Quite lucky in the South East, before RV got snapped up by Radio drOne his Saturday lunchtime show on Radio London was a must for those into JF&S.
Jeff Young replaced him on Radio London, and it was still a great listen.
Broadcaster Michael Aspel used to have a mid-morning show on the old 194 mw Capital Radio, and his intro tune was Azymuth's Jazz Carnival.
Jeff Young yes. By late 70s the Northern Jazz Funk scene emerging out if Northern Soul's modern plays was crossing over too. Venues such as from Manchester Ritz, Leeds Central, next stage of Blackpool Mecca, Nottingham Rock City/Easy Street. These scenes started buying and playing the same music. DJs Greg Wilson, Colin Curtis and so many more.
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2024-08-05 09:39:40)
Colin Curtis is a legend, never managed to go up north to one of his residencies. But managed to go to most in the Home Counties and London area. Frenchies, The Belvedere, zero six, Flicks, Goldmine, Royalty and Wheelers to name a few, our home turf was Frenchies in Camberley with Chris Brown & Jon Walker.
I read a review of the novel ‘Day of the Jackal’….
.. we follow the Jackal as he goes about his preparations for the final act, zipping back and forth between countries but taking plenty of breaks for fine meals or cocktails. In one chapter he simply wanders between cafés like some deadly flâneur, checking out potential vantage points and angles of fire before stopping off at another bistro for coffee and croissants.
A ‘deadly flâneur’. Now there’s a role model dear Ivy chums
Robbie Vincent on Radio London was required listening on a Saturday lunchtime late 70s for me and my mates in Essex. One friend mentioned listening to Kenny Everett and we had to put him straight. We travelled down the A13 to the Goldmine and down the A127 to the Zero 6 but in our mid to late 20s we started to feel too old and then we found our level at the Epping Forest Country club which was great for JF & S
And then we all went and got married and I rarely saw my mates again.
Quote: We travelled down the A13 to the Goldmine and down the A127 to the Zero 6 but in our mid to late 20s we started to feel too old
I was wondering who those old farts were back in the day : )
AUS,
Steppin out predated Robbie Vincent who moved onto Radio One in '84.
Andy Peebles soul show was a bit later I think. Although he was at Radio One from the late Seventies his Sunday night soul show started mid Eighties.
Although RV gets the wider recognition, AP was a superb presenter. By the time his Sunday Night show started Jf&S had gone too electronic for my tastes. He battled on playing a load of Independent label soul. I would listen to the show and use the Voices From The Shadows list to track tunes down. Brings back so many fond memories.
In Birmingham the scene was heavily influenced by DJ/record store owner who was into the jazzier side of the mix. Northern had died out here by the early Eighties. I was never a fan.
American clothes just went perfectly with the scene. Weejuns were great to dance in. Worn with argyle socks and ocbd half sleeves.
Last edited by AlveySinger (2024-08-05 15:55:09)
Also, on Capital Radio Greg Edwards used to present his Soul Spectrum show which was early Saturday evening, and also on there you also had the late Peter Young whose Soul cellar show catered for Northern Soul element.
How about the Record Stores.
City Sounds in Holborn for Jap-Jazz. Groove in Soho for the latest 12" singles. Paul Murphy had the basement in Record Shack in Berwick Street.
For cut outs and deletions BlueBird in Paddington Green.
There were so many to visit.
Shame my daughters generation will never know the joy of wandering between record stores on a Saturday afternoon looking for the perfect beat.
Quote: How about the Record Stores.
Didn't manage to get to Murphy's place, but I used City Sounds, Groove and Bluebird but not that often.
I was quite fortunate. I knew Jon Walker (who was Chris Brown's warm up at Frenchies) he managed our local Our Price Records store. Jon knew one of the guys from one of the record shops above (can't remember who) as he was a DJ and every Thursday took delivery of a stack of new imports, which of course saved me a trip of a train up to London and this also coincided with me getting paid (which is a recipe for disaster). I used to come out of there with a minimum of 2 albums every week. I can even remember the first import album I bought off him. It would've been late 1980, I walked into the shop and heard this haunting saxophone intro, the album was Sadao Watanabe's "How's Everything" live at the Budokan and the track was "Up country".
Last edited by Runninggeez (2024-08-06 11:19:17)
quote:I was wondering who those old farts were back in the day : )
Yes, that was me and my mates. And we felt out of place. A couple of my friends were two/three years younger. I would have been wearing weejuns and BD Baggies shirts. Not sure of the time period but younger mate would have been wearing bowling shirts and sandals?
Quote: I would have been wearing weejuns and BD Baggies shirts. Not sure of the time period but younger mate would have been wearing bowling shirts and sandals?
Weejun's or Cole Haan's and a Lacoste polo or some overpriced shirt from Jones in the Kings Rd, probably a bell sleeve cardigan, red tag Levi's or Fiorucci safety Jeans, weren't quite full-on Ivy at that time.
I forgot about Greg Edwards and the Soul Spectrum show. Another good radio show
RG,
Really interesting point about being full on Ivy.
I think back in the early Eighties it was more of an Americana vibe. Loafers, bd's, cardigans, rare straight legged Levi's and heavy weight grey marl sweatshirts and t-shirts.Also throw in lots of Lacoste - polo shirts, golf shirts with pockets and cardigans. Lots of different blousons too.
It just was so different from anything on the high street
There wasn't any Sixties overtones it was more pastels and casual.
As I type this I'm listening to Nice Shot. I've forgotten how much I love this tune. Thank you for bringing back the memories. Next Friends and strangers.
Quote: Next Friends and strangers.
Ah Dave Grusin, one of RV's favourites, think he used that song to open his show with. After that it was Get It by The Dramatics.
By 1983 I discovered by accident the Ivy Shop Windsor and by 1984 I finally found JS, so I was buying more Ivy style clothing.
What a great memory. You're right about the Robbie title songs. Sadly I don't think the Dramatics tune ever made it to CD. What a song!
I'm sure I found JS by accident whilst hunting for records.
One of the big Jazz record stores, possibly Mole Jazz, had a small second store in the Covent Garden area. That would of been the only reason for me to be in the area in the Eighties.
Weirdly I never went to Mole Jazz, when in London it was always Rays.
Closer to home for old re-issues it was Musicwise in Egham run by a guy called Adam Gibbs, he used to advertise in Blues & Soul. My copy of Black Whip by Ivan Boogaloo Joe Jones was from there. Chris Brown didn't like him called him an effing mercenary.
RG check this out
https://www.britishrecordshoparchive.org
Get It is on 1980 album The Dramatic Way which was reissued on CD in Europe. It is available from sellers at Discogs.
@Alvey
What an excellent site, I was checking out the Camberley page. Dykes was where my dad bought his first stereo and the odd album. I bought Slade's Gudbye T' Jane from there. One shop they missed out was Harlequin Records (Our Price replaced them). I can remember walking to the train station early
one Monday morning and seeing a massive queue of Hippie's waiting for it to open because they were selling Led Zep at Knebworth tickets there.
The small Tower Records shop that was in the High St was run by a Soul boy who was a few years older than me, you could by cut out's from there plus it had a good Funk and Soul section. Harlequin mainly catered for the Hippies.
Last edited by Runninggeez (2024-08-09 05:06:36)
I still navigate Nottingham by old long gone record shops in my head (and past pubs).
Selectadisc across its locations, Revolver, Pendulum, the Jazz shop at top of the Arcade, Arcade Records, the extensive one in basement of W H Smiths (great for Blues and Jazz). Plus Rob's Records still going for Soul & Mod vinyl. First Fopp shops. Plus more I am remembering but do not recall the name of.
Record shops were my initial obssessions.
Last edited by An Unseen Scene (2024-08-09 06:35:57)
The thread has ventured into disk jockeys.
Oldies should remember Mike Raven. He had a two hour show on radio 1 at weekends that covered black music. Mercifully free of the sort of jingles that were popular at the time. He was also knowledgeable, informative and did not hide behind an adopted personality.
He mostly played new releases most of which would never feature on playlists. First hour was soul music. Then it was onto blues as far back as Bessie Smith. He was the first to play rock steady and reggae, long before John Peel lionised Bob Marley.
He has a marvellous wiki page. Oxbridge graduate, ex Army officer, ballet dancer !, pirate radio man, flamenco guitarist, actor sculptor.
He packed the DJing in and went on to Hammer horror films. This was around the time The Temptations went psychedelic so he probably thought the good stuff had come to an end.
The eight pound pint. Unfortunately it was my round but having seen what the bloke in front was charged we agreed to switch to halves.
Landlord looking for Norman Balons crown as Britain's rudest landlord. Vain enough to have his name across the front of the pub.
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/19970243/britains-strictest-landlord-nags-head/&ved=2ahUKEwiF5cHFt4OIAxV5X0EAHTXMPDkQFnoECCIQAQ&usg=AOvVaw3VLf2ATSTvGLDfIb7k9gJy
Should have stayed in The Star Tavern in Belgrave Mews -only a fiver a pint in there.
Kinnerton Street is gentrified servants quarters now popular with bohemian/degenerate types. Prince Andrew was photographed there with that young girl
Last edited by Kingston1an (2024-08-20 05:12:14)