Barry

Embarrassed as I am to say it, on the occassions that China and the other Wigan Town Lads used to rob our money off us, the only other option left was to go around the back of the Casino and enther through the Fire Doors - my memory is a little hazy here - but you could creep into the Gents bogs and hide therein until they let everyone in, whereby you where free and clear. Generally it was okay, but on occassion you would be in a trap with one of the doormen pissing like police horse in the nest trap - quite scary when you were a kid.

No Malc it was deffo £2 in - we only managed to record one side of a Memorex C-90 before we left for home. Which begs the question - is NS like any drug addiction? Whereby the actual things that lead up to you scoring are as important as the actual high itself? Mmmmmm!

Frankie Crocker, the biggest dance jock on the radio in NYC at the time, even Frankie Knuckles name checks him on his album - "What a bullet - Chartbuster!"

Any chance of the reasons behind you not liking 'em chaps?

Do you not think that your personal and singular understanding of the term 'Northern Soul' comes, obviously, from the time that you entered into it? That time being when you were open to the particular records that were given the credence to be played on the scene at that (your) time by the people deemed worthy by the masses (you) to do so? Surely!? On the understanding of the above equation, that is - (E=MC2) E [DJ's] = M [Dancefloor Reaction] C [Dancers] 2 [bombers please mate] ....is it not too far a stretch of the imagination to say that us punters can argue 'til we're blue in the brogue about what is/was/is yet to be Modern Soul on any given period on the NS scene? This is such a huge subject to broach (but a very simple one at heart), I don't think that even I can be arsed to tap it out on here.... ...but I do think it is a subject that generally brings up an amount of ill-thought out petty musical views that have little or no standing in truth. If you think Northern was ever all about 60's, then you obviously entered into the scene and danced to stuff singularly released in the 60's, true? I don't know for sure but I'm willing to bet that from 1970 onwards there was stuff played at nighter level, no matter how small an amount, as new releases - maybe as leftfield punts - at nighters. It is obvious what the person who started this thread is asking - but I haven't seen a decent response yet. 'Modern' brought a whole new vitality to the NS scene, youngblood - and for that fact alone I can't ever see the reasoning behind people at all nighter level knocking it. It isn't a case of 'My (Northern) Dad is bigger than your (Modern) Dad', or vice versa - it is the most silly of arguments with no real end - as it is all subjective. dependant on what you heard and when you heard it. Anyway back to the question, Modern to me (my view, within my time frame) began at Rotherham - Top Cat (sic), ZZ & Co, Carol Anderson et al, which were first played to me on the floorboards at Wigan were still, in my mind, 'Newies' [Northern Soul played to me by well respected, hard working collectors who had earnt the right to spread their knowledge and views via a pair of decks at Nighters] - end of - it was fucking Northern. I started to hear stuff at Rotherham, Otis Clay, Oscar Perry, Alfie Davidson etc (there were certain cross-over sounds such as Curtis and King Tutt yeah), then there was the Stafford stuff and Sam & Arthur at Bradford that expanded the 'Modern' sound so much....and I can feel myself getting drawn into spending another hour on here, which right now I can ill afford (get to bed son)...sooo: TCALSS: In my mind the term 'Modern' became an everyday term associated with The (my) Northern scene around about 81/82 and hitting its full flourish (as regards to it's eventual meaning on this scene) in about 85/86. ....once again, this is only My view. (Christ! I wish I could type faster and had nowt else to do today cos I could have rattled on about this one for hours!)

Good shout Eddie, I missed that in the broughagh meself.

A bit of a Devils Adocate question, yes. Scene's always seem to burn bright initially, wether they be scene's based around Rock 'n' Roll or whatever. They are generally run by a group of 'right time, right place' people with enough diligence/insanity regards the music as to cut a new hole in the music scene. They are on top of the music, they hold sway on the dancefloor, they (due to their understanding of the scene - after all, it is they who basically run it) choose the soundtrack for the devotee's/dancers/bedroom collectors life. Then comes the point of maturity for us followers. That moment when people question the information they haved lived their night-life by. "What about the B Side?" of such a thing - "Why did that get played?", "I've found this by them and it's much better than that, that 'suchabody' is playing!" etc etc Basically I think I'm asking - are scene's better when run by the 'lunatic fringe' that give their all to furthering said scene? Before us sheep stick our well-thought out second rate views in, after the fact? This is a tongue in cheek thread lads btw, don't take me too seriously now will you?

Cheers - the only track I have by that group name is a post-funk thing 'Keep Pushing, Jessie Jackson' on the afore mentioned Kent label. Sorry if I am looking stupid and it is a well-known thing. (I had no need to say that did I?)

I know Cunnie, I was hoping that I may get a half dozen different answers, rather than your single obvious one. They are all valid terms as it happens, on their outset as 'termed' scenes - it was the 'at what point do they stop?' answer that I was looking for. My 'House' record label was named 'Fun City' btw - I robbed the whole label type set as it happens - as I too LOVE 'YGMHU' and that was my little nod to the set up and the time I spent dancing to that awesome production. Does anyone remember the interview with King Tutt (was it in Blackbeat?), apparently he was Jimmy Bo Hornes Drummer and has no recollection of making the B Side to 'D-A-N-C-I-N' - 'YGMHU'...he liked a smoke apparently.

Bob on! Me neither mate! A true high point in your Northern Soul passage comes when you obtain 1) A quality record...and 2) One that is backed up with the 'beautiful resignation' that comes with believing that you will never own one.....and then you do - still a £1500 record for me. That track is a perfect example of the level that Searling' sets were during that period - in my eyes unsurpassable. Such a busy and soulfully complex mixture of a track, that touched all the NS bases of the time. A high point of Richard's playlist for me, that also summed the buzz of the Wigan dancefloor up as well as anything that got played there, at that wonderful time anyhow.

Another fantastic Spinners album only (I think?? Maybe a B Side too??) track worthy of a mention here - 'Love Is Such A Crazy Feeling'!

Cheque going in the morning chaps - apologies.

I don't know the track, is this the same 'Pace Setters' that released on Kent?

It was a strange monetary denomination only available at all nighters Malc - I used to save my 1/3 'p's up and over a period of three months was able to get free transport from Wigan Bus Station to Winwick Roundabout (after 12.30pm) on a Sunday. This offer was only valid if you were able to produce an empty Wigan pie tin, a lock of Hilda Woods hair, and a black eye obtained from a bunch of Pemberton lads who thought you were knocking Stricnene Blueys out from behind the first radiator on the left through the double doors at the top of the stairs. Oh, the memories!

I'm on that too, looking veeery 80's - do we have a number for the lad?

I don't know if this is relevant to your initial Q but it is definatley info on LH. I went watching Slave at the Zanzibar Club (Glasgow) in about '83 and Larry was helping the outfit out on bass, I nearly fell over.

Hi Dazz, good shout on a very soulful production but may I ask why you would prefer it on a 7"? 7"s have been, for a good while, simply edits of the original 12" cut, which although may be done sympathetically, generally don't do the original production justice....there's also the fact that there'll definately be some loss in sound quality on a 7" release as opposed to the 12". I swear I'm not being an arse mate, but I definately think it would be better for you all round if you simply purchased a 12" original off ov Ebay.

Is it a valid term these days? Or maybe in reality is it just a term that is a lazy explanation for and to outsiders of a scene that once was, that is similar in it's ideals to what is happening today at all nighters. I guess what I mean is - wasn't the term 'Northern Soul' coined for a movement that was happening at that time? American bands make 'punk' sounding music today but it isn't termed 'punk' anymore is it - as it has 'moved on'. Am I making myself clear here?

Mine has an almost wine coloured label - crimson almost. I think the £400+ valuation is a bit steep. Am I wrong?

If you can pick it up for £25 - then it'll be the best 90 fags you never smoked.

Must give a shout to Brians ex-missus, Madeleine - who used to sit on Bri's three for a quid box in the bar a Wigan. Got me Freddie Butler boot (That's When I Need You) of ov Madeliene and Bri as a kid in the bar for 33 and a third 'p'.

I'll have that.

They gave away two with the same design, the green and blue ones, the second g&b one (obviously) didn't have '1st Anniversary' on it The second g&b one may not have been the '2nd Anniversary badge, was it given away on a BH or artsist night?) as I'm sure the ones I have attached to an owd Wrangler upstairs were Yellow (2nd Annie), with a more traditional patch format and Red (3rd Annie) - am I right or wrong?

Bloody awful 1st and 2nd year Anniversary patches though Malc ay? Yeah, I loved the night.

I plumped for Stafford, as I never got to some of the other earlier venues, Mecca, Wheel etc. My reasoning being that I think that Stafford and it's music compacted the NS scene and its devotees into a force again, it seemed to start afresh. Although I attended fairly regularly I must say that I never truly felt as much a part of the scene in the Stafford days, it became quite high brow with the regulars at the time as regards some of the 'new' stuff that got played, it was almost as if all the knowledge you'd accrued over the years stood for very little if you weren't bang on it with the latest c/u's etc....but then again that was probably just me being a clueless kid ay? I'm pleased to see Rotherham doing well, I think as it was the main night to which the the majority of the 'homeless' Wigan ex pats gravitated to following the Casino's closure.