Ian Dewhirst

The bit that really hurt was that Levine got it for 45 pence and I had to pay £30 for the next copy @ early 70's prices. No wonder I'm traumatised........ Ian D

Ian Levine got that copy! It really p*ssed me off 'cos I already liked the name of the group and the title before I ever heard it and when I asked Brian about it he said Levine had bought it that week. Went to the Mecca that Saturday and heard "Cool Off" for the first time grrrr.... Ian D

A much much better mix indeed. Those Paula pressings weren't the best-pressed records were they? I think they would have sent the masters over to the UK and they would have been nicely remastered and then pressed on decent vinyl. The clarity on the Contempo copies leaves the Paula pressing in the shed! I noticed the same thing when London were picking up stuff in the 70's. The UK London copy of Larry Saunders is totally superior to the Turbo copy......... Ian D

Blimey. Haven't heard this before. Phenomenal Northern Soul in the true sense of the word..... I take it this was unissued until relatively recently..........? Ian D

It was only "Cool Off" back in the day. Funnily enough I found the Ideals @ Cheapo Cheapo on Berwick Street market roughly about 2 weeks after I got "Cool Off" but I don't think I've ever heard it out anywhere. I love 'em both..... Ian D

Talking of Lou Ragland, I bought a copy of "I Travel Alone" in L.A. in '76 from a guy who claimed he was Lou's manager for a while. He subsequently ended up running a record shop in L.A. and then got into all sorts of money problems and had to move all the stock to his flat. I bumped into him a few months later and when I pulled out "I Travel Alone" we got into a conversation about Lou which is when he said he was Lou's ex manager. He went into some detail about "I Travel Alone". I think he may have been a regional rep for Amy/Mala/Bell or a local distributor or something at the time. He certainly knew all about the music business and Lou in particular, that's for sure. He was in hock to a loan shark so I paid him a decent price for what I took. I wish I could remember his name. I'm sure it was Al though...... Decent guy. Lou would probably remember him I think...... Ian D

I think the upper echelon of record dealers still do OK but those will undoubtably be the ones who have invested heavily in stock, have an efficient general operation and a good online capability. Y'know, the pros! The bigger promoters probably do OK as well if they have regular well attended events (but bear in mind that a couple of clunkers can change everything). I think Chris Burton and Gerry Marshall must have made out like bandits in the 70's though LOL..... The major record companies will do OK on cheap reissues of their undervalued back catalogue but I think they'd all rather have an Adele selling millions for sure. An average supermarket pop compilation will generally sell at least 3 or 5 times what a Northern Soul compilation will sell, so it's not really a serious money-spinner for the Majors (although there are exceptions to the rule). Indie record companies tend to employ passionate enthusiasts who don't mind working cheap, so a decent selling Northern compilation still makes commercial sense if the costs are kept in control. It's a niche market which is battling a perfect storm in terms of file sharing, declining sales, bootleggers etc though so no quick fortunes here I'm afraid..... I don't know many DJ's or collectors that are in it for the money. Most are driven by their passion, as Steve said earlier. I was always saving for the next record in the 70's and it never even occured to me that I might actually make a profit from it. And I was right. I didn't, in terms of personal finances. However, in terms of personal enjoyment and great experiences it's been priceless and that's far more important to me. Ian D

Anyone know the story behind these......? Ian D

Ian D

Yep. F*ckin' great. Both of 'em. I love an orchestra on overdrive LOL..... Ian D

Or was it "Diamond Hard Those Apples Of The Moon".....? Ian D

Funny enough I do Dave. I actually bought America when it came out. 'The Thoughts Of Emerlisk Davjak Jr' on the 'b' side I believe......... Ian D

Talking of 60's instrumentals, I love this....... Ian D

Easy. It's the TV ad for Coleman's mustard innit............? Ian D

I've just been listening to The Supremes "Let Yourself Go - The 70's Albums and Final Sessions" and come across a couple of surprises. A cover of Bobby Hutton's "It's All Been Said Before" was one of 'em....... Is this a cover of Reuben Howell and did it ever come out....? "You Can't Stop A Girl In Love" - The Supremes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3EMrpxTM-w Ian D

Having one of my annual shelf-clearing sessions, so if there's anything you want, then just PM me. Prices are inclusive of UK postage and cheap elsewhere else! John & Michael Hill - You're My Saving Grace Salsoul 2126 White Promo NM £20.00 Casey & The Pressure Group - Soul Tango Wizdom 1975 White Copy NM £20.00 Sandra Richardson - Stay Here With Me Intersoul 103 White Copy NM £30 Felix Cavaliere - Never Felt Love Before Bearsville 0305 Promo VG+ £20 Guitar Red - Share Your Love Mod-Art 76 Promo NM £40 Willie Hatcher - You Haven't Seen Nothin' Yet Wheelsville 001 (Rare Light Blue Label) M £60 SOLD Freddie Hughes - My Baby Came Back Wee 1011 VG+ £20 Nat Turner - Ruby Lee Philly Groove 171 White Promo NM £10 Liberty - Girl You Better Wake Up BASF 15152 Promo NM £15 SOLD The Temprees - At Last We Produce 1812 Promo M £15 SOLD Aldora Britton - No Cookies In My Bag Decca 32500 Promo G+ £15 Richard "Dimples" Field - You're Sweeter Than Sweet Dat Richfield Kat 1001 VG+ £30 Richard "Dimples" Field - Tears As Big As Cantaloupes Jo Jo 2202 NM £40 Lorraine Ellison - Many Rivers To Cross Warner Brothers 770 Promo G+ £20 Rocky Roberts & The Airdales - Just Because Of You Spanish Durium Pic Sleeve VG+ £15 The Decisions - I Can't Forget About You UK A&M 844 NM £15 Watson T. Browne - What Can I Say UK Pye 7N 45187 Promo M £20 Ian D

Hi Dave, It's difficult to put a price on these unless you're a Philly completist who needs everything. What I love about this stuff, is it shows that there have always been enthusiasts for the sound and PIR in particular has always been pretty well-represented in the UK. As always, the challenge is to try and get your product out there amidst a lot of other crap with bigger marketing budgets! The CD's from this particular period are actually pretty rare. I can actually remember talking to John Beecher, MD of Castle Communications a couple of years earlier then these were released and begging him to pick up PIR for the UK, which he eventually did. Tony Rounce may be able to shed more light on these in in particular. I'm pretty sure he did most of the PIR catalogue in the late 90's......... Ian D

Yeah, it's quite poetic isn't it? A bloody miracle since I'm suffering from a king hell hangover and I haven't even had brekky yet........ Ian D

Good for you mate! I've often suspected that that Northern Soul might need to leap a couple of generations to make it sexy to kids again. This kinda happened with both Rockabilly and the Mod scenes in the late 70's and 80's and I can see it happening with Northern Soul at some point. There are isolated examples. My mate Tony Coote used to play a lot of Northern Soul to a huge young student type crowd in Cambridge a few years back. I know this because he was always round my place picking up whatever spares I had and then he'd report back on how they'd gone down. He said the highpoints of the night were when he dropped some Northern Soul killers and then the energy level would go through the roof. The Hi-Fi Club and especially the 'Move On Up' nights in Leeds are another good example of a student type crowd getting off on Northern Soul. Admittedly the music is a mish-mash of different styles and eras but there's a healthy attitude and a great energy and buzz when some Northern gets played and no-sign of any 7" box-holding obsessives lurking around. On the tube in London last year, there was an imaculately presented and stunning looking young teenage girl wearing a proper Fred Perry top and some very striking original Mod gear whilst toting a Northern Soul holdall. I started talking to her but I think she thought I was just some lecherous old guy. I have no idea what would give her that impression.......... I pretty much agree with some of the earlier statements on this thread. I think Northern Soul will continue to find it's audiences but on their own terms. When Nstomp97 describes hearing "You Don't Want Me No More" for the first time, it almost precisely describes the exact same effect that the record had on me some 40 years ago. The music's that good that it will pretty much never be ignored. When the future teenagers of the day get fed-up with hearing their parent's Drum & Bass/Dubstep/Techno/House compilations, they'll rebel and look for real music, real tunes, real musicians and real records. And they'll find Northern Soul. Ian D

You got a beer too....? There was obviously some other kind of dynamic going on on your visit..... It must be pure sexual attraction David.......... Ian D

I bet that's the first time General Crook's musical output has been compared to viagra....... Ian D

Got it in one. The optical illusion is part of the marketing process..... Ian D

Are you taking the 2" lid into account I wonder....? It's a very snug package! I went through about 10 different prototypes before I settled on that one. The design protects the contents when the lid's on which prevents the contents from falling out! Ian D

As I said above, good things come to those who wait! Ian D

Hi Mike, As Ralph says, he'd have to compile 20 CD's to please everyone. He missed out some faves of mine too - "Time To Get Down" - The O'Jays, "I Don't Want To Cry" - Dick Jensen, "Unity" - The O'Jays etc, etc but I guess everyone has a different compilation. He could probably have included 3 seperate albums by the O'Jays alone if you think about it. However, there is another Richard Searling Philly project coming up soon and we are trying to avoid too much track replication on all these releases. Unlike the Moulton package Ralph deliberately didn't compile this in chronological order because he preferred the sequencing the way he's done it, which is every compilers prerogative. For instance, CD 7 is the more Jazzy side of the labels which wouldn't have been possible if he'd gone for the chronological approach...... I honestly believe whoever compiled this would leave out some peoples favorite tracks. That's the problem with such a huge catalogue - can't please everyone. Patience is a virtue MIke. I'm pretty sure those tracks will end up on another project! Ian D