Ian Dewhirst

It was Kev. It was great for about 2 weeks before the pop jocks got on it and it hit the charts LOL. Actually the Mecca championed Tavares long before they had the slew of hits by playing things like "My Ship" and "It Only Takes A Minute". They made some fine records after the hits as well. Fantastic vocal group when you get beyond their more commercial offerings.......... Ian D

You're opinion Geeselad. I've been into Soul Music for 46 years and I think he can sing fantastically, his voice is great and his intonation and phrasing is tremendous. He has a whole brace of major awards and his album has sold millions around the world. Maybe that's why he's so hated? To each their own I guess..... Ian D

Agreed. Much rawer productions for a start. I think the funkier stuff that was played from the 70's was better produced but would be totally out of place these days for sure. In fact, would it be fair to say, that rawer, less polished productions are really what people want now? Ian D

Nah, not the Carstairs so much - I remember that being popular at the Mecca from the off plus they had the pedigree of being a known act via the Okeh release. Definitely things like "Shake N' Bump" - Snoopy Dean, "The Ladies Choice" - Boby Franklin and "Music Maker" - King Sporty which pushed quite a few people to the limit at the time. Plenty of people would stand around with their arms crossed saying things like, "if I want to hear bloody funk, I'll go to a funk club"! The more things change, the more they stay the same....... Ian D

Actually I wasn't really referring to records like Mel Britt and Lou Pride which were older releases which were eventually found a few years later (but still stayed relatively rare), but rather to brand new U.S. releases like N.F. Porter, Millie Jackson and First Choice which came in on import and which were played alongside the rarer stuff. What I'm saying is that certain brand new releases were every bit as popular as the rarer stuff. In fact, Record Corner which brought most of the new releases to the UK would actually make the 'Northern Soul' distinction in their lists when they sent them out at the time. I remember buying Limme & Family Cooking's "You Can Do Magic" from 'em on import which would have been perfect but that had the audacity to become a pop hit dammit...... I totally agree that the DJ Genesis tune is just wrong, wrong, wrong on so many levels and that Northern Soul has become a meaningless term these days though, so we do agree on something! Ian D

Two great records there by the way, but both were actually commercial failures. Atlantic Starr didn't chart at all and Jeffrey Osbourne didn't even get in the Top 50. Unlike the bloody awful Lipps Inc record! Who on earth played that? No Soul, pure Disco and a No.2 Pop record. Yes, they should have been lynched LOL... Ian D

What???? You mean the vocalist isn't even black? Heaven forbid........... Ian D

For sure. As long as I can remember the scene has always played newly released contemporary Soul alongside harder rarities from the late 60's forwards - records like "Keep On Keeping On" - N.F. Porter, "My Man Is A Sweet Man" - Millie Jackson and "This Is The House (Where Love Died)" - First Choice being three good examples from the early days all of which were huge records across the scene. They were generally played on import and then if any of 'em looked like becoming commercial hits they were dropped pretty quickly to make way for newer/rarer stuff. Shouldn't that be Grandaddy Steve? Ian D

Good point. All artists have one thing in common, namely that they all set out to sell records. There isn't an artist in the world who wants a flop. Of course the main criteria should be quality first and foremost. Obviously Cee-Lo is better suited to the contemporary Modern scene rather than the Northern scene - I'd be as surprised as anyone if Cee-Lo was played at a Northern session, but what makes tunes like, say, Kings Go Forth or some of the Dap-Tone stuff any different? Is it because they're deliberately retro-sounding or something? Ian D

"Cool Off' - Detroit Executives "The Mighty Lover" - The Ideals Ian D

You've got to try and work out the quote thing Soul Over Easy 'cos it's making your points difficult to read mate. If you wanna reply to something, then just hit the quote button and it'll do it all for you. Let's put it this way - if a hopeless technophobe like myself can do it, then I'm sure you can. Ian D

LOL, if you and me didn't argue there'd be something wrong. You've got to bear in mind that my tastes skewer towards the more commercial end of the spectrum anyway. Plus I maybe like around 2% of ANY new releases unless it's an exceptional year, the other 98% are not generally for me. That's just personal taste. Also I tend to like what I call 'complete' records, i.e., those that have great production values, great arrangements, great songs and hopefully great singers, so I tend to look at the whole package rather than just the voice. So if someone has an awe-inspiring voice but is let down by a mediocre song or production then that won't cut it for me. The reality is that there simply aren't that many records that manage to tick all the boxes for me, so I'm really difficult to please. Right, let me play that Jack Splash long version of "I Want You" to rev me up for the radio show! Ian D

I don't think they're right for Soul events either. Essentially they're both Pop acts with great voices and both were in multi-racial bands that were aimed at pop markets as you say. Mind you, Billy Ocean's "I Remember" was a hit at the recent Baltic Soul Weekender, so some people like him.......... Ian D

I don't think you'd wanna hear his Goodie Mob stuff which is more Atlanta Rap. His recent stuff is the best he's done to my ears. Ian D

I drink like a fish but it has a tendency to make me like everyone LOL......... I'm much more dangerous when I'm sober..... Ian D

I don't judge on sales from a personal viewpoint at all Jocko. I merely recognise the reasons why some artists manage to reach a wide audience and other artists don't. That's not to say that any artist who fails to sell records is wrong but I don't think that artists who do manage to reach a huge audience should be chastised for their popularity. It doesn't make 'em bad artists because they sold millions instead of zilch. I would think that most artists set out to reach the widest possible audiience but most of 'em fail for various reasons. My appreciation of Cee-Lo is because, on the international stage, he has made a cracking album that has touched a worldwide audience and managed to sell millions in the process. F*cking GREAT I say! Thank God the masses are responding to a Soulful voice again. Cee-Lo's success may just make a large percentage of people start digging deeper and find more stuff which I don't see as a bad thing. Just to clear up a general misconception, the music business doesn't dictate what the public want, it's the other way around mate. The music business would never miss an opportunity to sell more records if it possibly could. As stupid as they are, they never miss an opportunity to sell more records if they can. Hope yer well by the way! Ian D

Misses what point? Surely everyone's appreciation of music is a personal thing isn't it? Just because I happen to really rate Cee-Lo Green as one of my favourite current vocalists for many different reasons, really shouldn't make an ounce of difference to anyone else should it? To each their own etc, etc. Different acts touch people in different ways. I just happen to dig Cee-Lo OK? It doesn't make my appreciation of Darrell Banks or Marvin Gaye any less. Ian D

They're both great voices who have both sold millions of records around the world primarily via the pop market. What's difficult to understand about that? I'm in this business Jocko. I understand these things. I don't really get the point you're trying to make. Liking Cee-Lo and Billy Ocean for their 'pop' recordings doesn't devalue my love of Soul music. I have broad tastes. You need to chill out mate. Ian D

Blimey, life is going so fast that I don’t seem to have time to even catch my breath these days so many apologies for my slackness in posting up the playlist and link for the last show until just now LOL! Hopefully normal service has now been resumed! I can tell you that there’s some incredible stuff coming on the horizon very shortly. The passport to one of the all-time holy grails has just been opened and that is why I’ve been consumed just lately. Keep tuned and all will be revealed shortly but it’s truly sensational stuff believe me! Anyway, I managed to get it together enough for this week’s show which features the usual trawl through the eras and as usual we have some fresh new re-edits and a wonderful new exclusive among the veritable smorgasbord of incredible music from across the last 45 years! You know what to expect by now. Sunday afternoon heaven! Join me LIVE @ 2.00pm today and let’s have a Sunday afternoon love-in! 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…… Stevie Wonder * Los Charly’s Orchestra * The Supremes * James Ingram * Change * Ashford & Simpson * Rene & Angela * Steve Arrington * Leonard Lidell * The Four Tops * Marvin Gaye * Jr Walker & The All-Stars * Garnet Mimms * Dusty Springfield * Phillip & Lloyd (The Bluesbusters) * DeDe Warwick * Darrell Banks * Ruby Andrews * Bob & Gene * Tommy Keith * Millie Jackson * Prominent * Jamiroquai * Cee-Lo Green See you LIVE @ 2.00pm! It’ll be fun…….. Ian D X

Massive massive apologies to all the regulars who have been quite rightly moaning about my slackness in posting the playlists and links up for the recent shows. Truth is I've been incredibly busy and basically knackered most of the time so I've slacked a bit! Anyway, here is the last show and once again apologies to all for the late posting! Six Million Steps Presents The Original Mastercuts Show LIVE with Ian Dewhirst & Alan Champ between 2.00-4.00pm on Sunday 3rd July 2011 on everyone's favourite Soul station www.starpointradio.com. Featuring...... 1st Hour The Jackson 5 - Never Can Say Goodbye - J.J. Re-Edit Michael Jackson - You Are Not Alone - Frankie Knuckles Remix Frankie Knuckles feat Jamie Principle - I'll Take You There - Directors Cut Signature Mix Frankie Knuckles feat Bunny Sigler - Frankie's Dance - S.G. & Neil Thompson Mix Stevie Wonder - All I Do - Danny Massure Groove Is In The Heart Re-Edit Jimmy Ruffin - Tell Me What You Want - Scratchandsniff Re-Edit The Chi-Lites - You Don't Have To Go The Spinners - The Rubberband Man - Scratchandsniff Re-Edit Ashford & Simpson - Street Corner - Womack Re-Work 2nd Hour Tami Lynn - I'm Gonna Run Away From You Felice Taylor - I Feel Love Comin' On Diana Ross & The Supremes - You Keep Me Hangin' On The Velvets - I Gotta Find Me Somebody Sandi Sheldon - You're Gonna Make Me Love You The Funky Sisters - Do It To It Stanley Mitchell - Get It Baby Detroit Executives - Cool Off The Paramount Four - Sorry Ain't The Word Rena Scott - The Grass Ain't Greener The Dramatics - What You See Is What You Get - Victor Rosado 2011 Remix Bobby Caldwell - What You Won't Do For Love - Womack Re-Work Marvin Gaye - I Want You - M&M Breakdown Mix Cee-Lo Green - I Want You https://www.sixmillionsteps.com/6MS-2011-07-03-Starpoint.mp3 Coming backatcha LIVE on Sunday 17th July 2.00-4.00pm! Don't miss! Ian D X

Agreed. It seems that an act which can cross over to a pop audience (often by accident), virtually always condemns them to a fate of none credibility with so-called 'deeper' audiences. Commercial success quite often erradicates them from the equation which is a shame in some cases. It's just one of those things I guess. It's funny that you brought up Billy Ocean in a Cee-Lo Green thread though, because they have very similar parallels. Billy Ocean started his career with a multi-racial pop band called Scorched Earth who made a record called "On The Run" which I heard in the early 70's and I loved the lead vocalist's voice at the time. In fact, here's a clip:- And then he did his quasi Northern pastiche which was actually pretty good in a UK Biddu kinda way..... And here's a clip from a couple of years ago, performing "Suddenly"..... He's a lovely guy. I bumped into him in a McDonalds in Shaftesbury Avenue in the 80's and we had a great conversation over big macs. I have a lot of respect for him. Cee-Lo's similar in a way. Incredible voice but very unconventional in the way he made it. That's why I always try and stay objective about great voices because quite often the hype can cloud the issue. Ian D

Nought wrong with Billy Ocean Boba. I forgave him for being so ridiculous as to sell millions of records when I recently saw him do a spellbinding version of "Suddenly" and saw grown men in the venue start blubbering openly LOL. One of the greatest performances I've ever witnessed actually, I shit thee not........ Ian D

Mint UK 7" with pic sleeve over here for £50 if anyone wants one. Ian D

Good point. However, Cee-Lo toiled away in relative obscurity for a long time before his major breakthrough with Gnarls Barklay (which I also thought was an incredible vocal). He'd had a string of relative commercial flops since 1995 and he got dropped by Arista after 2 flop solo albums, so if anything, he was incredibly lucky to get the breakthrough when he did. His success was anything but guaranteed really. Most people had consigned him to the dumper a long time before. But he kept at it against all the odds through thick and thin, which is maybe the difference between Cee-Lo and the Robert Tanner's and George Hughley's of the world, as good as they undoubtably are. But I take your point about the thread title. I think he's unlikely to appeal too much to the more traditional among us. He didn't appeal to me at all until recently but his recent album has been the most played in my house just lately. Apparently he loves Northern Soul too which doesn't surprise me....... Ian D

Good point Charlie. As many people keep pointing out, it's a very different scene these days and, as you say, much more fragmented with a much more diverse set of audiences. I think it's a natural progression and evolution much like you get on other scenes. Exactly the same thing happened with 70's Dance/Disco/Jazz-Funk music which was huge in the 70's when there was less choice and everybody seemed to be happy just to hear all the stuff under one roof and then that evolved into the 80's and 90's and fragmented into Boogie, Electro, Hip-Hop, Acid Jazz, House, Garage, New Jack Swing etc, etc. Consequently people got choosier and the audiences became more fragmented and harder to please. But your point about the bigger name jocks is a good one. Just being up there in the top strata with a boxfull of killers adds a certain mystique and most of the top jocks have the confidence to know they can carry the crowd with the right record choices because they have an expensive hotbox at their disposal. I'm curious about something else though. Are there many instances of today's top jocks actively championing the easier to find cheapies alongside the rarities? I mean who started playing Lee Fields again for the first time? How come that common as muck Dolly Gilmore record which you couldn't give away in the 70's has just gone for £350 on Mannies auction? Sometimes I think it says more about a jock who will happily play a £10 record alongside the multi-thousand pound rarities, but I reckon only some top jocks can actually get away with that, so who are the ones who can walk that particular tightrope? Ian D