Brian's Music Musings: December 2006

Friday, December 29, 2006

 

R+B Indies (Again)

Well the Holidays are over.... Almost. Christmas has come and gone, but not before Santa dumped off volumes 2 and 3 of the R+B Indies to add to my first volume that I already had. How did he know that I needed/wanted those, anyway? The books originally came out as a two volume set, and now they have been re-written and expanded to four volumes. Each book is almost as big as the original two, making for a huge expansion in the numbers of labels showcased. They are pricey, but if you are into labels, you can't be without them. I have 3 volumes, and the fourth and final installment should be out in 2007.

Speaking of Santa, I got a couple of DVD movies. Jamboree, I have seen before, but will be a good thing to see again, and it has some bonus features I have not viewed before. Carnival Rock is the other one on my possession, and I have not seen it before.

As I mentioned in my last blog posting, I expanded the Johnnie and Joe page. I think I must have doubled it, but I realize how many records I am still missing. I have a few audio files to add, but as all pages, it is a work in progress.

If you are into creating CD's of old records like I am, there are some really cool blank CD's you can buy. They are the same size, but they look like a record. The outside of the CD actually is black and looks like record grooves. The middle is set up to look like a record label, but the thing to do is buy some special labels so you can print out an actual label picture. Check out this new product on the verbatim site. It is available in printable CD's (Middle for the label) or you can get the labels at picturegear.com As soon as I do one of these, I will post a picture.

WPLJ on the Music City label, has always been a favorite of mine. I have always wondered how many original vintage releases/combinations were issued. I know of the maroon label and the black label with Mr. Undertaker on the flip. It was also issued on the multi color label with Kary Maeson on the flip. I just found it on multi black with the Gaylarks and Doodle Doo on the flip. I bet there are others.

Thursday, December 21, 2006

 

How do you quote book price?

Maybe it's just me, but I am seeing a trend on Ebay of quoting book prices incorrectly. Sure, we can all discuss the true value of a record 'till the cows come home, but, at least we need to understand the very basics of book value. The issue I see are sellers quoting high book value for their VG or less record. If you are insistent on quoting the high book, your record needs to be worthy of that high book. Folks, it's not apples and oranges. To reverse the idea, if you have a VG record, don't quote what it WOULD be worth if life was sweet and it was mint. That gives a false impression of what you really have. It just seems to annoy me, and is another way to mislead potential buyers.

Reissues have always been very interesting to me in theory, but not so much in collecting vinyl. i certainly have my share, but normally I don't go looking for them. Many are difficult to trace, as they were low production and often very shady on origin. Frankly, some were just this side of being boots. But what fun they are to trace. Anyway, Wham records of New Jersey was one of those mid 60's reissue labels. I finally got a copy of the Hollywood Arglyes Alley Oop on that label, with the picture sleeve. It sold for 98 cents back then, and had Phil Flowers on the flip. To me, records like this are what continues to make record collecting fun and at a decent price. Just like the VG records discussed in the last post.

Now that the Johnnie And Joe CD has been released by ACE, I think I will work on adding some additional label shots to my page. I still have a ways to go, as they had quite an output of recordings into the 70's and on Ambient sound in the 80's.



Friday, December 15, 2006

 

Buying VG records, value etc

So, you love the music, but when it comes down to it, you ARE a record collector. Well, I Am, so maybe that is what I assumed you might be. If you have been around the hobby long, you know that values are always tied to condition, and the range of values has increased between, say a VG record and a Mint- disc. The Mint - disc could easily sell over the high book price on a desirable slab of wax. In years past, the VG record would fetch 50 % of book value, but no more. It often comes in around 30 % or slightly higher. The gap continues to widen. What to do?

I AM a collector. I want the record! So I buy nice VG records. I rarely go below that grade, as I don't want to collect beat up crap. If it is exceedingly difficult to locate (Some folks overuse the "R" word here - Rare) then I will shake a few coins loose if the price is right. I will not pay exorbitant prices for the mint grade. I actually do play my records!

That of course begs the question, are you hoarding for the sake of owning the vinyl, or are you collecting for investment value and future resale? Maybe both? I think I lie somewhere in the middle of the two. I would love to have the resale value in the records, but I am driven to collect. And, since I rarely sell much except duplicates, someday those records will be in the hands of my estate. No worries for me!

I have not bought too much lately. Well, I always say that. I got a nice copy of the Bellboys LP on Mercury. I obtained my second record on Mercury by the Miller Brothers. "If I Had A Car" has been a favorite of mine for years. "Let Me See You Smile is the "B" side of a double sided ballad. After adding the Jackpot Page, I actually found another record by Biggie McFadden. Real pop sounding, but there's a great voice behind the microphone. Vido Musso blowin' the sax on Crown, Thunderbirds with a fair outing on G.G. , and a missing 78 for my Gene and Eunice page. I need to add that this weekend.

Just uploaded a Christmas show on RockitRadio. A regular show will follow that, likely in the last week of December. On KVMR, I plan to play a few Christmas songs this Saturday, and an all Christmas show on the 23rd. I just love that show. maybe because it's just once a year. There really were a bunch of great Christmas songs made, and many I still have never heard.



Sunday, December 10, 2006

 

Updates,Updates,Updates!

If you have cruised through my web site, you may have seen a bunch of updates. I have added new CD's to the Aquatones page, photocopies to the Shytones, the Scarlet release for the Crescendos, a couple records to the Fleetwoods, and many more. No new pages since the Jackpot Label discography, but lots of updates. You can always see the Updates log for all the pages affected and when they were updated.

I also got answers for my Unreleased demo page. It turns out to be a couple of New York based groups on the same label. I had answers within 24 hours!

Ace has just released a new CD of Johnnie And Joe. I was able to make some significant contributions to the project. Besides using my record label shots, they also have a picture of me with Joe Rivers.

I am finally getting 2 more shows ready for Rockit Radio. The Christmas show should start airing by the end of the week. I hope to be a little more consistent with shows in 2007.

One of these days I will be putting together a Christmas record page. By the time December came around, there wasn't enough time. I may have to start in summer, to get it ready for the next season. For now, you can check out Jim Koenig's (Mr. 78) labels of the month page that has a Christmas theme.

Got a new CD in the mail from the Mighty Echoes. I know they have released at least two CD's and probably more. They are a great Accapella group, and this release is all Christmas songs. "Doo Wop Around The Christmas Tree" has some classic Christmas songs done in their unique style.

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