My Best Ever Blind Buy From The States - What's Yours?

[Derek Pearson]

I'm sure we've done this topic many times before but what the hell.....

 

Whilst I’ve never been one for gambling on things like the horses, football or whatever  I’d regularly gamble good money on buying records blind ‘cos they looked interesting or should I say more specifically because the details on the label looked/sounded interesting.

 

I guess the major difference between these 2 forms of gambling is that a lost bet on the track means just that, your money has gone for good, whereas buying a record blind that turns out not to be a winner gives you at least a chance to sell it on and recoup your losses.

 

And lets not forget years ago there wasn’t that wonderful catch all tool called the internet and that massive music library known as YouTube hadn’t even been thought of

 

And so it was in the summer of 1987 I received a well known list out of Illinois.

Buried deep in the small print was a record I’d never heard of though I knew of other things on the label.

However it was the compelling description that convinced me, nay forced me to bid on it.

Can’t recall the exact details but - come on - who wouldn’t bid on a record described as obscure mid sixties mid tempo group out of Detroit. 

Now if that didn’t have you quickly writing a reply out nothing would.

 

However there was a snag.

The record had a 1cm crack from the running groove inwards. Oh? Mmmm.....

 

Bah, undeterred I bid accordingly.

 

Well I never - they don’t call me Bobby Big Balls for nothing as I romped home with the record.

And I’m sure you’ll all be pleased to know that I’ve still got the record and I still handle it with kid gloves.

 

And yeah it still is probably my best ever blind buy from the states.

 

So what's yours?

 

Derek

 

 

PS. Very much doubt if it’s the same group who sang “Roar of the crowd” on Tina as that label came out of California. Or if it was the same outfit that cut for Poncho as that was another west coast operation.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9DhQ_IC9HmA

Edited October 4, 2013 by Derek Pearson

[Keeper]

You Jammy bastard ........bought many unknown (to my limited self)  tunes...tagged them on to some i knew but was paying postage so thought what the heck.......still wracking my brains ...but no they were all SHITE.....well done

 

 

However did buy a tune on the advice of a friend a few weeks ago not knowing it....only to get home and play it to be told "Oh no that's not the one i thought it was " Bloody love it ....James Kelly Duhon "Pusher Man"........Thanks Sid.....every faith in you pal !!!!

Edited October 3, 2013 by Keeper

[Ian Dewhirst]

Best blind find I ever had was the Si Hightower mini album Test Pressing from a skip outside Monarch in L.A. in '76. A true one-off I believe.....

Ian D

[Pezer]

Was looking through ebay one night, at least 10-15 years ago and saw The Symphonies "Thats what love will do" on Carnival.Had never seen or heard of it before and it was,nt in any price guides!. Saw that it was written by Ruth McCoy, who i knew from other 45's, so put a bid in for $10.As it finished in the middle of the nite i went to bed, looked in the morning and i'd won it. Brilliant, soulful mid tempo, and turned out to be really tough to find!. Still never seen another copy for sale.

Perry.

[Pete S]

I bought a job lot off a chap from Nashville on the strength of being able to see just one title, a Clydie King Imperial demo.  When I got them, there were:

2 x marva josie "don't" ua demos

2 x sidney barnes on red bird

2 x ellie greenwich "baby" on red bird

roddie joy on red bird

silky hargraves on wheelsville

altogether about 70 records, all r & b and at least half were really good titles like this.  I paid about $80 plus I swapped him an ordnance survey map he asked about.

This was back in 2000, when not that many were on ebay still

[Mal C]

I bought a job lot off a chap from Nashville on the strength of being able to see just one title, a Clydie King Imperial demo.  When I got them, there were:

2 x marva josie "don't" ua demos

2 x sidney barnes on red bird

2 x ellie greenwich "baby" on red bird

roddie joy on red bird

silky hargraves on wheelsville

altogether about 70 records, all r & b and at least half were really good titles like this.  I paid about $80 plus I swapped him an ordnance survey map he asked about.

This was back in 2000, when not that many were on ebay still

 

Think he's gonna need something stronger than a map to tell him he's off track with his trading... wait there, you just happened to the relevant Ordnance survey map about the house Pete, does it give the location of your Garage...

[Mach]

Mint  Darondo Pullan on Ocampo for,... £4    from Mr Domar mid 90s