Today is the 47th anniversary of the first Northern Soul all-nighter to
be held at the Cleethorpes Pier on Fri/Sat 7/8 Feb 1975.
Whilst the Mecca and Casino got most of the 'glory' after the closure of
The Torch, in the east of England and East Anglia (St Ives) the envelope
was being pushed and more contemporary 'modern' tunes were filling the
dancefloors. Not all originated from these venues, many made their way via
The Highland Room at Blackpool Mecca (in the main) but it was certainly a
different sound to that being played at Wigan with Russ Winstanley, in
particular, choosing to play many British white pop tunes, with the 'right
beat', rather than embracing the change that was happening in the mid
70s!
The all-nighters were the brainchild of Mary Chapman who ran the
Lincolnshire Soul Club and went under the banner The Talk Of The North.
She had run a few all-dayers at the Winter Gardens prior to the
all-nighter which ran fortnightly and then later weekly. To cater for the
popularity of the event she later ran a parallel nighter at the Winter
Gardens in tandem and punters would move between both venues. They ran for
just over a year before they were stopped by the council 'allegedly' over
safety issues of The Pier. but more than likely due to the usual story
i.e. drugs.
The first all-nighter passed by almost unnoticed by Blues & Soul
magazine which was largely at the behest of Chapman who didn't want the
same publicity that was raging in the media over Wigan Casino in 1975 and
preferred to keep Cleethorpes low profile. The media didn't get that this
was an 'underground' scene that didn't want mass media exposure or
attention.
I've put together a three hour mix of some mid 70s modern, funky,
Northern Soul tunes played at the venue for those who 'were there' to
reminisce!
Playlist:
Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle (112.9)
Silvetti - Spring Rain (Club Mix) (113.4)
Babe Ruth - Elusive (Album Version) (121.9)
Pop-A-Groove - Dance Your Ass Off (Disco Version) (120.2)
Black Nasty Feat. Herbie Thompson - Cut Your Motor Off (118.7)
Eloise Laws - Love Factory (120.5)
Alfie Kahn Sound Orchestra - Law Of The Land (120.7)
Nite-Liters, The - K-Jee (120.6)
Prince George - Wrong Crowd (121.6)
Kim Tolliver - I Don't Know What Foot To Dance On (122.9)
Johnny Jones & The King Casual - Purple Haze (121.3)
Raw Soul - The Gig (121.6)
World Column, The - So Is The Sun (123.1)
Bits'N Pieces - Keep On Running Away (124.8)
Cameo - Find My Way (122.5)
George 'Bad' Benson - Supership (124.2)
Jobell & The Orchestra De Salsa - Never Gonna Let You Go (Disco
Version) (125.4)
Life - Tell Me Why (128.5)
Voices Of East Harlem, The - Cashing In (127.7)
Idris Muhammad - Could Heaven Ever Be Like This (123.4)
Heartstoppers - Marching Out Of Your Life (124.5)
Facts Of Life - A Hundred Pounds Of Pain (125.0)
Jackey Beavers - Trying To Get Back To You Girl (Pt.1) (123.9)
Dobie Gray - Honey, You Can't Take It Back (121.7)
Anderson Brothers - I Can See Him Loving You (124.1)
Bobby Foster - If You Really Need A Friend (Call On Me) (125.7)
Eddie Spencer - If This Is Love (I'd Rather Be Lonely (127.1)
Crow, The - Your Autumn Of Tomorrow (127.3)
Al Foster Band - The Night Of The Wolf (Part I) (125.3)
Frankie (Love Man) Crocker - Ton Of Dynamite (127.90
French Fries, The - Danse A La Musique (128.7)
Skull Snaps - I'm Your Pimp (127.7)
Isaac Hayes Movement - Disco Connection (128.2)
Life - Cat's Eyes (128.80
Brothers Feat. George Young, The - Are You Ready For This (129.6)
Spooky & Sue - I've Got The Need (129.2)
Oscar Perry - I Got What You Need (128.2)
Skull Snaps - My Hang Up Is You (130.0)
Betty Fikes & The Passions - Prove It To Me (131.4)
Today's People - S.O.S. (All We Need Is Time For Love) (133.7)
Oscar Perry - Main String (133.00
Gentlemen & Their Lady Feat. Danny Mitchell - Like Her! (135.3)
East Coast Connection, The - Summer In The Parks (Pt. 1) (135.0)
O'Jays, The - I Love Music (Part I & II) (127.8)
Jeanne Burton - (Nobody Loves Me) Like You Do Do (123.6)
Fantastic Puzzles, The - Come Back (Part I) (123.6)
A Brother's Guiding Light - Getting Together (121.5)
Millie Jackson - House For Sale (121.3)
Bobby Hutton - Lend A Hand (121.6)
Sister Sledge - Love Don't You Go Through No Changes (117.9)
Diane Jenkins - Tow-A-Way Zone (117.0)
James Fountain - Seven Day Lover (118.7)
Chairmen Of The Board - I'm On My Way To A Better Place (115.5)
Lynn Varnado - Wash And Wear Love (113.3)
Charles Mann - It's All Over (108)
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1 comment:
I was there for every single one of the all-nighters, plus all of Mary's other events. Why you may ask? I designed and built the sound system which was used for them all and being based in Peterborough, I also delivered it and set it up at each event. It's good to see so many people remember those nights and I hope that continues. You mention the loss of the pier as a venue - I was involved in the discussions with the council and they actually wanted to sell the pier because they had been losing money running it. Yes, we were raided by the local police - claiming there was a bomb scare to evacuate everyone while they searched the building. NOTHING WAS FOUND, but the drug stories continued in the local press. No-one apart from Mary knew anything about my background as a musician and sound engineer and I kept quiet about it at the time, but I have continued playing in bands right up to the present day. Keep that faith! Graham.
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