The World's best selling book on Northern Soul! In 1967 an underground movement developed via The Twisted Wheel Club in Manchester. Regular all night 'raves' saw the introduction of rare soul 45's being played to a youthful 'fed up with the UK pop hit' syndrome. Soon, this bizarre youth culture turned the North of England into 'the place to be' every Saturday night, and following the closure of The Wheel in 1970 saw a plethora of hip clubs such as The Catacombs (Wolverhampton), The Golden Torch (Stoke-on-Trent) and the daddy of them all - Wigan Casino. The latter (1973-1981) was the scenes most famous all night venue from where the most popular singles emerged. This book is a masterpiece collating the top 500 most collectable Northern Soul records that have so far been uncovered. Histories, photos and labels are all here for you to drool over. The number one single is Frank Wilson's 'Do I Love You', only discovered in the late 70's - an instant smash at Wigan. There are only two copies of the original in the world and the last one sold fetched £15,000 - thankfully available now on CD compilations. Some of the prices will scare you but the book will fascinate you. During the 80's the movement took a serious turn for the worse, however with the advent of the 90's and CD's, things could not be more healthier. All-nighters abound once more and the original Wheel/Torch/Mecca/Casino goers are returning along with newcomers eager to see what the attraction is. Quite simply, there is no other music scene that offers you everything - from friendships still strong after 20-40 years to dancing that makes all other forms look clumsy, also the willingness to embrace artists whose initial attempts at success were confined to warehouse floors and had to wait for DJ's and collectors coming over from the UK in order to find worthy fame. By Cies (Rotterdam, ZH Netherlands) Over the years I have wondered what kind of Soul music are all those Brits listening/dancing to in the North of England? I have a reasonable collection of Motown, Atlantic/Stax and some other mainly Southern Soul, but did I have somewhere also some Northern Soul in my record collection?? When I found "The Northern Soul Top 500" I decided it was time to (finally) get an answer on these questions. Even for a total newcomer to Northern Soul who is more interested in the music than in the Northern Soul lifestyle this is a very good introduction. Now I know what records to buy. Actually I have ordered already a few and I almost cannot wait before I can listen to those records, because it turned out that I only knew a few of the Top500 records. Roberts' book is an example for all those authors who want to write a book on a music style, because although he is an insider it is not only a book for insiders. Kev Roberts has unearthed one of America's great discoveries-Soul music. The author homes in on a North Of England collecting/Dancing phenomena 'Northern Soul'. Basically,it's a passionate collectors movement following the fortunes of obscure 45's that never made it! Yeah,you might know your Marvin Gaye's and Chaka Khans,but how about The Magnetics,Earl Jackson or The Superiors. If ever a story and categorization of Americas hidden musical jewels was warranted,then this is surely it. Absolutely fascinating!! Here's what the experts say: 'Better than any book of its type we've ever seen' Dusty Groove America / Mailorder 'A timeless movement that never ceases to amaze me' Dale Winton, TV Celebrity 'The irrepressible sounds that influenced a generation' Stuart Maconie, TV/Radio Journalist 'A fine piece of work - something I will treasure' Andy Davies, Producer, Jonathon Ross Show