Wigan Album

Had suits taken a back seat by this time. Seems to be more boisterous, than in previous photographs.

Albert the last two photos are from the allnighters in the 1970's the previous ones are from a New Years Eve do in the 60's, so not only a few years in between but also different attire worn for the respective "do's".

How silly can you get.

Garry.I'll bet you was a right Georgie Porgie when you was
ayoung man are they doing you any harm I don't think so ?.leave them alone

Wiganer, why can't you make comments like the rest of us, instead of always having a dig at me. Remember, this site is all about opinions. I'm saying this, in my opinion this looks silly from the 1970s against the 1960s photos...the 60s looks more cleaner and friend people. THAT'S MY OPINION. While were at it, in my opinion the 1960s was a much better decade than the 70s in every respect.

I think the relaxed attitude to clothing in the 70's was preferable for ordinary socialising, though I think suits are better for formal functions.

Elitist (And I've no reason why they thought they were)and socially outcast, these die hards were fed on American reject Pap - and thought it was cool. The poor buggers were restricted to the dark hours because no one else would accommodate them. Fed on pills and dope, they lasted until the early eighties and then were scattered to the four ends of the earth. Today, they are seen in Swinley every week or so...smoking and getting drunk. Their legacy? Zilch...

Parvo strikes again, how do you know all this?
You don't, your trying to spoil this section like you are spoiling the general section.

WOW! Jarvo, that's some comment. I welcome correction, but are those people wrong, who regarded/spoke of Wigan Casino of that time in a kind of awe? Any northern soul people out there who can tell us what the experience was like? It wasn't a place I went to at that time , rumours said it was full of drugs, but what is the truth. My own and honest opinion is , however short it was, something special happened at Wigan casino which people remember, a moment in time. I, personally, am not willing to accept it was all as negative as you say.

Don't listen to Jarvo, he renowned for talking rubbish.

I was never into Wigan Casino myself though I knew one or two people who were, they were ordinary lads doing ordinary jobs in offices and shops during the week. The same lads now have children and grandchildren and look forward to retirement!

Has Jarvo just give us an insight into his own lifestyle I wonder? He surely hasn't a clue about the Casino

Kas, I speak in cultural terms: Northern Soul is, and was, a misunderstanding. The rejected 'non chart' singles that were collected by individual DJ's, bear hardly any musical resemblance to actual 'Soul' music; they were labelled 'Northern' because they were played in northern dance halls; they were not recorded with that culture in mind. But of course, you know that. The Casino could have latched on to Reggae music; but it was chart stuff, and deemed uncool. Anything obscure was embraced: and the more obscure, the better. There was nothing hip about these people, they were just searching for an ideal to pin on to their sports bags. Personally, I found these folk to be odd balls and not very friendly. I haven't changed my opinion on that even with the passing of time. Look at those old photographs - not a smile in the house...

"Not very friendly people" eh Jarvo?
Did one of them give you a smack?
If they didn't perhaps they should have.

Er, Jarvo, the 'Northern' in Northern Soul refers to North America!

Did you ever go jarvo?
“Ellitist these die hards were fed,,,,” they were fed nothing, it was a music discovered by the kids for the kids not by some music company chairman sat in his office trying to come up with the latest fad.
Numerous 'non chart singles”… actually charted years later due to the power of the Casino!
“Fed on pills and dope” Yes some people did take their mothers slimming pills to keep them awake but that was tame, compared to today where every pub cistern toilet in the town will have traces of cocaine on them if swabbed.
“Lasted till the early Eighties”……the scene today is stronger than it’s ever been with more venues playing the music up and down the land than ever before, of course there will never be anything like the Casino again which could drag thousands of people from all over the country on a weekly basis, but that’s all the more reason to cherish the memory not denigrate it!

'The phrase northern soul emanated from the record shop Soul City in Covent Garden, London, which was run by journalist Dave Godin.[2] It was first publicly used in Godin's weekly column in Blues & Soul magazine in June 1970.[3] In a 2002 interview with Chris Hunt of Mojo magazine, Godin said he had first come up with the term in 1968, to help employees at Soul City differentiate the more modern funkier sounds from the smoother, Motown-influenced soul of a few years earlier. With contemporary black music evolving into what would eventually become known as funk, the die-hard soul lovers of northern England still preferred the mid-1960s era of Motown-sounding black American dance music. Godin referred to the latter's requests as "Northern Soul":,

Yes Godin gave it that term to differentiate from what the southeners were into so he kept them in a seperate record box in his shop to sell to the northeners who were in London for the day to watch their football team playing away.
The point being they already knew what they liked and was looking for and not being influenced by the funkier stuff that was being foisted on the masses of the day.

Nowt wrong with Jarvo, like me, he says what he thinks which is always correct. The place tured out in to a dump.

Saying what you think is an opinion, to which we are all entitled, nothing to do with being correct or right Garry.

Garrys "always correct" until jackson the doorman pulls him up on a comment he made and then he isn't. Lol

Nowt wrong with jarvo's opinion.

Except it's not his opinion, he nicked it from here;-

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Northern_soul.

Still, it makes him sound Knowledgeable

Tom: We all gathered that...It doesn't take a brick lawyer to see that it was a copy and paste. My real opinion is posted twice, a bit further up...You rally should put more effort into your homework, otherwise that exam will never be passed...will it?
PS: We never read your opinion, do we? Maybe it's because you never have one, on anything, anytime.
Sad.

Really (edit). :)

I see the caterwauling cantankerous canker is rubbishing music again. If it doesn't fit his idea of music, it's rubbish.

Hello, Danni xxx lol

Had my attention brought to this again by ex colleagues. It is easy to spot the ones with no knowledge on the Casino or it's All Nighters. Northern Soul was not mine or many other doormen's thing but we admired the dancers enthusiasm and real knowledge of their music, they came from all over Britian to Wigan to attend the All Nighters so something good must have been going on (why else would we still be discussing the Casino in 2015?). I and my colleagues were always impressed with the way they conducted themselves inside and outside. A lot of what has been said on here is of hearsay by people who never attended the Casino of the sixties or later the All Night scene. I saw the good and the bad then as I do now around town, in fact I would say it is far worse now even during the day in Wigan.

Fair comment Jackson, but, if , as you say and is known knowledge , people would travel from far and wide, to come to Wigan casino. People from London with all the clubs they have. I just think, as my first comment, that Wigan casino was special in that short time and not think negative about it . Folk don't travel hundreds of miles to enter a dump, or do they.

I loved northern soul it was a great time in the early 70 s

Just returned from a week in Portugal, was informed that the Algarve "Northern Soul Weekend" was taking place next month in Albufeira. Not what you`d call "Forgotten"

You had to get that one in didn't you Dave, Portugal. You can go on WW whilst on hols you know lol.
Hope you enjoyed it.

I went to the Casino from the 2nd niter thru to the very last. I went most weeks from opening to mid 75 then oncea month to 77 then once a fortnight till closing. And altho I wouldnt swap that time for anything I also dont look back with rose tinted specs! I wont rant about Russ or Russ and walker being money grabbers or SOME of the enfoced playlists. Yes there was some very questionable music played pushed by greed,media and record labels BUT the 'younger' dancers loved it. It wouldnt have continued to be played if nobody danced to it. At the same time there was some amazingly soulful records 'discovered'. VERY rare tunes that are still very popular and cant be found by collectors.
We didn't all wear 40" paralell trousers and vests. At 17 I was sharp. Always getting suits made from a tailors on Savile Row. Pinstripe,Prince of wales check, mohair whatever. Designed my own custom jacket pockets and cuffs. Designed the trousers. Alot of us did. Afterall we were a spinoff from the Mod scene and skin/suedeheads to apoint. Northern Soul is just an umberella thats made from many genres of soul eg R&B,Soul,Funk,Gospel,Modern Soul,Blue Eyed Soul,Pop. No scene is perfect but I'm very happy I was part of it at its best and am still a part of it.