All the Old Headz record dudes talk about is the "Golden Age" of the "cutout bin." I remember the cutout bins from when I was really young, seeing piles of the sealed KISS solo LP's*, the ones where each had his own album, for 79 cents at Woolworths in like 1979...these dudes talk about the same thing but with 13th Floor Elevators and Bobby Byrd albums, buying handfuls in 1974 at 5-for-$2!
Reminds me of Lester Bangs writing about when he finally relented and bought the Count Five album and told the clerk it MUST have been misfiled cuz noone would charge more than 79 cents for that garbage
My dad tells a funny story about being at a Woolworths with like hundreds of copies of the ONE Hendrix (US) pic sleeve on sale for 10 cents or whatever... regretting that he only picked up one of course
HOLY SHIT I just looked up what this actually goes for now
The label in dicussion when it comes to this topic is CAPITOL.
One of the three largest record companies in the world in the late 60's and early 70's actually putting out records that sold 1000 copies at best.
Karen Dalton 1st LP Food Forever is a Dream Brothers Unlimited...
and a bunch of garbage that sucks that you never see... Primo People? Shit that that....
Or even worse: Genuine John, whose album is the typical studio-cats-getting-together-to-blow-off-steam affair. Chuck Rainey, Hugh McCracken, Herbie Lovelle, and someone else who's name I can't remember. The liner notes make it look like the world should feel privileged to hear studio royalty playing for themselves instead of behind someone else...turns out to be a tepid soul album that should have stayed on the shelf. Even WITH promotion, this probably would have bombed.
Here are a few that aren't super rare, but I have yet to see in the field.
Richard "Popcorn" Wiley's 1974 ABC lp with McKinley Jackson production
Giant-What's In This Life For You on Mercury
and an honorable mention for the Shades Of Black Lightening lp on Tower, oh, and the Chocolate Watch Band lps on that label. I forgot about the album by a group called Chelsea that featured Peter Criss on drums on Decca.
most times I find it's a case of the bands getting no promotion even though they're being put out on a major label, If i remmber correctly United Artists have done stuff like, with that pookah record and this other prog rock jimi influenced record i have i can't remember the name of right now - they both came out on UA at the same time and sold fuck all.
It wasn't a record by a group called Valhalla was it?
I found this copy of Moloch for $6.99 at a shop here in Baltimore. I sold it a few days later for $75. It's a good record, just not my cup of tea. Matter of fact these are all pretty rare, except the Gabor Szabo, and I only paid $6.99 for each and flipped them all. Got close to $75-80 for each.
They're not super rare, but they're good examples of what happens when a great, nay an all-time classic album is passed over or under-promoted by the label:
Don Blackman - S/T on Arista / GRP
RAMP - on Blue Thumb / ABC
We had a Blue Thumb / ABC thread a while back, didn't we? Stuff like RAMP, Voco Presents etc...
Also, Weldon Irvine's RCA albums are pretty valuable...
A few more good examples are: Eugene McDaniels' "Headless Heroes...",
Lyn Christoper LP,
Tom Brock "I love you more and more",
Roy Ayers "He's Coming"
and one I think people forget about being, not a huge "major", but still "major" is the S.O.U.L. LPs. Musicor wasn't really a small label. They had Gene Pitney among others.
I mean none of the above are mega rare but all still fetch close to, if not more than, 3 figures.
I found this copy of Moloch for $6.99 at a shop here in Baltimore. I sold it a few days later for $75. It's a good record, just not my cup of tea. Matter of fact these are all pretty rare, except the Gabor Szabo, and I only paid $6.99 for each and flipped them all. Got close to $75-80 for each.
If you got $75-$80 for that Dave Pike you're lucky, it's like half that in NYC.
b/w
Skip Spence
Gift From Euphoria (and lots of other green label Capitols)
They're not super rare, but they're good examples of what happens when a great, nay an all-time classic album is passed over or under-promoted by the label:
These major labels were putting out as many as 30 albums a month. A real big trend back in the seventies was to issue compilations featuring selections from new releases: Warners had their "Loss Leader" series, Columbia was putting out 7" samplers of new releases on their Playback label, and there were other one-off anthologies like All-Day Thumb Sucker on Blue Thumb and Zig-Zag Festival on Mercury. If you're looking for lesser-known major-label acts, these sets are crammed full of 'em. There's even a few future stars that slipped through their fingers.
But, even with all this extra exposure, these labels only had so much money in the promo budget and somebody was going to lose.
RAMP - on Blue Thumb / ABC
We had a Blue Thumb / ABC thread a while back, didn't we? Stuff like RAMP, Voco Presents etc...
Yeah, I remember starting a Blue Thumb thread some years ago. I actually see the Voco-presents anthology (Lights Out: San Francisco) quite often, never thought it was truly scarce...
local store has a RAMP 8 track cartridge, makes me think of Soulstrut/Waxidermy everytime I see it lol
Big_Stacks"I don't worry about hittin' power, cause I don't give 'em nuttin' to hit." 4,670 Posts
Mike_Bell said:
Sons Of Champlin-Loosen Up Naturally on Capitol. The one with the cursewords on the front cover. I don't think it's impossible to find, just hard as hell to find it.
If you got $75-$80 for that Dave Pike you're lucky, it's like half that in NYC.
A Strutter bought it, $85. Said Strutter was aware of what it usually goes for but he really wanted it and was willing to offer top dollar.
I was gonna ask the same thing, I have an EXC copy of that in my trade box and nobody has even made an offer on it. even went unsold in a set sale on here, I think.
one thing that needs to be made distinct in this thread are records that are truly scarce, because there were barely any pressed or tons of copies destroyed (like the Capitol psych grails) and records that are just really popular so they stay in collections and don't get sold as often, like S.O.U.L. records - there were tons of those pressed, they are just not records people are in a hurry to get rid of, and also they were party records so a huge percentage of copies that do appear are rinked beyond value.
John Berberian
Dorothy Carter Waillee Waillee
Tropicalia
Kitchen Cinq
McKinney
Switch 77
Basho
Moon People
Coke
The Albert
Cathy Young
Cutts Road
Pat Kilroy
Jim Ford
Amanda Trees
Curfew
Directions Band
Derrick Harriott
Kool & the Gang
Tin House
Joe Pass
Willie Hutch
Switch 77
Mickey Murray
Fremont's Group
Seguida
Jerry Hahn Quintet
still available, if there is any interest:
Dave Pike Set - Infra-Red - MPS Stereo - Cvr: VG+ LP: VG+ $30 $25
Dave Pike Set - Infra-Red - MPS Stereo - Cvr: VG+ LP: VG+ $30 $25
I think my timing played a huge part in this sale. Plus, this Strutter & I have done a few transactions in the past so we both check for each other more often than others. It's all good, we both walked away happy from this one.
This afternoon, a few days after we talked about this record, I walked into the thrift store in Provincetown, where I almost never find anything, and this was just sitting on a coffee table right by the front door - VG+ cover, NM record.
Of course, I had dreams of some awesome collection residing in the boxes, but this was all I bought. Still well worth pulling over on my way to the grocery store.
This afternoon, a few days after we talked about this record, I walked into the thrift store in Provincetown, where I almost never find anything, and this was just sitting on a coffee table right by the front door - VG+ cover, NM record.
Of course, I had dreams of some awesome collection residing in the boxes, but this was all I bought. Still well worth pulling over on my way to the grocery store.
Damn!! Happy for you man. Any other raers you wanna talk about? :cheese:
This afternoon, a few days after we talked about this record, I walked into the thrift store in Provincetown, where I almost never find anything, and this was just sitting on a coffee table right by the front door - VG+ cover, NM record.
Of course, I had dreams of some awesome collection residing in the boxes, but this was all I bought. Still well worth pulling over on my way to the grocery store.
Damn!! Happy for you man. Any other raers you wanna talk about? :cheese:
Well, now that you ask, I also pulled an OG Fela and his Koola Lobitos from a friend of my neighbor about a month ago, also in Provincetown.
He had about fifty boring jazz records that were thrashed and this in VG++ shape. Turns out he had helped build schools in Nigeria in the 60's. I asked him why he had bought it, but he didn't remember.
Since it's on Parlophone, I guess it would also qualify as a super-rare major label Lp.
This afternoon, a few days after we talked about this record, I walked into the thrift store in Provincetown, where I almost never find anything, and this was just sitting on a coffee table right by the front door - VG+ cover, NM record.
Of course, I had dreams of some awesome collection residing in the boxes, but this was all I bought. Still well worth pulling over on my way to the grocery store.
Damn!! Happy for you man. Any other raers you wanna talk about? :cheese:
Well, now that you ask, I also pulled an OG Fela and his Koola Lobitos from a friend of my neighbor about a month ago, also in Provincetown.
He had about fifty boring jazz records that were thrashed and this in VG++ shape. Turns out he had helped build schools in Nigeria in the 60's. I asked him why he had bought it, but he didn't remember.
Since it's on Parlophone, I guess it would also qualify as a super-rare major label Lp.
That reminds me when I visited a friend of my Dad's after he told me that she used to hang out with Jimmy Owens and Larry Young at some jazz event in the summer of '77 (shortly before he died I think) and had a pile of old vinyl that she no longer touched. When I got there, true to his word she showed me loads of really fascinating photos of her with Young and Owens etc at some summer jazz camp for teenagers in a forest somewhere. Young looked completely coked out and out of it BTW. I started to get pretty sweaty palms but it was short lived as she had nothing more than a bunch of Kudu, CTIs and similar stuff circa 76. Still the photos were interesting...but you always find the rare stuff when it's least expected.
Comments
Reminds me of Lester Bangs writing about when he finally relented and bought the Count Five album and told the clerk it MUST have been misfiled cuz noone would charge more than 79 cents for that garbage
My dad tells a funny story about being at a Woolworths with like hundreds of copies of the ONE Hendrix (US) pic sleeve on sale for 10 cents or whatever... regretting that he only picked up one of course
HOLY SHIT I just looked up what this actually goes for now
Or even worse: Genuine John, whose album is the typical studio-cats-getting-together-to-blow-off-steam affair. Chuck Rainey, Hugh McCracken, Herbie Lovelle, and someone else who's name I can't remember. The liner notes make it look like the world should feel privileged to hear studio royalty playing for themselves instead of behind someone else...turns out to be a tepid soul album that should have stayed on the shelf. Even WITH promotion, this probably would have bombed.
Richard "Popcorn" Wiley's 1974 ABC lp with McKinley Jackson production
Giant-What's In This Life For You on Mercury
and an honorable mention for the Shades Of Black Lightening lp on Tower, oh, and the Chocolate Watch Band lps on that label. I forgot about the album by a group called Chelsea that featured Peter Criss on drums on Decca.
It wasn't a record by a group called Valhalla was it?
I found this copy of Moloch for $6.99 at a shop here in Baltimore. I sold it a few days later for $75. It's a good record, just not my cup of tea. Matter of fact these are all pretty rare, except the Gabor Szabo, and I only paid $6.99 for each and flipped them all. Got close to $75-80 for each.
Don Blackman - S/T on Arista / GRP
RAMP - on Blue Thumb / ABC
We had a Blue Thumb / ABC thread a while back, didn't we? Stuff like RAMP, Voco Presents etc...
Also, Weldon Irvine's RCA albums are pretty valuable...
Lyn Christoper LP,
Tom Brock "I love you more and more",
Roy Ayers "He's Coming"
and one I think people forget about being, not a huge "major", but still "major" is the S.O.U.L. LPs. Musicor wasn't really a small label. They had Gene Pitney among others.
I mean none of the above are mega rare but all still fetch close to, if not more than, 3 figures.
If you got $75-$80 for that Dave Pike you're lucky, it's like half that in NYC.
b/w
Skip Spence
Gift From Euphoria (and lots of other green label Capitols)
A Strutter bought it, $85. Said Strutter was aware of what it usually goes for but he really wanted it and was willing to offer top dollar.
Is Muse considered a major?
Yes In terms of "findability" but I guess no in terms of corporate size. Are there any other muse titles as hard to find as this one?
The Joao Donato is pretty tough.
Catalyst - 'Unity'
These major labels were putting out as many as 30 albums a month. A real big trend back in the seventies was to issue compilations featuring selections from new releases: Warners had their "Loss Leader" series, Columbia was putting out 7" samplers of new releases on their Playback label, and there were other one-off anthologies like All-Day Thumb Sucker on Blue Thumb and Zig-Zag Festival on Mercury. If you're looking for lesser-known major-label acts, these sets are crammed full of 'em. There's even a few future stars that slipped through their fingers.
But, even with all this extra exposure, these labels only had so much money in the promo budget and somebody was going to lose.
Yeah, I remember starting a Blue Thumb thread some years ago. I actually see the Voco-presents anthology (Lights Out: San Francisco) quite often, never thought it was truly scarce...
Got it!!! Check my 'Bong Shit' mix ("For Joy").
Peace,
Big Stacks from Kakalak
I was gonna ask the same thing, I have an EXC copy of that in my trade box and nobody has even made an offer on it. even went unsold in a set sale on here, I think.
one thing that needs to be made distinct in this thread are records that are truly scarce, because there were barely any pressed or tons of copies destroyed (like the Capitol psych grails) and records that are just really popular so they stay in collections and don't get sold as often, like S.O.U.L. records - there were tons of those pressed, they are just not records people are in a hurry to get rid of, and also they were party records so a huge percentage of copies that do appear are rinked beyond value.
(ok, I did have it as VG+/VG+ but still ... haha)
:bizzo:
I think my timing played a huge part in this sale. Plus, this Strutter & I have done a few transactions in the past so we both check for each other more often than others. It's all good, we both walked away happy from this one.
Record synchronicity still alive in 2010.
This afternoon, a few days after we talked about this record, I walked into the thrift store in Provincetown, where I almost never find anything, and this was just sitting on a coffee table right by the front door - VG+ cover, NM record.
Of course, I had dreams of some awesome collection residing in the boxes, but this was all I bought. Still well worth pulling over on my way to the grocery store.
Damn!! Happy for you man. Any other raers you wanna talk about? :cheese:
Well, now that you ask, I also pulled an OG Fela and his Koola Lobitos from a friend of my neighbor about a month ago, also in Provincetown.
He had about fifty boring jazz records that were thrashed and this in VG++ shape. Turns out he had helped build schools in Nigeria in the 60's. I asked him why he had bought it, but he didn't remember.
Since it's on Parlophone, I guess it would also qualify as a super-rare major label Lp.
That reminds me when I visited a friend of my Dad's after he told me that she used to hang out with Jimmy Owens and Larry Young at some jazz event in the summer of '77 (shortly before he died I think) and had a pile of old vinyl that she no longer touched. When I got there, true to his word she showed me loads of really fascinating photos of her with Young and Owens etc at some summer jazz camp for teenagers in a forest somewhere. Young looked completely coked out and out of it BTW. I started to get pretty sweaty palms but it was short lived as she had nothing more than a bunch of Kudu, CTIs and similar stuff circa 76. Still the photos were interesting...but you always find the rare stuff when it's least expected.