Frankie Crocker

I hope it went to a collector called Kenny...

Great record by the way. Hugely underrated. Never heard it played out but is really catchy, and ripe for dancefloor action. Also very cheap for such an excellent sound.

More like two, knee-trembling, finger-shaking bids... The protagonists have already decided what their limits are and wait nervously for the final countdown. May the richest man (or woman) win (especially if she is buying it as a surprise for her husband/boyfriend/toyboy... could it actually be for me me me...)

I wonder how many of us might have passed over this obscurity when ploughing through thousands of Atlantic 45’s. Atlantic was the largest independent soul label in the 60’s so it is odd that they relegated the Joe Moore release. I guess there must be a story behind this rarity.

Thanks for posting. Still one of my favourite features on here even though I follow the auctions daily. Surprised by the Attractions price. Another sold for less than half that a few days ago. Sam Moore on Atlantic is evidently rare but 2K is a lot to pay for something like this.

Game on. Less than a week to go. Now at £2,751. I expect most of the action on this one to be on the final day, but let’s see...

Not sure what the above point is, but John Manship would only auction genuine, original records that you could place 100% confidence in. As you study the original for sale, note the amateurish stamp denoting ‘vocal’, pondering why there is no stamp for the instrumental side. Look closely at the gold bar - badly drawn, as lines in the same plane are not parallel. So, we have a novicey musical family, somewhat imperfect but nevertheless delightful studio production, an amateurish label design and a cowboy outfit taking care of the marketing. This record is a little piece of music history. I can fully understand why someone might attempt to bootleg it for financial gain as the vast majority of people who like the record are never going to actually own a copy.

Bidding now stands at £2,717 with a fortnight to go. Looks like it will go way above 3K now.

My Love Is So Strong...top spin by Butch. Very rare and totally brilliant. Reissued recently and on Steve Jeffries web-site for £20.

Cool stuff. He sings well. Move over Joseph Webster...Herb Ryals is in town.

Yes, you’re right. Someone bought Carl Holmes’ Soul Dance No 3 about a week ago and paid $395.25 for it. Mind you, I wonder if they actually read the small-print before bidding...

I think the topic has been raised on here before. I wonder if a laser treatment would work? The technology exists in hospitals - could there be some other outlet where you could get your hands on the kit, or better still, have an expert tackle the problem. Fusion could be an ideal solution if technically feasible. Styrene records do not get on well with Superglue - believe me, I’ve tried. Nobody really wants a cracked record, so the best solution is sell-on after upgrading. Cracked records, even the rarest ones, have lost most of their financial value. If you are determined to keep the cracked record, the Manship outer-edge glue trick will stabilise the fracture as usually the two sides line up perfectly.

Herb Ryals sells for £30 or less. Really good track but not even semi-known such is its obscurity. Never heard it played out. One of those records that deserves spins and would arouse interest with a few plugs. He also released something on RCA so was seen as a potential talent back in the 60’s.

Hi Marc. Not too many ex-employees around nowadays. You could try to contact Russ or Richard - both are extremely obliging. There are a number of other DJ’s you could contact eg Kev, Pat, Dave and a couple of others. If you have one question, maybe put it on here - there are plenty of ex-Wiganers who might offer what you want. If your request is about music, dancing etc you should find a few takers. There is a ton of info already on Soul Source that you could find useful. Good luck with your project.

Bidding now at £1,821 with three weeks to go. This seems like a really long time - could people lose interest in it? I suspect a lot of the action will be on the final day anyway.

Don’t let Cancel Culture get to you. The music of George Lemons was made long before the subsequent tragedy. The whole of Black Music history in the USA stems from events hundreds of years ago, and is in itself a fascinating subject to study up on.

Tongue well and truly in cheek... Mind you, Gary and Co were poppy tuneful back in the day, definitely a Marmite sound nowadays.

Well put Ted. Not everyone can sound like Ray Pollard, Chuck Jackson, Roy Hamilton, Jack Montgomery, Gary Lewis and the Playboys etc..

My thoughts entirely. It passes the acid test - instant dancefloor reaction to those in the know. Yes, the vocal is flawed and George warbles a bit, but who really cares? The vocal imperfection barely detracts from the overall song. Perhaps his voice is cracking up with emotion as he thinks about some fascinating girl...

Thanks. I thought someone mentioned it afterwards so it must have been added later.

Thanks for this Chalky. There are several reasons for looking closely at this copy. Prices recently, despite the global crisis, have been doubling and trebling at the higher end of the scale: for some of us, the concept of a 3K or 5K record is a useful yardstick. George Lemons, despite its status, was left out of Manship’s ‘Million Dollars of Rare Soul’ book, and more recently, overlooked by Butch in his ‘Sought After Soul Records’ list; so why is this record not given the acclaim it deserves?

Soaring nicely now with bids at £1,787. I suspect several dedicated collectors with supreme taste would love to have this beauty in their flightcase. I suppose should declare no financial interest in this particular copy least anyone thinks I’ve asked John to sell it for commission.

So what do you think it could sell for? Or put another way, if you found a copy in the wild in the USA, what would you want someone to pay for it, just to take the record off your hands?

You’re right there, it’s a bit of a Marmite record. But then again, I really like Marmite. There are probably countless records out there having some flawed quality but that doesn’t necessarily make them worthless rubbish. This record is very unlike most of Detroit’s offerings, and that gives it certain appeal. Part of the enjoyment of soul music is recognising any imperfections, learning to live with them and not allowing them to detract from the overall experience.

I agree. I think it’s going to be nearer 4K than 3K. Some auctions seem to be achieving higher than ever prices right now.