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Wigan Casino Soul Club – 30 years of Northern Soul Memories – Fabulus FBUBX101 – http://www.fab-u-lus.com

Well what can I say, have to laugh really at the packaging which contains a pop up model of Casino. It is funny but it is also quite nicely packaged, including a booklet. It is a bit naff especially for a one CD package. If it had been a box set packaging or something it may have been better.

As to the music, well again it contains it all. There is some great stuff and there is some appalling. The only good thing that one can say about the bad tracks is that if somewhere along the line it exposed and converted one person to decent soul then it is worth it. To understand you have to have been part of it and no amount of packaging will be able to explain that. It will just appear crass.

Musically in a bizarre way it does paint a picture and is pretty accurate to a degree. At it's peak it was massive and these kind of things prevailed on the popular side.

No surprises then, all well known and full on Northern of the Wigan variety. To be able to just say that knowing that it will be understood is also indicative of how big Wigan was.

There are some classic soul tunes here Vibrations, Dean Courtney, Roy Hamilton, Major Lance and yes even Gloria Jones. Soulful stormers with all the right ingredients, the beat, the chorus and so on like Four Perfections, Rita and the Tiaras, Casualeers. Stalwarts and populist like Chuck Wood, Dobie Gray, Bob Relf, Nancy Wilson, the awful Snake but it had it's place.

Weird and obscure instrumentals, Footsee, Interplay, Ron Holden.

Dana Valery, Dusty Springfield, Judy Street.

Banal Pop John E Paul, Gary Lewis.

British Oldies and the newer ones built on the popularity of the scene, Jimmy James, Lorraine Silver and Tommy Hunt and even Biddu I suppose.

So there the sounds need no explanation, there is a bit of everything. Actually when you see it like this it was in a sense pretty diverse, on a theme , and not necessarily for the good.

My final thought on this is that when you look at a retrospective package of anything you want it to bring back good thoughts. Whilst Wigan at the time was important to me and helped develop my future looking back it is only a microcosm (of Soul). Other fads and cult, clubs and films, music styles are much more fondly remembered and compelling in their soulfulness and therefore my making.

Cause You're Mine - The Vibrations
Tainted Love - Gloria Jones
I'm Not Strong Enough - The Four Perfections
Gone With The Wind Is My Love - Rita & The Tiaras
I Wanna Know - John E. Paul
I'll Always Need You - Dean Courtney
Crackin' Up Over You - Roy Hamilton
What's It Gonna Be - Dusty Springfield
A Man Like Me - Jimmy James
Interplay - Derek And Ray
You Didn't Know Where Your Interest Lies - Dana Valery
Dance, Dance, Dance - The Casualeers
Blowing My Mind To Pieces - Bob Relf
The Beautiful Night - Jimmy Thomas
You Don't Want Me No More - Major Lance
Seven Days Too Long - Chuck Wood
Out On The Floor - Dobie Gray
What - Judy Street
I'll Forgive And Forget - Ron Holden
My Heart's Symphony - Gary Lewis & The Playboys
Lost Summer Love - Lorraine Silver
Footsee - Wigan's Chosen Few
The Snake - Al Wilson
Exodus - Biddu
Loving On The Losing Side - Tommy Hunt
End Of Our Love - Nancy Wilson

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