Peter Burton and Le Duce jukebox
Peter Burton, who has just died, had many different lives. During the high sixties – from about 1966 to 1968 – he was the manager of infamous mod/ queer bar Le Duce in D’Arblay Street, Soho. (For a fuller account in Burton’s own customarily clear and concise prose, read his “Parallel Lives” [Gay Men's Press 1985]). Last year we were talking about the club (favourably remembered by Derek Jarman and many, many others) when I asked him what was the soundtrack. A few days later he sent me a list of records on the Le Duce jukebox: heavily dependent on Motown and leaning, as often in gay aesthetics, towards the heart-stopping, the melodramatic and the nakedly emotional.
Here it is:
- When You’re Young and In Love The Marvelettes
- Third Finger, Left Hand Martha and the Vandellas
- Jimmy Mack Martha and the Vandellas
- What Becomes of the Broken Hearted Jimmy Ruffin
- I’ve Passed This Way Before Jimmy Ruffin
- Stop In the Name of Love The Supremes
- I Heard It Through the Grapevine Marvin Gaye
- Tears Of A Clown The Miracles
- You Really Got A Hold On Me The Miracles
- I Gotta Dance (To Keep From Crying) The Miracles
- I Second That Emotion The Miracles
- This Old Heart of Mine The Isley Brothers
- Reach Out, I’ll Be There The Four Tops
- Standing In the Shadows of Love The Four Tops
- The Lover’s Concerto The Toys
- My Girl The Temptations
- Ain’t Too Proud To Beg The Temptations
- My Guy Mary Wells
- River Deep, Mountain High Ike & Tina Turner
- Heaven Must Have Sent You The Elgins
- Bernadette The Four Tops
- Sitting On The Dock of the Bay Otis Redding
- Harlem Shuffle Bob & Earl
- Needle In A Haystack The Velvelettes
- You Don’t Have To Say You Love Me Dusty Springfield
- If You Go Away Dusty Springfield
- My World Is Empty Without You The Supremes
- Stand By Me Ben E.King
- Put Yourself In My Place The Elgins
- Take Me In Your Arms and Love Me Gladys Knight and the Pips