Why are certain record always battered

[Geeselad]

Just saw a Hank Jacobs, just like mine, pretty beat up but still playable. I've noticed lots of others that always seem to show up in rough condition. Prescions, such misery is another, I'm guessing they sold relatively well at the time, rather than being found dead stock. Am I correct in my thinking? 

Edited June 16, 2022 by Geeselad

[Dave West]

Jo Jama always looks rough 

Edited June 16, 2022 by Dave West

[Keamus]

Add Danny Woods and Kenny Hamber to the list

[Simon T]

A chap, originally from Detroit, gave me a lift from Chicago to Detroit, he was listing to ‘oldies’ stations on the radio and on comes Tommy Frontera Leading Lady.

He remembered it well as he, his brother and loads of he’s fellow high school students friends  bought it for their girlfriends.    It was probably played to death,   or scratched, snapped and binned. Never seen one anywhere near mint.

 

[Soul16]

Yep, agree regarding Tommy Frontera.

I’ve found that Freddie Houston - Soft Walkin’ is another example.

[Steviehay]

Mighty lover is one too ,either the vinyl is brill or the the label is ruined or vise versa 

[Kenb]

(battered records) they are the one's i've bought as VG/Ex or VG+ 

Edited June 16, 2022 by Kenb

[Andybellwood]

Sonji Clay ‘l can't wait until I see my Baby's Face’ . Tatty /faded label and/or seen better days vinyl 

[Floyd]

Hi 

Johnnie mae Matthews   i have no choice   big Hit

been after a decent copy for years they all seem to be battered when one comes up

for sale

Floyd

[Happy Feet]

I once read a feature years ago , regarding the state of a lot of old reggae records both here and in the UK and from Jamaica, and the reason given that the " Parties" all night and lots of people having a good time , that the records very rarely made in back into the sleeves if at all , maybe our American cousins where having as much fun and remember these tunes where plentiful and probably not looked upon as future collectors items but to be enjoyed and danced to at the time of release and suffered the same fate , and remember a lot came over and where used as ships ballast , back in day , wired into bundles via the drill holes , I remember talking to Pete Widd , about the very subject of ships ballast years ago 

[Modernsoulsucks]

CODs are usually battered.

[Geeselad]

1 hour ago, Happy Feet said:

I once read a feature years ago , regarding the state of a lot of old reggae records both here and in the UK and from Jamaica, and the reason given that the " Parties" all night and lots of people having a good time , that the records very rarely made in back into the sleeves if at all , maybe our American cousins where having as much fun and remember these tunes where plentiful and probably not looked upon as future collectors items but to be enjoyed and danced to at the time of release and suffered the same fate , and remember a lot came over and where used as ships ballast , back in day , wired into bundles via the drill holes , I remember talking to Pete Widd , about the very subject of ships ballast years ago 

Think I remember reading the same somewhere, that's probably what set this train of thought. 

[Geeselad]

2 hours ago, Soul16 said:

Yep, agree regarding Tommy Frontera.

I’ve found that Freddie Houston - Soft Walkin’ is another example.

I remember having TF for trade at a nighter, Bedford maybe? Guy was after it, ended up trading it for a mint big daddy Rodgers, Guy was gutted said he'd have given me three copies of BDR, for the TF. Must have been a little local hit anyway as it's never surfaced in large quantities, that copy was knackered too. 

[Hooker1951]

Because they are always getting on peoples nerves, on a serious note some labels seem to knock up quicker than others

ML

[Stephen Houghton]

Harry deal I still love you ,I've owned 3 and they are all pretty rough but seem to play OK 

[David Meikle]

I was in a house in Detroit where the bedroom was used to store 45’s. None of the records were in a sleeve. There must have been at least a thousand 45’s in there.

Edited June 17, 2022 by David Meikle

[Jnixon]

Cos they were played at house parties and bbqs and not kept in sleeves. 

[Rick Cooper]

20 hours ago, Happy Feet said:

I once read a feature years ago , regarding the state of a lot of old reggae records both here and in the UK and from Jamaica, and the reason given that the " Parties" all night and lots of people having a good time , that the records very rarely made in back into the sleeves if at all , maybe our American cousins where having as much fun and remember these tunes where plentiful and probably not looked upon as future collectors items but to be enjoyed and danced to at the time of release and suffered the same fate , and remember a lot came over and where used as ships ballast , back in day , wired into bundles via the drill holes , I remember talking to Pete Widd , about the very subject of ships ballast years ago 

I'm with you there about youngsters in US and Jamaica trashing their records. Also would include the Surinam community in The Netherlands and nearer to home, literally, people in this country who never put the sleeves back on their records. 

The ships ballast and wired bundles theory is, as far as I know, complete rubbish with no evidence. If ballast is considered to be a cheap, heavy cargo bought by the ship owners to keep the ship stable and then dumped at the docks on arrival that went out long before records were imported. This was discussed on here some years ago and I asked my brother who worked on cargo ships if he thought it happened. He told me that cargo was loaded with heavy items lowest but all cargo was equally valuable and costed the same, also ships hulls were not wet inside so no water damage to the cargo. The trade between US and Europe was massive so ships could get plenty of cargo without needing cheap ballast.

The drill holes  were done to signify the singles were deleted so not subject to royalties and could not be returned for full cost credit. As to stringing them on wire, why would anyone do that, it would take ages, just leave them boxed. The idea that ships had loads of singles wired up under bales of cotton just doesn't seem credible and outside NS forums I've never heard this. The five or six containers of singles I unloaded in the early seventies all arrived boxed and undamaged. Some records were water damaged but this happened in the US, I remember going through thousands of albums in New Jersey that had been soaked. Those not too damaged we sorted out for transporting by ship to UK.

Apart from US teenagers mistreating their records radio stations often left the discs unsleeved, I once visited a radio station where the DJ was chucking the records about the desk and others were stuck on hooks on the wall, all without sleeves. Ian Levine's big find in Florida was ex radio station discs and all in bad condition.

Sometimes I came across small quantities of singles that all had turned dull and slightly pale. I was told these would have been ex juke box records but these were usually titles from the charts. This doesn't explain why some titles are usually trashed so I'd think that could be down to almost all the stock being sold and then well played by the owners. If the record label didn't think it was worth another pressing there would not be any un played stock left. For small labels they might not have had the funds to press extra copies once the first run had sold out. Also some label owners might have thrown away all un sold stock as they thought they were worthless and just taking up space. 

 

 

[Happy Feet]

So Rick if the ships ballast myth was nothing more than that , perhaps a rouse to put others off the trail and the true source? 

I knew the significance of the drill hole , deletions etc but I'm sure that back in the day on certain markets stalls that the hole was used ,threaded with wire in boxes leaving just enough room to look through the records and when purchasing the owner would then select a copy from another box kept out of site , to prevent theft , I'm sure a couple of shops also copied this style .

[Woodbutcher]

15 minutes ago, Happy Feet said:

So Rick if the ships ballast myth was nothing more than that , perhaps a rouse to put others off the trail and the true source? 

I knew the significance of the drill hole , deletions etc but I'm sure that back in the day on certain markets stalls that the hole was used ,threaded with wire in boxes leaving just enough room to look through the records and when purchasing the owner would then select a copy from another box kept out of site , to prevent theft , I'm sure a couple of shops also copied this style .

Why would they do that when there's a bloody great hole right there in the middle ... 

[Happy Feet]

37 minutes ago, Woodbutcher said:

Why would they do that when there's a bloody great hole right there in the middle ... 

To stop thieving I suppose , ,wire flexible records in old Britvic style boxes , the thread is how come so many damaged records , It was just another way of protecting their stock , and yes some stalls and shops did it this way which would contribute to the damage suffered by so many records , they weren't for sale , it was just to stop theft .the ones for sale where under the counter so to speak . 

And yes there where some that would use the same method , using the centre larger hole with a metal bar , exactly the same reason to stop the thieves , but again wouldn't have done much for the longevity of the record in the box , lots of theiving f*c*e*s then and now 

 

[Montalbano 45]

Freddie Houston ‘Soft Walkin’ great shoe advert and fab 45,great cover too’,c’mon boys an’ girls.’.lucky to have a minter

[Benji]

Both Belita Woods on Moira are hard to find in better condition aren't they?

Am surprised a bit about some of the records mentioned in this thread. Had couple of copies each over the years of Harry Deal and Freddie Houston, all EX or better. Never noticed how hard to find they are nowadays in acceptable condition.

And yes, that records as ballast for ships is just urban myth.

[Djr]

It's a good thing to find collectible records in battered shape. It means people were enjoying them before the 45s were discovered by soul 45 collectors. 

[Britishbarry]

11 hours ago, Benji said:

Both Belita Woods on Moira are hard to find in better condition aren't they?

Am surprised a bit about some of the records mentioned in this thread. Had couple of copies each over the years of Harry Deal and Freddie Houston, all EX or better. Never noticed how hard to find they are nowadays in acceptable condition.

And yes, that records as ballast for ships is just urban myth.

I was after a decent copy of Belita Woods for ages. Every copy I came across was trashed. In the end I ended up settling for a trashed one.

[Frankie Crocker]

The more popular the record was locally, the more plays it had at parties or just indoors. In those days, 45’s could be stacked on a tall spindle, as many as six at a time, so they all suffered extra wear and tear. Often records were stored unsleeved in a metal rack - this looked like a toast-rack with 50 narrow slots and would seriously damage the labels.

Styrene records such as Tommy Frontera would really suffer from handling - they would stress and crack more easily, then be thrown away. It took me a while to upgrade Tommy Frontera to a mint copy as there were very few kept back from general circulation.

Many of the records turning up today are from the ghettoes of Detroit and Chicago - you only have to be in Brad’s store in Detroit when someone brings in a boxload and he puts on rubber gloves before sifting through.

As for the ship’s ballast...RnB records into Liverpool etc - this is such a load of complete fabrication, the original peddlar should have been put in the Twisted Wheel toilets and made to lick the floor clean.

[Hooker1951]

The ballast stories using records, I knew a few guys who worked for the merchant navy sailing out of Liverpool to New York and they told me thousands of 45,s came in to Liverpool this way in the 1950,s and early 1960,s it had a big influence on Liverpool beat music scene circa 1959 - 63 when you would find a lot of B sides r n b soul Tamla beat versions by the local beat groups at the time

ML

[Rick Cooper]

Here's some information about the RnB and Soul records that Liverpool groups performed and recorded which is worth looking at. Looks conclusive to me.

https://medium.com/@pitt_bob/not-the-cunard-yanks-the-real-origins-of-the-beatles-r-b-covers-c6f2e2b3ff3b

 

[Frankie Crocker]

2 hours ago, Rick Cooper said:

Here's some information about the RnB and Soul records that Liverpool groups performed and recorded which is worth looking at. Looks conclusive to me.

https://medium.com/@pitt_bob/not-the-cunard-yanks-the-real-origins-of-the-beatles-r-b-covers-c6f2e2b3ff3b

 

A very comprehensive and scholarly review that enlightens those interested in the origins of 50’s US RnB imports - however, the word ‘ballast’ does not figure prominently...

Given the cost of 45’s and the weight of them, I do wonder how many records were brought back by those working on the boats.

[Frankie Crocker]

On 19/06/2022 at 09:38, Hooker1951 said:

The ballast stories using records, I knew a few guys who worked for the merchant navy sailing out of Liverpool to New York and they told me thousands of 45,s came in to Liverpool this way in the 1950,s and early 1960,s it had a big influence on Liverpool beat music scene circa 1959 - 63 when you would find a lot of B sides r n b soul Tamla beat versions by the local beat groups at the time

ML

Ships’ ballast systems use seawater for stabilisation. Old sailing ships used a deadweight such as iron or concrete. The notion that 1950’s ships’ ballast tanks, or holds for that matter, were full of Checker/ Cadet/Chess 45’s is utter rubbish and anyone who actually worked on a ship should surely know this. Still waiting to see genuine black & white photographs of a Scouse merchant seaman in his old uniform in his record room surrounded by late 50’s and early 60’s RnB 45’s from the USA...

[Montalbano 45]

Wearing skinners jeans …

[Hooker1951]

I personally knew some of these Cunard yanks who worked on the New York London journey who used to bring American fashion back from New York, Shirts, bomber jackets, shoes etc etc , The question I ask why would they make lies up about records being brought in, they were sound lads it’s not something they would make up , the fact is some people on this scene tend to be opinionated and want the NS history to be the way they think, Why not except that records did get shipped in this way along with other ways,I’m old enough to remember the Liverpool beat scene and the Manchester one too I seen a lot of these bands in 1963- 66 and they were performing songs and sounds that were totally unheard of at the time to me anyway  and some never heard them again till maybe 10 years later when NS came to the fore

ML

[Frankie Crocker]

12 minutes ago, Hooker1951 said:

I personally knew some of these Cunard yanks who worked on the New York London journey who used to bring American fashion back from New York, Shirts, bomber jackets, shoes etc etc , The question I ask why would they make lies up about records being brought in, they were sound lads it’s not something they would make up , the fact is some people on this scene tend to be opinionated and want the NS history to be the way they think, Why not except that records did get shipped in this way along with other ways,I’m old enough to remember the Liverpool beat scene and the Manchester one too I seen a lot of these bands in 1963- 66 and they were performing songs and sounds that were totally unheard of at the time to me anyway  and some never heard them again till maybe 10 years later when NS came to the fore

ML

I don’t think anyone doubts that some records travelled across the Atlantic with servicemen, merchant navy sailors etc. The doubts really relate to the large quantity of records allegedly imported and the influence that had on the evolving rare soul scene AND particularly to the tosh peddled about vinyl being used as ship’ ballast. The Merseybeat sound of the 60’s was certainly influenced by the music of the USA - Beatles cover versions confirm Motown was a significant influence. The question I’d be asking is if the Cunard Brits are blowing much of their wages on Yank fashion, how much money did they have remaining for RnB 45’s which despite their seemingly low cost, were priced at a level beyond most working people?

[Mike]

2 hours ago, Frankie Crocker said:

I don’t think anyone doubts that some records travelled across the Atlantic with servicemen, merchant navy sailors etc. The doubts really relate to the large quantity of records allegedly imported and the influence that had on the evolving rare soul scene AND particularly to the tosh peddled about vinyl being used as ship’ ballast. The Merseybeat sound of the 60’s was certainly influenced by the music of the USA - Beatles cover versions confirm Motown was a significant influence. The question I’d be asking is if the Cunard Brits are blowing much of their wages on Yank fashion, how much money did they have remaining for RnB 45’s which despite their seemingly low cost, were priced at a level beyond most working people?

could the 'ballast' remarks have come about if ships were faced with sailing across the Atlantic  with not much cargo, and then rather than then having to use water ballast, they instead loaded up with not very valuable cargo eg vinyl records, us comic books, and so on in the cargo holds, that normally wouldn't be worth transporting across?

 

 

[Kenb]

6 minutes ago, Source said:

could the 'ballast' remarks have come about if ships were faced with sailing across the Atlantic  with not much cargo, and then rather than then having to use water ballast, they instead loaded up with not very valuable cargo eg vinyl records, us comic books, and so on in the cargo holds, that normally wouldn't be worth transporting across?

 

 

that is certainly true of Ponographic books. They were rolled up as ballast.

[Hooker1951]

4 hours ago, Frankie Crocker said:

I don’t think anyone doubts that some records travelled across the Atlantic with servicemen, merchant navy sailors etc. The doubts really relate to the large quantity of records allegedly imported and the influence that had on the evolving rare soul scene AND particularly to the tosh peddled about vinyl being used as ship’ ballast. The Merseybeat sound of the 60’s was certainly influenced by the music of the USA - Beatles cover versions confirm Motown was a significant influence. The question I’d be asking is if the Cunard Brits are blowing much of their wages on Yank fashion, how much money did they have remaining for RnB 45’s which despite their seemingly low cost, were priced at a level beyond most working people?

The Cunard brits , I didn’t say they bought records to bring back although they might well done, I said they were aware that records were being brought in either by ballast or other means they were working on the ships not you so I will tend to believe their version of things they weren’t into NS so they wouldn’t have any reason to lie about these things and forget the Beatles cover versions there were approx 200 groups in Merseyside and the same in Manchester singing those cover versions I heard a lot of them do it NS began in 1953 not 1973 and my wife’s late father had shirts bought over there which my mother in law still keeps, 

Been there Done it Take care

open up your mind

ML

[Frankie Crocker]

9 hours ago, Source said:

could the 'ballast' remarks have come about if ships were faced with sailing across the Atlantic  with not much cargo, and then rather than then having to use water ballast, they instead loaded up with not very valuable cargo eg vinyl records, us comic books, and so on in the cargo holds, that normally wouldn't be worth transporting across?

 

 

Not being an expert on maritime design, I should briefly clarify what I said earlier...sailing ships that used sails for power would have used extra weight in the holds for ballast in the period before vinyl records were thought of. Ships that were propeller driven would use seawater as ballast as this was a better system than the earlier one. I very much doubt the hearsay that USA records came across in ships’ holds in quantity but acknowledge they could well have accompanied seamen in smaller quantities in the 50’s and 60’s.

And by the way, I travelled from Liverpool to Manchester, and from Manchester to Liverpool on the Ship Canal in the 1960’s. I was also in Salthouse Dock in the 1960’s and met a Captain Duffy - I wrote about the occasion in school the next week. I started supporting Liverpool in the 1960’s and saw my first match at Anfield in 1973 so have an excellent working knowledge of the city and docks. I have taught students about Liverpool and it’s docks/industries for decades. I was also at Anfield a fortnight ago for the Rolling Stones concert which was brilliant, another top group who readily acknowledges the US RnB influence. My mind is open to anything factual but the bullshit detector kicks in when people start blabbing about something that is unproven and possibly untrue. People in the past have rumoured that records were used as ship’s ballast but I do not believe this ever occurred QED. 

[Mike]

16 minutes ago, Frankie Crocker said:

Not being an expert on maritime design, I should briefly clarify what I said earlier...sailing ships that used sails for power would have used extra weight in the holds for ballast in the period before vinyl records were thought of. Ships that were propeller driven would use seawater as ballast as this was a better system than the earlier one. I very much doubt the hearsay that USA records came across in ships’ holds in quantity but acknowledge they could well have accompanied seamen in smaller quantities in the 50’s and 60’s.

And by the way, I travelled from Liverpool to Manchester, and from Manchester to Liverpool on the Ship Canal in the 1960’s. I was also in Salthouse Dock in the 1960’s and met a Captain Duffy - I wrote about the occasion in school the next week. I started supporting Liverpool in the 1960’s and saw my first match at Anfield in 1973 so have an excellent working knowledge of the city and docks. I have taught students about Liverpool and it’s docks/industries for decades. I was also at Anfield a fortnight ago for the Rolling Stones concert which was brilliant, another top group who readily acknowledges the US RnB influence. My mind is open to anything factual but the bullshit detector kicks in when people start blabbing about something that is unproven and possibly untrue. People in the past have rumoured that records were used as ship’s ballast but I do not believe this ever occurred QED. 

 

a lot of comparable stories online about how us comic books ended up in uk, Liverpool, Manchester, London

clip of one below, google takes ya to more

 

 

A short history of ballast comics

https://g1rm.wordpress.com/2020/04/18/a-short-history-of-ballast-comics/

 

So to explain what actually happened with this unofficial supply of comics. Ships would load on ballast with comics as back in the day you’d have print runs of hundreds of thousands, so when newsstands returned unsold copies in the US, they’d be used by ships because they were so disposable plus with US comics distribution essentially in the hands of the Mob it was an easy way to kill excess printruns without too many questions. These copies would get to the UK and if not flushed into the Atlantic, they’d be kept onboard or dumped portside and this is where for us it gets interesting.

If you lived in a big port city (which I did having grown up in Glasgow) you’d find piles of comics, sometimes slightly water damaged, in markets or newsstands. I remember one stall in the old Barras market, plus one in St. Enoch’s Square where I’d go down and pick up imports such as Amazing Spider-Man #129.

 

shrug

[Frankie Crocker]

21 minutes ago, Source said:

 

a lot of comparable stories online about how us comic books ended up in uk, Liverpool, Manchester, London

clip of one below, google takes ya to more

 

 

A short history of ballast comics

https://g1rm.wordpress.com/2020/04/18/a-short-history-of-ballast-comics/

 

So to explain what actually happened with this unofficial supply of comics. Ships would load on ballast with comics as back in the day you’d have print runs of hundreds of thousands, so when newsstands returned unsold copies in the US, they’d be used by ships because they were so disposable plus with US comics distribution essentially in the hands of the Mob it was an easy way to kill excess printruns without too many questions. These copies would get to the UK and if not flushed into the Atlantic, they’d be kept onboard or dumped portside and this is where for us it gets interesting.

If you lived in a big port city (which I did having grown up in Glasgow) you’d find piles of comics, sometimes slightly water damaged, in markets or newsstands. I remember one stall in the old Barras market, plus one in St. Enoch’s Square where I’d go down and pick up imports such as Amazing Spider-Man #129.

 

shrug

Thanks for posting. We boys in North Wales were obviously missing out... Glasgow was evidently the place to be! I’m not going to take on the Mob here or say anything that could result in a horse’s head put in a  Moderator’s bed...

[Hooker1951]

10 hours ago, Frankie Crocker said:

Not being an expert on maritime design, I should briefly clarify what I said earlier...sailing ships that used sails for power would have used extra weight in the holds for ballast in the period before vinyl records were thought of. Ships that were propeller driven would use seawater as ballast as this was a better system than the earlier one. I very much doubt the hearsay that USA records came across in ships’ holds in quantity but acknowledge they could well have accompanied seamen in smaller quantities in the 50’s and 60’s.

And by the way, I travelled from Liverpool to Manchester, and from Manchester to Liverpool on the Ship Canal in the 1960’s. I was also in Salthouse Dock in the 1960’s and met a Captain Duffy - I wrote about the occasion in school the next week. I started supporting Liverpool in the 1960’s and saw my first match at Anfield in 1973 so have an excellent working knowledge of the city and docks. I have taught students about Liverpool and it’s docks/industries for decades. I was also at Anfield a fortnight ago for the Rolling Stones concert which was brilliant, another top group who readily acknowledges the US RnB influence. My mind is open to anything factual but the bullshit detector kicks in when people start blabbing about something that is unproven and possibly untrue. People in the past have rumoured that records were used as ship’s ballast but I do not believe this ever occurred QED. 

I come from 15 miles from Manchester and 15 miles from Liverpool  so know all this area like the back of my hand I first seen the Rolling Stones in Wigan November 1963 and 1964  and 1965 in 63 they appeared at Wigan Emp  which became the Casino later I was a doorman at the said club pre 1973 I’ve seen not boasting probably more artists  and groups than most people on this planet , some of these artists I have worked security looking after them including Michael Jackson on his bad boy tour, I first seen the Stones because I was obsessed with RnB music which they played, So I think my view on this subject is have an open mind I have spoken to men who worked on these ships have you? So rather than say people are making it up I’ve got witnesses who don’t know one another by the way, those liners were big enough to hide a tank never mind 10,000 records, I’m a good judge of character and can spot a bullshitter at 1000 miles being a security boss for 45 years so don’t be calling it bullshit leave it open to your mind you show me  and prove to me that it never happened there are a lot of things what happened with music and records where there are gaps and certain boffins of ballyhoo on this site that fill those gaps according to there to there opinionated logic, no offence to the guilty parties but emperors new clothes gets my bullshit detector into gear,

Been there Done it

Have a great Day

ML

[Frankie Crocker]

29 minutes ago, Hooker1951 said:

I come from 15 miles from Manchester and 15 miles from Liverpool  so know all this area like the back of my hand I first seen the Rolling Stones in Wigan November 1963 and 1964  and 1965 in 63 they appeared at Wigan Emp  which became the Casino later I was a doorman at the said club pre 1973 I’ve seen not boasting probably more artists  and groups than most people on this planet , some of these artists I have worked security looking after them including Michael Jackson on his bad boy tour, I first seen the Stones because I was obsessed with RnB music which they played, So I think my view on this subject is have an open mind I have spoken to men who worked on these ships have you? So rather than say people are making it up I’ve got witnesses who don’t know one another by the way, those liners were big enough to hide a tank never mind 10,000 records, I’m a good judge of character and can spot a bullshitter at 1000 miles being a security boss for 45 years so don’t be calling it bullshit leave it open to your mind you show me  and prove to me that it never happened there are a lot of things what happened with music and records where there are gaps and certain boffins of ballyhoo on this site that fill those gaps according to there to there opinionated logic, no offence to the guilty parties but emperors new clothes gets my bullshit detector into gear,

Been there Done it

Have a great Day

ML

Cheers ML. Thanks for posting.

I take my hat off to you for being a doorman at the Emp. My grandparents danced there before the War. My dentist was in Wigan 1964-69 at the time you were working there.

My father’s naval base was at Liverpool so I’ve been acquainted with the Mersey Docks for a long time. I have not spoken to anyone who worked on the. Cunard liners, but if they were born in 1932, they would be 90 today, so there can’t be many of them around to talk to.

It’s impossible to prove a negative event, something that did not happen, as there’s no evidence! On the other hand, it may be possible to confirm an actual event if there’s actual proof eg photographs, ship loading records etc. As you grow older and wiser, and the story-tellers drink and boast more and more, one does become more sceptical about the accuracy of the yarns spun...

[Geeselad]

Been a lot of talk of water damaged stock, and whatever the reason , what titles have you spotted multiple of, that have suffered from damage through H2O? 

[Amsterdam Russ]

2 hours ago, Geeselad said:

Been a lot of talk of water damaged stock, and whatever the reason , what titles have you spotted multiple of, that have suffered from damage through H2O? 

Clyde McPhatter - Lonely people can't afford to cry (Amy) - is one that (watery pun not intended) springs to mind. And if I'm not mistaken, I recall a sizeable haul of Chess/Checker 45s that (again, pun not intended) surfaced in the early 2000s that was quite severely water damaged.

[Geeselad]

7 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Clyde McPhatter - Lonely people can't afford to cry (Amy) - is one that (watery pun not intended) springs to mind. And if I'm not mistaken, I recall a sizeable haul of Chess/Checker 45s that (again, pun not intended) surfaced in the early 2000s that was quite severely water damaged.

I was going to start with that myself! Good call

[Paraboliccurve]

8 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Clyde McPhatter - Lonely people can't afford to cry (Amy) - is one that (watery pun not intended) springs to mind. And if I'm not mistaken, I recall a sizeable haul of Chess/Checker 45s that (again, pun not intended) surfaced in the early 2000s that was quite severely water damaged.

I've got that in a picture sleeve in perfect nick. (Not that that says anything about the overall picture, obviously.)

I've had several copies of Delegates of Soul on Uplook and they all had damaged labels; weirdly, in each case the plastic was near mint.

 

 

[John Siret]

Sister Love - give me your love - Mowest, always seems to appear in not great condition. 

Delegate's of Soul is one that seems to have alot of water damaged label copies. 

[Benji]

7 minutes ago, Paraboliccurve said:

I've got that in a picture sleeve in perfect nick. (Not that that says anything about the overall picture, obviously.)

I've had several copies of Delegates of Soul on Uplook and they all had damaged labels; weirdly, in each case the plastic was near mint.

 

 

Wow, never seen or heard of a pic sleeve for c. mcphatter before. Any chance of a nice scan of it?

[Mgm 1251]

9 hours ago, Amsterdam Russ said:

Clyde McPhatter - Lonely people can't afford to cry (Amy) - is one that (watery pun not intended) springs to mind. And if I'm not mistaken, I recall a sizeable haul of Chess/Checker 45s that (again, pun not intended) surfaced in the early 2000s that was quite severely water damaged.

The label on my Clyde McPhatter demo is all but washed away too...the vinyl is in M- condition tho....

[Paraboliccurve]

10 minutes ago, Benji said:

Wow, never seen or heard of a pic sleeve for c. mcphatter before. Any chance of a nice scan of it?

Your surprise got me thinking Benji - and unfortunately it turns out my elderly memory is playing tricks on me. I've just been to my record room - my copy of Lonely People is a standard pink demo, but the picture sleeve is of I'll Love You Til The Cows Come Home.

I would have bet my house on it being LPCATC!

Lots of records, irregularly perused, early onset Alzheiner's - one or all, take your pick. Sorry to disappoint.