Barry

Just flicking through the Voices catalogue and saw this for £100 - is this a correct (ish) valuation?

Only my opinion.... Musically, Searling. But in reality, the embodiement of the cuthroat, diehard soulie has to be, Pete Lawson.

I'd choose The Mecca - if only for the fact that I read the argey-bargey about how Levine went off the point (did he?! - progression?!) and am unable to make a biased decision for myself - I have only hearsay and other peoples views to go on Here's my (at the time, youthful) view of the nighters in my world at my time: Wigan - believe it all, nowt will ever come near to it's musical urgency (luckily for me I entered it's walls late '79 'til its' gut wrencing end, no footage of how cutting edge it [searling] was). A truly life changing experience (proper Yorkshire blokes offering me (a kid) water - unforgettable respect if only for he fact you were there - and that was late 70's, early 80s' - not this watered down shit nu- man we have now.) Brought me up believing Northern wasn't 60's 70's or 80's - Northern was what I heard on that dancefloor then, at that time of my life, and I believe it (the dj's) grounded me, soulfully, for life - I will gratefully cut myself out of the politics of the scene at the time (Keep The Faith Not The Funk etc), if only for the fact I thank God I was around to experience it's 'specialness'. I'll die a happy man. The last three guitar strums on 'I Don't Like To Lose'....'Mate!? Rotherham - very little time between Wigan being taken from me and me taking the next step - my first real venture into the world of travelling cross country for my music - a completely different take on the all nighter, musically, but such a fantastic experience. Awful walk from Sheffield in winter though. Brag in the back room with Brian Rae & Martin form Congleton. Yogi shuffling to 'Pusherman', 'Machine' , Charles Johnson and my talc covered moccassins - winning a wank competition LP off ov Dave Evo. Thumbing it home. Leicester Oddfellows - a bit of a blur generally, good memories of the Anniversary nights. Hinckley Leisure Centre - Major Lance, Ric Tic Revue, Jr Walker, Curtis Mayfield - cool skinheads with dodgytattoos and baseball court markings that didn't make good for dancing. 100's Club - travelling down with Brian, staying with Cliff White (Charley compiler and his white witch wife) and going to The Old Ball (was it? - Ions early sessions), staying at Kebs or Danny's (rough as) on the Old Caledonian Road - travelling back and knocking out Robert Cray albums on Sunday markets. Buzzard - an oddity of an evening. Morecambe Pier - Gibbons whole family chipping in, from nephews serving tea, to his gran taking taking the money on the door - getting snotted on the way over by skinheads generally - loved it though (Alexander O'Neal - 'What's Missing, Luther - 'Let It Slide'), Brian dropping ' Broadway Sissy' at 7 in the morning, being verbally abused by Thommo & Greeney (Pondies for the Pondie boys [blackbeat]) Real 80's Northern gubbins. Stafford - although it does get some stick from the old boys I still speak to for it's 'real soul' policy (Geaorge Tindley, Clyde McPhatter), it will eternally be Tommy Navarro (it may have been a 100's club play prior, but Stafford for me) and Donald Jenkins, alongside the cracking modern nights (James Cobbin & Prime Cut ). Pete Lawson holds dear at this time for me. Parr Hall - local venue....being upset at lads coming in off the trains with bloody noses - Warrington Town Lads. The Carleton, Morecambe - recently played the Modern Room there, don't remember it as the same venue - age probably. Notts Palais (the Dilly Dally) - revolving dancefloor and all, good memories, again especially of Petes playlists. King Georges Hall, Blackburn - my memories of this venue aren't really good ones, seems a little skeletal to me now - maybe I was just holding on to my memories. Kev Appleton intimidating me into parting with my Sam Fletcher...never forgave the c***. Bradford Queens Hall - loved every minute of both rooms, asked to choose I'd go Sam & Arthur downstairs, real progressive soul...and people who cared. Crofty and his (wrong) promtional policies - advertise it soulies as asoul night and ravers as a house night - The Big E-Zee ha ha) ........I am aware right now that I am wankered and may regret this diatribe when I wake up, so I will spare you any more of my sad rattlings about attended venues. I wouldn't have had my life any other way, I'm happy. Apologies (note to self, don't come on message boards when you can't ride yer bike home).

There is a time and a place to be clever, if you want to mystify your audience by playing The Imaginations at 10pm at yer local bar, you're a div - don't try to be Soul Sam when your being paid to give normal people a decent night out.

Nice to see grounded pricing.

The most sampled and prolific lady that is still involved - expensive though.

All nighters bitd were generally attended by lads and lasses with little money, no means of transport (apart from your feet), one in ten of which had a motor (the posh one). It was socially and politically different also, harder to assign yourself to and generally difficult, but for the true love of it, to be deemed a part of. The sooner people relinquish he fact that the scene today has little or nothing to do with the scene you lived upon, and maybe still do, will be a good day. It's not the same, the passion will never be in the hearts of the young as it was, it can't be. You learned your music/knowledge by putting your hand in your pocket, train travelling, dicking about on buses and walking round unfamiliar towns before entering the nighter, digging through boxes, listening and dancing - no disrespect but you can learn what I learned over my years dedicated to the N scene, with the technology, in three months nowadays - and I must say, I have no problem with that, that's the way it is....it just seems to me that the pain factor has gone out of it... I think you had to dig deep, deeper than you do now, to call yourself a 'Soulie'. Anyway, long live NS and long live the youth that care, I respect them for doing what we did...going against the grain and the social heirachy...that's difficult. But no generation from here on in will care like we did.

Morecambe Pier play, alongside another major artists classic - Alexander O'Neal's - 'What's Missing'

So that's what happened to Max Headroom!!

I had a Daybreak, a Will Collins, Bill Harris, Tavasco, David Sea, Charles Johnson robbed at a party at my house one evening mid 90's - didn't realise for a couple of months - then I heard that somebody had flogged three of those titles up at Lowton aweek before. It still stops me from sleeping when I remember sometimes.

From his own website https://www.jonlucien.com/, JON LUCIEN DIED ON THE MORNING OF AUGUST 18, 2007 OF RESPIRATORY FAILURE and OTHER COMPLICATIONS. JON WAS ONE THE MOST REMARKABLE MUSICIANS, SONGWRITERS and SONG INTERPRETERS THAT GRACED OUR LIVES REST IN PEACE JON LUCIEN - JAN 8, 1942 to AUGUST 18, 2007 "I would say my sound is a romantic sound...it's water...it's ocean...it's tranquility." More than any other singer, Jon Lucien captures the essence of romance. His voice is rich and expressive, his best songs are perceptive poetic tales of devotion, trust, hope, harmony and spirituality. Three dimensional parables of love lost and love found and relationships filled with the promise of a new day. He seems to possess an innate ability to evoke an atmosphere and create images not only through his lyrics but the colors of his music. In the 28 years since the release of his debut album, connoisseurs and assorted in-the-know types have spoken his name with the utmost hushed reverence. His seamless melding of jazz, R and B, Caribbean rhythms and Brazilian music proved to be a decisive early influence on what would be simplified and marketed as the twin formats of "quiet storm" and "smooth jazz," although very few artists working in either format approach Lucien's level of artistry or innovation, not to mention originality...

Agreed - sheer quality across the spectrum, added to the fact that the majority of the sounds where as fresh as.

It turned a few heads.

Here's summat my mate Laxy and his mate knocked up one summer - Ste did the Egg Run in a gorilla outfit.

I think it was the 1st nniversary I was thinking of.

Anyone remember the night the power failed and was off and on for half the night?

Ta for that.

Well, we should our collective eyes and ears out Garv, ay fella?

Just dropped on this on Youtube and wasn't aware of it, had a flick round and release, it seems, was July -anyone seen it?

You're not from St Helens are you?

I've just seen it for £50 - I used to run a small record shop in Culcheth that had boxes and boxes of US 7"s (Dave Rimmer'll remember the shop) but they were what I would have seen as mid tempo, raw 60's small label stuff (Yeah, I know ), not quite the rigfht sound for 1981 and to add insult to injury they were 10 for a quid.

It's funny, I remember winging about 6 or 7 of these over a field in about 1980 - I feel quite ill now.

I suppose it could be down to when you have the money available too.

Funny innit? For years owd bastads (I'd qualify!) have been moaning on "Music today PFHAAA!! not a patch on the stuff I was brought up on!" Then as soon as someone makes music in the same vein as the stuff they were brought up on.....