Candiman

Looked at the last 10 days worth of feedbacks given to JM on Discogs (150 in total). 53 of them are for orders place after 31st January - that's 35%. You really shouldn't be waiting any longer for your records.

So sad. One of my favourite singers. RIP Gwen.

I've had same experience as Fred Benson. I was still waiting for a website order placed on the 20th Jan and a Discogs order placed on 26th. Phoned a couple of days ago to be told coincidently(??) "oh we were just about pick that order" (the website one). Then passed to another person dealing with the Discogs orders to be essentially be told the same thing. Asked if they could then be combined for postage to be told that was difficult as they are different teams and systems. This proves there are different processes in place for picking the two types of orders. My website order arrived the next day, my Discogs order has been marked as shipped today. I was prompted to phone after looking at his feedback on Discogs. That put me firmly in "fed up" territory - people leaving feedback for orders placed after the 31st January, some within the last week. So prioritising orders that are for full price items that are possibly more sensitive re feedback? Also the longer a half price Discogs order is sat on the more interest is made on "borrowed" money? Don't get me wrong, I'm sure the team are doing their best. But don't be shy - phone and you will get your records quicker I believe judging by my experience , and others on here.

So I have received my orders now. One was thru website and one thru Discogs. Out of stock items on both orders but no adjustment on postage cost on either. Discogs postage costs are actually a bit more reasonable than website costs. But overall seems postage costs are a nice little earner in their own right. My "comments will be passed on to John" is the best I have achieved so far when I phoned to query this. Couldn't fault condition of records - all M- ones were actually Mint by the looks of things.

Really miss Mack Stevens doing his "I Buy Old Records" digs. Funny guy. You got to see lots of old records in their true habitat and see some US scenery too. Road tripping and digging by proxy. Got me through lockdown.

It's your word against theirs really isn't it? You can quite easily answer three or four simple questions at the Gov site here and come up with the answer that you have nothing to worry about. So, you sell records on ebay fairly regularly: You could argue these are part of a personal collection built up over many years which you are now downsizing (they are not part of a set as such, but they are personal belongings). So no problem. On the other hand HMRC could argue that a pattern of fairly regular sales over an extended period of time indicates you are trading. So problem. In reality you are doing a bit of both - selling items out of a collection built up over many years, some of which has been built up by buying cheap at car boots, chazzas and the like, and some of those purchases made with the express intention of flipping for a profit (hopefully). So it's a grey area, and many accountants websites, such as this one, don't really help clarify things. In the end where does the burden of proof lie?

Fair play to John for putting these updates out. So which "stock list" is the most accurate do you think - his website or Discogs? I found a few things on Discogs that weren't on his website so I assumed he was updating his website first.

Although my order was made thru his website. Also I haven't had an email order confirmation, I would have thought that would have been automatic.

As already said postage cost is high. I have hardly ever bought from JM so don't know if this is normal. I initially had 9 items in the basket (half price value just under £100, I don't buy big ticket items!) and postage was set at £15.95 or £16.95 with £100 insurance. I reduced to 8 items and postage reduced by £1, reduced to 7 items and postage reduced by a further £2 to £12.95. There is clearly an algorithm behind it based on number of items but it isn't any sort of accurate reflection of value and weight, and it is quite possibly also based on out of date postage prices. You can buy 1st class tracked with signature and £150 insurance for £5.65 (on line price small parcel up to 2kg). Add, say £1 for packing material (cardboard is expensive nowadays but as a business he will be buying in bulk so maybe less than that), so postage is being marked up approx. 100% to cover labour packing cost and transport to sorting office (although RM can collect nowadays), or is it an algorithm that just keeps on giving (from JM's perspective)? Still, at half price the prices are acceptable. Will just have to be patient for delivery as he obviously has his hands full.

It seems to be generally accepted that the Inner Ear 45 was from 1970 but a copy was found in the estate sale of a gospel/Christian DJ pen dated 15 Jan 1969. Another Inner Ear 45 (Free Form Experiment) was found in the same collection with the same date on it. The vast majority of the records found were all pen dated, presumably by the DJ when he received the record from the distributor - many were small label promos - and there is no reason to doubt the dates on the records, they seem to stack up with info elsewhere (I have become obsessed with this collection documenting on 45cat the dates of everything I can find that has been sold thru ebay from this collection in the last year or so.) Any thoughts on the date, if it was late '69 I could understand it?

I love You Better Stop It, and Don't Ever Go Away. Wonderful arrangements. I did a deep dive into some old mailing lists earlier this year. On one of Rudzy's early lists in 1976 he had at least one demo copy listed- only as Happy Girl (the B side) - for 35p (That's £3.16 in today's money). I didn't buy it a) because I didn't know it then and b) because my funds wouldn't stretch to buying multiple blinds. Although I did buy Kool Blues blind off the same list - it was nestling just six rows below Happy Girl/You Better Stop It. If I knew then and all that. By around 2009 I remember looking for a copy but would I think have been lucky to pick one up for about £100 (£168 in today's money). Now it would appear you would be lucky to pick one up for less than £300. I realise in 1976 there were still plenty of plums to be found. Also, I guess it was not fast enough to be in demand in the 70s. So I'm interested to know when You Better Stop It became an in demand record?

Syl Johnson's "I Hear The Love Chimes" in a Hammersmith pub at the weekend. Made me interrupt the conversation with my wife to say "Wow!". The playlist was soul and funk slanted but nothing really similar (I remember AWB, Raphael Saadiq, Gap Band). Love Chimes did make it to a 45 B side but I think of it as an album track (from one of his great early-mid 70s Hi albums) so pretty obscure. I find music in public places - pubs, supermarkets, chazzas etc - a lot more interesting nowadays with a lot of more obscure stuff getting an airing. Probably it's the Spotify effect and some more enlightened managers allowing their staff to choose a playlist. My favourite local chazza chain is St. Peter's Hospice, I always hear some great jazz and soul in their shops. Whoever schedules their "station" has really good taste. Just a shame my hit rate in their vinyl bins has fallen off a cliff lately!

Perhaps they're trying a bit too slavishly to copy the latter day Wigan Casino model.

Indeed. Get me started on Candi and I can't stop. This sounds so much more alive than the released "Sweet Feeling". It's almost like you are in the studio with her and the band.

Lyrics bear some similarity to Simon Dupree and the Big Sound "Castle In The Sky" 1968, also recorded by Blonde On Blonde as "Castles In The Sky" in 1970. But it's neither of those. As the lyrics are so close in places I'm betting it's not called "Castle In The Sky".