Ian Dewhirst

What??? You're excluding Steve G from being a wierdo? I thought Steve had a serious fetish for rare, rare, rarer-than-rare pieces of 7" vinyl by artists you've hardly heard of, singing songs you've hardly heard of, on labels you've hardly heard of. You call that normal? I mean, what does he do with 'em when he's at home and no one is watching...............? Ian D

It's a knackered stamper by the looks of it! The surface of the TP is covered with mountain ridges throughout the surface when you hold it up to the light. Hmmmpphhhh! Ian D

Fantastic. Human error disasters are always the worst! Almost better than Richard's copy of The Jades which got warped in a chippy! Ian D

Ian D

Yep, all being analysed right now. The art of pressing records properly is being lost it seems. I've heard more duff TP's in the last few years than anytime before. I reckon it's because the equipment's aging badly and with the decline of vinyl, the machines aren't being maintained properly to save costs. Either that, or they have some work experience dimwit mixing the chemicals............. Ho hum. This is the bit that people don't see! That's two visits to Luton in 5 days and we're still not sorted! Good idea this record company lark LOL..... Ian D

Don't worry. I just rejected 'em. Volume dips happening and muffled in places. Investigating now. See? It's not all glam is it? What sounded absolutely exceptional on the lacquer hasn't translated to the 7" vinyl for some reason. It could be the galvanics, faulty metalwork or something else. Mind you, that's the whole point of test-pressings! Good job we do these things...... I will of course, keep a one-off test-pressing, destroy the other 9 and then whack it on E-Bay as the only copy in the world of Gary The Master Blaster's first ever test-pressing and a complete one-off! Ian D

And another set gone! These are picking up speed now. 2 sets gone now and 4 left. I'd better start reading the buggers LOL....... They should be framed IMO! Ian D

Phew. Glad it's not me. I concurr with the above..... By the way, I think I've located that record we were talking about. My mate has a spare copy he thinks! So I'll pm you as soon as I hear back from him, OK? Ian D

Good for you Beeks. This is an 'open mind' record so I'll blast you one over if you think you can use it..............plus I also wanna see it played to different audiences and gauge reaction............. Ian D

Nope. Was released from Chapletown nick @ circa 1.00pm the next day (it was a Sunday) and had to go to Leeds Magistrates court around 6 weeks later. Ian D

Of course. I don't need to make up anything LOL. The bit I left out was that because I was from London and staying in a Leeds hotel, they thought I was Mr Big in some local drugs scam, so they also busted into my house in London @ 6.00am on the Sunday morning and scared the death out of my wife, daughter and the neighbours! When they realised the error of their ways, the Head Constable @ Chapletown Police station actually apologised to me. They then had to compensate me for wrecking my front door! A complete waste of time, effort and taxpayers money. I told them the truth and they didn't believe me either! Ian D

I think that was the whole point on the other OVO, Crap Venues thread Steve. I think it was a discussion as to what consituted OV and I wrote:- "In that case can anyone explain the deal with The Contours "Baby Hit And Run" then? An old recording which had never been heard by anyone and which was a pure 100% Northern monster which was issued in the UK on Motown without ANY OVO or Northern Soul related activity whatsoever! Or is this the exception which proves the rule?" It was weird and it came totally out of the blue. The word spread on the grapevine that there was UK Motown new single release of an unknown Contours track which was pure Northern and brilliant. Rod from Heckmondwike told me about it about a day after he'd heard it in a local record shop, so I rushed down to Jumbos in Leeds and as soon as I got in the shop they played it! Hunter and Trevor @ Jumbos couldn't believe it either. Very odd. Ian D

"Cafe Regio's - Gary The Master Blaster on Soul Intention Records Beeks - an updated almost Northern danceable version of the Isaac Hayes tune ('b' side of "Shaft" in fact) with an early 70's original radio DJ over the top. It's rockin'....... I think it could suit a younger crowd hopefully. You know the youngsters dontcha? Is this the kind of thing that would work with the students? Ian D

Love that Isaac Hayes quote at the bottom of your page! Hope you're gonna play an OV copy of this on yer travels...... https://www.zshare.net/audio/183698315b8bc59d/ Ian D

12 copies of Johnny Moore/Dottie Pearson and 2 copies of the EP now gone. Still some left folks........ Ian D

LOL, no probs, all sorted for the Tiger Lounge on Thursday mate! There will be a large contingent of SS Soul Police with notebooks at the ready scanning your every record tomorrow night and a contingent from DJ History assessing you as a DJ. Will probably not be the time to play Murial Day or f%$k up on cueing if ya see what I mean....... I still think you've shitted out but you can print your playlist from Thursday cantcha....? Ian D

Thanks mate. We'll be working the balls off it over the next few weeks so, touch wood, we'll hopefully get some action. We wouldn't have done it if we didn't think there was a potential audience out there. It's always a 'balls on the table" scenario when you put a record out but I do have a gut feeling about this one. Slightly below the gut in fact! And if you think about it, this scene has always been about small label owners putting their balls on the table and selling 6 copies! In fact, the Northern Soul scene wouldn't exist without a long trail of schmucks like us putting records out which fail miserably at the time. Hopefully we'll sell a few and get on to the next release. How's that for optimism when the world's falling apart and vinyl sales are at their lowest LOL? And, Pete, let me tell ya, the expression "thinking outside the box" is sooooooo last year dear! Ian D

Oi you! Stop taking credit. It was ME who was being accused of being a brain-dead zombie I seem to recall! It's about time the Soul Police had an investigation into their regulators and consultants anyway. I'm sick of these bloody beaurocrats questioning our every statement! Ian D

LOL, couldn't resist. Apologies for my opportunistic ways but I'm just a born bull-shitter LOL! But I am always sniffing out stuff like this and I'm now falling over stuff in the hallway so I've got to get some of this stuff out quick! Wanna do some wholesale mate? Also, I'm damn sure I've some stuff to add to the list but it means trawling through my UK 7"'s to find those oddball releases. But I'm sure there's a few more to add. Plus I'll have a hallway full of Limited-Edition U.S. 7" copies of "Cafe Regio's" - Gary The Masterblaster on Soul Intention Records this time next week and.......... ....................look at that! It's disgusting. I just can't stop plugging can I? Ian D

Mmmm. Now there's an angle...... Hey Pete! Fancy making a Jackson 5 rip-off with yer son mate? We'll make him a star! Ian "Cigar-Smoking Megabucks Svengali" Dewhirst

Wanna bet Pete? Well if the record only had the Northern Scene as a potential market you'd be correct. However, a record like "Cafe Regio's" crosses a few different boundaries and will hopefully find audiences outside of Northern Soul - the European scene, the U.S. scene, the student scene, the 'oddball' records scene and the welter of clubs around the country which have more eclectic playlists - like the Hi-Fi Club in Leeds where I was the other week, where "Cafe Regio's" would blow the place up if they had it. Also a substantial plank of our promotional plan is to target a number of key radio DJ's as this record fits into radio like a dream - in a way it's one of the ultimate feel-good radio records, so I don't think it's inconceivable that we may well get plays from the likes of Stuart Maconie, Mark Lamarr, Pete Mitchell on Radio Two, Craig Charles, Dave Pearce, Don Letts, Huey Morgan on Radio 6, Gary Crowley, Sean Rowley, Robert Elms and even Tony Blackburn on BBC London, Martin Collins and Andy Peebles on Smooth FM and maybe a couple of others here and there! I'm already being phoned up by a few people which is always a good sign. Plus some of the above are our mates so there's every chance we'll get some radio buzz going. Aligned with that will be the fact that we will be targeting numerous key shops directly and that includes many which cater to different audiences on different scenes, plus , once again, we have good contacts in these areas. Plus we have a natural PR story for the various magazines, i.e. heard record via Soul Source, two old soulboys obtain the rights from a controversial ex DJ and record producer and then release the record on 7" vinyl only on a label called Soul Intention - a label dedicated to keeping the vinyl 7" alive and kicking. A sexy little press angle IMO. So the target is 1000 copies mate. I'll rip a new hole in my own ass if we can't achieve that! Ian D

Too late mate. It's there in black and white and now enshrined in history! Soul Police are on their way round as we speak........ Ian D

Test pressings on "Cafe Regio's" today @ 12.30pm! Wil be trying out in a West End venue later tonight! Ian D

I'm disappointed in you Beeks. I would have thought this was a good opportunity to show your taste. How about if I arrange a cease-fire and disallow any barbed comments? Be Bold Beeks! Ian D