Dollarbin common 45s
mac_n_beef
16 Posts
After listening to the recent WeEatTrains mix, I am finally excited to go dig for some 45s. However, I know next to nothing about 45s. What are some dollarbin common 45 heaters I should be looking out for.
Comments
DEVO-Whip it
Atlantic starr-Catch a Four Leaf Clover
Queen-Another One Bites the Dust
Jeff, I already have that one.
Here are a few good cheapies:
Dennis Coffey - It's Your Thing
Jodie Gales - You Gotta Push
Jo Ann Garret - I'm a Now Girl
Bobby Byrd - If You Got a Love
Brothers of Hope - Nickol NIckol (thanks, Breck)
Chick Willis - Mother Fuyer
Soul Crusaders - Funky Jive
Darrow Fletcher - My Judgment Day
Bettye Swann - Closed for the Season
Jessie Anderson - Mighty Mighty
Hi-Fi White - Bulldog
Syl Johnson - Concrete Reservation
Hot Ice Company - I Got the Love You Need
Fabulous Counts - Jan Jan
Johnny Talbot - Git Some
Da-kars - Shot in the Dark
Chevelles - The Gallop
Tom Jones - Lookin Out My Window
Eale's Inc. - Does Your Mother Know
Alvin Cash - Keep on Dancing
Ruby Andrews - You Made a Beliver (out of me)
Fantasies - Mesmerizer
Fantastic Epics - Fun and Funk
Marva Whitney - I Made a Mistake
The O'Jahs - Roadside 75
Elijah and the Ebonies - Sock it To Em Soul Brother
BW Souls - Marvins Groove
African Music Machine - Mr. Brown
Maskman and the Agents - Yaw'll
many, many, many more
Soooooo...where is the store where these are dollar bin material? Or are we on some UK funk forum style, like how over there they'll say, "and it's a cheapie, only 50 or 60 pounds!" Yeah...only $100!
Seriously, though, I don't generally find stuff like that Jesse Anderson or Jodie Gales in dollar bins, unless it's trashed...I wish I could!
Jackie Lee - Chicken
Jackie Lee - African Boogaloo
Odell Brown - Think About It
Kool & Gang - pretty much all their early 45's can be had for cheap
Syl Johnson won't hurt your wallet
Pigmeat Markham - Here Comes The Judge and various spinoffs
Chris Jones - I'm The Man
Willie Gresham - Step By Step
Little Beaver- Funkadelic Sound/Joey
Chambers Brothers - Funky
Skip Easterling - Hoochie Coochie Man
Fatback Band - their early stuff on Perception is super cheap on 45
Albert King- Cold Feet
Al Green - Get Back Baby
Meters on Josie
I mean, you're right, I'm definitely coming from a privileged part of the country cause in Detroit most of those are $2 all day. All of them can be had for under $20 on ebay.
I don't think they were saying you could find these for a dollar per se, but they are affordable, generally around $10 or less. If you're literally expecting to built a collection of funk 45's for a dollar a piece then you either have really good luck or really low quality standards.
No, I realize that, and I didn't think the "dollar" figure was firm, but I do have a pretty decent funk 45 collection and I think $20 is the most I have ever spent on a 45, maybe $25. I guess it's all a matter of what you usually spend, I don't consider Jesse Anderson on Thomas for $20 a "cheapie" but more like a high-end 45. I know there are people who regularly drop $20, $50, $100+ on 45's, but like I say, my collection ain't too shabby and I'm generally a $5 or less buyer.
My idea of dollarbin common stuff would be like "I Get Lifted " by George McCrae on TK or "Keep It Coming" by Denise Lasalle on Westbound...Isleys, JB stuff...the stuff record stores consider "common" and toss in dollar bins even though it is still heat. My point was more that if I were to find Fabulous Counts and Jodie Gales 45's in my local dollar bin, I would be on this level:
As a general rule of thumb, avoid the ones with the big holes in the middle as they are too much hassle to DJ.
If you must, then stick to these simple rules:
Yellow label Stax - keep 'em
Blue label Stax - Toss 'em, they all suck.
De-Lite - Black label = shit
Bright blue label - fire.
Atlantic was a terrible label until 1977. The only good artists they put out are the ones who have their own "logo" printed where the artist name goes.
Anything by [somebody] and the [somethingorothers] is not going to disappoint - buy everything you see.
Someone please send a $5 Jackie Lee - The Chicken my way.
A lot of these lists depend on what part of the country you live in, but here's a list of what you might get in the NE. I paid 50c ea. for these, most of them are worth less than $5 if they ain't M-. But you can rock a party with these.
Archie Bell & The Drells - Tighten Up
Bad Bascomb - Give The Bass A Taste
Bad Bascomb - I Feel Like Dancing
Barbara & The Uniques - I'll Never Let You Go
Ben E. King - Supernatural Thing
Blackbyrds - Do It Fluid
Bobby Moore & The Rhythm Aces - Hey Mr. D.J.
Booker T. & The MGs - Booker-Loo
Booker T. & The MGs - Boot-Leg
Booker T. & The MGs - Slim Jenkin's Place
Carlos Malcolm - Busting Out Of The Ghetto
Cash McCall - You Ain't Too Cool
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - Blow Your Whistle
Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers - Think
Clarence Carter - Looking For A Fox
Cliff Nobles - The Horse
Delia Gartrell - Fight Fire With Fire
Dennis Coffey - Scorpio
Detroit Emeralds - Baby
Detroit Emeralds - Do Me Right
Don Covay - Money (That's What I Want)
Donald Austin - Crazy Legs
Dyke & The Blazers - My Sisters' And My Brothers' Day Is Coming
Etta James - Seven Day Fool
Etta James - Tell Mama
General Crook - Do It For Me
Gentlemen & Their Ladies - Party Bump
Gi Gi - Daddy Love
Hugh Masekela - Grazing In The Grass
Ike & Tina Turner - Contact High
Incredible Bongo Band - Bongolia
Jimmy Castor Bunch - King Kong
Jimmy Castor Bunch - Potential
Joe Tex - Skinny Legs And All
Johnny Daye - I've Got Soul
Kool & The Gang - Kool & The Gang
Lamont Dozier - Don't Leave Me
Linda Perry - I Need Someone
Little Royal - Razor Blade
Little Sister - You're The One
Lou Donaldson - Peepin'
Lou Donaldson - The Humpback
Luther Ingraham - Puttin Game Down
Manu Dibango - Weya
Mary Holmes - Soul Brother
Mother Night - Say Brother
Murray McKay - Don't Let The Pusher
Nat Kendricks & His Band - Here It Is (The Philly Dog)
Ohio players - Funky Worm
Olympic Runners - Do It Over
Otis Redding - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
Pazant Bros. ft. Beaufort Express - Mboga-Chakula
Rufus Thomas - Sophisticated Cissy
Shirley Brown - Yes Sir Brother
Shirley Ellis - The Clapping Song
Sir Joe Quaterman & Free Soul - So Much Trouble
Syl Johnson - Different Strokes
The Beginning Of The End - Funky Nassau
The Delegates - Funky Butt
The Meters - Chicken Strut
The Meters - Cissy Strut
The Meters - Hand Clapping Song
The Meters - Little Old Money Maker
The Mirettes - Midnight Hour
The Parliaments - (I Wanna) Testify
The People's Choice - Big Ladies Man
The People's Choice - Do It Any Way You Wanna
The Shocking Blue - Hot Sand
The Whatnauts - Girls
Timmy Thomas - You're The Song
Tina Britt - Who Was That?
Toussaint McCall - Shimmy
William DeVaughn - Be Thankful
I started to SAY. Some of those titles are fairly common for Chicago, but I had no idea the shit was spreading. (Unless, again, $10 is some comedian's idea of cheap.)
With that out of the way, I can say that almost anything by Dyke & the Blazers or the Watts 103rd St. Rhythm Band (on Warner Bros.) is an easy find. They were huge bands in their day and people bought their records like biscuits. Also, you shouldn't sleep on the Invictus and Hot Wax labels. Their actual funk records (the Politicians, Parliament, etc.) are probably easier to find on reissues, but even the straight soul releases have a definite funk edge to them. Try the Chairmen Of The Board's "Finders Keepers," the Honey Cone's "When Will It End" (B-side of "The Day I Found Myself"), the Flaming Ember's "Filet De Soul" (flip of "Mind, Body & Soul"), or the Eighth Day's "It's Instrumental To Be Free" (actually a retitled Politicians track...flip side of "You've Got To Crawl Before You Walk").
Oh, one more I forgot - "Don't Knock My Love - Part 2" by Wilson Pickett. Part One on the A-side was a big hit, shouldn't cost more than a dollar.
Either Big Spliff is a disco fan, or he's (she's?) yanking your chain to get a reaction. You'd have to be smokin' a MASSIVE big spliff to dump on blue-label Stax...
Tons of knowledge being dropped!!!
Stick to small hole 45s?? That's a joke, right?
Do not disregard Blue label stax 45s either. Booker T. and the MGs had some great blue label material. Wendy Rene's "After Laughter (Comes Tears)" is incredible too.
For the most part, Atlantic is useless as far as funk 45s go but here are some to check for:
TONY ALVON AND THE BELAIRS - SEXY COFFEE POT
UNITED 8 - GETTING UPTOWN (TO GET DOWN)
COMMODORES - KEEP ON DANCING
BLACK HEAT - CHIP'S FUNK
ARETHA FRANKLIN (DUH) - ROCK STEADY
TSU TORNADOS - GETTIN THE CORNERS
WILSON PICKETT - ENGINE NUMBER 9
Hell, buy almost anything you see - Stax was just a kick-butt label in general, but then again I like the straight soul stuff, too. I'm not just singling out the funk sides (all hail the Sons of Slum).
The O'jays - Livin for the weekend
The incredible bongo band - bongo rock
Serge Gainsbourg - Daisy temple
Quincy Jones - Chump Change
MFSB - The zip
Johnny guitar Watson - It's a damn shame
BT express - Do it (till you're satisfied)
for 12 euro (includes shipping). I don't think you can get those over here in a dollar (euro) bin.
meaning he prefers "ladies night" over, say, "chocolate buttermilk"???
I would pretty much go by the exact opposite of what this dude says*
*unless you are the "new look" guzzo
George Burns - I Wish I Was 18 Again
George Michael - Father Figure(with instro)
These are definitly the most common 45s in the dollar bin where I'm at...
45's (all .50 and under)
The 5 Stairsteps - O-O-H Child/Who Do You Belong To (Buddah)
Tino and the Royal Hawaiians - Tau - Tai/Singing Bamboo (Spring)
Minnie Riperton - The Edge Of A Dream/Lovin' You (Epic)
Chaka Khan - What You Did/Clouds (WB)
The Miracles - Whole Lot Of Shaking In My Heart/Oh Be My Love (Tamla)
Lou Rawls - She's Gone (Bell)
Sam & Dave - Wrap It Up/I Thank You (Stax)
The Staple Singers - Love Is Plentiful/Heavy Makes You Happy (Stax)
Buffalo Springfield - For What It's Worth/Do I Have To Come Right Out And Say It (Atco) - This is my favorite non hip hop/funk/r&b song ever
James Brown - Make It Funky (Polydor) - trashed
Johnnie Taylor - Steal Away/Friday Night (Stax) - trashed
Johhnie Taylor - A Fool Like Me/Jody's Got Your Girl And Gone (Stax) - trashed
Johnny Wakelin & The Kinshasa Band - Bang The Drum/Black Superman-"Muhammad Ali" (PYE)
Shirley Brown - Long On Lovin'/A Mighty Good Feeling (Arista)
James Brown And The Famous Flames - Kansas City/Stone Fox (King)
Rare Earth - Here Comes The Night/Born To Wonder (Rare Earth)
Steely Dan - Peg/The Fez (MCA) - I have like 12 copies of this song on LPs, CDs, tapes, etc. damn de la
Silver Platinum & Gold - La-La-Love Chains/Yes You Are (Tutti Frutti) (WB)
Bo Kirkland - Grandfather Clock/Sure Got A Thing For You (Claridge)
The Dells - On The Dock Of The Bay/When I'm In Your Arms (Cadet)
Ray Charles - Never Had Enough Of Nothing Yet/Yesterday (ABC)
Al Hirt - Fancy Pants/Star Dust (RCA)
Hot Chocolate - Power Of Love/Every 1's A Winner (Infinity)
Dramatics - Say The Word/Finger Fever (ABC)
Love Unlimited - I Belong To You/And Only You (20th Century)
Joe Tex - Ain't Gonna Bump No More/I Mess Up Everything I Get My Hands On (Epic)
Syreeta - Harmour Love/Cause We Ended As Lovers (Motown)
The Dramatics - Tune Up/Don't Make Me No Promises (Cadet)
Ray Charles - Come Live With Me/Everybody Sing (Crossover)
Ike & Tina Turner - Nutbush City Limits/Help Him (United)
Sam & Dave - Born Again/Get It (Atlantic)
Stairsteps - From Us To You//Time (Dark Horse)
The Temptations - Superstar/Gonna Keep On Tryin' Till I Win Your Love (Gordy)
Damita Jo - In The Dark/Melancholy Baby (Mercury)
Stardrive - Rushes/Dr. Tandem (Elektra)
Whatnauts - I'll Erase Away Your Pain/Just Can't Lose Your Love (Stang)
General Johnson - All In The Family/Ready, Willing And Able (Arista)
Meco - Star Wars Theme/Cantina Band/Funk (Millennium)
AWB - Pick Up The Pieces/Work To Do (Atlantic)
Gloria Gaynor - Never Can Say Goodbye/We Just Can't Make It (MGM)
Bobby Brown - On Our Own (MCA)
Rufus & Chaka - Hollywood/Earth Song (ABC)
Peter Brown - Do Ya Wanna Get Funky With Me/Burning Love Breakdown (Drive)
Annie Lennox & Al Green - Put A Little Love In Your Heart/A Great Big Piece Of Love (A&M)
The Emotions - Layed Back/What's The Name Of You Love (Arc)
Commodores - Slippery When Wet/The Bump (Motown)
LPs
John Coltrane - The Other Village Vanguard Tapes $2
Donald Byrd - Stepping Into Tomorrow $3
Stardrive - Intergalactic Trot $3
a few Supremes/Ross, Tempations/Smokey for $1 apiece
This has to be on my Top 50, "it looked so dope when I pulled it out of the stack, but it blew so hard when I got it home and played it" list.
I would love to start a thread about 45's people bought where the title was like, "Funky Funking MotherFunker," on a usually good label, say, Sussex, and the artist's name was like, "Willie McSoul," and you get it home, hands shaking as you put it on the turntable, and it turns out to be bluegrass with kazoos!!
There is usually a balance to this, where the one that looks the least funky in a pile will turn out to be dope, and the one that you had the highest hopes for turns out to be: