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!
08/21/14
The Feathers
1968, Team 518
Genre: Bubblegum
On this great Bubblegum record, the A side mines psych-rock for the fuzz guitar and Northern Soul for the frantic pace, while the flip sounds very much like something Tommy James & the Shondells would have recorded. (Check out the mp3 snippet.) Some Northern Soul collectors categorize the A side as one of their own based on the beat alone, psych-rock guitar be damned. But the whole endeavor is bought to you by Kasenetz-Katz Assoc., so the Bubblegum lineage is clear. It's just a great example of where Bubblegum sometimes strays into Northern Soul territory, because like Northern Soul, Bubblegum is at its heart designed for dancing.
08/17/14
The Spinners
1971, V.I.P. 25060
Genre: Northern Soul, Motown Style
Ever wonder how the Spinners would sound under Stevie Wonder's production control, and working with a Stevie Wonder song? Well, take a listen to the mp3 snippet for this 45 and you'll find out! Too bad it wasn't the hit it deserved to be.