Frankie Crocker

PM to reserve any or for further details. Prices include postage, packing and insurance to UK address. Payment by PayPal (family and friends) please. Thanks for looking. Commodores-The Zoo (The Human Zoo)-Mowest: Mint for £25 SOLD Carmen Cole-I'll Never Stand In Your Way-Groove: Excellent, light ringwear for £60 Barbara Lewis-Remember The Feeling-Atlantic: VG, light ringwear for £25 Jimmy Beaumont-You Got Too Much Going For You-Bang: VG++ two small nicks on edge NAP for £80 Jerry Ganey-Just A Fool-Verve: Excellent for £80

No, not at all. You're still on the scene. Many went just the once; some I took in as guests but left underwhelmed. Some 'regulars' went more than I did, never danced and were there simply to be with mates or a girlfriend and had no interest in the music then or now, strange though that may seem.

Wigan for me. But the triple whammy of Mecca-Casino-Ritz on a weekend trumps all. Gethro's book brought plenty back for me such as the decor details at Blackpool Mecca. But how can you compare classic 100 Club Nighters of the 90's with all the 60's oldies and latest discoveries, to say, the Twisted Wheel or Torch, venues that had been and gone before I got involved? The earliest venues deserve loads of votes but might not get as many as the mass-market places attended by a more diverse audience.

Please send PM to reserve or for further details. Add £7.50 for Special Delivery including post, packing and insurance to UK address. Payment by Pay Pal preferred via family and friends. Thanks for looking. Four Tracks-Like My Love For You-Mandingo: Mint unplayed for £650. SOLD Johnny Vanelli-Seven Days Of Loving You-PreVue: Excellent, has styrene separation line as do all copies NAP for £400. Pamela Beaty-Talking Eyes-Tip WD: VG+ XOL reverse for £425.

John Manship has a scarce issue up for auction at present.

No, I think it's a label. Bit like Atlantic. Arctic is another label, sometimes pale blue and occasionally white which really confuses me as I have to check the bootleg guide in case I play a second issue. I think someone out there collects ocean related labels too, more weird than confusing as the records are filed by number instead of alphabetical order. This sounds like office work to me but it could be fun I suppose...

Leonard, please leave the item where it is to save me starting a thread 'Befuddled in London'. I'm inclined to blame Starbucks rather than Dave Rimmer but surely Manny has to carry the can for hyping up the Holy Grails. Mind you, he does have some tasty big-ticket OK for dee-jaying items in his weekly competition. I suspect all of us who buy and (have to) sell records are prone to marketing our wares in cliched terms but those in the Secret Society understand the language. Going back on thread, I am confused by 'going big', 'current spin', 'recently reactivated', 'copy going spare' which loosely translate as price shooting up, my mate played this, found at the bottom of the sales box and quantity just turned up.

Why? He's senseless already. This is the 'celeb' who single handedly banned sweet and pop sales in schools by cuddling up to some politicians. I think he might be to blame for all those cookery programmes on TV nowadays.

Or 'trust me'. Or any politician who opens their mouth.

Two schools of thought on this. The book actually helped diggers with limited knowledge and brought a heap of rare records to the surface. Alternatively, the era of dirt cheap records ended and everyone started scrapping for rarities pushing the prices up. The onslaught of eBay and emergence of Popsike changed the way US dealers did business just as much as John's books. In trips to the US recently, it has been a real asset despite the higher prices of records as it's better to have the records at any price rather than not at all.

Doubt it. The last one never sold. Virtually no difference between editions. Tim's been left well and truly behind. Not sure there is a place for his book now John has cornered the market.

Edition 7 is long overdue but I hope it reflects the actual market rather than just John's sales. Not sure why albums are to feature in this. The volume will be too big to travel with, and too heavy unless there is to be a paperback edition. Sure, I will buy a copy but plan to carry on using volumes 5 and 6 as they have useful info in them.

These fiendish cover-uppers don't fool us for long eh? They then spend their evenings scratching sellotape off torn labels. Should really be banned...

Hi Kirsty. Have you been watching too many Masterchef programmes? Says Sparkles on the label... sounds a bit like Sprinkles.

Great photos Dave. I'll be getting the book shortly.

One of the best female singing voices ever. So, rich, distinctive and clear.

Same here Len. The sleeve notes credited Nev Wherry (deceased) which gets you reflecting. One of too many young soulies gone too soon. Great LP by the way and easily one of the best to be released with loads of top tracks.

Great record. Has the lot. Catchy, tuneful, storming up-tempo. Always well received at the venues I've heard it played. This is rare Northern at its best.

PM to reserve anything or for further details. Prices include postage, packing and insurance. Payment by PayPal please. Thanks for looking. Dell Kings-Just Remember-Renco from San Antonio: Mint minus for £150, SMOL, slight TOL,rarely turns up, books for £400 in Manship. Little Joe & Latinaires-My Girl-Tomi from Dallas: Mint minus for £75, unlisted, Motown cover with funk flip. Traits-Too Good To Be True-Pacemaker from Pasadena: Excellent for £60, classic up-tempo Northern dancer. The Soul Rush-Night Owl-Custom from Tyler: Excellent for £120 WOL, unlisted, old-school up-tempo Northern obscurity. Muchachos-Domino-Good Luck from Temple: Mint minus for £40, up-tempo blue-eyed soul. James Moore-Feet-Soft from Dallas: Mint minus for £45, slight label damage. Royal Jesters-Sing A Song For Peace-Optimum from San Antonio: Excellent for £20, crossover soul, label-filler.

Art is art. Fraud is fraud. The current record fraudsters have raised standards of their forgeries to a fine art. Record collecting, precarious at the best of times, has now become trickier than ever because of items branded 'original' when they are indeed fakes/replicas/bootlegs. Lookalike paintings or records sold as genuine are an artful dodge and a scourge to collectors. I 'won' an 'Original' Pointer Sisters on eBay last week but ended up not paying for it once I learned the matrix number from the seller - he was pretty miffed that I posed the question, yet was content to market the record as genuine.

PM to reserve anything or for further details. Price includes postage to UK address. Payment by PayPal please. Thanks for looking. Some real bargains here. Del Reys-Mama Was Right-New Breed: VG++ for £175 (scarce green issue) Reflections-You Don't Love Me-Went: Excellent plus for £60 (slight label damage) Phoenix-Every Now And Then I Cry-PI: Excellent plus for £90 Patience Valentine-Waking Up To A Dream-Thrush: Mint minus for £45 Robert John-Raindrops, Love And Sunshine-A&M: Excellent plus for £65 Marvelle & The Blue Mats-Mellow Man-Dynamic Sound: Mint minus for £60 (perfect label)

PM to reserve anything or for further details. Prices include postage, packing and insurance to UK address. Payment by Pay Pal please. Thanks for looking. Voices Incorporated-Thinkin'-Columbia: Mint red issue for £100. SOLD Rayons-You Confuse Me Baby-Forte: Excellent for £70 (a few light marks on the label). Joe Tex-I Wanna Be Free-Dial: Mint for £110 (light label ringwear on reverse). SOLD Colt Brothers-Hold Me, Hold Me-Bullet: Mint minus for £125 (DJ stamp on label, SMOL) Classmen-Doin' Me Right- Pearce WD and Classic issue: both Mint for £75 each Rick Thompson-What Do I Have To Do-Columbia WD: Excellent for £75 (water stain on label)

PM'd you rare Canadian only release.

A few barely-known sounds for those at the sharp end of collecting. PM to reserve anything or for further details please. Prices include postage, packing and insurance to UK address. Payment via PayPal thanks. Thanks for looking. Louis Jordan-Wild Is The Night-Pzazz: Mint minus, date stamped on reverse for £125 Hy Lawson And The Sound Agency-Anybody's Fool-King Of Clubs: VG+ for £300 Willie Hamilton And The Counts-She's Alright-HRP: VG for £75 Sound bites on You Tube for all three. Check Popsike for obscurity. Only Willie Hamilton in the #6 Price Guide and that value is daft given the calibre of the track.

Great shame really, but understandable. Was the best record store in the city centre and a 'must visit destination'. Britain is a hard place to operate any business on the High Street with extortionate rents and taxes etc. Let's hope the on-line venture prospers.