Still have to start this northern soul night here in Manchester i've been threatening for 5 years - here's another killer. check the horn crescendo around 1.12... and tremble.

finally, was reminded by a friends post on Faceberk the other day about how when i was in third year juniors my teacher Mr Fretwell used to, shout at me "AHHHHHH Dean Taylor - there's a ghost in my house!" **

Find the full frugging tracklisting here:
northern soul

** my real name is Dean Taylor

Here's another (not a surprise, I'm sure) - I loved this before I knew it counts as Northern Soul (it's on the Mowest compilation!) - the second verse just sends shivers up my spine:

(Frankie Valli & Four Seasons - The Night)

They both absolutely crackle with life.

This is my all time favourite bit of Northern, it's Milton Wright with the vocal version of The Gallop, I Belong To You. Nice footage too, check out the guy about 14 seconds in, nice move! This is just so uplifting, thrilling and spine tingling.

This is another favourite, which I got on one of the Kent Northern comps back in the mid 80s - 006 I think it was. It's a version of the O'Kaysions' Girl Watcher, but I think it trumps it. Don't know anything about Ginger, I think judging by the voice that she was white, it has that 'blue eyed soul' thing going on. But it's breezy and sexy all at once.

David & The Giants' Ten Miles High. Here's another slice of 'blue eyed soul' produced by Roger Hawkins, who was also a talented drummer, the drummer for the Muscle Shoals Rhythm Section. You would have heard him drumming because for instance he was the drummer on When A Man Loves A Woman, Respect, Land Of A 1000 Dances, Mustang Sally, Chain Of Fools, Think and many other 60s soul classics. Later on he played drums on the Staple Singers records, some Paul Simon stuff and Bob Seger.

the Wigan's Chosen Few record when I was 9, but I think I played the b-side more...

Chuck Wood - Seven Days Too Long

Fabulous little tune, with a great soaring chorus. And wait for the call-response bit that kicks in at the end of the chorus (first time about 38 seconds in). Talk about uplifting!

And finally a lovely little dancer, Ron Holden's fat vocal and the 'love is gone' female vocal section that shifts the tune from it's almost one chord verses into something much more melodic.

is the only social thing i do now. Great people. Friendly. And beyond all that hipster bullshit, mindless violence and sexual theatre that destroyed saturday night.

at the top of this thread...

If you remove the word Wigan's from the band name then all the text lines up neatly as you would expect. It's almost as if the record was going to be credited to 'Chosen Few' but at the last minute it was decided to prefix the name with Wigan's thus creating the unbalanced result we see.

I'll get me anorak...

@stimpy, you ain't that far from the truth. The song was created especially for The northern scene.It was a cashin on the popularity of Northern at the time. The Wigan bit was probably thrown in to give it extra Kudos.

someone who always wanted to explore Northern Soul but didn't know where to start. Any more general recommendations to help get me started?

...Bobby Paris and Night Owl

I feel duty bound to add that if you like this music, you can cut some rug to it (or at least nod appreciatively while necking a pint of Doom Bar) at Rock'n'RollSoul, first Friday of every month at the Phoenix, Cavendish Square. Find us at http://www.rocknrollsoul.co.uk or Facebook Group Rock'n'RollSoul at the Phoenix.

... but David Essex and Wigans Chosen Few definitely ain't soul. This, on the other hand, definitely is ...

... he was George "Bad" Benson:

Both of these used to get a lot of plays on Northern nights I attended back in my teens, and both appeared on Kent Compilation 'Right Back Where We Started From' Kent 039.

The Human Beinz 'Nobody But Me'

The Outsiders 'Time Won't Let Me'

I hear those and I'm instantly 17 again. Long time ago....

but not this,but really popular with the Stompers