Frankie Crocker

I’m waiting for another to turn up so keeping it quiet. I will confirm it if anyone posts it though.

Three actually - 512, 514 and 515. I have two of them, and am chasing 514. On the first release, there seem to be two label variations plain text and italic - does anyone know why?

I knew it... But, I have a soulful record on Night Owl, probably blue-eyed and admittedly a cover version, but it bears comparison to the Stax version even though it could be a garage band - name that tune!

Chicago would be my guess, but Rob’s encyclopaedic knowledge would confirm this...he has just posted as I type this... On my first trip to Chicago in 1991, I found two copies at Beverley’s Records - both mint unplayed distributor stock. Nobody wanted it back then so I let the spare copy go for next to nothing. Never seen it on Sansu though.

Usual thanks for posting. Is someone desperately seeking white demos? Why is Mel Williams in demand and at this sky-high price? The Set Sale items went for Set Sale prices, or less if commission is deducted. The Auction items went for Auction values reflecting scarcity, obscurity and condition...as good auction items should be really. Ernie Washington went for less than it usually goes for so someone had a bargain. Compared to the auctions of other major British dealers, this is THE one, the best one, the most riveting. John deserves credit for using the system he does, penning reams of prose and continually turning up some of the best records around.

No surprises here. The record sold for 8K when Manny flogged his to a well known Stoke DJ a long time ago. So someone snagged a bargain here. Compared to the few on Popsike, this copy of the Tomangoe’s was vastly superior. My bid was ahead for a few days then wiped out by a couple of major players. Bidders with four and five figure feedback stats are big collectors or dealers and massive buyers. This is a real connoisseur’s record - a real growler that fits the template to near perfection. Well done to those who shopped for it back at the Casino as it wasn’t the most fashionable record at the time.

If you DJ, surely you can find a better selection of USA 45’s to spin - there’s plenty of superior records on the King label alone. The 100 Club release is a nice option to play in the house or at a wedding or even at the 100 Club Christmas Party. Despite there being virtually zero soul events at present, the proliferation of UK reissues poses a real threat to the purity of the scene when normality returns.

Thanks for the further insight. This certainly counts as a valid reason for not exporting anywhere abroad but not the UK in particular. In my experience, most dealers are prepared to regard their wares as dusty old 45’s, neglected and unwanted for decades, so value them accordingly wink wink nudge nudge... I think some US sellers, especially the bric-a-brac merchants, just prefer to avoid the hassle of international post, even though the item would be destined to the UK had the exemption card not been played.

Another record denied to UK bidders is on eBay finishing in just over three hours... Jerry Jackson-Wide Awake In A Dream-Kapp WD. I hope someone in the USA or Europe or Oz grabs it up for a paltry sum. The record sold for $56.57 giving someone a bargain. So, the seller lost about $100 by precluding UK bidders from the auction. I just don’t see the point of banning UK buyers when the many collectors in the four countries constitute the main market for this sort of music.

Another record denied to UK bidders is on eBay finishing in just over three hours... Jerry Jackson-Wide Awake In A Dream-Kapp WD. I hope someone in the USA or Europe or Oz grabs it up for a paltry sum.

Hi Paul. No need to take Tim’s review seriously. Although he is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to soul records and artists, he adopts a Rod Liddle -Jeremy Clarkson persona when at the keyboard. Right from the first sentence he is wrong as he is unaware of Andrew Wilson’s academic work ‘Northern Soul: Music, Drugs and Subcultural Identity (Routledge 2007). If Tim browsed Soul-Source sufficiently, he would perhaps have been aware of the existence of this book as it was discussed a long time ago. Tim can come across as being somewhat pompous and insecure, but there is a rational explanation for this - he runs the number two record business in the UK whilst his priceguides also rank as inferior and out of date. Tim has in fact written a very good book and I would highly recommend it to your good self despite the small number of spelling mistakes. KTF Frankie ‘the dance floor aficionado’ Crocker.

This is rather depressing news. I hope the dedicated collectors out there do everything they can to keep the rarities out of the hands of speculators. I get that some collectors buy in part as an investment. It’s also obvious that some dealers are paying top-dollar at auction so they can whack on a few hundred pounds of profit at set sale. Let’s hope us collectors can unite to thwart the wealth funds and asset-strippers.

Well, I wasn’t there the first night... I first attended 6 months after the All-nighters started. By then, the music was excellent as evidenced in the tape of sounds I recorded that ended up in the hands of Pete Smith. That first night in March 1974 and the following Saturday I also attended, were pretty busy but there was room on the floor for more dancers. A year later roundabout the Footsee period, the place was very crowded. The first anniversary was absolutely rammed and at peak capacity. I suspect the numbers grew week after week from September 1973 until 1974 then maintained the very crowded level for the duration I attended until 1978, and possibly beyond. If anyone has a First Allnighter patch for sale, I’d be interested in buying it or trading for records if preferred.

Someone should start an Emidisc Amnesty. Put a skip on every High Street so all the embarrassing evidence can be disposed of. These things were a quick fix for desperate collectors in the 70’s but nowadays are trash fit only for the bin.

Agreed. I’ve Got Something Good stomp stomp, £494 smackers in the bank...

Len, I think you’ve nailed it, to answer Zanetti’s question. At Christmas time though, the Manship Mints hoarded over the year tend to dominate. Only John himself can really answer the question posed - I would like to see a YouTube clip covering the topic as plenty of his video clips are well worth watching.

Hi Ted. Hope you’re well son. This is what happens when sellers learn you’re a millionaire... On a more serious note, is there someone out there with a bundle of these, leaking them out craftily-like, one at a time? It’s a £750 record so I hope you didn’t stump up?

Maybe privately? None on Popsike. Always hard to price-up very rare records, even when they are pretty good.

There could be a bit of a buzz on this one... Is it sweet soul? Maybe a few have turned up so John’s hived them away...

Thanks for posting as always. Funny list really. Terry Callier, no surprises, still being chased. Valentines really just a Set Sale record but went for a bit more than the base rate - if it was a commission record, the vendor is no better off. Ambassadors was cheap - I would have paid more. A few oddball sounds to please the discerning collector too. John’s auctions were once an event to marvel at but common records lower the tone a bit. Set Sale items will be snapped up if priced fairly and should not really feature in the Christie's of rare record auctions. Come on John, check the pages in the Priceguide...

Definitely an interesting thread. I think you need to make a distinction between major dealers with a high online presence offering weekly or monthly auction items or lists, intermediate dealers with a lower turnover and a web-site profile, minor dealers who are mainly eBay sellers and collector-dealers who sell on an amateur level. All types of dealers should be aware of their obligations to offer a high level of customer service, the sort of service they expect themselves when buying anything, not just records. The fact that some sellers do not maintain high standards is down to their limitations as people - not everyone is intelligent, perceptive, pleasant or helpful. Fortunately, most people I buy records from are decent, reliable, honest and hard-working souls. The world of record wheeling and dealing is full of quirky characters so it is necessary to make allowances for their personal idiosyncrasies. Recently, I wrote a long email to a car rental company informing them the Renault Kadjar automatic that I had hired from them was not roadworthy because it would not start on hills as it stalled and rolled backwards. I received no acknowledgement from the area manager or branch manager when a word of thanks or even an apology should have been act of company policy. Best advice is get to know the dealers, buy from the best and by-pass the rest.

That’s a few mentions of sellers avoiding postal delays due to the pandemic. But why put the UK off limits and not other countries? Records I have won in auctions recently have been delivered on time in most cases, although one took about a month to reach London.

Yes, that’s true. I will post to Europe and further overseas, but problems are difficult to sort out when they arise. Obviously, language barriers are hard to overcome when you need to phone someone at a foreign mail depot. Sending valuable records a long distance is a risky business as John Manship will testify.

I was being a bit sarcastic. I regard UK record dealers as purer than the driven snow, especially those having a great reputation on Soul Source. However, some folk abroad might perceive UK buyers somewhat differently. Some sellers state they won’t post to Russia and that’s perfectly understandable without going into detail. Others list a whole stream of countries where they won’t post to, possibly because of non-payers or maybe even fraudulent activity.

The Steinways just sold for $187 so both the seller and buyer should be happy with the result. Nevertheless, I remain baffled by the reluctance of some sellers to send records to the UK. Maybe sending items abroad is just too much hassle? Is it the Royal Mail that’s a problem, or heavens forbid, the dodgy Brits?