Frankie Crocker

Spot on. Me too. Picked up on Rocksteady a few years ago just before CD's dried up - there are dozens of top-drawer, mellow, harmony-soul tracks in this genre well worth checking out. Holidayed in Cancun in 1999 and ended up with 100+ techno-merengue CD's, the best tunes still sound great when given an occasional outing.

Or Mel Britt...one of the best clappers ever...

Clapping is for those who dance, know the tracks, know the spots to clap, are INTO the music, in the zone and have body hair to stand on end. Not clapping is for drinkers, those holding record boxes, record browsers etc. Clapping says you belong. When you know when to clap to the Salvadors, Jewels, Jades, Checkerboard Squares and Jackie Wilson, you can stand around the dance floor and clap loudly to the music and tough tittlemouse to anyone rude enough to complain. For people who have the cheek to complain about clapping, request the DJ plays Panic by Reparata three times on the trot. Oh, I am totally for clapping when dancing or spectating but recommend finger-snapping when in the house.

Young Folk and Miss Madeline, what a terrific track. Pressed in quantity as perceived demand would be higher than it actually was. Easily one of the best tracks on the label and way better than the Blenders or Joseph Moore IMO, confirming rarity does not always equate with brilliance.

True but fortunate - he that buyeth a record not listed in the book shall be welcomed to the kingdom of rare tunes picked up for a pittance. Not only can you enjoy these sounds but sit comfortably secure in the knowledge that someday they will be appreciated more, and if they appreciate, so much the better. VIZ Top Tip - if the record is not in the price guide, offer the seller a low sum as it could be extremely rare, valuable, unheard of and the next cult sound...

Good post Richard. Without new sounds to refresh the interest, enjoyment of the music stalls, then stagnates. At the cutting edge, it's about discovering new tracks by simply stumbling across something that has eluded you. Trips to the USA, YouTube samples, CD's etc all throw up new sounds, but the best way forward is to attend an event where innovative DJ's expose the fruits of their labours. Always best to look forwards to that next 'best sound' that you just have to have, until the next 'best sound' comes along...

Tobi Legend WOW. What next - Dean Parrish for £750? Clearly money is no object for some collector but he sure has good taste...

Perhaps the scene needs Motown Nights to cater for the oldies crowd and those new to the music? Then it wouldn't matter so much about the format. The Wigan Motown sessions worked a treat so surely there are openings for savvy promoters to diversify...

Shrine is looking like a mid-size indie label these days with weekly auctions and plenty available at set sale. Sure it is a highly collectible label with some mega scarce releases, but no longer the rarest label as it was billed twenty years ago. The thread has merits as we are kicking around rare labels with small numbers of releases, hopefully of interest to some of the collectors out there.

Dave, what a fantastic set! Sorry I was not there to enjoy it. ATB

Phil, this would be tantamount to a complete ban on Frank Wilson being spun! Now, some would say 'fine, I'm bloody sick of the thing' but others would say 'that's a fine tune, don't hear that one played often'. Given that Frank Wilson's song has been used for adverts, TV background music etc, surely it would be OK to play out at any venue including OVO fortresses? Perhaps the future lies in DJ's sticking white labels on the records to cover up the credits, a neo-cover up phase that keeps the purists and couldn't-care-less brigade happy?

Try using an OLD record player with old type stylus - I use a Bush Discassette or one of several battery operated portables to clear pressing debris from badly pressed records. Obviously works better with vinyl records; styrene records are highly prone to damage by old players such as the plastic Mickey Mouse thing. Avoid the penny blu-tacked to the pick-up head as it deforms the stylus. Lots of good tips in the thread - thanks fellows.

How about Lou-Neita Records from College Park, Georgia - tracks by The Bishop featured in Manny's Million Dollars of Rare Soul book; Thelma Wilson, rare and seen in a company sleeve; and Gina Hill, lowly valued in Manship #6 on a green and orange label design. Not aware of other releases on the label - are there any?

Great track on the 10 inch acetate - easily B++ nudging A--. The 7 inch acetate went for serious money and in the most desirable format, understandably so. The track is an unreleased, unknown sound by a fairly prolific artiste so worth a punt - presumably the owner(s) of the acetates now own(s) the copyright to the music? The tune(s) are right up Mark's street and would sit well with the many one-offs in his playbox so no surprise if this isn't a Butch spin in future. The two discs almost certainly originated from the same source making the latter transaction somewhat mysterious for those of us who like complete transparency in our wheeling and dealing.

...or two Rolls Royce's for a Ferrari, Pete.

Few records of this calibre are available for £1,200 - availability is virtually non existent, maybe fewer than 10 copies. There are some records that loadsa money just can't buy and this could be one of them. You might have to go to 5K to prise it out of someone's collection or offer two massive records in trades.

E. Williams is extremely scarce, possibly fewer than 10 copies. The one on Popsike that sold a few years ago was cracked and had a skip but went for over £1,500. Expect to pay at least £2,500 for a good copy but try finding someone who owns a copy let alone a collector who is prepared to part with one...

Grab the rare tracks first, especially the top Northern numbers. Consider collecting white demo copies as there are enough around. There are lots of label variations with vinyl/styrene, big print/small print, east/west coast pressing etc so need to be selective. Most 45's can be picked up in M- condition with patience. Most are very cheap and widely available so find a good outlet and buy in bulk. There is a catalogue on the subject to guide you through the related labels but not sure who put this out. Ignore price guide valuations especially at the high end - sure the earliest releases are very hard to come by, particularly in top condition, but some of the sounds are on the plain side and more for label run completists. The music on Motown and Tamla is generally very good, especially 1966-69 releases, so there is huge scope to build a collection of great sounds for a comparatively small outlay. Finally, put up some shelves and get a dozen 200 boxes as you're looking at gathering a lot of records.

Ted says he has a copy in post 17 of this thread.

Roughly 10-15 at a guess. Butch, Tony Smith#1 and Ted Massey have a copy. The one Chalky mentioned went for 8k within the last two years, dollars I think but can't recall. Don't remember Tim Brown auctioning one but have missed more of his lists than those actually seen in recent years - bring back paper lists! John Manship had a Ray Agee on his list in the mid 1990's at set sale for £400 in VG+ condition or thereabouts. Other references in this thread suggest there are a few around but I doubt there are many more in existence given the relatively small number that have appeared on the open market in recent years.

Hiya Dave. If the synopsis is anything to go by, the book could be a heavy read... Not sure how major the soul scene is in Perth, but it appears to flourish in other Australian cities so this could be worth checking out. Academic book price a slight deterrent though...

Cheers Sean. Thanks for fielding this. Am on the road at present, the Christmas triangle that involves spending time at everyones' houses except your own...

The release of Hard Working Man on Jewel sounds like I'm Losing Again in embryo stage. Ray Agee was a prolific artist and swapped labels enough times to lose track of his output. The Soultown release may well have occurred without his knowledge but I doubt he ever denied performing the song. Whatever the truth, Ray has given us a truly brilliant masterpiece. Anyone know the facts about the LA Soultown label as it has a couple of big tunes, several common ones and a range of bootlegs?

Yep and it's a keeper. Still prefer it to Frank Wilson's edition...

Most of the records mentioned in this thread were pressed in large quantities in the 1970's. Many sold in hundreds via Keith Minshall in his balcony stall at the Casino. No way of telling how many have survived but the number for sale at any given time reflects commonality rather than rarity. Lennie Curtis doesn't crop up often but that could reflect the original is pretty hard to come by. The Dennis Edwards reissue from a 1990's Detroit source probably turned up in fewer numbers like it's contemporaries as potential demand had shrunk. Any reissues selling for juicy prices eg Magicians on Chartmaker probably reflect the scarcity of the real thing rather than rarity of the reissue.