Amsterdam Russ

Just because a record came on that you didn't know wasn't a reason to get off the dance floor - no matter the venue in the UK. With my match box sized knowledge of Northern Soul 45s, I'm still dancing to records I don't know over here in Amsterdam and will carry on doing so as long as my little legs will allow.

Always a delight to see that I'm not alone in appreciating this. One more time: 'Northern Soul' is not a musical genre - it's a youth cult approaching retirement age. It's a movement that began when people shared a broad common interest in certain styles of music. Now it's mainly full of ageing and cantankerous grumblies who either go on about how "it's not like the old days" or bemoan anything that's different or left of field of anything outside of their increasingly narrow and glaucomic vision. Not a single artist, group or label owner in the 60s ever recorded a song and said "let's do it in the Northern Soul style!" Why this desperate need to pigeon-hole and categorise - it's beyond me. Learn to see the bigger musical picture.

I hear exactly what you're saying there, Bob. I thought though that Pruter et al, were absolutely dedicated in their desire to comprehensively document the blues/R&B output of the city in the post-war years. If that were me and someone came along with tracks I'd never heard of, I'd at least have wanted to hear them - find out whether they were hitherto unknown. For if they were unreleased or unknown, then their discovery should surely be a welcome addition not only to the discography of the city, label and artist, but also to the repository of knowledge about Chicago's musical heritage that these guys have been building for years. The chances that both tracks got released is much more probable than them not having seen the light of day, but in looking at the wonderfully detailed discographies on the RSRF pages, I would have thought that even scans of both sides of the acetate might have been useful additions to their pages. Obviously, I expect too much of people. Ho-hum. Bob Stallworth - thanks for the tip. I see that he's also a member of the RSRF. Regardless, perhaps I'll drop him a line as well.

Just an update on this... I emailed Robert Campbell, Chicago blues & R&B expert and one of the leading lights of the RSRF, asking he might be able to help identify the article/label of release. I also offered to send soundfiles of both sides if wished. However, I received no reply. A couple of days ago, I emailed Robert Pruter and asked the same questions: could he identify the artist and label of release by the song titles; if not, would he like to hear the tracks? He was unable to offer any info and had no interest in hearing the tracks. Additionally, if I had not heard from Campbell, he said, then it was because he'd forgotten about my email or had nothing to say about the disc. For guys with a highly specialised and long-standing interest in the history of blues and R&B in Chicago, I had thought that a possibly unknown and unreleased recording from the city might have piqued their interest, even if just a little bit. But, it would seem not. So, the tracks, along with the identity of the artist, remains unknown. Think I'll stick it up on YouTube and see if anyone can identify it. The singer sounds incredibly familiar, but I can't put my finger on it, and I really have very little knowledge of the whole genre. If the tracks are performed by someone well known, then I'm sure someone will come forward and volunteer their identity soon enough.

Who are all these mystery bootleggers who seem to be continually flooding ebay and the like with their tainted wares? They're obviously people connected to the scene, otherwise they wouldn't know what to boot for starters. People on the scene must know who some of these unidentified characters are... It's improbably to think otherwise. Come on, step forward and shop a bootlegger today...

Just to clarify - WB released it. It didn't come out on Loma. And agreed, it is a rather good instrumental. Also got released in France with the instrumental on the flip.

Lena Zavaroni used to sing in what for a number of years was my local pub - The Britannia on Lever Street, London EC1. Happily, that was just a bit before I became a regular there. 'The Brit' is one of those old-fashioned boozers the size of a living room, but which has a long tradition of music entertainment. I'm sure they have live music there still. Being on the fringes of London's East End, it also had strong gangster connections (didn't they all?) with the Kray family (Charlie Kray) in particular, being something of a regular. The pub is just a couple of minutes away from the council tower block that Ronnie and Reggie moved their dear ol' mum to after it was built, and at which location they were arrested and eventually put away. The pub is very much one of those haunts were every punter has a story to tell about 'the good old days' when they were a 'tasty geezer' and a force to be reckoned with on the manor. How true those stories were is another thing, although many of them were undoubtedly based entirely on fact! Sadly, those characters passed away one by one and I doubt if any of the real old timers remain now. As well as Lena Zavaroni, the pub was also a favourite local venue of the duo Peters and Lee (remember them?). A guy called Johnny Day(e) also performed there frequently. He was a member of some group that charted in the 60s a couple of times, but I don't remember which group it was. In later years, a group called 'No Spring Chicken' played there for a while. Their repertoire included solid blues and R&B numbers. The band was made up entirely of seasoned session musicians. The white-haired keyboard player supported Tommy Hunt at the Wigan Casino and used to be in a Birmingham/Midlands R&B/Mod-type band in the 60s. Again, I can't remember his name or the name of the group they were in back then. About seven or eight years ago, a local guy, who also had had bit of a music career performed there a few times. His name - Moon Williams! The late Jim Demetriou and I did a few soul nights in the pub, but they didn't exactly go down a storm and our residency was short-lived! That would have been '92-'93 perhaps. Ah, the memories. Sorry to go off at such a tangent, but with Tommy Hunt, Moon Williams, Wigan Casino, and a handful of 60s gangsters all connected to Lena Zavaroni through a back street boozer, I hope it was worth it!

This is a different person all together. Leo Robinson, the Brazilian JJ Jackson, was born in Gillette, Arkansas, November 1942. He dropped the Robinson family name in 1982 at the behest of a Brazilian TV station for whom he'd written a theme tune to a successful TV show. Why they chose this name and why Robinson went along with it is unclear. Here's his website (in Portuguese): https://www.jjjackson.com.br The 'real' JJ Jackson heralds from Brooklyn, NY, and was born 8th April 1941. Remembering the 'real' JJ Jackson's immense size, a quick look at photos of the two performers makes it immediately apparent that they are different people (unless a stint at Weight Watchers proved to be an unparalleled success!). Also, listening to any song from both back-to-back is a dead giveaway that they really aren't the same people. Hope this helps clarify things.

Another thread here from not so long ago asking the same question...

Belgium is one of the original signatories of the Berne Convention, so one would have thought its laws would be pretty tight in terms of protecting the rights of owners. It did make amendments to its copyright laws in the mid-90s. so prior to then there could well have been perfectly legal to bring works - even those originating from other countries - into the public domain after just 25 years. If so, I imagine every other country participating in the Convention would have been clamouring for this 'loophole' to be closed! Would be nice to have this 25 year thing clarified though.

For me it would probably have to be Linda Jones - Just can't live my life. Got this on tape years ago and I remember playing it on my Walkman on the way to work over and over again. When the song finished, I'd hit the rewind button and listen to it again never tiring of it. Eventually I got a copy on 45 from Rob Wigley and just couldn't wait for it to arrive. It seemed like an eternity before it came through the letter box and when it did, tragedy struck. I'd had it sent registered post - I really wanted to make sure it arrived safely, so desperate was I for it. However, it then occurred to me that the postman had just popped it through the letter box - he hadn't asked for a signature. Picking the packet up from the mat, I then saw that there was no registered mail sticker on it. In fact, it looked as if it had been ripped off. Worse, there was an ominous crease across the length of the cardboard packaging. Opening it up, my heart sank. The record was in two pieces. The money was eventually refunded by the Post Office and I got another copy of the 45 at some point. The broken record has been stuck to a record box since then (although it's been in four pieces for years). However, I'll never forget the mixture of anticipation, excitement and then tragic disappointment on that day and in many respects the emotional roller coaster ride of that day contains even now something of an essence of this thing we call 'Northern Soul'. After all, apart from love, what else can lift you so high and then drop you to such depths? It's the very heart of 'soul' itself and as Linda still cries out, "I just can't live my life without you..."

Where do you get the 25 year cut-off point from Robb? The almost universally-accepted Berne Convention provides protection in excess of this period before entering the public domain, and Belgium (along with the rest of the EU) acknowledges this framework. Also, as a member of the Berne Convention, one would expect Belgium to support the laws of the country of origin of the work. Just curious...

I like the fact that on the left hand side of the label it says "A ZIJDE"! That's A SIDE in Dutch/Flemish

Which is exactly why the 'sweet' side was offered up by the seller, not the 'dancer'.

Well, I won the record and received it in the post just before lunch. To me it looks like a boot. It's pressed on lightweight styrene, there's no stamp in the deadwax and the label text isn't as crisp as some of the w/d's that can be seen on Popsike. The sound quality on both sides however, is great. By the way, loads of the copies on Popsike appear to be this same pressing. If it is a boot a lot of people have paid a lot of money over the years for it! I've already been in touch with the seller and he offered me a full refund immediately. The guy is a general record dealer and doesn't specialise in Northern Soul. He runs a sizeable stall in one the country's largest indoor markets. I've bought from him before, so have no reason to think he's trying to pull a fast one. He says he bought a small Northern collection recently and this is what he's selling on ebay right now. He's disappointed because what was sold to him as an original may not be at all. What's interesting is that he tells me that the former owner says he bought all of these, including the Roy Roberts, between the years 1970 and 1978. Could this have been booted back then?

I had the distinction of meeting Lou in the loo at the 100 Club prior to his performance there one night way back when. We didn't shake hands... Another one bites the dust.

That's really appreciated, Bob. First off, I'm going to enquire with the RSRF. Not only might they be able to help in identifying the tracks and provide some general background on the studios, but I reckon they might well appreciate having scans of the disc for their archives. I'll report back with an update...

Ok, thanks guys. I've learned that groups to record there included: Five Chances (United) Sonny Til's Orioles (Vee Jay) The Magnificents (Vee Jay) Artie Wilkins & the Palms (States) Danderliers/Moroccos/Lefty Bates Band (United) Dates range from between 1953 to 56. As far as I can tell, the studios were located at 25 East Jackson before moving to the address given earlier. Based on the date range, it would appear that the studios were quite short-lived. Illogically, I'd expected it to be a studio of long-standing with a rich vein of history running through the 60s R&B and soul music scenes. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking on my part. My prime motivation for asking is that I've just got hold of an incredible double-sided acetate from Boulevard Studios with two absolutely stonking R&B tracks on them. Even better, the acetate is in a sublime condition. The brilliantly detailed Red Saunders Research Foundation (https://hubcap.clemso...mpber/rsrf.html) doesn't appear to have any mention of the two cuts, but the tracks are of such quality that they must have been released. Perhaps I'll make contact with the foundation (of which Robert Pruter is a member), and see if they can help in identifying them. If not, then they'll have a couple of mystery tracks to slot into their discographies of early Chicago R&B. Moderators - as this appears to have no connection to the soul genre, please do feel free to move this thread to some dark corner of a forum somewhere if it's thought best.

I'm trying to find out some background information about Boulevard Studios, 632 North Dearborn St, Chicago. The building at the address was home to the Chicago Historical Society. In fact, the building was designed with them in mind by architect Henry Ives Cobb in 1896. The society moved from there in 1932 and at some point parts of the building were converted into a recording studio. Today, it's a nightclub. I know that Boulevard Studios was operational during the 50s and that Vee Jay used its facilities. There is some information to be had courtesy of the Red Saunders Research Foundation, but only occasional and scattered mentions in the descriptions of some songs that they were recorded there. What would be good is a more concrete idea of the performers, producers, labels etc, that used the studios, how long the company lasted and any information about the people behind the operation.

Acetate of The Newbeats - Run baby run Promo of Barbara Mills - Try Acetate of Barbara Mills - Try

Geography is obviously not your strong point - the UK was definitely in the Europe the last time anyone checked and has been for rather some time. I object to your implied sweeping and negative generalisation about the integrity of people living in the Netherlands. Indeed, I object to the negative generalisation of any groups of people - let's not just limit it to the Netherlands. There are bad apples in the barrels of every country, county, city, culture and community. Stereotyping of supposed national/collective characteristics, traits, behaviours, attitudes, etc, etc, is typically offensive and really should be avoided. Getting back on topic, I have some insight into the seller and will act accordingly.

Next time I'm out at a night in Amsterdam or anywhere else in the Netherlands, I'll let the chaps over here know your words...

Why?

Progress - Pancho Villa & the Bandits... Got to be one of my fave sax instrumentals. That and Harlem Rumble...

Soundswholesale also offer the best deal when buying sleeves from abroad. Rather oddly, no one stocks white card sleeves here in the Netherlands.