I am aged 47 and been into the rare soul scene or as they now call it the northern soul scene since I was 10/11yrs old.I shared a room with one of my elder brothers who went to the all-niters and would play all his records before we both went to school.
He went to the clubs under-age and I followed suit by going to various venues but with the older brothers and sisters from the twisted wheel days.
Un-beknown to me at the time my brother had told them to keep an eye on me and being with these absolute yet charming lunatics was a great time as a youngster.They were wild yet very nice(with me anyway LOL)
My very first 45 was a choice between Edwin Starrs 'agent 00 soul/Ike and Tina's 'river deep mountain high' or Chicagos Jerry Butler's 'moody woman'.
What a choice for an 11yr old to make...I opted for the Mercury copy of 'moody woman'
I first heard the SUPERB SOUNDS of PHILADELPHIA in 1971 when my brother and a friend he collected with paid 10uk pounds (an astonishing amount of money in 1970/71)for a secret adress which was a philly catalogue of over around 5,000 sounds or more.This I managed to secretly find and saw the names of LEE ANDREWS/THE LARKS......etc etc....
Around this time I was listening to more obscurer DETROIT/CHICAGO 45s......
My very first Motown 45 or hitsville related 45 was the stomping 'take some time out for love' by THE ISLEY BROTHERS.
The rare 45s back then I remember hearing were 'at the discotheque-chubby checker/sweet sherry-jj barnes/lets have a love-in-wingate strings/Ive been hurt-ray whitley/music with soul-prophets/baby thats a groove-roy handy/baby reconsider-leon haywood/Ive got something good-sam and kitty/bok to bach-fathers angels/let the good times roll-bunny sigler/happy-william bell/6x6-earl van dyke/soul stomp-earl van dyke/cant do without you-lee andrews/just a little misunderstanding/first I look at the purse-Contours/house in order-a bryant......etc etc
Cue 1972 THE MECCA/TORCH.....
WOW......Here come the 4 beats to the bar stompers......
james bounty-prove yourself a lady/4 larks-grooving at the go-go/ollie jackson-just a little while/rose batiste-hit and run/thelma lindsey-prepared to love you/sounds of lane-tracks to your mind/mitch ryders 45s/christine cooper-heartaches away my boy/arrest me-jamo thomas/Exus trek-Luther ingram/bobby patterson/shakers/grover mitchell/len jewell/sweet things/glories/johnny moore/eddie parker etc etc........
THANK GOD FOR THE WHEEL/MECCA/TORCH/UP THE JUNCTION/CATACOMBS/VA-VA'S/SAMANTHAS/CASINO.....
I was now into the obscrer dancers but still had and still have today my MOTOWN/STAX/ATLANTIC etc 45s.
I had a hiatus when I joined the british army but when I came out have been back in my old ways and am now on my 3rd collection.
MySpaceTV Videos: MOSES AND JOSHUA DILLARD - MY ELUSIVE DREAMS by Alan P http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids....
A good old wheel 45 I have had now for over 30years.Still sounds good.
