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!
This release of one of Carter-Lewis' catchiest tunes is well worth seeking out, especially if you're a fan of Bubblegum and/or Sunshine Pop. A 2-star recommendation from us (our highest)!
You can't do wrong with either side of this terrific single, which somehow escaped notice at Pop and Black/RnB radio when released in 1967, but I took a quick fondness to the B side ("Love Song"), which as I suspected is not available from the iTunes store or other online services. Have a listen to the mp3 snippet, and I hope it grabs you like it did me!
I don't think Taurus and Leo recorded anything else, but I'm glad they left us this rarity, which features two dynamite Northern Soul dancers... don't miss out! Have a listen to the mp3 "snippet" of the A side to hear what I mean.
Not one of Little Eva's big hits, but definitely a worthy destination for fans of Girl Group Rock... check out the mp3 "snippet" I've posted for the A side.
Produced by James Brown, this terrific 1964 rarity features a wonderful Northern Soul number on the A side and a rockin' RnB number on the flip. I liked the A side so much I had to quickly make an mp3 "snippet" for our jukebox... have a listen!
People forget how long it took James Taylor's debut WB album to get noticed. The album was out for more than a year before "Fire And Rain" became a hit, and to underline the point, "Fire And Rain" was not the first single pulled from that "Sweet Baby James" album. The first single was this rare one: "Sweet Baby James," one of the best songs on the album for sure.
This is a copy of the yellow-label pressing from the 1970s, on the same catalog number. This early Ruth Brown single is credited to "Ruth Brown & Delta Rhythm Boys."
Here's a beautiful copy of one of my personal favorite Sunshine Pop singles. Interestingly, the audio on this original 45 differs somewhat from the version you hear on reissues. Mainly, the lead vocal has a somewhat lower pitch, which can't be explained solely by a difference in the track's speed: The track timing differs by only 4 seconds. Go figure!
Overshadowed (in the U.S.) by its more famous A side ("Gloria") is another essential rocker that's one of the best versions of the traditional blues classic, "Baby, Please Don't Go." In the U.K., "Baby" was the hit, with "Gloria" clearly the B side. In the States, "Baby" started out as the A side, and as early as January 1965 it was being mentioned as a "regional breakout" in Billboard magazine. However, the song never generated enough airplay and sales to register on the Billboard singles chart (though it did "bubble under" as high as #102 starting in March).
If you love Surf music, don't let your library languish without this one! A followup to their hit "Penetration," it features two classic Surf Instrumentals.
One man's mystical, magical journey into the dark night of the soul with nothing but his guitar... and his drummer... and his bass player... Two great sides! Check out the mp3 "snippet" of the A side.
One of the greatest soul instrumentals of all time — two incredible sides of a new sound that would eventually be labeled "funky soul." The label Satellite, by the way, shortly changed its name to Stax ... and the rest is history!
This original Mono mix is so powerful and gorgeous I simply had to cut an mp3 "snippet" for our "jukebox"... so have a listen, and feel the power of those beautiful voices and that exquisite arrangement. One of Eddie Kendricks' last stints as lead singer, this is a truly high peak in the very mountainous Temptations catalog, with Norman Whitfield proving once again that he can do "simply gorgeous" as well as "seriously funky" with these same singers.
Out of Stock
05/08/16
Millie Jackson
1972, Spring 127 Genre: Northern Soul, Motown Style
Double-wow! Here's another obscure Northern Soul track in a Motown style I had to quickly make an mp3 snippet for, so I could hear it often. Don't miss it!
One listen to the mp3 "snippet" of the A side of this rare single will explain why Northern Soul fans seek it out... the flip is dynamite, too! By the way, you won't find either of these tracks in the album-oriented iTunes library, because they were never included on an LP.
Taylor is best known as a songwriter with partner Al Gorgoni ('Angel of the Morning,' 'Wild Thing,' and others), but here's one of the times he ventured performing his own tunes. I like this one so much I had to make an mp3 "snippet" to share with you. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
This track was the first Beach Boys appearance on the Billboard Hot 100, though it made little impression at the time except on the West Coast. The single had a tortured early release history, with some controversy about exactly what issue was released when. Apparently, Candix 331 was the first Candix solo release, in early December 1961. This was followed by a release on X 301, also by Candix as a result of a convoluted distribution situation. Then, Candix merged with several other small west coast labels (Pacific and Era), and re-released the single as Candix 301 (to align numbers with X 301). Later, when the single became popular along the Coast, the single was released again with the phrase "Distributed by ERA" on the label. This is a copy of that release.
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