Ian Dewhirst

My collection constantly mutates Blake. I'm not an owner but merely a custodian for a period of time until the ever-rotating stuff on my shelves gets passed on to even bigger freaks! Ian D

You can but you're governed by the amount of tracks you have to physically download to your i-pod/mobile etc and the limitations of storage on a particular piece of equipment. Whereas, if you put your entire collection on the cloud, you can access everything without soaking up memory on your portable device. It just means that you can access everything instead of just the stuff you carry around. Ian D

Saves getting your arse pounded at the docks as just one handy example? Ian D

Ah, yes. The little blue book with a picture of a deranged person on the front and titled "Vinyl Junkies" or something. Sound familiar LOL....? Actually, that wasn't really a traditional sell-off 'cos my first sell-off was when I'd sold my big ticket stuff in '75 to finance my trip to the U.S. but that mini book had stacks of stuff which I'd ended up with a couple of years later, many of which were accumulated from the U.S. trip. Actually I'd love to look through that again........ Ian D

Surely you can be into both can't you Nev? Ian D

Weird. I could have sworn it was a single-sided 10" test-pressing. It's got the Monarch printed label on it right? Mind you, the last time I saw it was circa '78 or thereabouts......... Ian D

In fifty years time, they'll have created a system which doesn't require any more arse wiping Matt. This whole shitting/toilet paper stuff is positively prehistoric. I can't wait for the future......... Ian D

Nope, I'm trying to keep my use of horse tranquilizers to an absolute minimum these days. But I love the idea of this cloud thing. I've gotta spend the next few hours figuring out how to transfer all my music from one laptop to another which isn't my idea of fun, so the thought of having my collection instantly available anytime, anywhere is very appealing to me. I've lost count of the amount of times I've been in conversations asking people if they've heard a tune etc, etc. Now with the cloud thing, I'll soon be able to instantly play whatever record I want to anyone within seconds. Can't come quick enough for me! I could have used it a dozen times last night alone LOL...... Ian D

Bugger! I'm gonna have to start serious collecting again. I don't suppose I could buy it back for what I sold it for could I? Ian D

Aaagh! Do you have it now then Steve? I actually thought Rod Dearlove still had it. I honestly don't know who owns it, so I wasn't casting any aspertions to your own good character mate. Glad it's ended up with the right owner. If I had my way I'd hope most records ended up with you to be honest 'cos I know you care about 'em and will keep 'em in the style to which they've accustomed! And the high jinks with JT and Boba effectively ended my career as a record broker at that point I have to say. Wasn't a pleasant time and caused me quite a few headaches and I actually didn't earn much out of it 'cos we all know what a tight sod Browny is LOL. I did however, broker the sale of around 20K worth of tunes which all went to grateful buyers, so it wasn't a total nightmare. Now, when can we get those private tours of your shed going? Ian D

Perfectly normal for a vinyl fetishist Jocko, since the mere thought of OVO opens the brain receptors which cause the blood surge to your genital area. Out of curiosity though, roughly how long did the hard on last? Ian D

Rare record collecting will probably still be around for a long time to come, but the way we access our collections will undoubtably change. As record players, styli, cartridges and general physical format equipment becomes extinct and/or impossible to maintain, people will be forced to digitise their collections in order to preserve them and listen to their music conveniently. By this point everyone will have their own personal 'cloud' lockers which only they can access with their personal codes. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cloud_computing The convenience factor means that everybody will be able to access their entire collections, anytime, anywhere in the world without the physical bother of having to actually lug around physical records. Punitive insurance costs will make moving physical records around unfeasable anyway, so most really valuable physical collections will be kept in specialised archive storage facilities or dedicated museums. Because records can only get rarer, the actual playing of the physical records will be frowned upon, since every time you play a record it degrades in quality and theoretically will decline in value. So the end result will be that no one will actually carry physical records anymore. Instead, they'll simply log-in to their personal cloud locker and select the records they want to hear or play, probably with scans of the original label and a provenance certificate confirming that they own the original. Naturally most of us will be pushing daisies by that point and thus won't be around to witness all this, but how do we see the DJ's and collectors of the future? Will the need for the physical artefact still be there? Will there be a growth area in professonal hackers trying to access your personal cloud codes? If you decide to sell a rare record, will you also have to delete the digital version and sign a transfer of ownship document? Jesus, I'm getting a headache just thinking about all this LOL...... Any views anyone? Ian D

Of course, with vinyl you are limited to the physical amount you can carry which is usually limited to a few hundred records which you have to pre-choose before you hit the road. A computer however gives you access to your whole collection. There's many a time when I've cursed because a particular record would have fitted the mood perfectly but I didn't have it with me. Or other times when I wished I had something that I'd never played before with me but then the moment goes and it may never happen again. So having 20K tracks with you does give you an incredible amount of choice rather than the limitations of working with whatever you can carry. When people look back at this time in the future they'll think it was quaint that people actually carried mini collections with them. Of course, by that point, every record that's ever been made made will be stored in the cloud, thus making everything accessible to everybody anywhere in the world at any time via their phone or i-pod. Scary ay? The only thing which will seperate the men from the boys at that point will be knowledge! Ian D

Yep ages Brett. Hope yer well and all is good. Good point about the house but it's not really the same as a record though. Or is it? I'm not even sure anymore LOL.... Right, I've got a day of record filing ahead of me. First time I've got round to it for a year or two and I've got to whittle the bastards down somehow. There's a rather intriguing pile of white label T.P.'s that need identifying so who knows what's in there. Onwards and upwards. All this talk has got me in the mood for some digging LOL.... Catch yer on the road at some point. Diane sends her regards. Ian D

OK, you've touched on an interesting point here Steve. It's interesting that I would have absolutely 100% agreed with your sentiments when I was happily locked into collecting rare Soul full time, predominently throughout the first half of the 1970's. Anybody who elected to play bootlegs throughout that period was basically lame and lacked imagination in my eyes and I still believe that's true some 36 years later. Bootlegs have always been an easy way out for pretenders and I don't think my position has really changed ever since. So, in 1976, after 5 wonderful years of deejaying at the height of the scene back then, I decided to move on, partly because I felt that values were becoming distorted and mainly because I was ready to explore other areas. In fact, to finance the move, I sold my key Northern collection and moved to the U.S. and effectively switched from being a collector to a dealer. So, as any professional dealer will probably confirm, once you make that particular switch, you tend to lose a degree of personal emotional connection to records and look at the whole thing with a different perspective and certainly more objectivity. Which meant that, as a key example, when I found the second known copy of "The Duck"/"Love Runs Out" - Willie Hutch (other than Soussan's), it got my heart pumping because it was a killer mystery solved and a great find, but not a record that I would be destined to personally own because it was more use to someone else other than me. In other words, my priorities had changed. The record would have been wasted on my shelves because, great as it was, it would only have been a vanity item for me by then, alongside many others. Effectively, I was no longer a serious long-term collector but merely a part-time curator, which actually suited me fine. And still does. I would rather pass my records on to people who can use them much more effectively than me, get some proper value out of them and spread them to a wider audience. It's a philosophy which has always served me well. I like the idea that records from my collection have generally always gone to the right people, managed to reach the right audience and eventually realised their true potential. It's lovely to be a key part of the chain rather than the record being one of many thousands on a shelf going nowhere fast. So I've always seen personal ownership of a physical record as being a somewhat transitory thing. If I'd have kept the first known copy of Si Hightower forever it may have earned me some browny points amongst a few serious collectors but it would have been a waste of a great record in the grand scheme of things. That's why it eventually went to Colin Dilnot because he was the right guy for that record at that time. The right decision as it turned out. But here lies the rub in my eyes. I found the record in the first place, nurtured it and spread it to the right people for a few years and then eventually passed it on to the right person thus ensuring it's longevity and eventual popularity. So does the fact that I no longer own a physical copy of it (and there's only the one 10" test-pressing) remove my right to play it? I don't think so. In my opinion I probably have a better claim than the guy who currently owns my old original copy. As it happens, I'm not even a great fan of the record and probably wouldn't choose to play it anyway, but I guess the point I'm making boils down to: does the physical ownership of an original vinyl record bestow exclusive rights to whether someone can play a record or not? Supposing a complete twat with tons of money ended up owning it. Would he be the only guy in the world who had the moral right to play it? The problem is that there's so many inherent holes in the rules re OVO these days that it's a real minefield. I'm good mates with some serious 78rpm jump Blues collectors who believe it's absolute heresy to play anything other than an original 78 and they're very scathing about the 'pretenders to the throne' who aren't so bothered about original 78's. But, with the best will in the world, a get together with a few of them and their undoubtably incredible collections leaves me cold compared to the 'pretenders to the throne' who are packing out clubs in the West End with packed atmospheric clubs and a young lively audience who absolutely LOVE the music and really don't give a flying f*ck about whether it's a 78 or not. This is the real dilemma here. Food for thought if nothing else. And just in case anyone's thinking that I've totally gone to the dark side, I haven't. I bought 2 beautiful records this week which I've been after for years and I feel priviledged to own 'em. Weird ay? Ian D

Murderously rare IMO. Never seen a copy. https://souldennis.blogspot.com/2011/01/sir-james-randolph-sophisticated-funk.html Ian D

Here we go folks! Lovely uplifting music for beautiful people! Thanks to the wonderful crowd in the Starpoint chatroom this Sunday, Makes every Sunday afternoon a real pleasure folks! Six Million Steps Presents The Original Mastercuts Show LIVE with Ian Dewhirst between 2.00-4.00pm on Sunday 17th July 2011 on everyone’s favourite Soul station www.starpointradio.com. Featuring…… 1st Hour Stevie Wonder – For Your Love – Nassau Re-Loved Remix Los Charly’s Orchestra – Feeling High - Classic Disco Vocal Mix The Supremes – Up The Ladder To The Roof – Almighty Remix James Ingram – Lean On Me – Neil Thompson Remix Change – The Glow Of Love – Leroc Sportif Re-Edit Ashford & Simpson – Love Don’t Make It Right - Womack Re-Work Rene & Angela – I Love You More – AC Re-Edit Steve Arrington – She Just Don’t Know 2nd Hour Levi Stubbs & James Jamerson – Bernadette – Unreleased Version Marvin Gaye – I’m Gonna Give You Respect – Album Version Jr Walker & The All-Stars – What Does It Take Garnet Mimms – Looking For You Dusty Springfield – What’s It Gonna Be Phillip & Lloyd (The Bluesbusters) – Baby I’m Sorry Dee Dee Warwick – Everybody’s Got To Believe In Somebody Darrell Banks – Open The Door To Your Heart Ruby Andrews - Casanova Bob & Gene – It’s Not What You Know… Tommy Keith – On The Real Side Millie Jackson – Summer (The First Time) Prominent – Step Into My World Jamiroquai – Smile – Unreleased Cee-Lo Green – I Want You – Jack Splash Extended Mix https://www.sixmillio...7-Starpoint.mp3 See you @ either Vintage 2011 in London on the 29th and 30th July or Summer In The Parks in Blackburn 31st July! Then on hols for a week so see you back on the 14th August! Ian D X

Yep. I guess so. Ian D

At the risk of continuing a debate that raging elsewhere vis a vis money required, how much money would you need to invest in a decent box of OVO oldies these days? £5K? £10K? What I'm getting at, is any oldies venue with an OVO policy is effectively saying that whoever DJ's there will have to have invested x amount in their OVO box which surely implies that anyone who can't afford to buy originals for one reason or another (muliple divorces, redundancy, gold digging wife, new kitchen, business gone bust, university fees for kids etc, etc) is automatically disqualified. Which would obviously favour the richer DJ's rather than the downtrodden DJ who's down on his or her luck. So surely ownership of a decent OVO collection is more a question of who has the luxury of being able to keep £10-20K worth of vinyl through thick and thin right? Or is it question of most vinyl head cases would happily live in a shed rather than lose their collection? Ian D

I liked some of 'em, namely the ones I thought were the best of the bunch like Frankie Crocker, James Fountain, Prince George, The Temprees etc. Most of the ones I liked had some form of vocal on as opposed to being just instrumental though......... Must admit that I hated stuff like R.B. Freeman, Snoopy Dean, Alpaca Phase 11, so I was as choosy with funky Northern as I was with everything else LOL..... Ian D

You could try dropping an e-mail to this guy, DJ Julio, who was the king of Roller Disco jocks:- https://web.mac.com/r...o/DJ_Julio.html If he doesn't know I'll be surprised..... Ian D

Mmmm. Northern Soul funky formation dancing. Now that could spark a new trend....... Ian D

LOL, very good! Ian D

Well considering that both of Cee-Lo's parents were ordained ministers and he started singing in church from an early age, I would suggest that he probably knows more about a vocal style which reflects deep spiritual feeling than most. In my opinion of course. Ian D

Blimey. Didn't know that Mart. Mind you, I wasn't buying too many gay Disco albums in '79.......... Same producers as El Coco....... Ian D