Ian Dewhirst

Damn you're good at this! Wasn't there a decent record by the Fidels though........? Ian D

Wow. I'm impressed. It did work quite well though didn't it? A strange thing to give away with an album though. I wonder how many he made......? I sold my album and the guy who bought it insisted he got the Hotel Sheet with it and it took me about 2 bloody hours to find it! Still, who's laughing now ay? I want one!! Ian D

Ian D

Damn, you're right Rod. Of course it was Hugo.......the first of the Venezuelan cover-ups though wasn't it......? Ian D

Richard had it covered as Freddie Chavez if I remember correctly........ Ian D

Didja keep the free plastic 'hotel sheet' which came with the album? Jack Ashford almost became the U.S. equivalent of Rolf Harris with that! Ian D

Yep, not a Ken record. It actually sounds pretty good LOUD in a funk club but that's about it for my money....... Talking of Jack Ashford, has anyone heard "This Ain't Just Another Dance Song" from his "Hotel Sheet" album? It's another version of "Payback's A Drag" by the Smith Brothers - same backing track............ Ian D

I've got a spare mint U.K. London demo if anyone wants it. Looks great. Has a small sticker mark on the label but othewise perfect. £20.00. PM me if interested......... I guess Barney Ales kept ex U.S.A. distribution of Prodigal to himself so he could sub-licence outside of the U.S. Ian D

Well yet another busy weekend, this time up to Hinckley for the Chris Hill gig @ Soul Purpose which Starpoint are broadcasting LIVE from 10.00pm tonight incidentally so tune in! So you can take it that it'll be yet another LIVE HANGOVER show from Starpoint Towers this Sunday afternoon between 2.00-4.00pm. Whilst the presenter may be difficult to put up with, you can be guaranteed that the music will salve even the most persistent of hangovers LOL, so coming up this week will be another wonderful trawl through the eras featuring....... The Temptations * The Mothafunkaz feat Sheila Ford & Biblical Jones * Soulfeenix feat Monday Michuri * Dance Culture feat Kenny Bobien * Dan Hartman * Gwen Guthrie * Unlimited Touch * Shot * Gigolo * Eddie Holman * Billy Paul * The Mighty Pope * Denise LaSalle * Marvin Gaye * Jean Shy * Al James & The New Rhythm Band * Michelle Wiley * The Rascals * Sheree Brown * John Simeone * Main Ingredient * Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes Hope ya can join me @ 2.00pm LIVE! Ian D

Whilst I'm rediscovering the sheer unbridled beauty of Edward Hamilton & The Arabians....... Detroit's doing well tonight innit? Ian D

I actually agree with pretty much most of what you say Chorleysoul. Of course, Motown should be historically viewed as being the catalyst for both the original and subsequent sucesses of Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, Diana Ross, Lionel Ritchie and Michael Jackson etc, etc. It's just that Michael Jackson had the biggest selling album of all time, reached the biggest audience long after he left Motown, had the biggest marketing machine in the music business behind him at the time and the snappiest videos, all of which adds up to a much bigger media package for today's media than the black and white clips from the original Motown era. Naturally WE know the real story but we're living in an era where snappy soundbites and quick-cut video clips rule - instant gratification for the video generation if you like. Hopefully, in the context of time, Motown will get it's proper due but you only have to look at the history following Elvis Presley's death to realise that Elvis and his iconic image meant more to the mass population than Sun Records ever did! A good intelligent debate though! Ian D

There's just so much of it isn't there Jerry? I wonder how many promo 45's they pressed up from the Thriller album considering the whole album was full of singles and had a 2 year Marketing plan? Probably 20K of each in the U.S............... Ian D

I think it died off pretty quickly though. Every MJ related record I had on Discogs sold out the night of his death, so I put up a brilliant batch of Jacksons/Jacko mint promos and rarities on E-Bay - 19 in total @ £200 but no takers. I think everyone else had the same notion because there is now more MJ stuff up there then before but the bidding has slumped right off by the looks of it. My mate put up his "Off The Wall" test-pressing with the track-listing on the cover and got £37.50 for it yesterday, whereas one week before I think he would have got £100+ easily. All the HMV's are racked to the hilt plus MJ's being TV advertised so the mainstream is holding up ut I think the collectors market has been saturated by the looks of it.......... Ian D

Good point Gareth. I see what you're getting at here. In terms of Motown, it's difficult to see what else can be done really. There's been a plethora of high profile re-issues, countless TV documentaries which reach a marginal audience at best and plenty of recent deaths of the Motown aristocracy but Motown's relevence simply doesn't touch most people the way it touches us. It's probably a generational thing and unless you were of a certain age, the majesty of the label simply doesn't affect most people in the same way, that, say, the Sun catalogue doesn't really affect me. I guess it's a sign of the times isn't it. The mass media convenient sound-bites and imagery of MJ are perfect for a global audience which has the attention span of a gnat! Ian D

I completely forgot she was involved with Stax. Poor lass. She just wasted away and died young........... Ian D

Not just America either. Anyone remember Lena Zavaroni? Ian D

Actually, that's almost another discussion entirely isn't it? Why would the great looking young black guy arguably at the height of his powers with "Off The Wall" decide to bleach his skin white, mutilate his face and re-christen himself 'the King Of Pop'? This was a kid who went to pains to make himself white surely? That's what kind of surprised me when a lot of the veteran political black heavy-hitters were wheeled out at his funeral. It's almost as though MJ was being re-claimed by the Black American elite. Considering that he spent the last couple of years of his life living like a wandering hermit without a home and staying in people's houses in Bahrain and Ireland, it begs the question of what support or help was he getting from the very people who were eulogising him at his funeral? Great speaker though Al Sharpton undoubtably is, he has a habit of turning up wherever the TV cameras are doesn't he? I wonder if he ever had a one-on-one conversation with MJ........? There are more questions than answers here really aren't there.......? Ian D

I wasn't talking about you Dthedrug! The barb was aimed @ Phillydaveg, although I've just noticed that you can't spell Tottenham LOL...... Ian D

Typical L.A. event and a little overblown and pompous for me I have to say. When they performed "We Are The World" at the end the two females in my house were shedding tears galore, whilst I was trying hard not to spontaneously projectile vomit over my laptop...... This is 21st Century Death for ya beamed around the world into a billion living rooms. What's even spookier is the fact that the tour may well go ahead with Michael Jackson resurrected via state-of-the-art 3D technology doing all the moves he's famous for. Anyone remember Captain Zeo @ Disney World in Florida? Jacko was on the vanguard of 3D technology a long time ago and with Joe Jackson talking about a new record company integrating Blue Ray technology I reckon anything's possible. This is what America does. If they have an iconic image - think James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and now M.J. they simply carry on re-inforcing the image and exploiting it to the ultimate degree. We haven't seen anything yet believe me............. Ian D

I love these holier than thou posts from people who can't even spell occasionally properly! Ian D

Yep, I think you're right. If anything, the new discoveries of the last 20 years or so would be more up his street than the stuff from the 70's and more towards his original comfort zone I reckon............ Ian D

And as we say in leafy Surrey, jolly spiffing old bean, well done! Mind you, since I'm from Mirfield I'll keep with 'bout f*ckin' time cock'! Ian D

All orders from yesterday have been posted out today folks. Still copies left if anyone's late....... Ian D

He sure deserves it but that millionth post will need impeccable timing. It'll probably go to some new guy who wants to sell some old pressings LOL....... Ian D

I think I'd concurr with that as well. All the stories which I've heard from a couple of people who interviewed him pretty much point to exactly the above, namely he was a Black Music Pioneer for sure. Actually as part of the generation that came up directly after Roger's reign, I 100% absolutely wanted the fast stuff - who wouldn't when they're 15 and full of fire? Also, I found it interesting that he then went on to found Eric's in Liverpool which was about the most none-Soul gig you could get. I think he only pulled out his Soul collection to specific friends and acquaintances in the mid to late 70's, Mick Hucknall being a prime pupil if I what I've read is true. Also, here's a direct quote from Bill Brewster's interview with Roger shortly before his death in May 1999: "I started Northern Soul, but I actually find the music very limiting because in the early days I'd play a Charlie Mingus record, then I'd play a Bluebeat disc followed by a Booker T tune, then a Muddy Waters or Bo Diddley record. Gradually, there was this blanding out to one sort of sound. When I started DJing I could play what I wanted. But after three years I had to keep to the same tempo, which is what Northern Soul is". So a 'lil too eclectic methinks for the hoards of snotty-nosed kids like me that were demanding MILLION-MILE-PER-HOUR STOMPERS LOL..... Also, he was from a totally different generation - the same school as the Stones, John Mayall, Alexis Korner etc, etc, where Blues was their touchstone in the late 50's/early 60's, so naturally the next generation along rebelled and demanded faster records. It was merely natural evolution. It sounds as if the Northern Soul thing was almost an accident which was dictated by the dancefloors @ the Wheel which of course would have been full of 16-20 year olds off their heads and wanting to dance.......... Res ipsa loquitur - it speaks for itself.......... Ian D