Frankie Crocker

Expect to pay at least £100 for an original in excellent condition. If the record is in mint-minus or unplayed condition, you may have to pay appreciably more to secure it at auction. It is not a 'Buy It Now' record that you can pick off a shelf so be prepared to scrap for it as the competition is intense. There are two yellow label versions, one of which was thought to be a boot but actually isn't, a white demo version in two formats and a minefield of bootlegs to differentiate. As a classic top 500 tune, you will be very lucky to pick up a nice original on the cheap.

You sometimes get that impression looking at the range of prices a specific record is on sale for. That said, if a dealer has paid handsomely for a rare record, then it is understandable if they want a high return. Also, always worth chancing your luck as in the case of Tommy in LA just recently picking up well over a £100 for a worn copy, presumably one that had been in a collection for decades.

Now they are really coming out of the woodwork but where did the bulk-find turn up?

I saw this too and thought it optimistic. Mind you, if that's what you paid for it, then it's reasonable to expect that in return...unless of course, a ton of them turn up.

Now heading north of 3K within minutes of being posted on the web site. Clearly this is a record that isn't going to turn up in bulk any time soon, so this copy may be from a pressing plant employee, label owner or group member QED. If anyone wants to get rid of their clapped out 'decorative' object, I would be delighted to cover postage costs so I can frame it for the wall.

Thanks George. I suspect the find was made in Southern California, possibly Los Angeles. Am really interested in who came across them and how.

PM to reserve any or send email address for label scans. Prices include postage, packing and insurance to UK address. Payment by PayPal (f&f)- buyer to cover charges. Thanks for looking. All messages replied to. Joe Tex-I Wanna Be Free-Dial: Mint for £120 Ruby Andrews-I Just Can't Get Enough-Zodiac: Mint for £50 (label off centre) Apollas-Mr Creator-Warner Bros: VG+ for £100 (patches of damage on both labels) Anna Belle Caesar-Little Annie-Glad Hamp: VG+ for £250 (label damage scorch mark and haze on portion of vinyl as record has been exposed to sunlight with another record partly on top) SOLD Don Gardner-My Baby Likes To Boogaloo-Tru Glo Town: VG- for £30 (slight label grime but plays fine with a couple of slight pops) Happy to send label scans for Apollas and Anna Belle Caesar: both records play perfectly and are ideal for DJing. Both are in-demand, hard to find in Excellent or better condition but prices reflect the damage to labels.

I've got the white label bootleg and I'm thinking of colouring it in. Great record. I recall reading about an original copy that was mistakenly sold as a bootleg...ouch. Another auction that will be watched with great interest.

Surprised there is no info on this yet. Surely someone might know the source of them? I wonder how many more are going to be auctioned as it is fast approaching set-sale price.

A hugely enjoyable read. Thanks for posting. Great photos by the way.

Yep, I'll concede that some vinyl from the 60's is poor quality with the odd bump, bubble or too coarse a grain. Just been sorting through a pile of records and was reminded that some styrene records just have a screen printed label and not even a stick-on one. I use a fantastic Thorens deck and use a 1.5 gm tracking weight to minimise wear. I am not an audiophile buff but the system I use is terrific for the 'vintage'records I play with amp and speakers doing full justice to vocals and instruments. As a primitive hunter-gatherer, I keep both vinyl and styrene pressings for the same release plus any other label variations: for the Motown records, this is particularly tricky so this part of the collection is badly in need of reorganising. I wish the price guides and record sellers would specify whether records were vinyl and/or styrene releases so we could specialise when buying.

First off, big shout to Trevski for putting me on to this 20 years ago. About three dozen copies of this San Diego masterpiece have featured on Popsike in the last few years. So, does anyone know where the stock turned up and in what quantity. Two years ago, Rockaway Records in L.A.had a copy up for $400; this summer, Amoeba in Hollywood had a copy for $150. Barely a week goes by without one up for sale and now the price has tumbled. So, what's the story behind one of the best finds in recent years?

Have you got this right? Even brand new styrene records distort when the high notes are reached - this does not happen with vinyl records. A stylus placed on a styrene record soon causes a hiss on the run in. Vinyl is longer lasting and tends to wear out less whereas styrene deteriorates noticeably. Styrene records have an inherent weakness where the material joins that sometimes shows up as a linear flaw. Styrene records can crack even when handled gently. Moulded vinyl labels are more practical and aesthetic whilst those stuck on styrene can peel and fall off. Styrene was used as a cheaper substitute for vinyl as the record market grew and the records of the 60's played on crude portable turntables with weighty tone-arms tended to suffer irreversible damage made of this material. True, some styrene labels look good but as it's what's in the grooves that counts, give me vinyl records any day. Made my day when I checked my Sam Fletcher to discover it was the Chicago release in vinyl.

I'll settle for the Chicago vinyl pressing thanks. I've also read that is the rarer pressing.

But it won't sell at that price. I found one in the States a few days ago in lesser condition but left it behind. It is a common record. Even though it is a great tune in nice condition, the record will not sell. Maybe everyone should save it in their 'Watch' list to build up the seller's hopes - then we can watch the price come down.

Pat Brady has one up for auction at present. An issue on the Manship auction a few weeks ago fetched over £300. Lots of bootlegged issues floating around these days so go for a DJ copy. Good luck.

Sounds flat. Goes nowhere. Maybe a soundtrack for a B grade movie? Not worth covering up. Cajun Heart is beyond comparison. Thanks for sharing all the same.

Sorry, but since the EU referendum, these re-issues can not be played in the UK.

Fret not Dave, you have a record collection that is destined to grow. Many husbands' gatherings have been sold to finance a divorce so the luckiest people are those who have a collection of any description.

Sounds more like a record store. Reminds me of George's Songshop in Johnstown or Russell's Records in New Orleans.

Looks to be a great book. One I'll definitely be buying. Will there be further books about other cities with a rich soul music heritage?

Keep the USA and UK releases separate. File by artist in alphabetical order. Keep specific label collections apart eg Motown. Not worth filing by label as so many companies it gets too complicated. Be sure to have lots of shelves and try to keep the lot in a small room.

Returning to the original question, surely the biggest tunes are those that have been picked up by lots of leading DJ's and fill the floors in all sorts of venues, not just the Allnighters. Joe Jama on Optimum, Ray and the Blue Satins on ARV and Parisians on Demon Hot all spring to mind. If we go back to 2004, then Nolan Porter was going strong, Lonnie Lester was still being requested, Five Royales, Charles Sheffield etc a veritable RnB resurgence. Right now in 2016, lots of classics are coming back for the second time such as Earl Grant, Tomangoes Furys, Timi Yuro, Superlatives etc. Butch still has the biggest set of one-offs but much of what he plays is exclusive to the few venues he appears but credit where it's due, he was spinning the Saints on Wigwam before anyone else and plugging Joseph Webster, Patrinella Staten and others to great acclaim long before they were in the hands of other DJs.

Hi Larry. Interesting to read that 10,000 copies of Sweet Magic/Connie were pressed up. Very few of these have survived judging from Popsike where about 10 copies have been auctioned in the last decade. For sure, more copies are tucked away in collections having been bought privately since the 1970's. I Need A Helping Hand evidently sold more on it's different releases but I wonder if it could have sold more had the Patheway release had the labels not been reversed? Was this release ever withdrawn due to the pressing flaw? Are You Angry, a storming track by any standards and an extreme rarity, is one of the best ever Northern Soul Records ever adopted by the Brits and latterday followers. The Servicemen produced at least four top tracks out of the very top drawer for us Northern Soulers and that puts you guys on a par with The Beatles, Stones, Four Tops, Temptations, royalty class in the music business.

Never seen this great track on Musicor. Soulville pressing is off-centre in some cases so caution advised. Must have been a successful local release to be picked up by Josie. Copies on both Soulville and Josie are easy enough to pick up. Sure would like to see a label scan on Musicor if it exists.