Penny Lane

From Winnipeg in Canada, my latest guest castaway washed ashore on a lonely island in the sea is DJ Penny Lane : Soul Junkie, Music Nerd, Co-Presenter of 'We Are The Mods' and Host of the mod radio show 'Punks in Parkas'.

Broadcasting live on UMFM 101.5 FM, 'Punks in Parkas' hit the air in the spring of 2005. Hosted by Penny Lane, it strives to play the best of the mod genera, from the original groups who rocked it in the early 1960s to the artists today who are reviving the scene.

The Beatles - Abbey Road Medley

Abbey Road Medley : You Never Give Me Your Money/Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard/Polythene Pam/She Came in Through the Bathroom Window/Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End.

"Does it get much more beautiful than the Abbey Road Medley? To me, it’s something that perfectly sums up the amazing career The Beatles had and the incredible music they created. The medley takes you from the seriousness of Paul’s songwriting, to John’s sometimes silly yet poignet lyrics, to George’s hauntingly beautiful and almost religious like hymns which is all held together by the steady hand of Ringo’s drums. 

I can get lost in not just the 'Abbey Road Medley', but the whole B-side of the this album and I find myself turning to it over and over again. Over the years it has become my security blanket – that one thing I know that can make me feel right with everything. My fondest memory DJ'ing has to be a few years back when I was asked to DJ a low key event on a Sunday night at a small local pub. The mood in the pub was very relaxed, mellow and I put on the B-side of 'Abbey Road' and just let the album play out. Not only was it a joy to hear that medley, but to actually feel the beats as they pounded through the speakers, feel the vibrations of the guitars hit my legs and skirt from the monitors below my DJ decks – it was bliss for me and cemented in my mind how important that whole album is to me. 

Sure, it’s personal – it’s something that I turned to at a time in my life when I needed some sort of hope. It carried me on when I didn’t think I had the strength to do so myself. It became a warm and comfortable hug from a true and loving friend when I needed it most. 

That medley, which starts on a kind of somber note with 'You Never Give Me Your Money', ends with the most perfect and honest statement to ever come out of rock and roll – ‘and in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make.’ It’s a journey from a hard place to one of hope, of truth and honesty. How we get there, from this place of break down to this moment of complete understand and peace is just like life, really. It’s not straightforward – it’s a winding path that is filled with humor, hope, joy, anger and in the end, love.


When I have a bad day, when I’m feeling down or depressed or I need something to get me back on track, I listen to the 'Abbey Road Medley' and by the time 'She Came in Through the Bathroom Window' starts, I always feel a little bit better and  start to tap my toes. Then of course 'Golden Slumbers' starts and I want to smile and cry at the same time – ‘boy,you’re gonna carry that weight a long time…’  Truth in rock and roll."

The 006 - Like What, Me Worry ?

"They say that the best revenge is a life well lived. I’m a firm believer in that, but every so often I need a reminder... that’s where this song comes in. Its rash, gritty, its got a great beat and if you listen to the lyrics, you see how cold, disturbing and down-right violent it really is. 

I think we have all gotten so angry that we have cursed someone under our breath. When I need to release a little build up inner frustration (and come on, admit it, who doesn’t feel that way once in a while?), I put on this song, turn it up and let its nasty and vicious lyrics speak for me. I’m not a violent or evil spirited person but even I get a tingle of some odd satisfaction at some of these lyrics:

If you say one more thing about me

When you open up your big mouth

I’ll put my hand in there and grab your toes

And turn you inside out

I’m gonna tie you into a great big knot

And throw you onto the floor

Gonna stomp on and pulverize you

Till you ain’t no more

Like what, me worry? Ha ha ha!

Apart from those fantastically sadistic lyrics, can we talk about the driving beat behind this song? It’ the best kind of gritty garage rock there is – fuzzy guitars, great bass and drum combo and an oddly chip and upbeat tempo that begs you to get up and dance. That’s what first attracted me to this song, the B-side to the only single that Chicago’s 006 ever released, was that fantastic drumming and the driving beat that just begs you to dance to it.

It’s the best revenge song I think I’ve ever heard."

Otis Redding - Coffee and Cigarettes

"My first introduction to Otis Redding was via the movie 'Pretty in Pink'. There is a very iconic scene where Molly Ringwald’s character is in the record store she works in and her boss puts on Otis Redding’s 'Try a Little Tenderness'. On cue, Ducky (the character who is lusting after Ringwald) enters and does the most amazing lip sync routine I think I’ve ever seen in my life. 

This was before I knew what Motown was, before I knew what soul was, before I knew what Mod was. I fell head over heels in love with that song. 

My love for Otis Redding just blossomed from there and it was only a handful of years ago that I discovered the track ‘Coffee and Cigarettes'. To me, it’s the definitive soul song. It’s passionate, it’s heartfelt, honest and pure. Otis has such raw emotion in his voice, such love and respect that it will always send chills up and down my spine and makes all the hairs on my body stand on end. 

It’s something all men and women seem to crave in their life – to find that one person who completes them so perfectly. How many women over the years have listened to this song and wished to hear those words, how many men have listened and wished to feel those words? To me, it’s what love is. It’s being able to want nothing more than to share the most simple and mundane tasks in the world with someone – like smoking cigarettes and drinking coffee. 

The song is this beautiful moment of realization. It’s in those simple and often overlooked moments where we really discover love."

The High Numbers - I'm The Face

"If I had to pick one song that really started everything for me as a DJ and radio host, that dubious honor would go to 'I’m the Face' by The High Numbers. 

I used to regularly attend a club night in Winnipeg back in the early 2000's called Loaded Club. Britpop had just hit Winnipeg, bringing with it a Mod revival and this club was our city's weekly Britpop/Mod night. Once I discovered it, I quickly became a regular and started to learn all I could about Mod. I dove headfirst into the one thing I identified the most with – the music. I would spend every spare minute looking up bands, labels and sifting through dusty bins filled with records and 45s. I was a women obsessed. 

The first time I ever heard “I’m The Face” was when I picked up a slightly used copy of The Who’s Maximum R & B box set. That harmonica at the start of the track grabbed me and for two and a half minutes I listened transfixed. I found myself constantly humming the song, singing it in my head and I wanted nothing more than to hear that track at Loaded Club and dance to it.

When I went to request the song from the resident DJ on my next visit the club, I was slightly shocked when he told me he had never heard of it.  I found this happening more and more often... I would discover a fantastic song, have it stuck in my head all week, head to Loaded Club on the weekend, go request the song only to have the DJ tell me he didn’t have it or actually had not heard of it. 

With hopes to strike up a friendship with the DJ, who went by the moniker 'The Invisible Man', I made him a mix CD of all of these tracks that I requested and he didn’t know or have. I opened the CD with The High Number’s “I’m The Face.” That CD has now almost become the stuff of legends, with The Invisible Man not only playing the entire thing the night he got it at the club, but it also helping to forge a lifelong friendship with the DJ. 

The Invisible Man, noting my love for music, insisted a few years into our friendship that I apply for a radio show on the same station he presented his on – 101.5 UMFM in Winnipeg. So in 2005, with his help, I brought 'Punks in Parkas' to the air for the first time. 

The very first track I ever played?

You guessed it – 'I’m The Face' by The High Numbers."

Serendipity Singers - Beans In My Ears

"I didn’t grow up in a particularly musical household. A lot of people find this surprising considering that I work on two music based radio shows/podcasts and that my house is full of records and CDs. This is not to say my parents didn’t enjoy music, it just wasn’t played much, if often, in our house. I have fond memories of listening to late 1950s and early 1960s rock and roll with my dad in his truck and of my mom humming 'White Rabbit' by Jefferson Airplane to herself around the house periodically.

Growing up, I remember this small wire rack that my parents kept in the basement that held about 25 or so 45s. These were dirty, scratched up little records that were missing their sleeves and had obviously seen better days, but as a pre-teen I was fascinated with them. I would escape to the basement, turn on the old Sear’s turntable and play these records. There were the standard 45s by The Rolling Stones, The Beatles and of course, as any good Canadian will attest, The Guess Who. But hidden in the rack was this strange record, this silly song that I remembered hearing and singing as a child. 

Did my parents sing it to me? Did they play it to me? To be honest, I couldn’t tell you but part of me remembers being a young child and laughing at this song about putting beans in your ears. It made me laugh as much as a pre-teen as it did when I was little. 

Over the years, when I started to collect my own records and get more and more obsessed with music, I forgot all about that wire rack in the basement, including the silly bean song. It wasn’t until I had been doing 'Punks in Parkas' for a good amount of time that I stumbled across the song while doing research for an upcoming episode. As soon as I heard those wobbly first four notes, I was instantly taken back to being a small child in my parent’s house, laughing with my sister over this silly song and then again to being a pre-teen and discovering those 45s and listening to them over and over again. 

It brought back a flood of emotions and feelings that reminded me my family, my childhood and the first time I discovered how fantastic music could be. It can elevate you, transfix you, comfort you, anger you, speak for you, encourage you and support you... or it can tell you to stick beans in your ears! "

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Now you have listened to Penny's 5 great tracks and read where she's coming from, you'll be wanting to hear more from her ... am I right ?

Your starting point must be the Punks in Parkas website, so go to the link below :

Next up is We Are The Mods : Check out the next link... you won't be disappointed !

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Rich Beggar

Washed ashore on a lonely island in the sea is my latest guest, hip-hop lyricist, singer, songwriter, aspiring actor and radio personality Prem Sharma... aka Rich Beggar.

Currently presenting 'The Story SOUL Far on Soulstice Radio 24, Rich Beggar is no stranger to the world of radio, having appeared as guest artist, interviewee and talk panellist on many stations including BBC Radio 1, BBC Asian Network, Club Asia, Choice FM and UK Obsession FM. Using the pseudonym 'Just Prem', his first weekly radio show 'The Watershed Show' was broadcast on yesteryears folded Community Radio and  NTL Channel 8 - ACR FM.

Aside from radio, Rich Beggar is an accomplished singer, songwriter, rapper and live performer, with several recordings in genres of music ranging from Hip-Hop, Soul/R&B, Soulful House, D'nB and Asian Desi... receiving critical acclaim, laudatory reviews and chart topping success in the UK as well as Europe, Atlantic Stateside and Asian Music territories alike. 

When signed to Universal Music Group, Rich Beggar featured R&B vocals on the Indian No.1 smash hit 'Dil Jaania' - 'Bombay Bronx 2 album'.

Rich Beggar has recently featured on 'Global Music Unites' a digital-only album of exclusive tracks previously unavailable for download on any platform for release as a limited edition. 'Global Music Unites' brings together artists and musicians from the US and UK to raise funds for three charities - SOS Villages in Zambia,  Mission Direct (also working in Zambia) and The Hunger Project.

A freelance movie actor, Prem was credited as a 'Heavy' in the 2009 BIFA and BAFTA award nominated feature film 'Shifty' (also featuring on the 'Shifty Original Motion Picture Soundtrack' album alongside other guest artists :  Sway, Plan B, Riz MC & DJ Trax).  

Prem was also nominated for 'Best Actor' at the 7th Annual BFM International Film Festival for his debut acting role in the award winning short film 'mORALLY Speaking' made by award winning British Film Director, Lawrence Coke.

"My earliest recollections are of banging on any solid surfaces I could get my hands on around the house, trying to imitate the sounds of drums (be they American funk or traditional Indian) and drowning out loud vocals copying popular songs heard on the radio or from my mothers infinite Indian music cassette collection...  those good old grey and black BASF cassette tapes."

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Luther Vandross - A House Is Not A Home

"One of my favourite Luther Vandross (cover/per se) ballads and in my opinion it unashamedly and explicitly defines the sheer delicacy, intricacy, conviction, control & adroit key fundamental elements and embodiment of a ballad, with Luther giving the new listener, fan, peer or student a masterclass performance on how a ballad should be sung and ought to sound like. 

This track has Luther’s inimitable, flawless and dexterous trademark style, stamp, delivery and polished poise written all over it, proving ‘how’ and validating ‘why’ he was regarded as an unprecedented and highly gifted unique singer, vocalist and legendary Soul/R&B icon of 20th & 21st Century for many like myself and no doubt still will be for generations to come.

I’d been first introduced to Luther Vandross in early 80’s by my (then teenage) sister Sunita (notably; ‘Never Too Much’, ‘Forever For Always For Love’ & ‘The Night I Fell In Love’) sowing the Soulful seeds in my psyche during bedtime solitary Sony Walkman wayfarer nights. However, this track holds fonder memories of me beginning to appreciate Luther’s richness, value and the vocal art form that Soul/R&B music had to offer.

A time when I really stopped in my ‘disco/electro/hip-hop/pop/new romantics’ tracks, stood up and paid closer attention to it and caught the incurable SOUL BUG of wanting to listen & explore more and more authentic Soul music... not to mention attempt to emulate Mr Vandross at any given opportunity. 

I still vividly and laughably remember to this day when I was too young to attend his 1986 London Wembley Stadium 'Give Me The Reason' Album Tour Concert by myself or with friends, that I was sanctioned the ‘lame, yet better than nothing’ permission to stay up late on a school night to record it off the TV onto one of my mum’s precious hidden away BASF VHS Video Tapes. Thereafter, I would maniacally rush home in my lunch break (wolfing my sandwiches with one hand, can of Top Deck lemonade shandy clutched in the other, satchel round my shoulder… pegging it down road after road weaving crossroad traffic narrowly avoiding being run over by a Ford Cortina) back to an ‘empty house’ (while mum, dad & older siblings were at work) only to religiously re-enact the recorded BASF VHS concert in the living room with TV on full blast… equipped with my dad’s marble cone shaped Phillips screwdriver (my trusty makeshift mic) trying to hit n hone all the unreachable Luther notes, making Luther facial expressions and striking all the Luther poses & camp choreography.. all the while convincing myself 'I was Luther' and the 'Wall Mirror was my Wembley Stadium'. "

Glen Jones - Show Me

"Albeit a smash hit and his signature tune... this song is my absolute all-time favourite, heartfelt and most cherished of all Glenn Jones songs as it once again holds such fond and fun memories of my coming of age adolescence.

I was introduced to 'Show Me' by my older brother Rav (Ravi)... it featured on one of his Soul Searching Volume One album cassette tapes released by Jive back in 1987, which he so kindly passed down to me (that’s after him buckling to years of my begrudging, begging, bribes & blackmail) along with Volume Two that I still sentimentally own both to this day as priceless prized possessions.

I fell in love instantly with 'Show Me' from the intro adlibs and opening bar on verse 1; “I’ve been watching you just to see how far you would go”… His voice was (and still is) so uncontrovertibly rich, real, explosive, powerful, thick, pure and sure in tone, texture and timbre that it grabbed me straight away. Not to mention his dizzying heights high register falsetto that was humanly inconceivable and seismically off the Richter scale, insane and unimaginably achievable for my impressionable, pubescent and explorative ears at that time.

I would rewind, replay and imitate any of his falsetto parts with a loud squawk for hours on end until I realised my parents had been yelling “vill ju please shuuut uuup Prem” from downstairs, neighbours banging our bedroom walls with “turn it in’.. will ya!”, my underdeveloped deep voice more confused and abused than ever and my treasured Soul Searching cassette confiscated and hidden once again by my beloved browbeater brother leaving me bereft, blubbering and blue pining for its return back to the tape deck.

I have had the honour and absolute pleasure of sharing this story on a few occasions with Glenn Jones (or ‘The Ambassador of Voice’ as I’ve personally dubbed him) while swilling a few glasses of wine and discussing our favourite vocalist and songs. That on the last occasion, much to my delightful surprise, while rapping new material and then singing an impromptu 'Eye of The Sparrow' acappella backstage at one of his concerts, he serendipitously joined in mid-way all the way to the end until we both finished the very last note together with a jubilant and celebratory hi-five. It was definitely one of the most memorable moments in my life which I’ve jarred forever and cherish.

So this song would without a doubt would be one I’d regularly listen and sing along to on my deserted island and perhaps one with its eardrum piercing ultrasonic falsetto might even invite some unannounced game for me to hunt and feast on! "

Mint Condition - Pretty Brown Eyes

"Mint Condition is unquestionably my best-loved band of all time and will continue to be for many more years to come!

Those who know me well enough and long enough can testify that I’ve always been an ardent die-hard fan, loyal FOOM and staunch supporter of their sound, style, movement and almost underground cult following since their impacting debut “Meant To Be Mint” import album hit our UK shores & specialist stores back in 1991 on Perspective Records.

Their soulful Sheppard and crooning Chieftain; lead singer Stokley Williams is my most influential and revered (‘desert island’) vocalist of vocalist’s… given a choice to be stranded with only one vocalist on our planet, without any hesitation it would definitely be Stokley who I’d select and study under close aural observation and Stroboscopic analysis. His ‘Lyric Tenor’ (G2-G#5 3 Octaves & 1 Semitone) earth, glass & Wurtzite Boron Nitride shattering range, masterly command of pitch, vocal register, resonance, pupil dilating jazz scatting contortionism and breath defying control - coupled with each band member’s musicianship of an authentic animated unfeigned and uncompromising high calibre makes them an unsurpassable SOULsonic force and consummate ensemble yet to be second and reckoned with.

Their eclectic Soul, R&B, Jazz, Rock, Indie, Funk, Salsoul, Hip Hop, Soca sounding gumbo genre they single-handedly created, carved, coined and still cater for salivating Mint-Head’s on bended knees devotees like myself …“served over wild rice with a hint of mint sauce” – (as they so aptly describe it on their 1992 “From The Mint Factory” album’s “Gumbo” interlude). As for “Pretty Brown Eyes”… well it was just the first of their songs I heard that got me hooked in perpetuum after stumbling over it on a quotidian looking half snapped shabby cased TDK D60 muffled sounding cassette mixtape that my Soulboy friend Shyam lent me that he’d acquired from his hometown of Harrow, West London. 

Le reste est de l'histoire!!! "

Gary Taylor - Take Control

"I first discovered Gary Taylor in the fall of 1994 while studying at Kingston University in Surrey. At the time I was dating an overseas fine arts student, Deborah from Trinidad. While she was brushing her canvass and fervently yapping away in her colourfully oscillating thick Trini accent, I had one ear on mute and one eye inconspicuously fixated in the direction of my trustee tape deck’s pause & record button transitorily pressed down with my twitchy index finger by my side stealthily lying in wait on standby mode for any ephemeral soulful gems and bewitching biscuits to appear amongst the irksome and invasive vines of predictable poppycock bubble-gum diluted R’n’B drool that ‘was and still does’plague the radio (commercial compulsory popular playlist driven stations ONLY) for me to advance, attack & claim as a cassette classic.

Low and behold, a bolt from the blue and total game changer came along to literally whisk me off my feet and it took the form and title of 'Take Control'. From the attosecond of its opening signature slow-jam laden much favoured sound, gut winded kick drum & unusually echoed esoteric snare, I remember entering into an instant tunnel vision trance state and leaping off the bed in lightning-speed diving for the pause button like a death-defying goalie about to save a closing penalty shoot-out for the world cup final. The dive was a success (minus a superficial carpet burn to my knee & funny elbow crash into the corner of Deborah’s unforgiving mahogany oak wooden study desk) and I managed to record a momentous song which propelled my love for Soul Music into an even more deep-seated state and riveting realm that has since dictated and governed my sweet-tooth compulsion and passion for “mature meaningful grown-folk adult soul”.

Moreover, in stark contrast to my last two adored and admired vocalists, I find Gary Taylor’s voice to be more gentler, controlled, comforting, cosy, cushiony, affecting, poignant, patient, effortless, subtle, soothing, sensual, spiritual and even hypnotic to the point you forget your even listening to a singer singing a song on a CD, as he reaches so deep inside your own soul that you feel as if the internal monologues of your inner voice inside of you have now been given a vocal cord & tongue that’s managed to crawl from out of your ears and is now sat on the crown of your head audibly narrating the same sentiments your subaqueous sub-consciousness silently shares, thinks, analyses relates and feels, yet seldom ever announces or addresses them in such a categorically evocative, eloquent and articulate way that Mr Taylor manages to. His allusive lyrics, haunting chords,seductive synth effects and uniquely undertone stylised voice are like a 60 minute mawkish soul cleansing shrink session with profound, philosophical, reflective, infectious, mesmerising & uplifting holistic healing qualities that I always benefit from listening to GT. My all-time favourite lyricist/songwriter on planet earth... hands-down! 'Mature Adult Soul' at its very finest of the highest calibre anywhere to be found, heard, experienced and appreciated.

I wholeheartedly thank you and salute you Gary Taylor and let’s hope the long awaited 9th album (8 years in the waiting) 'Acoustic Therapy' is released before I’m stranded without a disc on Bill Fordham’s deserted island that silently awaits me! "

John Klemmer - But Are You Beautiful Inside

"I stumbled upon this stunning and sublime (yet equally sombre and sorrowful) sax solo, again back in the fall of 1994. It was the legendary transatlantic Soul & Funk DJ/Radio Jock Greg Edwards who played this very late into the night on his then ‘The Bridge’ show on Jazz FM. 

All I can succinctly say on this is that every second of John Kelmmer’s saxophone adds up to the sum total of my life thus far. For when I am no more and expire on either home ground soil or the sandy shores of a deserted island, I would wish this and only this to be played in my remembrance as a musical elegy."

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The 'Global Music Unites' album featuring Rich Beggar is available through iTunes and you can use the album cover link below to get it from Amazon :

Check out Rich Beggar's Story SOUL Far on Soulstice Radio 24 :

Catch up on the latest and past show podcasts from Prem's Rich Beggar Mixcloud site :

Also, well worth checking out is the Rich Beggar website :

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Mark Baxter

My latest guest to be washed ashore on a lonely island in the sea is writer Mark Baxter... a former shop and club owner with a passion for '60s clothing, Tubby Hayes and Millwall Football Club.

Whilst employed in a succession of admin jobs in the newspaper and property industry, Bax has also lead another life as a DJ, event organiser, managing musicians and writer. 

"My mentor in the world of writing is Paolo Hewitt. I first met Paolo properly in 2000. Since then we have collaborated on three books. The first, 'The Fashion of Football', was voted as one of the top 50 football books of all time by 442 magazine. 

Our second book, 'The Mumper', has been made into a feature length film, called 'Outside Bet' which hit the cinemas in the UK on April 27th 2012. Starring Bob Hoskins, Jenny Agutter, Calum MacNab and Phil Davies. Distributed by Universal Pictures.

Our third book was published through Prestel in May 2012 and is called 'The A-Z of Mod' with a foreword by actor Martin Freeman

I have also had a local history book published called 'Walworth Through Time' written with Darren Lock. This looks at the area of SE17, and has sold extremely well locally. A second volume was published in June 2012 and a new third volume is due at the end of 2014

A six month exhibition based on our book The Fashion of Football run at The National Football Museum in Manchester til August 2013.

A new novel called 'Elizabeth, Peter and Me' was published on November 18th 2013 on Mono Media Books."

Tony Bennett - The Best Is Yet To Come

"My exposure to music in the first place, would have been through my dad. On Sunday mornings, he would put on the songs as he got ready to go out for a few pints of the lunchtime and among the tunes I would hear back then ( I was born in 1962)  would be the 'pop' sounds of the mid late 60s, such as The Beatles and Motown with all the stops in between. 

However, he was also a well known pub/club singer in and around South East London where I grew up and he loved the likes of Sinatra/Tony Bennett/Eddie Fisher and especially Nat King Cole. I would often end up at his  venues with him as a kid and was soaked in the standards that he would sing. A group of his pals would always be there and one song that has stuck as a sort of anthem for those days is 'The Best Is Yet To Come' by Tony Bennett, a song I still love and one that reminds me of the old man immediately (Sadly he died in the year 2000).  I constantly thank him for that musical education."

Gladys Knight & The Pips - Giving Up

"I have a distinct memory of running around my school playground in the late 60's singing 'Sugar Pie, Honey Bunch' over and over again, and songs like that one and others from the Motown stable still get me every time to this day when I hear them. 

One artist who I'm particularly fond of is Gladys Knight who along with her Pips, made some crackers, one of which I'm having as track two. 'Giving Up' is a song I have seen them do live (from gig in Harlem in 1969 I believe) and everything about it, from the dance routine, to the suits The Pips are wearing, to the vocal performances are different class. Great song too."

The Jam - Butterfly Collector

"By 1979, I was finding myself immersed in the second generation Mod thing. We saw Quadrophenia at the cinema and then I was identifying with the sounds/look and ultimately the lyrics of The Jam. 

Paul Weller became like the older brother I didn't have and I read anything about him in print religiously and through that I picked up on his nods towards other music and his influences, like The Small Faces and The Who. 

When I think back to The Jam though, it isn't the obvious songs I remember however, like 'Going Underground', 'Tube Station' or 'Eton Rifles'. I seem to think more fondly of 'English Rose' and my third choice 'Butterfly Collector'. Clever lyrics that showed a deeper depth and a sign of what was to come from PW in the future."

Tubby Hayes - Dear Johnny B

"I was by now also discovering Jazz and Northern Soul, being often tipped off on a tune by older lads I was now dodging about with and I was buying as much as I could afford. 

I became a member of Ronnie Scott's Club when aged 23 I think and saw many of the jazz greats there and at other venues. People like Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie and Art Blakey.

Jazz takes care of my third choice and I've gone for a UK player. I just love the sound of our guys. Ronnie Scott himself was a tremendous tenor man. Phil Seaman was an amazing drummer and Stan Tracey was a genius on the piano (please check out 'Starless and Bible Black') But for me the true great to come from these shores is Tubby Hayes. 

I discovered Tubby on a Paul Murphy compilation album in the mid 80s and have steadily bought his vast back catalogue ever since. His ultimate album is 'Mexican Green' and the tune from that, that I used to play at full volume on my early shifts when I was working in a West End mail room is 'Dear Johnny B'. 

I am in the middle of making a documentary on Tubby to coincide with what would have been his 80th birthday in 2015."

Sam Fletcher - I'd Think It Over

"I always love hearing a new Northern track and I heard my final choice when I saw the play 'Once Upon A Time In Wigan' at The Greenwich Theatre a few years ago now. I knew a lot of the tunes in the show, but 'I'd Think It Over' by Sam Fletcher hit me like a bolt out of the blue. I love the simple but oh so plaintive arrangement and the sumptuous strings backing that great vocal. I NEVER grow tired of it."

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'Hello, my name's Vinny, Vinny Hawkins. I'm an old man now, in my seventies and live in sheltered housing, but when I was twenty-one in 1962, I was out and about, ducking and diving. One day I was dodging about in Soho back then and bumped into an Italian hotel porter mate of mine who told me about this world famous actress who was well known for being, shall we say, casual with her jewellery. Always leaving it all over the place she was. Anyway, up a drainpipe I go and I managed to get my hands on some of those gems. This was the best result I'd ever had. These beauties were worth a fortune and would be my pension. Only, things then went all wobbly on me. All going well and then bosh! My 'fence' has a death in the family with his old mum passing over and my gems seemingly going with her... I got my collar felt for a previous job that earned me a ten stretch and me and that jewellery parted company. When I left prison, I went straight, then retired and moved in here. But, fifty years later, those gems suddenly became important to me and I need to get my hands on them again. To do it, to get them back will involve grave robbing and cracking a safe, but you know what? I think I can do it... The question is, do you?' 

'Elizabeth, Peter and Me' is published by Mono Media Books and is available from Amazon and other major booksellers...  follow the link below :

Mark continues to PR for Bar Italia, Threadneedle Tailors, Delicious Junction Footwear, Gibson London clothing, John Simons Apparel Company, Gama Clothing, Peckham Rye clothing and Nicholson and Walcot 'Hand Made In London'. He also specialises in Brand awareness through the use of social media on various short term contracts.

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Vincent The Soul Chef

I am honoured to have Baltimore's Vincent The Soul Chef as my latest guest castaway, washed ashore on a lonely island in the sea.

Who is The Soul Chef ?

"I'm just a cratedigger who broke into the game way too late as I've said many times before. Although my musical education began with a stack of 45's given to me by my mom and uncles some four decades ago, there are still so many more lessons yet to learn. That first box of records I got as a kid brought so much joy for many years until I finally wore them out...

...and then I started to buy my own records.

I would spend my weekly allowance buying the latest soul 45's from the local department store. It was a ritual that would serve me well for many years to come. Whenever I would go to someone's house, I would always ask if they had records. If they did, I would gravitate toward the collection and study them like textbooks, looking at all the information contained on the labels and covers. I soaked it all up like a sponge, waiting for the golden opportunity to go to the stores and buy my own copies of what I saw.

...then I needed a quality record player.

My mother gave me her old Panasonic. It was a start, but then my uncle came home from the service with his amazing Pioneer components which he still owns to this very day. He boasts about the fact that he hasn't turned them off in decades and they still perform as good as they did when he first took it out if the box way back in the 70's. I would beg him to let me use it, but he said no. Being young and stupid, I would sneak a play or two in when he wasn't home. Of course I got caught, and I got in trouble to boot...

...the education got serious.

I learned those lessons well. I saved my money and bought some better equipment, and of course, I bought more records. At this time, MTV was a brand new invention which opened my eyes and ears to a wealth of new sounds... I learned about New Wave, and surprisingly, I went back in time and discovered the classics, rock and jazz to be specific . My taste in music matured, and subsequently my record collection grew. Even better, the public library turned out to be a valuable reference point where I could borrow lots of vinyl and make good use of the "try before you buy" credo. Eventually, I got a part time job which allowed me the luxury of buying way more records than my small bedroom could handle comfortably. I didn't care though, I wanted the records, and they sounded great on my equipment. Of course, as luck would have it, I had to have better. I started to learn how to mix records like the Hip Hop DJs I saw on television. Sadly, I only had one turntable at the time, but that would soon change...

I bought my first kit...

I started off with two mismatched decks, a cheap mixer and a reasonably powerful system, most of which was secondhand or donated. My taste in music had continued to evolve by this point. I had all the tools necessary to do it just like the personalities I heard on the radio, and I also frequented the nightclubs too, so I quickly became fascinated by watching the DJs up in the booth... I discovered more new and exciting genres, especially Gothic and Alternative, thanks to the circle of friends I hung out with at the time. Compact discs were also coming into their own, so as luck would have it, I grew a huge collection quickly. It didn't hurt that I had landed a dream job working at a record store! I learned about even more different types of music as a result of that experience; it certainly helped that I could afford buying all these new sounds because I got a great discount.

When digital recording became affordable...

I immediately bought a machine. I had been making cassette tapes for over a decade by this point. Tapes sounded great, but when I heard my first mini disc recording... WOW! I could manipulate the recordings after they were done to make them sound just right, too?!? Before, if I made a mistake on a tape, I had to start over. That was so frustrating. I am so glad that someone took the time to develop the technology that would carry me into the new millennium and the future...

Here is where all of my hard work finally pays off...

I finally learned about the power of computer technology, and how to use that power to make my music sound even better by restoring scratchy records and creating high definition audio files, and that subsequently led to crafting high quality mixtapes. That elevated my game in ways I couldn't have imagined just a few years prior, Surprisingly enough, the internet also gave me the opportunity to come full circle, meaning that my music tastes evolved to the point where I rediscovered the old sounds that I loved so much as a kid. That of course is largely due to the countless number of blogs that I had found and continue to follow wherever possible... Not only was I able to restore most of the old records that I destroyed back in the 70's, but I was privileged to meet a whole lot of good people from every corner of the globe who have the same common goal as I do.

That brings me to right here and now. After close to seven years of blogging, learning and sharing, here (www.fufustew.com) is my lasting contribution to the cause; a hopeful legacy that I am extremely proud to have built from scratch. I sincerely hope that you all enjoy the content found within the pages as it is truly a labour of love."

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"Call me an armchair DJ, yes. Call me a lover of music, definitely. I've been collecting music in many and varied formats seriously since I was fifteen, but my real education began when I was five. I've told that story more than once, and will tell it again in its entirety very soon. For all intents and purposes, and to seriously limit myself to five records, I will try to choose one tune from each decade that just floored me and changed my life."

Gladys Knight & The Pips - Got Myself A Good Man 

"In the 70's the one disc that got me started on my quest would have to be 'Got Myself A Good Man' by Gladys Knight & The Pips. It was just one of the many 45's that were handed down to me by my mom and uncles back in 1973. The funk that emanates from this side still just does things to my soul after all this time. The other side may have been the hit ('The Nitty Gritty'), but good God almighty... "

Cocteau Twins - Lorelei

"In the 80's, the amount of music I was exposed to was so varied that it is really hard to pinpoint just one tune. New Wave and Goth permeated my very being during this period, so I will have to choose one of my all time favourite tunes featuring my all time favourite singer, Liz Fraser. At that time the Cocteau Twins were basically all I listened to, so 'Lorelei' has to be the obvious choice. From arguably their best album 'Treasure'."

Spanky & Our Gang - Like To Get To Know You

"In the 90's, I met a woman who introduced me to what we now know as golden oldies. The local station at the time forced me to spend a grip on reissue 45's, all of which I still treasure to this day. The one that stands out above all the rest has got to be Spanky & Our Gang's "Like To Get To Know You". It could have also been "Pretty Ballerina" from The Left Banke, but that would go against the format... "

Rotary Connection - Respect

"At the turn of the century, I was still enamoured by the oldies, but it was then that I discovered and started to acquire Rotary Connection albums and 45's. Without a doubt, the most important track from this grossly underrated Chicago outfit has got to be their cover of Otis Redding's 'Respect'. This version fits in right nicely with the Neo-Soul tunes that were also dominating my listening time, and rightly so since I still contend that the late Minnie Riperton is the unnamed godmother of the movement."

Lyman Woodard Organization - Creative Musicians

"Finally we come to the present day, and my current collection of rare Funk and Soul 45's are basically all I play anymore. There's no conceivable way that I can narrow it down to one favourite track from the assortment of records I've bought since 2003, but if it were an all or nothing decision, I would have to choose 'Creative Musicians' from The Lyman Woodward Organization. Hands down, it is the embodiment of what makes rare funk 45's so appealing in my opinion, plus it has such a wonderful organ groove... "

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If you have enjoyed Vincent's distinctive music choices, then you will love picking up on his mixtapes... click on the banners below to visit some of his excellent sites :

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