Northern Soul came of age in the mid-seventies. The first significant underground music scene in the UK came to the notice of the media and public alike in 1977, a television documentary endeavoured to capture the spirit of thousands of youngsters dancing all night to obscure, rare American soul records - which even then were up to a dozen years old. The Wigan Casino Years documents, illustrates and analyses the golden age of Northern Soul from 1973 - 1981.

    Review:

    "The Casino story has oft been told, but the "Years" part of the title is crucial: Brown chronicles developments in the NS world year by year at Wigan, Blackpool and beyond, and offers his critique of each year's pivotal records: some, like Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You", still revered today, others, such as Paul Humphrey's "Cochise", soon consigned to the musical dustbin. The author speaks with authority and pulls no punches in his assessments of records and people, making this hardback an informative and absorbing read. Designed by Glenn "Joe Boy" Gunton, who has incorporated a wealth of memorabilia, press cuttings and label shots into its colourful pages, it's one of the most handsome music books ever published, too."
    ****1/2 Mike Atherton Echoes, Record Collector

    Deluxe hardback edition