Glen Goodwin

Washed ashore on a lonely island in the sea is this weeks guest castway, Glen Goodwin resident DJ at 'Stax of Soul' and The Hole in the Wall Soul Club.

"It seemed so easy when Bill asked for my deserted island five, but actually to choose just five is virtually impossible, and caused me a lot of pain when finally settling on my five, after many revisits I can tell you. For that reason what you see here may well be very different if I try again next month. These may not be the best five records I own, nor even the most popular on the dance floor but they are all important to me in different ways."

"That said, here we go..."

Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels - You Get Your Kicks

"This was the first ever Northern Soul record that I ever purchased, sometime around my 12th year I think. Having been bought up in North Staffordshire and with two older brothers who both attended The Torch, its fair to say that I was weaned on soul music, hence my love of it starting so young. 

I remember buying this with the first weeks wages from my first weekend schoolboy job at the Co-Op. 75pence from a wage packet of £4.33 was quite an investment! It became quite overplayed for a long time, and being easy to get was never really a track for the purist, but for me it, since I keep my records in the order I purchased them, remains number 1 in my collection. 

Happy memories of me recording it onto a cassette tape along with my other early records to be played against me ear at night as I drifted off to sleep, as a constant companion when I sat having crafty ciggies with my mates, and played to death in my early youth club days."

Ernie Tucker - Can She Give You Fever

"I wanted to include a real stomper, and had many in mind to choose from, but finally settled on this, one of my most recent purchases to represent them. Like the wonderful ‘Get Out’ by Harold Melvin, it has an odd, some might say out of place intro, but for those who know it, like the aforementioned Harold Melvin, that simply gives time to find a roomy space on the dance floor and not miss a beat of the cracking, stomping, hard edged treat to follow. 

This is becoming firmly established in my sets and rapidly gaining a following at both Hole In The Wall & Stax of Soul."

Edwin Starr - Back Streets

"Throughout my life this man has been consistently my favourite soul singer. I saw him perform a number of times, met him on a couple of occasions, and like most Northern Soul fans class him as a god in the scene. 

I could have chosen any of the many records of his that I own but finally settled on this beautiful song, also ensuring that I don’t have just stompers amongst my five choices. 

The saddest time I remember hearing this (but only as instrumental) was just a few weeks after the great mans death. He had been booked to appear at a Kings Hall All Nighter, and in one of the most poignant moments I can remember, his sax player played this out live on stage where, had he not been taken from us, Edwin would have been standing to sing it. Not a dry eye in the house!"

Holly St James - That's Not Love

"For me this is what the scene is all about. A virtually unknown singer and a track unknown outside of the soul circuit, yet an incredible voice and real soul. How could this have NOT been a hit?!? 

I chose this because it has it all. The lyrics are sensational, the backing track oozes soul and brings goose bumps every time I hear it, a track that builds to an unbelievable, almost orgasmic climax. Despite being one of the slowest tracks its one that I have to dance to when I hear it and smile throughout. 

It beat off stiff competition from the likes of Mel Britt, Prince Phillip Mitchell, Dean Barlow, Frankie Karl and the incredible ‘No One There’ by Martha Reeves to name a few."

The Drifters

Drip Drop

"This amazing sound from 1958 came out ahead of a number of tracks that I class together in a broad RnB/Popcorn group; Soul Brothers Six, Willie Mitchell, The King Pins amongst them.

I chose it partly because I simply adore it, and adore dancing to it, and partly because The Drifters were the first live band I ever saw, at Hanley’s Victoria Hall in around 1972. This was before the break ups and sad sight of several versions of The Drifters touring at the same time, when they still had all of the credibility that these amazing singers deserve."

"Please, next time someone asks me to do this, let me choose at least 100 tracks!"

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Glen will be spinning more great tracks like these at the Hole in the Wall Soul Club at Elixir Bar, 162 Eversholt Street, London NW1 1BL.

click on the link below for more details

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