The Joy of 45 Collecting: Lost 45 Tunes Not Available from iTunes, Spotify, or Similar Services
Jukebox "Snippet" 45s: Chronological List of Site Additions
As I add 45s to our inventory, I pick select 45s to highlight with mp3 "snippets" so you can hear the music yourself. I only record "snippets" of tunes I particularly like, ones I think have been under-played and under-appreciated, or ones that are so rare and wonderful I'll never hear them otherwise. For myself, I keep an iTunes playlist of these "snippets," and that playlist is one I listen to most often. These pages chronicle the mp3 "snippets" I've added to our online "jukebox" in reverse chronological order. You can browse the pages to see what was added and when. Click on the blue "Play" button to play the snippet, or click on a song's title to load the page. Many of these 45 records are still for sale, though just as many have been sold. I hope you enjoy perusing these pages as much as I have enjoyed putting them together!
Both of these tracks are top-notch Northern Soul dancers, and they practically sound like different groups: "Someday" (the A side) has a male lead, while the Motown-style "Handy Man" (no relation to the Jimmy Jones classic) has a female lead. Check out the mp3 snippet of "Handy Man" we just added to our online "jukebox!" Don't they sound like Honey Cone? Either way, as a dance fan, you come out a winner!
This classic northern soul track is so great... it builds and builds! ... definitely a 2-star recommendation (our highest). Listen to the mp3 "snippet" to see why it's such a favorite.
As if the A side ("5-10-15-20...") of this classic Van-McCoy-produced Philly Soul single weren't great enough... I don't think a lot of Soul fans are aware of how delicious the uptempo B side is! So... because it's also one of my personal 5-star records, into the Classic 45s jukebox it goes!
Now, here's one you've just gotta have if you're a fan of the early 1960s "white" Doo Wop revival sound. Have a listen to the mp3 snippet, which I had to rush to put up before ending my inventory work for the day. There's so much interesting vocal work going on, I'm sure it'll entrance even folks who don't know or yet love Doo Wop.
Here's a beautiful copy of this classic 1959 single, which was originally recorded by Little Willie Littlefield back in 1952, when Leiber & Stoller wrote it. At that time, for some reason, it was released as "K.C. Lovin'." This signature hit for Wilbert Harrison is remarkable not only for its amazing groove, but for that killer electric guitar interlude, which is precisely the kind of sound young white guys from the U.K. and America were soon to begin emulating. Their emulations were the foundation for genres like Garage Rock, Psychedelic Rock, and Hard Rock by the likes of the Yardbirds, Cream, the Standells, and Paul Revere & the Raiders (to name a pitiful few).
This song, the hit that finally gave Fender a national audience after years (his first chart single was in 1960 on Imperial!) of him working mainly in RnB and Rockabilly grooves, its arrangement, and Fender's tender, yet passionate expression of love for his "one that got away", strikes a chord in me that can literally render me speechless, I'm so moved. So finding a decent recording of this masterpiece has been an endless quest, until now. I hope you enjoy the song as much as I do! Speaking of which, I find it inexplicable that neither Dave Marsh nor the Rolling Stone folks thought this song deserved inclusion in their respective lists of top songs/45s. In my opinion, this recording is essential listening for an understanding of the wide range of Country music that influenced future generations, and its crossover success (it topped both the Country and Pop charts) points to a hit deserving the top attention. That's why I give it a 2-star recommendation (our highest).
Out of Stock
01/14/16
Roy Redmond
1967, Loma 2071 Genre: Northern Soul, Motown Style
Hearing this for the first time was another "Wow!" moment for me... I had to rush and make an mp3 snippet of the A side so you could hear what got me so excited. I hope you like it as much as I do!
This tune is a new one for me, and I literally mouthed "Wow" when it started playing! I can see why it's such a popular tune in Northern Soul dance clubs!
This is a beautiful copy of the Grass Roots' first hit single, which we award 2 stars — our highest recommendation. That means we think that a collection of this genre of music (in this case, "Sunshine Pop" or even "Folk Rock") is incomplete without this single... it's essential!
It's worth noting that this single is on both the Dave Marsh (#39) and Rolling Stone magazine's (#224) "top 45s" lists. An essential single for a complete collection, for sure ... and this is perhaps the nicest, reference-Mint copy I've run across yet. This copy's audio is so gorgeous I had to make an mp3 file for the "jukebox"... so have a listen! Nothing like the audio on this original 45.
This single's A side sounds like it could have been recorded in Detroit rather than at Stax studios, but then everyone was trying to emulate the Motown sound by 1967. :-) I liked it so much right away that I recorded an mp3 snippet for our "jukebox," so have a listen!
Wow! OK, I confess: I love this kind of Doo Wop, with that hard-to-imitate bass man spilling out nonsense syllables that somehow sound great together! I fell for it so quickly I had to get a copy in our "jukebox"... so have a listen and see what you think.
Out of Stock
01/02/16
Johnny Reed
1958, Major Label 100 Genre: Vocal Groups (Doo-Wop)
I'm putting a snippet of this remarkable 1958 track into our "jukebox", so have a listen! I guarantee you won't recognize the song as Reed shifts to an uptempo dance mode from the Heartbeat's 1956 original, a gorgeous ballad. By the way, Reed was formerly a member of the Orioles.
Now playing:
Make A Circuit With Me
Getting Better/ Bring Your Lovin' Back Here by Gomez
These virtual "boxes" are for you folks who only like new, unplayed or pristine Mint 45s.