Right. Where do I start? Well firstly I am typing this as I listen to my show...being broadcast on Jazz Syndicate Radio - sounds good - well better than usual!! Gawd knows how many people listen - two, twenty, two hundred, two thousand? Actually, who cares? If only one person is listening and getting enjoyment from it then great! I have great fun putting the shows together (well most of the time - more later) - talking to my invisible audience.

Also please find an ad for The JSR Soul Out here or somewhere around here!! One day I'll get the hang of this Blogger lark!!Should be a fun night. As I'm not sure where Colchester is I doubt I'll be there but you never know!!

Well today I recorded next week's show. I don't usually do it on a Saturday, but as everyone was out, I'd done my housekeeping chores in the morning I thought what the hell. I had huge trouble deciding what to play. After setting everything up I started (having changed the battery on my MiniDisc) - playlist as follows: -

Everybody Here Must Party - Direct Current
Headlights - The Whispers
I Don't Want Nobody Else To Dance With You - Narada Michael Wilson
Get Up & Boogie - Freddie James
Everybody Get Dancin - The Bombers
Don't Hold Back - Cahnson
A Lovers Holiday - Change
Bussle - Opus 7
Wide receiver - Michael Henderson
Funk Machine - 21st Creation
Sneaking Out The Back Door - Family Plann
Everyway But Loose - Oneness of Juju
Radiation Level - Sun

....then......

DISASTER

the MiniDisc decided to stop recording. I am clueless why. Checked it it was still on Long Play. To be honest I think it has become an arbiter of my shows....I was really struggling putting something together - I had hundreds of records out all over the place, grabbing from here then there....so it stopped. So after 80 minutes or so I started all over again, in a right bad mood! My thought was f**k it I am going to play from the party boxes. I went for it!! Well the playlist is 'classic disco' 1979....you'd pay good money for this set in a Disco back then...I started a little cheesey but then from track 4 I started to drop the bombs, and they kept coming. I even did some mixing - it might sound shit but felt good at the time. So next Saturday's show 1st April is one not to miss - believe me - hopefully the levels are OK. I really don't care that I have played the majority of the tracks on the station before. It will be a good one - I worked up a sweat and felt good at the end of it. Cheered me up after a fairly miserable week!! Hope it cheers you up!

I recorded my show last night for JSR I did it rather late - but surprisingly error free, apart from one major faux pas!!I thought Peter Brown was dead and said sadly no longer with us!! If Peter Brown sees this (yer right) I apologise for announcing your demise!!

Quite an interesting show - I only dug out a few records and stuck to them. So it's kind of different -it DEFINITELY sounds a lot better than usual. I turned all the values down and recorded at a slightly lower volume.

On another note I have promised my brother in law that I would help in on March 31st at The Royal Oak. It's his first commercial gig in over 20 years, taking over from me and playing a real mix of music. If you want to hear how a disco sounded in Dublin in the mid 80's then come for the night!! I may well do an hour's set - although it won't be vinyl.

I have been a bit lax filling in my blog the last week! No particular reason, although I could blame the cold weather. Last week's show's competition elicited zero response - either no-one knew the answer, couldn't be bothered or didn't listen to the show or its repeats. For those who must know the answer was Winners – The Clarke/Duke Project - recorded in 1981. The tie break answer was Ooh Baby - Roy Ayres/Wayne Henderson....by putting competition on the title of the post it definitely increased the number of views on the various forums but I did want to give away a copy of a CD!! Maybe I should have give a prize of a Ferrari! Perhaps that would have got more response.

I was studying the number of visits and hits to my site and amazed that it is now averaging almost 150 visits a day! The shows are being downloaded - 40 people have downloaded the latest show and dozens of people read this blog!! In all my years I have never been so popular!! (Or maybe you just like to read the ramblings of a sad old git!!! (LOL)). No I'm not sad - just love my music and it is a priviledge to share it with so many people.

I didn't do my Smoke show this week as I was very busy at work and had two meetings, one with an important client. It wouldn't have been appropriate to take a bagful of 12"'s into the meeting & explain to a bunch of people what's it all about....also it was freezing andturning up to the studio - where it is cold at the best of times wasn't my idea of fun. Hopefully next week. I am hoping to finalise the arrangements for our 'night' next week - details will be posted on this site first. It is liikely that the venue will be in North London - that will satisfy our 'homeys' but those from further afield will find it a tiny bit more challenging to get to.

Creating an interesting post on the Soul Music Radio Forum talking about a record that sold for £325!! I just wouldn't pay that money for one record....however rare and good it was. That's me I guess but clearly there are those that would.

Just recorded a new show for JSR - I was in a mood to party!!! I did my gig last night for about 75 'middle class' 30 somethings - whose idea of Disco is Abba, Ottawan, Boney M etc. It was a 70's night - so why they were all dressed as hippies - well your guess is good as mine!! maybe people think the 70's was all about hippies & pot. Not where I was brought up - more like skinheads, The Who, and soul music - yes we wore flares & had platform shoes but we didn't dress like hippies!! Anyway I put a 'mix' CD on - of early 70's pop - Sweet, Mud etc...then after a quiz they got up and danced - I got to play 6 records - Chic - He's The Greatest Dancer, Boogie Wonderland, Open Sesame, Play The Funky Music, and the last record - I Will Survive...they all got up and danced to that one!! The pay was good & it finished at 10.30pm. Everyone said how much they enjoyed the evening....if we get the local venue I might put a poster up in their locality - might get some more punters!!

Anyway, consequently the show I recorded was very party!! I dug into the party crates so the show you can hear on the 18th March will be a good groove!! Nothing cheesey about this (they are still in the other box!!)

Last night PapaG and I went to see the local venue! In the words of Randy Jackson "I think we've got a hot one!" It holds around 250 people, is a good size and the owner was very nice and friendly. It is still very new, only opened in November last year and has a nice feel about it. The owner was very keen to accomodate us. He takes the bar, we take the door - it will need lights and I'm not too convinced about the location of the stage but I can live with it!! Being in North London it will be handy for anyone North of the river but challenging for anyone South. Accoustics sounded good and they are installing a new sound system. The owner needs to get an exrended licence for the night we hold our parties so we are waiting to hear back from him.

Tomorrow night is the night of the private party - it's a 70's night so I have bought a 3 CD set of 'cheesy' 70's hits, to play in the background! I will be sorting my set tonight/tomorrow - probably no rare groove just 70's populist Disco that they will all know!! I'm rather nervous about this as I have no idea what they are expecting and I don't want to disappoint! I have a feeling though they won't be serving prawn cocktail though.

Yesterday I spent a good hour at Alan's - a second hand vinyl shop...bought a few tunes....probably the best was UK Players. The 'B' Side by fat superior to the released 'A' Side. I also bought War's greatest hits. As I was the only person in the shop for most of the time - I had a good chat with Alan - a man whose love of vinyl exceeds mine!

Today I recorded next week's JSR show. Some great tracks - including Dancing IN Outer Space, some Kool & the Gang, Roy Ayres and First Choice. I decided to do a competition....Which track did I play was from 1981? Answers to russ@retroruss.com. The tie break question is - which track is from 1980? The prize? A CD of some fairly rare groove Disco, beautifully recorded!! Feel free to peruse the playlist when it's up and enter. The competition will close 18th March!

Tomorrow out with PapaG checking a venue! More on this hopefully in a day or two! Sorry I won't be putting the picture of the album cover here - it's now buried in a box, under three other boxes....if you're that keen to see what I was talking about then email me!

Well it's been one of those weeks - not had much time to do anything - I did 'win' an Ebay auction.....interesting tune from 1980. Did my show on Smoke - which went OK - and another venue has come to light - we just need to see it - and I think it's ours...more on this next week. I'll update more in the next few days - and add the picture I eluded to on my show!! It's too late now.