Indie music didn't start in a damp Manchester rehearsal room with a bunch of miserable lads wearing oversized raincoats. It was pinched straight from Motown.

In this episode, Andrew Culture and Dr Sam trace the line connecting Detroit's assembly lines, Peckham bedrooms, and sweaty, talcum-powdered floors in Wigan to show how Northern Soul accidentally birthed British indie, Britpop, and baggy culture.

We cover:

  • The Peckham militant who ran a Motown fan club, bought records for Paul McCartney, and told Mick Jagger to jog off.

  • Why Barry Gordy tried to destroy every copy of a song that later sold for £100,000.

  • How The Smiths, The Charlatans, and Soft Cell basically owe their entire careers to American soul B-sides.

  • 7:50AM end-of-night rituals and the birth of UK music tribalism.

Amazing additional voice clips provided by Voiceover Artist Martin Whiskin - https://www.martinwhiskin.co.uk/

 

CITATION LINKS

  1. Dave Godin, Northern Soul & His Legacy
    Dave Godin's Guardian obituary detailing his civil rights activism, founding the Tamla Motown Appreciation Society, coining "Northern Soul," and his ashes being scattered at Wigan Casino:
    https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/oct/20/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries

BFI documentation on Dave Godin and the history of the Northern Soul movement:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/northern-soul-brief-history

  1. The Twisted Wheel & Manchester Soul History
    BBC archive detailing Manchester's Twisted Wheel as the original birthplace of Northern Soul:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/manchester/content/articles/2008/10/09/twisted_wheel_feature.shtml

The official Manchester Digital Music Archive entries on The Twisted Wheel's history:
https://www.mdmarchive.co.uk/venue/the-twisted-wheel

  1. The £100,000 Frank Wilson Record
    BBC News report on the history of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" and its record-breaking auction sale:
    https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-53603417

  2. Wigan Casino & The "Three Before 12" Ritual
    The Guardian's retrospective on the Wigan Casino all-nighters and the 7:50 AM end-of-night ritual:
    https://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/19/wigan-casino-northern-soul

  3. Andy Rourke, The Smiths & James Jamerson
    MusicRadar / Bass Player interview archive where Andy Rourke breaks down his Motown influences and James Jamerson's impact on his basslines:
    https://www.musicradar.com/news/bass/andy-rourke-on-the-smiths-basslines-gear-and-johnny-marr-611116

  4. Soft Cell & Gloria Jones
    Official Charts history of Soft Cell's "Tainted Love" taking Gloria Jones' 1965 Northern Soul track to UK #1 in 1981:
    https://www.officialcharts.com/chart-news/flashback-1981-soft-cell-tainted-love__23725/

  5. The Charlatans & Madchester's Soul Roots
    Tim Burgess interview discussing the soul and organ roots behind "The Only One I Know":
    https://www.clashmusic.com/features/in-conversation-tim-burgess/

  6. Fatboy Slim & Just Brothers Sampling Bridge
    WhoSampled technical breakdown showing Norman Cook sampling Just Brothers' 1965 track "Sliced Tomatoes" for "The Rockafeller Skank":
    https://www.whosampled.com/sample/2015/Fatboy-Slim-The-Rockafeller-Skank-Just-Brothers-Sliced-Tomatoes/

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