The Origins of Northern Soul

Would be interested to hear anyones thoughts....

The phenomenon known today as 'Northern Soul' was originally a mixture of many things. It has grown out of an underground youth culture, that had prevailing conditions of full employment, so was optimistic, self reliant and rebellious. They - the Mods - had money to spend on entertainment, fashion and records.  In London the Kings Road was a gathering place for the smart Mod set. Dance halls where packed with people stamping the floor to Dave Clark's 'Bits and Pieces'

Unknowns like the young David Bowie were shown on news program's epitomising the rebellious spirit and fashion conscious youth culture. Most Mods followed 'soul' music and built a clique 'In Crowd' culture around it.

In Manchester and other Northern Cities the youth followed the influences from the London scene.
The white UK groups where copying American RnB and Blues artists. Groups such as John Mayalls Blues Breakers Georgie Fame and The Blue Flames and Alexis Korners Blues Incorporated etc. were following the great Bluesmen and The Spencer Davis group were doing covers of Brenda Holloway songs (Every Little Bit Hurts) The Beatles had made many versions of Motown songs and of course Chuck Berry's too. The Rolling Stones were constantly covering USA RnB releases.

Mods being interested and very loyal to many of these bands started to read the sleeve notes and small writing on the record labels to find the original recording artists or song writers. This lead to a new movement, especially in the Manchester area where at clubs like the Twisted Wheel, pressure on the DJ's came from requests for original artists to be played.

This coincided with Roger Eagle the DJ's love of Black American music, only the original artists, were required, and the purist soul movement began.

It should be remembered that this was an active and vibrant 'scene' everything in the soul scene was happening then; the music was being released weekly. It was current and the Manchester soul scene new it and was its uk centre.

Unlike today's Northern Soul Scene, this was the originator, it was vibrant active and new, and hardly retrospective; it was just 'soul'.

Northern soul started at the end period of the Twisted Wheel's history, when DJ's such as Les Cockall predominated, the others had left.

Taking their private record collections with them.

Northern soul looks back to the 1960's seeking out 'new' unreleased or unplayed recordings. The original scene did start off the collectors and the rare record buffs, but this was because soul music in its peak period was hard to find (most 45's had to be specifically ordered, or imported from USA deleted Auction lists).

Today the 'Northern Soul' scene for the most part, can tend to only recognise rare as good. This was not so at the time. Motown and Stax and others where originals at the time and played upon merit not because they where rare. Upon The later Northern Soul Scene the mainstream records that made the original scene are hardly ever heard, the Stax the Motown the Rnb etc. The music and artists that made it all begin are virtually ignored! Is it because these are not rare enough. It would appear that rarity for its own (or the DJ's sake) is the only criteria of this current backwards facing scene. Totally unlike the one in the sixties which of course was modern at that time, as it was intrinsically linked to the Mod movement - Mods where modern, the latest the coolest the greatest.

Its annoying when 'Johnnie come lateley's say the wrong things like:-
Russ Winstanley, who stated in an article in the Manchester Evening News (2005) That, he, being the DJ at the Wigan Casino started off Northern Soul and was teaching children in the area 'their' musical heritage.

A letter in the paper the following week from Mr P. Roman a Wheel original attendee, put the record straight when he said it all began for him at the Twisted Wheel in 1964 when Roger Eagle played In The Midnight Hour by Wilson Pickett. And that Russ had it wrong the Northern Soul scene started in Manchester in the early 60's not in Wigan a decade later.

Lots of books have been coming out about  'Northern Soul' many people talking about 'then' could not have been there, or at a different time or a different 'set' within that originating 'in crowd'.
In the book Too Darn Soulful by David Nowell, someone comments that the Blue Note was only Ska and Reggae etc! It was, but in its final closing down times, after 1969, so proving that these people came on the scene long after the peak times. This book does inform about those early days and does explain the general scene and recognises Roger Eagle as the first great soul (blues) DJ but it gets lots of things wrong.

It was Roger eagle who played great tracks 1967 at the Blue Note; ie 'CHANGES' by Johnnie Taylor a 'B ' side. Other great Stax stuff, in fact the cream of soul was known to be played only at the Blue Note due to Rogers personal collection.

Other comments in the same book; like we only got USA imports in 1969 is total crap - Roger imported 45's years before! Subsequent Blue Note DJ 's followed in the same vein with 'Everybeat Of My Heart' and quite a few others.

Dave Lomas (Blue Note DJ) played 'Tainted Love' there long, long before the other soul joints had heard it.

On page 39 (Boogaloo Party) a Guy called 'Rob' supposedly found Major Lance! - when we had already found him years before (He did cut a track called I'm So lost)  but even the Manchester group Wayne Fontana and The Mind Benders, knew of him and had copied Major Lances Um Um Um Um Um) we had long before danced at the Wheel all nighters to 'Rhythm' and 'The Monkey Time', these people were simply re-discovering sounds we had danced to and played, they came into a scene that, they then re-built, cheekily, claiming originality!

Later they hyped up records to make money leading to the rise of the Wigan Casino and the rarity of newly discovered or unearthed again sixties soul recordings- a trend continuing right up to today.

The crowd at the Wheel from 63 to 68 we were the originals, those after that time started the Northern Soul Scene but it was not the same as those original days it could never have captured the feeling of spontaneous originality as it happened with weekly soul track releases.
taken from Manchestersoul.co.uk

Slow cooked herby lamb shoulder from This Morning

A lazy Sunday dish if ever there was one. After a little prep you pop this perfectly paired duo in the oven and forget about them until suppertime.  Serve this with the cabbage gratin from my accompaniments section.

I reckon this one is my most popular dish from This Morning and rightly so its unbelievably easy and tasty!

Ingredients

1kg (approx.) boned shoulder of lamb or mutton (it it's rolled, unroll it)

1 400g14oz tin of chopped tomatoes

Fresh rosemary

Fresh thyme

Fresh bay

1 whole head of garlic, unpeeled and bashed with a knife (to crush it but not chop it)

200ml6¾fl oz lamb stock

200ml6¾fl oz white wine

Salt and pepper

Olive or vegetable oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas 2.

Start with the lamb. Season it liberally with salt and pepper and a good lick of olive or vegetable oil.

Get an ovenproof, lidded pan (or casserole dish) smoking hot and seal the lamb on all sides.

Now add the bashed head of garlic (don’t worry about the skins), the herbs, wine, stock and bubble away for a minute on a high heat, it will smell fantastic!

Add the tomatoes, season liberally, put a lid on the pan and place in the preheated oven for three hours minimum. The lamb can stay in for up to seven hours so don’t worry about timings as long as it's in for at least three.

Sticky BBQ pork ribs with bean salad from This Morning

A good BBQ sauce recipe is golddust! Ive been using this one for years and it never fails!  It works just as well with any meat and is a perfect dipping sauce for nachos, corn on the cob and lots more BBQ favourites!

Ingredients

Serves 6

For the ribs:

3 racks (approx. 550g each) of pork spareribs (You want to serve around 3 ribs per person)

1 onion, finely diced

80g soft brown sugar

80ml dry sherry

1 inch piece of grated fresh ginger

2 garlic cloves crushed

200ml tomato ketchup

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

100ml soy sauce

1 pinch of chilli flakes

1tsp ground cumin

For the salad:

1 can of your favorite beans, i like butterbeans, drain and rinse them.

A handful of vine tomatoes, roughly chopped

1 large courgette, diced  

1 small red onion , chopped very finely

Coriander and parsley , chopped or torn

The juice of 1 lemon

1 red chilli, seeds in if you can stand it, finely chopped

Olive oil

Sea salt and pepper

1 tsp ground cumin

Method:

For the sauce heat a little oil in a large saucepan and cook the onion gently until its soft.  Add the garlic, cumin, chilli flakes and ginger and cook for 1 minute, still on low.

Turn the heat upto medium, add the rest of the ingredients and simmer uncovered on low heat for 15 minutes, until thick.  The marinade can be made in advance and keeps perfectly well in the fridge, covered or in Tupperware.

While this is doing put your ribs in a pan of boiling water and simmer for the same time it takes you to make the marinade (around 20 minutes)

Pat your ribs dry and brush generously with the marinade.

To cook the ribs, BBQ for 20 minutes over hot coals; or roast on an oven set to 220 (gas mark 7) for 40 minutes.

Whichever way you cook them brush them with more marinade and turn them as they cook, at least twice!

Making the salad couldn’t be simpler, gently fry the courgette until golden in a little oil and then add all the ingredients to a large bowl.

Toss everything to combine then taste the salad, does it need perking up with more lemon, salt or pepper? If so go for it.  You can make the salad in advance, its best served room temperature for the flavors to mingle so take it out of the fridge 30 minutes before serving.

Serve the charred sticky ribs with the bean salad and an extra bowl of the marinade on the side for dipping.

Messy fingers ahoy – don’t forget the napkins!

Spiced red wine poached pears with shortbread

A fabulous end to any festive dinner party. This is so quick and simple to make especially if you have pre made the mulled wine.

Ingredients

Serves 4

1 quantity of mulled wine, see separate recipe here

4 firmish but ripe dessert pears (very ripe is no good)

For the shortbread:

100 g plain flour

50 g caster sugar

100 g butter

50 g semolina

Clotted cream ice cream to serve

Method

Peel the pears and pop them in a bowl of water with a squeeze of lemon juice, this will stop them going brown.  When you are ready to use them cut the bottoms off so they stand up easily.

Put the pears in a deep saucepan and cover with the mulled wine. 

You can roll the pears on their sides which will make them easier to cover.

Turn the heat onto medium and when it’s simmering poach the pears for around 30 minutes or until a knife easily pierces the flesh.

You don’t want them too soft they should still have a little bite to them.

For the shortbread mix together the butter sugar and flour in a food processor until a smooth dough is formed.  Don’t over work the mix or the shortbread won’t be short.  Just mix it until it comes together.

Roll or pat out and pop on a lightly greased baking sheet. 

Bake on 160 / gas mark 2 for 25 minutes

When the shortbread comes out of the oven it will be soft don’t worry it hardens on cooling. When its soft is the time to cut it into your desired shapes or do the traditional fork prick marks all over. 

Sprinkle with caster sugar and serve with the pears.

A little of the syrup drizzled over the pears always goes down a treat.

Image courtest of DirtyGourmet.com and i just LOVE it.

Traditional mulled wine

Everyones winter favourite and so simple to make, choose this on a winters evening, Christmas eve wrapping presents is my preferred time, or when your putting the tree up.

Ingredients

Serves 4-5

1 bottle of full bodied red wine

1 vanilla pod

75g of caster sugar

2tbsp golden syrup

4 cloves

2 star anise

1 cinnamon stick

1 orange, peel only (use a potato peeler to remove thick strands of the peel)

Method

Add a good glass full of the wine to a saucepan with the rest of the ingredients.

Boil viciously until the wine has reduced by half.  This is really important to infuse the wine with all the flavours.

Add the rest of the wine, turn the heat off and leave for an hour or so to fully infuse.

This method ensures only a small amount of the alcohol in the wine is burnt off (in the initial infusion)

To serve warm gently, never boil.

Trifle with a winterberry sorbet

Who doesn’t love a good trifle, its my favourite dessert of all time.  The textures in my version are to die for.  I make a the trifle every Christmas, it acts as a huge centre piece in my nanas old crystal bowl but it looks equally as good as individual portions at a dinner party in wine glasses.

If you think the sorbet is too much of a pain in the arse to make, and lets face it sometimes it is, just buy some or top the trifle with the berries.

Ingredients

makes 1 large or around 6 small

For the sponge:

1 shop bought Madeira cake

Seeded blackberry jam

50mls minature of sherry

For the custard:

3 egg yolks

40g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

150mls of double cream

150mls whole milk

30g cornflour

For the cream:

300mls whipping cream

50g caster sugar

1 vanilla pod

For the nuts:

100g Granulated sugar

Mixed nuts inclusing hazelnuts and whole almonds

For the sorbet:

Ingredients

100 g caster sugar

200 ml water

2 tsp glucose syrup

500g berries, (fresh or frozen)

squeeze of lemon juice

Method

For the sorbet:

Put the sugar, 100ml of the water and the glucose in a saucepan. Dissolve the sugar over medium heat without stirring. Bring to the boil and simmer briskly for 5-7 minutes until the bubbles thicken and become syrupy. Remove from the heat, pour into a bowl and leave to cool.
Put the blackberries in another pan. Squeeze some lemon juice over them and simmer over low heat for a minute or two until soft.
Put the blackberries in a blender and purée until smooth.
Push the purée through a fine sieve to remove all the seeds.
 Add the cooled syrup and remaining water to the purée and whisk together.
Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker. Process for about 20 minutes according to the manufacturer's instructions, then freeze.

For the custard:

Whisk the egg yolks, corn flour and sugar until light and mousse like.

In a saucepan warm the cream and milk with the split scraped vanilla pod.

Pour the warm mix over the egg mixture whisking constantly.  If you don’t whisk all the time the eggs will scramble.

Add everything back to the pan and warm very gently, stirring constantly over a medium heat.

The custard will thicken quite rapidly because the eggs are cooking.

Once its reached your desired thickness (and it really is upto you how you like it) turn the heat off, pass the custard through a sieve into a bowl and cover with clingfilm (this stops a skin forming)

Chill until you need it.  You can make the custard upto a day in advance.

For the nuts:

In a saucepan heat the sugar over a medium to high heat until its melted, do not stir the sugar, this is a vital stage of making caramel.

Once all the sugar is melted you can begin to swirl the pan and turning the heat down to low continue to swirl the pan until the caramel reaches a deep amber colour, you don’t want it to burn so be ready to take the pan off the heat at a seconds notice.

Once the colour is achieved pour the caramel out onto a stainless steel surface, or the back of a baking sheet thats been lightly greased.

Immediately add the nuts so they stick in the caramel.

Leave the mix to cool completely.

When its cool it should easily peel and break off the surface.

Snap shards and keep to one side until your ready to use them, that is if you can stop eating all of them! Very addictive..

Now you have all the components ready its a 5 minute job to assemble..

In the bottom of your trifle dish add a nice thick slice of the Madeira cake which has been spread with the jam.

Drizzle the sherry over the cake.

Add the custard and smooth out.

Lightly whip the cream until billowey and unctuous.  Add a little sugar as it thickens fort sweetness.

Add the cream on top of the custard upto the top of the dish and smooth out completely flat, i think it looks better like this for presentation.

Add a quinellle of the sorbet and top with the shards of brittle.

Eat enjoy and never serve a small portion!

5 spice duck with crunchy noodle salad and homemade sweet chilli sauce

This is my taste of the orient.  So fresh and tasty.  Duck is such a seasonal treat, readily available from September to January.  The richness of the meat compliments the sharpness of the sauce and the freshness of the salad.

Ingredients

serves 2

For the duck:

2 duck breasts

Salt and pepper

4tsp 5 spice powder

For the salad:

1 carrot

½ small white cabbage

A small handful of sugar snap peas

A small handful of beansprouts

1 sheet of medium egg noodles

2tsp Sesame oil

2tsp Sesame seeds

1tsp honey

2tsp soy sauce

For the sauce:

225g caster sugar

150ml water

1 red chilli and 1 green, finely chopped

1 clove of garlic crushed

1inch piece of ginger grated

1 stalk lemon grass

2tbsp fish sauce

1 lime, juice only

1 small spring onion finely chopped

1 very small bunch of corriander, finely chopped

Method

Begin with the sauce as it can be made well in advance.

To make the sauce:

Place the sugar and water into a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Add the chillies, garlic, ginger and lemongrass and simmer for 5-10 minutes until the mixture becomes a syrup. 

Remove from the heat, strain to remove all the bits and add the fish sauce, vinegar and lime juice.
Leave to cool, then stir in the spring onions and very finely diced coriander and refrigerate until required.  You can add more chilli for colour if you want but i like it clear.

For the duck:

Pre heat the oven to 200 / gas mark 6.

Score the skin of the duck to help render the fat.

Season the duck with the salt and pepper and the five spice powder on the skin and flesh.

In a COLD frying pan place the duck skin side down and then the heat on.

Set a timer for 3 minutes and cook the duck without touching it.

All the fat will render out of the skin slowly giving you a delicious crisp edible skin.

after 3 minutes flip the duck and fry for 1 minute on the other side.

After 1 minute transfer the duck to the hot oven and cook for 3 minutes in which time you can prepare the salad.

When the duck is cooked its ESSENTIAL you leave it to rest for at least 5 minutes to help the meat relax to make it really juicy and tender.

For the salad:

Cook the egg noodles as per the packet instructions, its usually simmer for 10 minutes until tender.

Cut the carrots into quarters lengthways then using a sharp knife, a food processor attachment or a mandolin slice the carrot as thinly as possible, so you have long thin slivers of carrot.  Do the same with the cabbage. 

Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl.

For more flavour gently toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan over a medium heat until they are golden.  This releases lots more flavour than adding them un toasted.

Serve the salad drizzled with some of the prepared sauce with the duck sliced on the side and an extra little dish of dipping sauce on the side.  Totally food heaven!  Leave the duck out for a packed lunch staple!