Ian Dewhirst

He was white and marketed towards the pop audience but the point I was making is that Dean Parrish's records are much better than Gary Lewis & The Playboys, Tommy Sands, The Cherry People and Wigan's Ovation. He sounds soulful for a start! That's why some records work for me and other's don't. Dean Parrish is one of my favourite vocalists of all time. Ian D

Nope. Never ever. Likewise "Hawaii Five-O" and other drek. That's not to say that I don't like Poppy Northern Soul by white singers. I love "I Can't Help Loving You" by Paul Anka, "Determination" by Dean Parrish, "I'm Gonna Change" by the Four Seasons, "Stranger In My Arms" - Lynn Randell and even "Surrounded By A Ray Of Sunshine" by Samantha Jones. I just hate pure Pop records which are quite obviously badly contrived and made to order, which all of those were. But admittedly, it's not an exact science...... Ian D

Yuk..... Double Yuk...... Puke City........... Projectile Vomiting......... Ian D

Excellent post Pep and 100% right. I used to openly drool on those rare occasions when I went through your box and realised the sheer beauty of a boxfull of beautiful white demos! Please keep contributing mate. My thoughts are with you. Ian D

They both sound like 100% proper vintage Northern Soul to me. Can't wait to hear the full versions. Great finds Ady! Ian D

I've been really lax in posting the show over the last 6 weeks due to work pressures and a few gigs, so many apologies for everyone who's been chasing playlists and links. Here are the last 3 shows so I can catch up! Six Million Steps Presents The Original Mastercuts Show LIVE with Ian Dewhirst between 2.00-4.00pm on Sunday 4th March 2012 on everyone's favourite Soul station www.starpointradio.com. Featuring...... 1st Hour The Nick Straker Band - A Little Bit Of Jazz - Jimmy The Twin Re-Edit War - The World Is A Ghetto - U.S. Disco Mix The Trammps - Hooked For Life - Martin 'Monster' Aurelio Remix Crown Heights Affair - Say A Payer For Two - Ghosts Of Venice Re-Edit Yasuko Agawa - L.A. Nights - Kharrington Club Mix Two Tons Of Fun - Just Us - Womack Re-Edit The Undisputed Truth - Law Of The Land - Jazzy Jen Re-Edit 2nd Hour The Ideals - The Mighty Lover The Detroit Executives - Cool Off The Dynamics - Yes I Love You Baby Turn Of The Century - Money Can't Jodi Mathis - Don't You Care Anymore Otis Williams - Take Me Back Bill Brandon - Whatever I Am, I'm Yours The Johnny Otis Show feat Barbara Morrison - Hey Boy! I Want Ya Bessie Banks - (Don't You Worry Baby) The Best Is Yet To Come George Benson - This Masquerade - Nightmares On Wax Remix Jermaine Jackson - You Like Me Don't You Collins & Collins - You Know How To Make Me Feel Good Bobby Caldwell - What You Won't Do For Love - Dionne Warwick & The Detroit Spinners - Then Came You - Larry Sanders Re-Edit https://www.sixmillionsteps.com/6MS-...4-Starpoint.mp3 Six Million Steps Presents The Original Mastercuts Show LIVE with Ian Dewhirst between 2.00-4.00pm on Sunday 18th March 2012 on everyone's favourite Soul station www.starpointradio.com. Featuring...... 1st Hour The Trammps - That's Where The Happy People Go - J*Ski Remix The Trammps - I Feel Like I've Been Living (On The Dark Side Of The Moon) Tortured Soul - Don't Hold Me Down Mascara feat Luther Vandross - See You In L.A. - Jazzy Jen Re-Edit The Blackbyrds - Happy Music - Original Remix Raydio - Jack & Jill - Womack Re-Work George Benson - Inside Love (So Personal) Eon - We'll Go On Anthony White feat Millie Jackson - Hey Baby - Sensuous Soul Re-Edit 2nd Hour The Trammps - Hold Back The Night - Scratchnsniff Re-Rub The Trammps - Trusting Heart - Tom Moulton Remix Ronnie Walker - You're The One Barbara Acklin - I Did It - Scratchnsniff Re-Rub Leon Haywood - Consider The Source Cecil Parker - I Think I'll Tell Her Jimmy James - Never Had This Dream Before Al Johnson & Jean Carn - I'm Back For More - Sensuous Soul Re-Edit Kool & The Gang - Too Hot Stephanie Mills - Whatcha Gonna Do With My Loving - Sensuous Soul Re-Edit The Trammps - Where Do We Go From Here - Tom Moulton Remix https://www.sixmillionsteps.com/6MS-...8-Starpoint.mp3 Six Million Steps Presents The Original Mastercuts Show LIVE with Ian Dewhirst between 2.00-4.00pm on Sunday 15th April 2012 on everyone's favourite Soul station www.starpointradio.com. Featuring...... 1st Hour Pagany feat Myles Sanko - Another Star - Roby Arduini & Pagany Soulful Mix Richard Earnshaw Vs Marc Evans - The Way You Love Me Waltereino feat Kereem - I Love Muzik - Alfred Azzetto Classic Mix Junior White & Noelle - Stay - John Morales M&M Main Mix Jill Scott - So In Love With You - Booker T Re-Edit Donald Sheffey - Sweetheart - Kwazi Ngema & KeithBlack Roots Mix Slave - Just A Touch Of Love - Fingerman Re-Edit George Benson - The World Is A Ghetto - Suonho Re-Edit 2nd Hour J.J. Barnes - How Long The Philly Devotions - I Just Can't Say Goodbye - Jimmy DuPre Re-Edit Velvet - Bet You If You Ask Around The Invitations - Look On The Good Side - J*Ski Re-Edit The Supremes - You Can't Stop A Girl In Love Bettye Swan - When The Game Is Played On You - The Apple Scruffs Re-Edit Johnnie Taylor - Shoot For The Stars Valerie Simpson - Silly Wasn't I - Extended Mix Lamont Starr - Float Away - Steppers Mix Thelma Jones - Now That We Found Love Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis - You're Gonna Get Next To Me - DJ Sensus Remix https://www.sixmillionsteps.com/6MS-...5-Starpoint.mp3 Al will be on for the next 2 weeks and then we'll be rotating every other week touch wood. I look forward to seeing loads of people at the Baltic Soul Weekender in 10 days! Toodle Pip! Ian D

I actually had a dig around the internet to see if I could find a radio or TV ad featuring "Cool Off" but drew a blank, so I'm even beginning to wonder if this was a Northern Soul urban myth. It seems a curious set of lyrics to release on a song and not be a song for a drink ad but stranger things have happened I guess...... But "The Mighty Lover" was definitely used for advertising extra-strength condoms right? Ian D

Blimey, what a co-incidence. I posted that Brenda Holloway track up here last week as I'd never heard it before and never even realised the connection. How weird..... Ian D

Mmmm. Nothing 100% definitive then. What a weird release...... Ian D

I just went for it 'cos it was cool as f*ck! A song called "Cool Off" written and produced by Richard "Popcorn Wylie and Tony Hestor by a group called the Detrout Executives on a tiny Detroit label called Pameline. Irresistible to me and that was before I even heard it LOL..... Ian D

Wrong forum Geeselad. Check out www.acidcasualty.com. Ian D

I have a close mate who works for Royal Mail and he tells me that you may as well forget posting anything 2nd Class these days - something which I just kind of knew anyway so everything I send is automatically 1st Class and that seems to work OK. Ist class is obviously priority and if and when they clear the 1st Class stuff they get around to 2nd Class IF they're fully staffed and not trying to clear a backlog. Fact is they're almost never fully staffed and there's always a backlog so do the maths..... Ian D

No one? Did these just appear out of the blue or something....? Were they some 'lost' sessions or an elaborate bootleg? Ian D

Once again many apologies for not being as efficient as usual with the downloads and playlists of the previous couple of shows. I've actually written 'em all out but on my work computer so I can't post the catch-ups till tomorrow so I'll post up the two March shows with playlists and links tomorrow which should bring us up to date again. Apologies to Alan, who's been bugging me to do this for the last few weeks! This week's show has a load of newish stuff that has built up over the last few weeks so naturally I'll be featuring plenty of those 'cos they're all really tasty! Plus some interesting new re-edits and informal remixes and the usual diet of incredible soul records across all the eras! So try and join us in the Starpoint chatroom on the Starpoint homepage for some easy Sunday afternoon banter with the regulars! Six Million Steps Presents The Original Mastercuts Show LIVE with Ian Dewhirst between 2.00-4.00pm on Sunday 15th April 2012 on everyone's favourite Soul station www.starpointradio.com. Featuring...... Pagany feat Myles Sanko * Richard Earnshaw Vs Marc Evans * Waltereino feat Kereem * Junior White & Noelle * Jill Scott * Donald Sheffey * Slave * George Benson * J.J. Barnes * The Philly Devotions * Velvet * The Invitations * The Supremes * Bettye Swan * Johnnie Taylor * Valerie Simpson * Lamont Starr * Thelma Jones * Bo Kirkland & Ruth Davis Big shout outs to all the peeps who were at the Warehouse in Leeds a couple of weeks back. Great to see my old boss Mike Wiand again after some 30 years and so many other old faces from the early 80's! We all seem to be wearing well - must've been something in the water ay? Respect to all. Great to see Frankie Knuckles play a belting set too! A rockin' night all round. Also looking forward to catching up with loads of you at the forthcoming Baltic Soul Weekender in Germany in 2 weeks' time (which means I'll miss the next show too dammit). Anyway, if you can join me today from 2.00-4.00pm this afternoon that'd be great! See you in the Starpoint chatroom! Ian D

That's exactly what happened Russell. "Cool Off" was specifically made for a soft drink ad that aired in Detroit I believe...... Not sure which one came first though. Did Wylie & Hestor simply re-cycle the Mighty Lovers backing track for the ad song I wonder...? Ian D

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