Frankie Crocker

No, they’re the dodgy ones, we know of their flaws and embrace them. The dubious ones are those we are not sure about. They’ve not been seen around. Don’t smell of Brut. Drink large quantities of beer. Possibly incels? They can’t dance for toffee. Act like John Travolta and think they’re funny. Sometimes act hard ‘cos they have a fresh tattoo. In the bogs, talk about other peoples’ wives and girlfriends instead of matrix numbers and cover-ups. If the security team could stamp a big N for nobhead on their foreheads, it would help monitor their antics as the night wears on.

Sixteen copies on Popsike sold in the last 16 years. That makes it a rare record in my books. In some years, not one copy was auctioned. There will be dozens of collectors who will never own this record. I doubt we will see many copies offered for sale in the future. The chances of anyone buying a top-condition copy anytime soon have just been witnessed at 6.00 p.m. tonight.

Sad to read that committed followers have been put off attending established events. Maybe it’s partly a post-Covid thing with Brits behaving badly? Perhaps the scene is now so mainstream and high-profile, events automatically attract local ‘handbaggers’. When the tribe wore the uniform, you were safe - now anything goes, so the security people can’t spot the divvies like the old-school bouncer could. Promoters should sell advance-tickets, limit numbers, early entry only, hire crack security and tongue in cheek, tell dubious characters they should have filled in a soul music questionnaire online before turning up.

Thanks for posting as always. Not much to say that hasn’t already been said in previous threads... Delegates of Soul price was quite understandable for a brilliant record, and vindicated my ‘rash’ purchase of it for half this sum a few years ago.

Trust yourself. You know the score. Monitor the sales databases eg Popsike, Collectors Frenzy etc then go for a Set Sale on Soul Source. Manship’s auctions indicate maximum global auction figures, so don’t expect to achieve similar prices. Sell direct in the UK, cut out the middleman, maximise returns for your treasured records. Put the cheaper stuff on eBay. There are several trustworthy dealers who will sell on your behalf for a fee, but do you want to lose 10-20% of the transaction value? The market for high-end records is booming, so sit tight and watch your vinyl-investment appreciate.

As always, Ady adds clarity to a scenario that could go pear shaped... I was baffled to see so many people clamouring for the Anniversary single within hours of the event finishing. Once upon a time, Anniversary attendees who did not want the free record, would offer it for sale, often on Soul-Source where the most knowledgable collectors waited to pounce. Back in time, spare copies went for modest sums, with many unwanted copies passed to friends unable to attend the event. This Sunday gone, it was weird to see quite a few desperados putting out feelers for the freebie, even offering silly money for a copy. This, without a copy being offered for sale. What happened to patience? Why must some folk have to have the record instantly? Collecting is an art requiring patience - many of us hardy souls have waited decades for elusive ‘wants’. In due course, spare copies of the freebie may come up for sale - let the availability of them determine the price, but wait until they trickle onto the market before joining the feeding frenzy.

A nice clean polished or varnished wooden floor does the job. Leather soled shoes a must if you take the dancing seriously. These two together are the ideal combination rendering talc not necessary. I’d rather see a sign saying ‘please do not take drinks on the dancefloor’ as spillages make for deadly puddles followed by a sticky mess.

Price should rise much higher still. Superior version of a great sound. Very difficult to find in decent condition. Hugely in-demand. Could even go for double what it stands at now.

Dynamics surely a Set Sale record. Went for the going rate.

Thanks for flagging this up. I don’t have my copy to hand, but I will check it next time I shuffle through the box. I think it’s OK and I would imagine the few I sold on were not marked. My copies came from Skippy White’s in Cambridge MA. I left a load of copies behind. I also left a load of Exits in the basement as this was just before demand shot up. I must have left 100 plus Precisions on Skippy’s label behind too. When the sales assistants in Cheapo’s Records across the street realised what Skippy had, they cleaned him out of the best stuff including a box of goodies I set aside to pick up on the next trip.

True up to a point Dave. UK dealers have bought wholesale from US dealers for years as a basis for their business. Nothing the matter with that. However, we’re witnessing a new movement in high-end record sales. Take for example the Anderson Brothers sold by carolinasoul on 23/5/21 that fetched £1,569 that was later put up for sale by a UK dealer at £2,250; some might consider this a smart piece of business, others may regard it as daylight robbery or plain extortion. Earl Jackson sold by carolinasoul on 23/5/21 for £531 and was later put up for sale at £800, then swiftly dropped to £750. Jeanette Harper from the same batch was also ‘flipped’ later. The problem with this high-end flipping is galloping price inflation. It puts records beyond the budgets of many collectors. It distorts eBay auction finishing prices - this encourages other US dealers to fall back on high starting prices. It denies serious buyers their chance to acquire a long awaited want. Maybe I’m a sore buyer talking through my pocket, but I feel it ethical to express concern about the way the record market is being manipulated at the expense of committed collectors. As we are commenting on John’s world record prices, one has to ponder whether some of the sales are records to be ‘flipped’ by another dealer, exchanged temporarily to brighten up a colourful website, put in a vault for 10 years to appreciate in value or enjoyed by dedicated collectors.

Well spotted. I’ve noticed this too. Likewise, I’ve lost numerous auctions only to see the same records later advertised at significantly more. I’ve raised the matter on Soul Source previously - peoples’ views on the buying of records purely for re-sale vary. There is a possibly a darker side to this though as a duopoly can manipulate the prices of records allegedly ‘sold’. Dealers moving records to other dealers can create the illusion that values have increased when no actual sale has taken place.

Bang on. Top, top musician. A fitting tribute, long overdue.

Thanks for posting. I think the film will go down extra-well with folk north of the border. I thought some of the scenery was spectacular. I had planned a city break in Edinburgh last year but it was cancelled - I hope to be there before not too long so will be practising for the karaoke evenings

Just got in from watching the recently released ‘Our Ladies’ film set in Scotland. Reviews in the press were full of praise for this vulgar comedy, but no mention of the karaoke in the aptly named Pillbox Club was made. Half a dozen lasses on a schooltrip to Edinburgh end up on the razz, three of which end up on stage belting out a decent version of Tainted Love. Other soundbites included Love Reputation, He Who Picks A Rose and Let Me Down Easy. The dance floor had a few people dressed the part, moving as you do, and with the regulation acrobat thrown in for good measure - I wonder if someone can recognise any of the dancers? I enjoyed the film and can see it becoming cult viewing - I would certainly recommend it to those with a warped sense of humour. That said, I wonder if the inclusion of a Northern Soul karaoke scene set in a mid 1990’s club was for extra laughs, realism, to showcase good tunes to enhance the film or possibly revive an old trend? Whatever your thoughts, try to see the film if you get the chance.

It’s a styrene bootleg. Original is on heavy vinyl. I don’t have my copy to hand but it replaced the format pictured. Great sound. Big at the Casino in 1975. I think it could be a Simon Soussan bootleg as anything that was in-demand was pressed up at the Monarch plant.

Styrene record. Paper label. Folk wrote their names or initials on them. Come party time, there’s a pile of 50 records on the carpet. The records are stacked 10 at a time on a portable Dancette player, spun, then dropped back in the pile. Ten spins and the styrene burn turns to a hiss. Ah well, stuck it in the metal rack and forget about it. Finally, the kids grow up and the records were chucked sleeveless in a box, then stuck in the basement to wait for the inevitable flood... It’s a miracle that any Jackie Beavers on Revilot survived. Those that eventually surfaced often have that ‘ghetto worn’ look that Detroit records have when uncovered in a yard-sale 50 years down the line.

It partly depends on whether the record is made of vinyl or styrene. Vinyl cracks can be ‘tighter’ and less subject to displacement causing audible imperfections. Styrene is prone to hairline cracking but sometimes this can sometimes actually be a manufacturing defect; if the crack cuts across the run-in grooves, this can be a problem, but if it is the result of an impact on the playing surface towards the run-out grooves, this can be less of an issue. Ultimately, the length of the crack and the part of the record affected would be factors affecting the re-sale value.

Thanks for posting as usual. Maxine Brown was a huge surprise - someone must have wanted it very badly. Sunday is a Set Sale record as copies are available weekly. Troy Dodds was a reasonable price as it did not leap up like everything else seems to these days.

‘with sports bags full of gear’... sn*****, sn*****... I can remember my first outing at the Casino, March 1974, had a lift a Mini with two lads and lasses from RAF Valley. As I walked across the dance floor to the stage, Chris Scouse from Bangor asked me ‘have you got any gear?’ I said, ‘no just got my holdall here’, dohh... Well some of us didn’t need any artificial stimulants, the music was loud enough to wake the dead. More tellingly, the music was so great, you were on your toes all night. The drink was not expensive - Coca Cola from the bottle did the job, but even six trips to the bar hardly cost anything. And those chicken rolls from the upstairs bar were delicious. Sorry, but the article does not do justice to the true state of affairs. Yes, some took non-prescribed medication, often liberated from poorly secured pharmacies en route to Wigan, but the Piggly-Wiggly brigade more often than not, were holding their balls in the car park, blending in nicely with coach-loads of divvies on their only trip to the Casino to see what the fuss was about.

Still a daft price for this very good record. I would have thought £500 was more realistic, and certainly no more than £800. Just another example of the Manship Effect.

This is a really distressing thread Floyd, so I hope the seller settles the matter honourably and without further delay. I once received a styrene record from the States, mint unplayed, $300+, snapped into three pieces. I got the refund, but the record still eludes me. When I buy from a general bric-a-brac dealer these days, I specify strictly no Jiffy Bags, bubble-wrap etc. I once received a record by the Fantastics on Copa from a New York dealer. It came sandwiched between two cardboard stiffeners and had an edge crack. He promised me a discount on the next record I bought from him. Well that never happened. I reckon the edge was cracked from the start so he packed it badly. There was no sign of damage to the two pieces of cardboard so it was obvious the record had been deliberately ‘mis-packed’. A decent collector-dealer will generally pack records as they would expect to receive their purchases through the mail. Anyone who fails to pack records inadequately does not deserve to be in the selling business.

Yep, everytime he sells one, he finds another one. Punters have wised up to this manoevre so the last one did not sell. Maybe the latest ‘discovery’ ended up with John? Trouble is, there are now quite a few collectors holding a copy of Larry Allen they paid too much for in the belief it was the ‘last’ copy, or they thought they were getting a second-chance ‘bargain’.

Johnny Caswell issue did OK creeping up a few more hundred. Surprised Larry Allen did so well; should be less than $1,000 given the number dripped out in recent years. No really stupid sky-high bids by the Loadsamoney brigade tonight.

I am shocked and horrified by this tale. No self respecting record collector or seller would ship a record with such inadequate protection. Using a Jiffy bag is lazy, stupid, thoughtless and irresponsible. Using an inadequate number of cardboard stiffeners is neglectful, stupider, boneheaded and completely out of order. The seller has to assume total responsibility for the safe delivery of any item money has been taken for - in essence, they have to do everything in their power to guarantee safe delivery. In this case, the seller has fallen woefully short of minimum standards, so should be avoided in future. If he reads this and feels ashamed as he should, he will refund all costs and offer compensation.