of the scene....which says to me that 90% of a collections value to many is in it's display value. Without someone to show it to - what is it worth? Please don't drop, what I would see as, the obvious responses to this question. I have no one these days to display my wares to anymore, but I still buy them for me, like so many others on here - but there must be a degree of madness involved when it comes to being able to collect vinyl = at todays prices. Is there an element of ' if a tree falls in a forest an there is no one there to witness the event, does it make a noise' - that's a bit cryptic innit, sorry, but I hope you get my general drift. Yes or no?

Stanton Groovemaster have always been my choice as it happens - buy from the US, what with the £/$ ratio presently. All this worry and knowledge today regarding stylus, and the subsequent chat re 'checking' and 'calibrating' and the like, makes it appear to me that people have only recently taken this into consideration, and now can talk the talk as regards stylus. Over half my collection was played at home on an owd (lovely) Garrard deck, with a £3.00 stylus for years and suffered not a jot of wear over the years. Expensive stylus give you better response, more clarity and a tad more bottom end maybe, but stylus that cost £6.00, as opposed to £180.00 do no more, nor less, damage to your vinyl. Don't believe the hype.

No judgement being made from myself here at all, each to their own but, the situation prior to Teddy's particular accident could have been avoided had he not been involved in the situation he was, a situation that has been recorded, that brought about his lack of concentration on that fateful evening. A situation that I'm quite sure isn't recommended by driving instructors the world over. Tragic maybe, avoidable - definately. I see the ideal behind this thread, a humanitarian one at heart, maybe empathy for respected others - but also a tad morbid, I think.

Paid £20 for it when it was hot ('82), and had the arse ripped out of me by my 'peers' for years - the line from the lyrics that sums that particular period up for me is... "...and when I get there, yeah, I'll be high!" - lovely!! A class track and a simple moment in America's musical development that will always be so much more than a track that only got exposure in the UK thanks to the wonderful efforts of 'Modern' dj's at the time. Atypical of the kind of Modern production from that time on the NS scene that was ridiculed by certain factions - factions that at heart wished they understood it, and in reality did, but strangely appeared to only have the balls to slate it to similarly blinkered others. Mainly because they amassed more Brownie points in the services afterwards from their elders and 'betters'. Very rarely is anything that gains exposure/plays/a following on this scene, 'shite' - but if you listened to others you'd never know would you?

Maybe not to the NY club scene at the time, but to me it p*sses over it, both in it's production and also vocally. Killer dancer.

Obviously West End released a 12", but not a week has gone by without me digging in US released material and, again, I have never come across one. Thanks for putting a long forgotten bug bear to rest folks - I'll have the 12" if anyone wants to part - can't wait to hear the 9 min edit. Cheers.

I think a little perspective is required here. People live their lives, they have ups and downs, peaks and troughs, the world over, whatever nationality they may be. In the case of a teacher (Ann Sexton for example) they have given, and received, so, soo much (in her taecher role alone), that their lives are a simple triumph to them, theirs and the people that have come into contact with them, the people that they have so obviously influenced. A gift in itself, pride and a huge achievement. Don't get unnecessarily misty eyed over our US loves, they have lived and loved as much, if not more, than you/us. I know that we can never influence those people as they have us - and for that they will always be on a pedestal. It seems that certain people see our musical heroes lives as something less than their own, tougher maybe - by making said hero and their life efforts seem more difficult than ours/yours/the bloke next door....they are not. Everybody has a tragedy if you want to wax lyrical about it - it's just that the majority of us haven't impressed as much as our heroes have. I am quite positive that their lives are not in actual fact as down-trodden as you would like to make out. No doubt there are real tragedies, but lets not lose sight of our heroes real triumphs in life, lets celebrate those moments. Views?

A pure W**** slab of soulful cheese courtesy of aforementioned lady, 'You're The Light That Guides My Way' - which may qualify for the Gospel Soul thread....maybe!?

A Oop Pat!! Sorry mate, phone has gone tits up, SIM in different phone, never know who's phoning me. Love you, miss you. Baz & Gill

Another Shalamar Modern play was 'Right In The Socket' (Morecambe maybe, possibly Dave @ Leicester). Recently reactivated, to a new and younger audience, by Dave (Joey Negro) Lee on the current soulful dance/disco/soul scene. Malc, never say 'you shouldn't but you do' - there is no apologies to be made for understanding quality productions. For every sniper there are ten people watching your back, maybe saying nowt, but respecting your views.

Mate, I love TTTTB (if you don't move to that, you are dead) - I have a video of Jody Watley's tits falling out of her top when her, Howard & Jeffrey performed it live on TOTPs.

Kev Edwards first baby follwing his departure from Spinn Inn. A cracking little venue, with a forward thinking thinking music policy, that played Modern alongside new Jazz Funk dance releases - also newly released swayers of the time (eg The Malemen - Baby Doll), and a great little sideline in lost oldies. Full every week for years, with a national following.

Being a jack of all trades kind of bloke, I was from an early age very aware of the prolific release rate of West End Records - I bought this at Wigan on a 7" for £8...but I've never seen a 12" copy of it. Knowing what I do about West End, I shouldn't even embarass myself by making this post [as I would think it obvious that it must have been released on a 12"), but again - I've never come across one. Can someone prove me wrong? And if so, sell me a 12" of it?