Dear Richard

Congratulations again sir on the two magnificent Sunday soul radio programs 9^th & 16^th SeptThis year(2001), both absolutely top draw content, quality & fun. This Sunday Kenny Burrell lived up to his reputation by coming up trumps with his rarer/lesser known sounds, history info and anecdotes a great performance and a great program.

Going back to the previous week, the 9^th of September “Part-time” Great I’m sure you had letters and emails calling for more of the same, However Richard it is with some sadness I feel duty bound to write this open letter and question two points raised in “Part-time”As I listened during the Ginger Frannie Party, I was thinking my mate will be loving all this stuff, the clubs, venues and all the sounds he collects and loves so much. More please – BOOGALOO PARTY ON !!!!!! and then the Four Tops CD track and the reality of bootlegging Motown onto CD’s for sale by allegedly “Soul DJ’s”, something registered, but Gingers reply referring to “collectors who play at Djing” as if there are only about ½ dozen professional DJ’s !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OH elitism on the powerful media (radio) My brain then got seriously into gear, I was not recording the show but I had a very clear picture of what had been said and inferred, not the best in diplomacy i.e. “Them and us”.I listened on only now half listening now as in my thoughts I was drafting this letter even though I was on the road going to Cleveleys.I didn’t enjoy my day out as what had been said on your show i.e. the bootleg thing and professional DJ’s vs. collectors who play at it was by now really starting to Piss me off. Having got home at about 6.00pm I made myself a nice cuppa in an attempt to chill out. I began to get my thoughts into some semblance of order. 

On the sad subject of pirating / bootlegging I really hope all of them get what’s coming to them. Rooster records above Preston market has stopped trading so to has Andy’s records on cheap side also near the market, Andy’s always had a great selection of Northern and Motown CD’s, Preston car boot on the market are full of bootleg CD’s of all types of music including Northern soul, what a state of affairs!, I recently complained to the local trading standards but to no avail due to lack of staff and funding and if they do nail these guys there’s no money in it for them, they want the big guys having said what I have I am not the kind of person who can bring myself to report names and give addresses, wimp ??? maybe, anyway Sunday evening I received three phone calls. The first from DJ “N” the subject of the call was of course “Cellar full of soul” and right on the button pirating / bootlegging and the pro vs. collector thing. Boy did he let fly, maybe he recorded it and had been playing it back over and over, I didn’t ask, having said that he was not blazing mad more annoyed and in some respect also humored by it and found the whole especially the Pro V’s Collector bit elitist and laughable. He was however convinced that the CD bootlegging was leveled at himself (play with fire etc ). The next call came off a friend in Liverpool, and again right in full throttle, He thought the bootlegging of yours and other CD’s was a dig at Eddie E, I told him I beloved it  was at “N” he  100% it was at Eddie E,  WOW, however on the subject of the Pro Dj’s  he was really on one, he had a load to say and all relative to eletism,lack of professionalism, blowing their own trumpets, prices they pay for records, not finding new sounds, taking credit for finding when it’s down to collectors (you know the guys who play at it) .blowing up amps and going on to much loudness! Wow there was no stopping him. Although ”n” RANG ME, I would have not rang him. Equally EDDY.E never crossed my mind and I wouldn’t want to talk to him either.

T.V daily papers and radio are very powerful tools- a wrong assumption or comment, a thoughtless unguarded or off the cuff comment or even a serious unthought viewpoint can be misconstrued or followed up sometimes to enormous hurt or mischief. I believe that the latter of these is on the borderline and in hindsight should not have been said unless it was a great come on a tongue in cheek quip, a little wind up, but I don’t think the smaller DJ’s the collector/ DJ’s are thinking that way the ones I’ve talked (about 2 dozen by now as of 19^th Sept) all have a very similar view to my own.

There was a lot more notice of the professional DJ’s V’s collectors playing at Djing than of the bootlegging remarks, the hurt to the many soulies involved with pubs and clubs and small soul venues runs into many hundreds within the radios of jazz fm 100.40 and many are hurt. I could almost sum it up as: professional people (DJS) Acting unprofessionally and upsetting amateurs and collectors who have 100% professional attitudes.! 

The pirating/bootlegging is a separate issue. The “booting” and marketing of countless popular rare Lesser know, well known soul,6t’s & 70’s Motown, unissued etc 45’s has made many people very wealthy. One guy used to sell a car boot load at almost every Wigan Casino all-nighter and do this week in week out month after month, he was always there at some venue making it pay. And were is this guy now ???? well he’s a “big wheel” professional DJ,promoting, CD producer specializing in northern and rare Motown. He got away with 1000’s of  booted 45’s a week. Where ‘N’ and Eddy and the likes of do maybe 20 a month, hardly in the same class as him. It’s no good me trying to explain any of their reasons apart from money.

I have never been a buyer of boot’s or fakes of any kind with one exception, Bernie Goldings album WVON CHICAGO" all nite long” he borrowed nearly all the 45’s on it from Ian Lavene, I have never used it in public……yet

Professional DJ’s

Some of the major critisms of our north west based “Professional DJ’s”

1)      They always crank up the music going off the scales, vibrating speakers and even blowing up amps (not uncommon) ,they would not do this if they had (or knew how to) to set up and  check the equipment for themselves 

2)      They really think they are so elite ( as proven on radio) yes some are good but not elite, they are not prima Donna's nor premiership footballers

3)      They seem to forget the 1000’s of soul fans who remember them from 20/30 years ago (or in some cases only 5 years ago) and who they used to go to for advice, views and records.

4)      They are all too keen to quote “this 45 is really rare…only two known copies bought last week well into four figures” bollocks on “Professional DJ”  should say this sort of spiel….and in many cases they are mistaken anyway as many lesser known mortals(collectors) have further copies….the likes of Tony and Joan Livesey, Gaz Kellett, Guy Hannigan, Phill Trelfall, Simon Blackburn and many others who crack up laughing at some of this elitist crap and say what a pillock…been ripped off

5)      In my view another fault is they holler and shout at people to get up and dance…this is bad mannered, the listening and dancing punters get so annoyed and can be often heard to say “oh shut up and lets hear the music”. Johnny Pearson tells me he chives and shouts encouragement for them to “get of their arses” to take the elitism out of northern soul, no sorry it’s just bad manners and in any case a weak excuse when the 45’s are liable to be landslide, blowing up my mind, out on the floor and other repetitious oldies !! And then sneak on a CD without any announcement of the such as “on CD a great dancer” YES you professional DJ’s !!!!. My gigs get’s 50/60 up to 130 , none of us (Djing) act like thickies or bungling amateurs, I think we all endeavor to do our presentations as smooth, neat, faultless as possible. we do our best- in some cases better than the so called pros

6)      The worst act of all is the “nil effort venue hopping” , soooo sad, yes the main DJ at Lowton one Friday does his 10p worth, Motown, rare record here ,white label there lots of spiel between tracks – goes off to applause of the gullable minority. The following week our group of four turn up at Brighouse(100 mile round trip) some great music dancers and DJ’s…then…..top billing yes Mr Motown of Lowton last week, some new spins perhaps he has 1000’s of them…..OH SHIT….the same records the same order and even the same spiel in between as Lowton the week before, we were disgusted, this must be the easiest way of earning  his wad ,this is not a professional way of Djing it’s simply taking the piss.

7)      Our Mr. Mowtown had in the recent past, purchased off Dave Gordon the Soul City label with all rights etc, I bought off him in person not an agent three titles out of eight,  asked him if they were loud and clear and of A1 quality the same as the old Soul City were, he said 100% they were just as the old ones, heavy vinyl etc etc infact thet turned out to be rubbish  low in volume, scratchy…bloody conned again. The new owner of Soul City as Mr Motown off loaded the label is one of the Goldmine crew – will they improve the quality ????????   

In conclusion I myself have often worked with and put on local professional DJ’s  at my various gigs/ promotions-these blokes who earn/ed a living from Djing at night clubs, pubs ,works functions, weddings etc Billy Kinder, Glen Miller(Preston), J J Elis and lots more, I know how they work, they do their homework and each is very good they can hold their own with anyone, EXCEPT  they don’t have the ultimate soul singles collections, having said that it makes little difference as they have plenty of great sounds to present a decent spot each time for the punters. I mentioned earlier the DJ’s that shout at their punters to dance over the sounds being played, they are not in the army square bashing, maybe take a leaf out of your book Richard or maybe they live in noisy households.

As a part time soul only amateur record collecting DJ I must stress I never talk or shout on top of a record being played, the last orders shout, taxi waiting record info or any information at all is between records, this is 2^nd nature to me, however it is totally different for you Richard as a radio jock to talk over the rarer tracks as there are people out there who know every trick who would copy and take advantage don’t give them an inch

I felt compelled to jot down my thoughts Richard and I hope what I have done is not seen as a balshie or vindictive act, but just airing my point of view, it might not be the general consensus, in the shear joy, please and hilarity of the 9^th Sept show a lot of listeners wouldn’t have even noticed ……but I think there is a balance 

Love you. Love your show and what you always do for the whole soul movement 6t’s to today’s modern, I know it gets political and even dirty at times, as per the Low ton take over saga, the oldies only brigade, the nighter, newwies and modern people all pulling in different directions…think they always will so if we can’t move on…keep on keeping on…respectfully    Walt and Goofy