Anyone even vaguely interested in record collecting will know the importance of condition. The Goldmine methodology regards a Very Good condition record as being worth just 25% of one that's Near Mint, and Good condition drops that to 10-15%. Sleeves are a factor in this. "Someone might have written on it or stamped a price tag on it" it states for Very Good, whereas "a Good to VG– cover has ring wear to the point of distraction, has seam splits obvious on sight and may have even heavier writing". Writing may on occasion, though, make up for its value-decreasing impact in other ways. It can reveal a bit of that record's history. I note I posted about the writing on the inner sleeve of my copy of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd back in 2016 but it was brought back into sharp focus following the passing of Peter Tork earlier this week.
Whoever originally owned my copy of Pisces, Aquarius, Capricorn & Jones Ltd must be particularly sad today. #petertorkpic.twitter.com/A5TkedZAxj
Curiously three other Monkees LPs I own carry the name and address of a past owner (Cheryl Croker of Bridgwater), along with, I suspect, the date they bought them and, in two cases, they also went to the bother of noting who took the lead vocal on each track.
I have a Kinks album once owned by Annita Bennett and two (by the Rolling Stones and the Yardbirds) from the collection of Sylvie Carpos of St Leonards. Whereas on the one hand I could begrudge Sylvie for not looking after her records particularly well (the Stones LP would fetch around £75 if VG; I'd be lucky to make my pound back on Sylvie's copy), I can appreciate the fact that she clearly enjoyed them. One I passed up on (not sure why) featured a critique of some of Aretha Franklin's back catalogue:
Kids. They think they know it all. They think they're the first to do certain things, things us old folk would never have dreamed of doing. Well no. We've been there. Done that. And judging by this inner sleeve, a variation of snog, marry & avoid has been around since the 60s.
The verdict: Snog Mickey Dolenz, marry Peter Tork, avoid both Mike Nesmith & Davy Jones.
Well, not quite. More a case of six 7" singles picked up over the years from charity shops which were either unexpected (prototype NY punk in E17?) or unknown to me. But perhaps between them they are the answer to the ultimate question.
Seems only right to start with this, a fresh acquisition that rather stood out amongst the Smokie and Racey singles in my local Cats Protection shop. The stamped labels with their minimal information screamed DIY but I had no idea what the grooves might contain. I took a look online before parting with my 50p and was able to quickly gauge that it was one of only two singles released by Industrial Accident Records, and with a run of 500 copies. On playing it The Institution revealed themselves as a band that tapped into a new wave / reggae sound, not quite ska but also not The Police either. Mrs DGW commented, quite fairly, that it sounded a little like The Libertines. The Discogs listing for Jane And Jon didn't provide much additional information but on clicking through to the label's only other release, Don't Go Away by Sonic Tonix, I found that both bands featured members that went on to form cult indie legends The Jazz Butcher. Nice to find an early slice of that band's history.
I had no difficulty identifying this single. The very song that famously saw the New York Dolls derided as 'mock rock' by smug looking, sorry, Whispering Bob Harris, it was a surprise find in a Walthamstow charity shop, sometime back in the early 1990s. Note the songwriting credit with unnecessary apostrophe. When your record company does that you know they're not wholly supporting your band.
Another purchase from the 90s. Given its release year (1978) and the image of the band, No Dice, on the back of the sleeve I figured this would probably be an underwhelming single from the footnotes of the post-punk era. Instead Why Sugar is the best record the Faces never made.
As discussed in the BBCs 'The Joy Of The Single' documentary, sometimes the b-side of a single is where it's at. Here, the Casinos put out a pretty inoffensive ballad, Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye as the a-side but flip it over and I Still Love You, although not ground-breaking, has one hell of a hook in its verse.
The contribution of The Birds to 60s pop history rests on two things. Firstly, not being The Byrds and secondly, having Ronnie Wood in their ranks. I was aware of their existence and the rarity value of their few releases so I wouldn't have expected to find this in a pile of otherwise junk sleeveless singles. But there it was, far from mint and its over-sized hole suggesting it had spent some time waiting patiently in a jukebox. It's crackly but no worse for it.
I can't claim to have known who I Giganti were. But they looked like they were worth a punt. And again it's the b-side, La Bomba Atomica, that stands out. Curiously I was in a local independent Italian pizzeria recently that was playing 60s Italian guitar pop and I joked that maybe some I Giganti would come on; mid-meal the a-side, Tema, duly made an appearance. When occasionally DJing at a friend's club in the 1990s, La Bomba Atomica was the only song that was allowed to breach its 'nothing pre-1970' rule. Not even the first Stooges album, or the likes of Beggars Banquet or Let It Bleed, got a look in.
It's been easy for me to avoid getting caught up in Record Store Day. Without a dedicated independent record shop in Cambridge it's not really been on my radar. Heffers, predominantly a bookshop, has maintained a small offering but for 2015 they have been joined by two vinyl-only retailers in the city - Relevant and Lost In Vinyl. I can cycle (this is Cambridge after all) to the former in under 5 minutes and so I took more interest in this year's releases than ever before.
Thankfully there wasn't too much on the list that appealed and so I wasn't tempted to join the queues that reportedly started forming outside Relevant at 4.15am. Sure, I could see some good titles on there - some that I already had (Otis Blue; L.A.M.F; Roger The Engineer; Don't Stand Me Down), some that I could see the appeal of should you be so inclined (the Creation Artifact boxed set; and the album that went on to top that week's vinyl-only chart, The Holy Bible) but there was only one title on the list of 550 exclusive products that truly caught my eye: Ogden's Nut Gone Flake by the Small Faces, predominantly due to the fact that it came with the circular sleeve.
Ogdens' Nut Gone Flake - Record Store Day 2015
This is something I've kept half-an-eye out for a while and I wasn't going to get an original copy on the cheap. Buoyed by the fact that I'd just picked up some bargains in local charity shops (amongst them Bowie's Young Americans; Madonna's Immaculate Collection; a few Nancy Sinatra singles and a selection of new wave 7-inches such as Jilted John and Rock Lobster) I felt I could justify picking it up.
In doing so I was reminded that my brother had this, and if I recall correctly had bought it at Tower Records somewhere around 1985. Which in itself surprised me - that far after its release they were still producing the, presumably expensive, circular sleeve? Checking on Discogs I can see a 1980 reissue and expect it was that, but bear in mind this isn't something that was solely released as a tie-in to a one-day event. It was released in that sleeve as someone presumably decided it should be available again rather than just re-issuing the rather unsatisfactory square sleeve with the circular image.
On further reflection and again in the mid-80s, I bought The White Album in my local Our Price and it came with the inserts. A few years later I was on the other side of the counter in that exact same shop in my first full-time job; vinyl sales were tailing off and we had a gradually dwindling range but I can confirm that The White Album still came with the inserts as late as 1990. Maybe EMI over-printed back in 1968. I can't say the same for Sgt Pepper, and although we did still stock New Order's Blue Monday 12" it was no longer being produced with the die-cut sleeve. I don't recall Their Satanic Majesties Request being stocked but if it was I'm certain it would have been in a similar sleeve to the copy I picked up cheaply around four years ago.
Manuel and the Music of the Mountains. Geoff Love and his Orchestra. So far so typical. Abba's Greatest Hits. Don't really need it, but go on then. Saturday Night Fever - maybe. Ah, it's only record one. Pop that back. The Seekers, Leo Sayer, Peters & Lee, Five Live Yardbirds,
Harry Secombe ... What? Hang on. Five Live Yardbirds? That was unexpected. Herb Alpert. More Leo Sayer. A Now! compilation, again with one LP missing. Back to business as usual. The Rolling Stones No.2. Fresh Cream. We're onto something here! Not wishing to sound greedy but sadly that was as good as it got. The Stones LP has a heavy scuff across most of side 2 (I could feel it through the cleaning cloth) and the laminate is coming off the sleeve but for a quid? Bargain. And thanks to Sylvia Carpos of St Leonards-on-Sea, who was a past owner of at least two of these.
The Kinks Well Respected Kinks
Marble Arch MAL612
50p
Filed between The Kinks 'Best of 1964-65' and The Kinks 'Village Green Preservation Society'
There's a charity shop that can't seem to make its mind up when it comes to pricing up vinyl. I assume it comes down to whoever is there on the day. For example on one visit they had Prince's '1999' LP available for a very optimistic £25; at the same time they were putting out a large collection that had presumably just been donated and I left the shop with half-a-dozen Northern Soul compilations for 95p each and a tip-off that they were putting more out later in the day.
For over a year I kept an eye on a copy of 'Silver Missiles & Nightingales' by the Suicide Twins, which they had priced up at £8.95 (actually about right judging by eBay), in the knowledge that I was probably the only person in Cambridge likely to buy it. It eventually made it to the 50p section and subsequently into my possession.
This was one of a handful of 60s LPs that I picked up for 50p, although on my next visit the 50p section had suddenly risen to 95p. That's inflation for you.
You will note the disconnect between the sleeve and the record. I would have happily bought 'Long Live Rock' (for one of the b-sides, The High Numbers 'I'm The Face'). But inside I was surprised to see a well-played Brunswick-issued 'My Generation'. Despite the clear wear & tear I'm sure it would sound great on an old Dansette.
The Yardbirds Roger The Engineer
Edsel
Filed between Wreckless Eric 'The World According To Wreckless Eric' and Young Fresh Fellows 'This One's For The Ladies'.
Picked this up more from intrigue than anything. I used to have a Yardbirds best-of, all of which pre-dated this, and to be honest I was never that keen on them. However this album is often referred to as a 60s classic. Have concluded that it's not really my cup of tea ...
The Kinks Kinks
Pye NPL 18096
Filed between The Hollywood Brats (eponymous) and Best of The Kinks 1964-65
It doesn't happen too often, but once in a while I'll be flicking through the records in a charity shop and something I've genuinely been looking for appears. I'd had this, along with other early Kinks releases, on my eBay watch list over the last few months and apart from placing a few insulting bids have never seriously tried to 'win' any of them. And so, inamongst what appeared to be someone's painstakingly built Cliff Richard collection, I came to find a mono pressing for 75p. There are some sticky marks on side two that I'm confident I can ease off (though they don't cause any jumps so I'm not too concerned). And I've used the bargain price to justify a rather more expensive purchase of 'The Village Green Preservation Society'.
Pink Floyd Relics
Starline SRS 5071
Filed between Tom Petty 'Full Moon Fever' and Iggy Pop 'Lust For Life'
Found in the same charity shop as the first Kinks LP, enabling me to officially write off my other copy that's been in my brother's possession for about 10 years.
Sundazed's tagline says it all: 'Kinda like a record company, except fun and run by music lovers'. With a keen eye (ear?) for authenticity, Sundazed specialises in 180gsm reissues, using original master tapes where feasible. This was listed on eBay as a reissue but with no mention of the label, and quite possibly went under the radar as a result.
Various Artists The Phil Spector Christmas Album (aka Phil Spector Presents A Christmas Gift To You)
Chrysalis CDL1625
£2.70 + p&p
Hurrah! Had to opt for a 1987 pressing to get the sleeve I wanted, but here it is, in time for Christmas (although I had the CD anyway), the finest seasonal LP of all-time.
Various Artists Rockin' Christmas - The 60s
Rhino RNLP067
99p + P&P
Alternative Christmas compilation of 60s nuggets, including offerings from The Sonics, The Trashmen, The Turtles, James Brown, Aretha Franklin and, proving there's life after the 'Monster Mash' (assuming 'life' to mean 'releasing another single that sounds virtually identical'), Bobby Pickett & The Crypt-Kickers. And not a Cliff Richard song in sight.
The Beach Boys The Beach Boys Christmas Album
Capitol CAP1014
99p + P&P
It struck me in early November that I should be trawling eBay for festive vinyl. Sadly I haven't acquired 24 albums and so will not be posting my purchases up in advent calendar form, but first up of the three I have picked up (this could rise to four if a suitably cheap copy of Phil Spector's album comes up, although it has to have the original sleeve which seems to be the main obstacle) is The Beach Boys Christmas Album. Undoubtedly inspired by Spector's - a rivalry that arguably contributed to Brian Wilson's studio-bound obsessions - the CD of this has been receiving annual airings for some years. The added bonus to having it on vinyl is the ease with which we can now avoid the more traditional side two.
Filed after Young Fresh Fellows 'This One's For The Ladies' (as I don't own any ZZ Top records this now bookends that end of the collection).
A pleasure to own on vinyl after 21 happy years with a Rhino-issued CD (I can still recall the day that landed in the branch of Our Price I worked at, amazed to see this almost mythical album really did exist).
This is a late 60s pressing, issued after 'Time Of The Season' found its way to the top of the US singles chart. Hence its mention on the sleeve, and to my good fortune it was under this title that it was listed on eBay - I'm certain it would have cost me a lot more if it had been correctly listed as 'Odessey And Oracle' ...
The original vinyl release with the classic sleeve commands prices into the hundreds. I didn't immediately recognise it but the picture adorning this edition is taken from the original artwork. Whereas it's a shame not to have that version this is far superior to this bizarre reissue from the 1980s which looks to all intents and purposes like it should be a self-financed album by a bunch of Magnum-wannabees from Loughborough.
'Odessey And Oracle' is the only album I own that appeared on the NME's utterly pointless list of the '100 greatest albums you've never heard' (number 23 if you're interested).
Filed between John Lennon ‘Shaved Fish’ and John Lennon and Yoko Ono ‘Milk And Honey’
A popular game in our house is to hold up certain pictures of John Lennon and ask our two year old daughter who it is. More often than not she will say 'daddy'. This worked with the inner sleeve photo. 50p well spent for that reason alone.
As noted previously I last owned a copy of this approximately 25 years ago. One key difference being that would have been a 1980s mid-price reissue; here I've managed to acquire an early mono copy, possibly even a first pressing. Marvellous stuff.
The Kinks Best of The Kinks 1964-65
Hallmark SHM 3265
£2
Filed between The Hollywood Brats (eponymous) and David Kusworth 'The Bounty Hunters'
Picked this up a local street party - ironically I sold my long-owned 'Golden Hour Of The Kinks' LP at the previous year's party. Further evidence of classic artists that for a while saw their body of work demoted to cheap compilations and reissues, this 1989 collection was on a Pickwick subsidiary label and would almost definitely have been confined to the bargain racks. I think that only The Beatles and The Rolling Stones escaped such downgrading (although as previously noted, some Beatles collections did turn up on budget priced labels, and certainly in the early 1990s The Rolling Stones back catalogue was available as mid-priced reissues).
Sandie Shaw The Golden Hits of Sandie Shaw
Marble Arch
£1
Filed between The Rutles (eponymous) and Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood 'Nancy and Lee'.
Last week a friend, working at the Meltdown festival curated by Ray Davies, said that he had been groped by Sandie Shaw. She liked his tattoos apparently. This was on my mind when I spotted this and probably influenced me to buy it. Another old slab of vinyl that's allowed me to (re)discover just how resilient it can be (it has surface marks aplenty but plays without any jumps), it does seem that Sandie only really had one song and style, re-released under different titles. However I must stress that both the song and the style are very, very listenable.
Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 Greatest Hits
A&M AMLS 985
£1.00
Filed between The Matadors (eponymous) and Naz Nomad And The Nightmares 'Give Daddy The Knife Cindy'.
Not an LP I anticipate playing too often but which could be the soundtrack should we decide to host any lounge-music parties ...
; and the album that went on to top that week's vinyl-only chart, The Holy Bible) but there was only one title on the 
is The 
