Amsterdam Russ

A blurry photo of antelope taken by a 'known' wildlife photographer has been accoladed as "best European wildlife photograph" 2014. With my excuses to the photographer, I've upload the pic here so you can see it. The photographer reckons he knew it was special the moment he reviewed it on the back of the camera's screen. What's your opinion - is it a truly fantastic photo worthy of being described the best wildlife photo in Europe this year - or is it just a blurry image? Source story: http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-bristol-29770415

This is a brilliant routine - it must be late 40s/early 50s. It's got spins, backdrops, floor work, splits and even a 'Breakdance style' one-knee spin. Incredible stuff!

I recall reading an excellent article somewhere years back that explained very logically the inspiration for many of the moves we associate with Northern Soul dancing. The steps, the article stated, were copied and adapted from the choreographed routines performed on stage by many groups such as - in the 60s - the Temptations. Acrobatics have their origins in countless sources and trace a lineage back to troubadours, minstrel shows and so on. Wherever there's been entertainment there's been acrobatics and acrobatic dance routines (witness the NIcholas Brothers, Bill "Bo Jangles" Robinson and many, many others). In the days of the variety shows at places such as the Apollo, many entertainers specialised uniquely in performing dance routines. To stay on top of your game - and win that much needed applause from the audience - you had to innovate; come up with new moves and combinations of moves. Your routines had to be fresh. Musical groups quite naturally incorporated acrobatic routines into their choreographed dance moves. People, wanting to impress their peers, copy these moves, invent their own and in turn these are copied by other people. Next thing you know you have a whole new dance style. The article that I read said that one of the most influential 'dancing groups' of the 60s was Alvin Cash and the Crawlers. Apparently their on stage routines were something to behold. Did martial arts influence Northern Soul dancing? Of course it would have done - for some people, but not everyone. And once somebody does a 'martial arts' move for the first time, the person copying or adapting it won't see it as being a 'kung fu kick' or whatever. It's just a move. At the end of the dancing day, Northern Soul moves have been inspired and copied from many sources. Once copied though, moves and styles are adapted and become something unique by itself. Northern Soul dancing is Northern Soul dancing no matter who in history first thought of doing a spin, a backdrop or a high kick.

Just seen the release date of early November in the opening post!

Ha! Notice that there are only two and a half pears in the photo - and we picked considerably more nuts than you see in the photo. Thanks a lot. The set up was done using a very basic softbox kit, side lighting (two small domestic spot lights), macro extension tubes, the camera on a tripod, and a dinner table! The backdrop to the pears photo is a wooden chopping board along with a checked tablecloth out of a picnic set. For the hazel nuts pic I used a different tablecloth. The background to the faded autumnal flowers photo I posted recently is a beigey-brown hand towel.

I do like autumnal colours in photos. Here's a couple of pics I took during a dining table-top still life photo session... Dutch hazel nuts Ripe, autumnal pears

Acetates were often cut and used as promo items sent to radio djs, etc - typically before the disc was pressed.

A 45 I bought from a seller in New York went missing even though it was trackable through the USPS system. Some weeks later it showed on the tracking service as being back in New York. Next day though, it arrived at my door. On the package was a stamp stating that it had been "missent" to the Caribbean island of Montserrat! If only they'd arranged for me to collect it in person!

The media bandwagon rolls on, this time with an article in the Independent. Less a review of the film and more an essay on youth tribes - and the woeful lack of them - written by someone whose appreciation of the Northern scene come from the fact that "…I was there". https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/fashion/features/northern-soul-where-have-all-the-style-tribes-gone-9807056.html

Have you checked the attic recently? You never can tell…

An audio playlist of the 45s played in my 2nd set at the Amsterdam Soul Club, Saturday 18th October 2014 https://www.mixcloud.com/LomaRuss/amsterdam-soul-club-mix-oct-2014/ Track listing: Buddy Ace - Screaming PLease Mitty Collier - My Babe Cookie Jackson - Do You Still Love Me Freddy Hill - Mr Lucky Marvin Gaye - Love Starved Heart The Enchantments - I'm In Love With Your Daughter Youngblood Smith - You Can Split Roy Roberts - Got To Have Your Love Gloria Parker - Hello Baby, Goodbye, Too Ray Agee - Real, Real Love Harvey Averne Dozen - Never Learned To Dance Xiantoni Ari - What's It Gonna Be The Dynamics - Ain't No Sun The Voices of East Harlem - Right On, Be Free The Chevelles - The Gallop Na Allen - Open The Door To Your Heart Terry Callier - Look At Me Now Rhonda Davis - Can You Remember The Commands - Hey It's Love Kurt Harris - Emperor Of My Baby's Heart Kim Weston - A Thrill A Moment Dottie and Millie - Talking About My Baby Freddie Houston - If I Had Known The Chandlers - Your Love Makes Me Lonely The Imaginations - Strange Neighborhood Ray Pollard - Sad Thing The Intentions - Don't Forget That I love You

Not a review, but Sky News have done a video report about the film that includes a number of short interviews with Elaine and Lisa Stansfield. The vid is on Sky's home page, which is great exposure. https://news.sky.com/video/1355579/soul-film-set-to-hit-the-big-time

Book delivered here in the Netherlands about an hour ago. I have to say that at first glance it looks great, and for the person who was concerned earlier, there are lots of interesting photos and scans. I'm looking forward to reading it.

But very positive nonetheless. Quality over quantity.

Courtesy of Sky News this morning... https://news.sky.com/story/1354770/vinyl-albums-a-hit-again-with-record-sales Given that once upon a time a single LP release or a 45 could sell a million or more, it's not exactly a second coming, but still, there's life in the format yet. These figures only consider LP sales and not the burgeoning market for new vinyl 45 releases - and of course it doesn't give any thought to the flourishing global sales of 2nd hand vinyl.

Hitler's not happy about the film... Apologies if this has already been posted elsewhere!

Now riding high at 19th in the Mixcloud Northern Soul chart, 22nd in the Vinyl chart and 37th in the RNB chart. Among other things, the mix contains presumed unreleased tracks from Nat Hall and Duke Turner, an unidentified instrumental and a great R&B number from an unidentified group out of New York. Give it a listen!

Right-click does load individual images into a new browser window, but you shouldn't need to do that. Just clicking on them normally ought to be enough. Downloading the first image shows it to be 4000 x 3000 pixels - onscreen that's pretty big!

Looks like some fantastic pics the - except I can't see them properly. Click on them and they're huge - much bigger than the computer screen I'm using anyway. Any chance you can resize them so they're a bit smaller?

There is no *need* for anything. It's all about choice in the form of personal preference - and tolerance for the preferences of others (with the exception of baggies and circle skirts ).

Well said, Aaron! There's hope and the future just got a little bit brighter. One small point though; this 'baggie' thing doesn't really represent the scene as it was. Sure, some people wore baggies, but they came and they went - it was a fad. To me at least, Northern Soul doesn't have a uniform. Only the media and those on the nostalgia trip think it does.

BBC trainee journalist: "How do you think the macroeconomic climate of 1960s America affected the income and job creation opportunities of the microeconomic music industry players that comprised independent record label owners, producers and promoters, especially when considering the rising spending power of pre-work experience teens and the backdrop of racial disharmony and Vietnam?" Paul Masonic "Against the backdrop of what? Forget that economics crap. Have you seen me doing a backdrop? I did it on telly, didn't I? Have I told you about that? You didn't see it? Oh, look. Let me show you…" Trainee: "Oh, that looks painful. Can I help you up?" Paul Masonic "Oh, yes please…. That hurts. Ooooh... I have to be honest; it took three weeks of training and six takes before I got it right on telly. And even then I had to have an ice pack and a massage afterwards." Trainee: "I didn't know you were a gambler…" Paul Masonic: "What…?" Trainee: "Well, since the TV show last year you're always telling everyone how you went to that casino." Paul Masonic: "No, you daft 'apeth! I went dancing! More than that; I was a rebel fighting against the system that would eventually land me the top job I've got today. I was part of the underground elite that would eventually reach its rebellious pinnacle by making it onto Top of the Pops - what a day that was!" Trainee: "Wasn't it all about drugs?" Paul Masonic: "No, pet. I was never drawn into the downwardly spinning cycle of debauchery, drugs, baggies and crap disco records. I was dressed in my best Italian clobber at all times." Trainee: "How do you do backdrops in tight Italian trousers?" Paul Masonic: "Very carefully! Listen love, how about I take you home and let you have a feel of me patches? If you're lucky, I might let you have play with me cover-ups!" Trainee: "Ooh, get you. Cheeky. Has anyone told you that you dance like me dad?" Paul Masonic: "Doh!"

Plumage patterns do vary in young birds, of course, so that could explain it. More exotically, could it have been one of these? A white-breasted cormorant. It would have been well out of it's usual geographical zone, but then that's not really so unusual among our feathered friends, is it? And what with all that 'climate change' taking place...

Looks fairly standard for a juvenile to me. To confirm I had a quick look online and basically that's all you see - white bellies. Here's an example I 'nabbed' from Mr Google.

Great to read, but his story's getting a bit inconsistent now. In this one, he comments about the attire worn on the scene thus: In his blog post from a few days ago, he commented: Which is it?