Sunday, 22 April 2012

Wigan Casino 1977

I was searching for a song I heard on Radio 2 last night, when I found this is strange, somewhat confused but still wonderful documentary about the Northern Soul scene of the mid-to-late-70s. It's also about working class British youth of the time, and, wider than that, about being part of a scene, any scene. 1977 was closer to the end of WWII than we are to 1977, and looking at the bombed-out, or at least demolished, wasteground in some of these shots, it reminds me of a lot of growing up in west Leeds around that time, not exactly where I lived, but neighbouring Armley and Holbeck. The talking head pieces from the record dealer/lathe operator with the beard are so soaked in melancholy and love for the scene they're bloody heartbreaking, when you realise the casino did close down in 1981. I wish there weren't the folky interludes in this, they take the shine off it for me, but I still recommend watching it. G
 PS The record I was looking for is the Northern Soul killer 'Oh baby don't you weep' by Luther Ingram.

 

6 comments:

  1. Quality tune, was listening to that yesterday afternoon

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  2. the folky bit's are the best, that northern soul stuff is shite!

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  3. Lovey, a northern soul trgic if there was one, walking bloody encylopaedia too !! Great post for us non Poms, thanks heaps !!

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  4. Remember the soul boy crew from my school in Edinburgh late seventies used to go down to Wigan. Didn't get it then- was a punk + remember agro over records played (Clash/Pistols v N Soul trax) at the tuck shop!! Good folk tho. Dig the moves and early rave mentality now for sure...good stuff!

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  5. PS Craig Charles, Radio 6 etc was into the N Soul scene in his youth. Great episode when he was on Coronation St a few years back: Liz MacDonald breaking his rare soul 7" and chucking them out the window at him post infidelity.

    ...(the horror!!)

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