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Day 2 ~ #7DayMusicChallenge ~ Detroit Spinners ~ Then Came You

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Day 2 #7DayMusicChallenge ~ Detroit Spinners ~ Then Came You

Then Came You was originally recorded by Dionne Warwick with the Spinners and was a number 1 on the American Billboard Top 100 and made the Top 30 here. It was written by Sherman Marshall and Phillip T. Pugh, and produced by the legend Thom Bell.

I was lucky to see the Spinners in 1975 at the Gaumont in Southampton as part of The Atlantic Summer Of Soul Tour that also included The Jimmy Castor Bunch, Ben E King and Sister Sledge.

There is a fabulous double live album from The Spinners (I have a vinyl copy still) recorded about this time with this track listing …

Side One ~ Fascinating Rhythm, I’ve Got To Make It On My Own, Living A Little, Laughing A Little, One Of A Kind (Love Affair) and Then Came You 

Side Two ~ Sadie, How Could I Let You Get Away and Could It Be I’m Falling In Love

Side Three ~ Superstar Medley: It’s Not Unusual, Don’t Mess With Bill, Paper Doll, Stop! In The Name Of Love, If I Didn’t Care, Hound Dog, Hello Dolly and Love Don’t Love Nobody (Part 1) 

Side Four ~ Love Don’t Love Nobody (Part 1 & 2) and Mighty Love

On the tour in the UK Joni Sledge (from Sister Sledge) joined the Spinners for the song and that’s why I chose this version.

Writing these posts takes me back to my Gold “Home Of The Good Groove” Radio days with Stevie Q.  We produced a weekly radio show for around 2 years which were broadcast on internet radio stations Morpher Radio, Disco 935 and JFSR.  CLICK HERE for our blog and you can still get some of the podcasts if you click through the links!  In that time we made online friends all over the World, some who are still with us through FaceBook and today I nominate Izzy (our former South Africa corespondent who is now back in the UK), a truly lovely lady who’s always there with a “like” and a kind word.

Never forget ~ Life Sounds Better To Music

#‎7DayMusicChallenge ~ Day 1 ~ Stevie Wonder ~ I Wish

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Many thanks to top bloke and brilliant DJ Tony Winyard for nominating me for the FaceBook 7 Day Music Challenge. The challenge is 2015’s version of Desert Island Discs and as someone whose whole life has revolved around music this is something I’ve thought about many times.

I’ve been anticipating what direction I’d take if nominated for a few days … 7 days, 7 weeks, 7 months, maybe even 7 years would not be long enough! So let’s see where this goes …

As most of the friends I saw doing the challenge on FaceBook were other DJ’s and soul boys I thought I’d start with some of the fabulous artists I’ve been privileged to see live from that sector …

Stevie Wonder ~ “I Wish” from “Songs In The Key Of Life”

I could have picked any track from this album (double album with bonus e.p.).  Even listening to the album this morning it sounds as fresh as ever.

This was the first album I earned from my career in record retail.  Late in 1976, thanks to my friend Steve (who I now nominate to take the challenge), I tried out for a part time job at Virgin Records in Bargate Street, Southampton with management team Liz and Marty.  One of the payment options for a trial shift was an album – I was extra cheeky and asked for this double album with bonus e.p., although I did offer to pay the extra I think.

I’ve been compiling a list of all the bands I’ve seen and I have dates for most of them. I’ve seen Stevie at least once, I think it’s twice but I can only remember one for sure which was at Earls Court in the late 70’s (and I think it was an afternoon show – could he really have been doing two shows in a day back then?) but that’s as close as I’ve got so far!

Never forget ~ Life Sounds Better To Music

 

Record Store Day

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“Where do I begin to tell the story of how great a love can be?”

Music has always been a huge part of every day, for most of my life records were the medium that produced it. I’ve been very fortunate to have parents that fed and nurtured my passion in my early years and taught me how to cherish and care for their and then my vinyl. What a fabulous time to grow up and experience the joys of shopping for music, taking it home and carefully putting it on to hear the joy in the grooves.

I DJ’d on vinyl for twenty years, I worked for record companies promoting and selling to shops across the South West, visiting many stores most of which no longer exist – a few do, and I salute you!

I had my own store, along with my partner Mike, The Disc & Tape Centre in Lymington. We shared some fantastic times in the ten years it lasted before the economy shifted and the supermarkets forced out of business selling the big titles at discounts for longer hours. My friend Steve sold his shop, Pinpoint, in Eastleigh about the same time. Two other friends Steph and Piers, who started before us are still going and I got my Record Store Day t-shirt form their amazing shop in Bridport. BRIDPORT MUSIC.

Today I can find almost any track in a couple of minutes and buy it for less than a pound with a click of my track pad. That’s fantastic, but there is no sleeve full of information to read, no fabulous 12″ artwork to soak up, no message on the run-off to laugh at … I could go on!

Times change but one things for sure ~ Life sounds better to music!

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