British Soul: The Forgotten Sound

Before Northern Soul became a movement, there was British soul.During the sixties, British singers and musicians were absorbing the sounds coming from Detroit, Chicago, Memphis and Philadelphia, taking those influences and creating something with a character of its own.In this episode, we dig deeper than the familiar names and explore the records that deserve another listen — obscure singles, forgotten B-sides, rare dancers and artists who never received the recognition they deserved.From Helen Shapiro and Barry St. John to The Chants, Herbie Goins, Jimmy Thomas and more, these are the voices and records that helped shape the sound of the British soul scene.Some were hits. Some disappeared without trace.But years later, Northern Soul DJs and collectors would rediscover them and give them a new life on the dance floor.This is British soul — before Northern Soul.

track list to follow

The Last Night at the Twisted Wheel

Saturday, 30 January 1971. Manchester.

Tonight, we step through the doors of the legendary Twisted Wheel for one final all-nighter.

From its beginnings on Brazennose Street, through the move to Whitworth Street, the Wheel became a meeting place for dancers, record collectors and young soul fans searching for something different.

But this episode is really about the music

The records that made the floor explode. The obscure American soul, the rare imports, the forgotten artists and the sounds that could only be discovered inside those dark, hot and crowded rooms.

We’ll follow the night from the queue outside, through the dance floor and DJ booth, right through to the final hours as morning approaches.

The doors would close, but the music wouldn’t.

The Twisted Wheel was gone. Its influence was only just beginning.

Tracks ...

George pepp -the feeling is real

Eddie billups -ask my heart

little Eddie Taylor -i had a good time

magic night -if you and I had never met

the puzzles -my sweet baby

the wall of sound-hang on

jerry cook -i hurt on the other side

Freddy Houston -if I had known

the prophets -if I had one gold piece

the magnificent men -i've got news

British Soul — The British Side of Northern Soul of the 1960s.This episode takes us back to the 1960s, when British singers and groups were discovering, absorbing and putting their own stamp on American soul.From forgotten recordings and overlooked releases to records that would later find a new audience on Northern Soul dance floors, this is a journey through the British side of the soul story.Featuring artists including Kenny Bernard, A Band of Angels, The Chants, Kenny Lynch, Helen Shapiro, Lorraine Silver, Long John Baldry, and Chapter 5 .Some were hits, many were not — but all played their part in the story of British Soul.Turn it up and discover the soul power of the 1960s — British style.

Lost & Forgotten Soul: The American Cities — Part 1 of this two-part journey,

we go deep into the lost, rare and forgotten side of 1960s American soul.Forget the obvious hits and familiar names. This episode is about the artists, groups and records that slipped through the cracks — small labels, obscure releases, little-known singers and fantastic 45s that never received the recognition they deserved.We travel through the great American soul cities, including Philadelphia and Chicago, discovering the sounds that were being created long before many of these records found a second life on Britain's Northern Soul scene.From the developing Philadelphia sound to the energetic Chicago dancers, these are records full of character, emotion and mystery — some commercially released, others incredibly rare, and some discovered decades after they were recorded.These forgotten records tell another story of American soul: the story of the artists who never became household names, but whose music survived because somebody, somewhere, kept the faith and kept the record.This is Lost & Forgotten Soul: The American Cities — Part 1.And remember, there are always more records waiting to be discovered.

Tracklist will follow ....

Tonight, we go back to the 1960s — the decade when the foundations of Northern Soul were being laid.This episode is all about the rare records, obscure artists, forgotten releases and incredible sounds that helped shape the Northern Soul story. From unknown gems to records that slipped under the radar at the time, we explore the music, the artists and the stories behind the sounds.No Wigan Casino, no big anthems — just the original soul, the discoveries and the records that would eventually find a new life on dance floors across Britain.This is where the Northern Soul story begins.

Wigan Casino: The Final Dance

Tonight, we step inside one of the most famous venues in the history of Northern Soul.We begin on the final all-nighter in December 1981, when the lights are about to come on for the last time. Then we go back to September 1973, when just 652 people walked through the doors of the old Empress Ballroom for the very first Northern Soul all-nighter.From its humble beginnings to packed dancefloors, rare American records, legendary DJs, the Three Before Eight and the obsessive culture that grew around the Casino, we follow eight extraordinary years.But there is another question.By 1981, music had changed. Funk, disco, jazz-funk, punk and new wave were transforming the British music scene. So if Wigan Casino hadn't closed, would it still have been packed?Or did its closure at that moment turn it from a nightclub into something much bigger — a legend?The building has gone.The dancefloor has gone.But the records, the memories and the mythology remain.This is the story of Wigan Casino — from the first beat to the final dance.

You were a child of post-war Britain, a teenager during the explosion of youth culture and twenty years old when Northern Soul was reaching its incredible peak.In this episode, we follow the journey of a Baby Boomer from childhood to the dance floor — through rock ’n’ roll, the Beatles, Motown, Ready Steady Go!, Top of the Pops, record shops, scooters, soul clubs and all-nighters.From the Twisted Wheel and the Golden Torch to Wigan Casino, this is the story of a generation discovering music, freedom and a world their parents simply didn't understand.And before Baby Boomers became the target and the generation blamed for everything from house prices to global warming, they were just young people trying to find a great record, stay out all night and have a bloody good time.

It’s nineteen seventy-five, and Northern Soul is at its absolute height. The scene is exploding, the records are getting faster, the nights are getting longer, and for three lads from Manchester, there’s only one thing that matters: soul.Then comes the crazy idea.Jump into an ageing Mini Cooper and drive roughly three hundred miles south to Newquay, the surf capital of Britain and, in nineteen seventy-five, one of the places to be. Sun, surf, beaches, nightlife and the promise of adventure.There’s just one problem. The Mini is old, the journey is long, and there’s no sat-nav, no mobile phone and no guarantee the car is even going to make it.What they do have is soul. Lots of it.Tapes packed with Northern Soul provide the soundtrack as three Manchester mates head south, leaving behind the clubs, the dance floors and the familiar streets of home for an unforgettable road trip into Cornwall.This is more than a journey from Manchester to Newquay. It’s a snapshot of nineteen seventy-five, when Northern Soul was at its peak and anything seemed possible.Three lads. One ageing Mini. Three hundred miles of road.And enough soul music to get them there.

Packed with the sounds of Northern 45rpms

Northern Soul: Iconic Memories

Tonight, we revisit some of the legendary clubs that helped shape the Northern Soul story — from the Twisted Wheel and Golden Torch to Wigan Casino, Blackpool Mecca, Cleethorpes, the Catacombs, Stafford, Samantha’s, the 100 Club and the Ritz in Manchester.But this isn’t about the obvious anthems. We’re going underground, digging out rare, obscure and lesser-known records that helped give each venue its own musical identity.These are the records that may not have topped the charts or appeared in the usual Northern Soul Top 20, but for those who heard them on the right night, they became unforgettable.The clubs may be gone, but the music — and the memories — live on.

The Top of the World All -Nighter was unlike any other Northern Soul club. In this episode, we explore the unique sound, atmosphere and musical freedom that gave Stafford its own identity.From beautiful, slow soul to explosive stompers, from sixties rarities to seventies and eighties discoveries, the DJs could take the dancefloor anywhere. Stafford wasn’t about following the Northern Soul rulebook — it was about breaking it, finding something new and keeping the music moving forward.We look at the DJs, the records, the discoveries and the atmosphere that made Top of the World such an important part of the Northern Soul story.Stafford had everything. This is the story of the sound of Top of the World.