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!
The A side — the only chart entry by this group — is a dynamite Motown-style dancer I liked so much I had to get an mp3 "snippet" of it in our online "jukebox" right away ... so have a listen!
This single has a powerful RnB-style ballad on the A side and is backed with a dynamite slice of Funky Soul — so great I had to make an mp3 "snippet" of it right away!
This is simply one of Carmen's very best singles outside of his work with the Raspberries: So tuneful, with such a propulsive beat it's gotta rate 2 stars! The only fault I can find is that the song should have been a much bigger hit than it was.
Yet another rarely seen, but highly sought-after Doo-Wop 45, with a terrific uptempo A side and a powerful B side ballad. A knowledgeable customer pointed out that "Little Anthony" was the group's high falsetto singer, and that this group was the forerunner for Little Anthony & The Imperials.
This is gorgeous, Mint copy of the Supremes break-out, first #1 hit single. Listening to the jaw-dropping audio reminds me of how big and bright Motown managed to mix their hits for vinyl in the 1960s. What you hear on albums, CDs, and reissue 45s just doesn't come close!
It's been so many years since I've had a copy of this amazing single, a Beatlesque foray into the style that would become known as Power Pop. What distinguishes it in particular from the Buddy Holly-influenced vocals it shares with "Sheila" by Tommy Roe is that spectacular electric guitar bridge — one of the hallmarks of great Power Pop. This song is just so great I had to quickly make an mp3 "snippet" for you to hear.
Is this classic early Bubblegum? Or late Buddy Holly? Whatever, Roe's Holly impression is spot-on, and ultimately the song and recording succeed on their own, as a truly brilliant reworking of "Peggy Sue." I tend to think of it as Bubblegum because you really have to get in touch with your long lost, pubescent self to appreciate the simple, romantic sentiments Roe sings of. If you can't summon yourself as a 14-year-old, you simply won't understand part of the enduring appeal of Bubblegum Rock. (Another of its enduring appeals is its danceability: All Bubblegum Rock is made for dancing!)
Here's a gorgeous, nearly Mint copy of this classic garage-rock cover of one of Bo Diddley' finest. Hard to believe this only just scraped the bottom of the Hot 100!
One of the very best Doobie Bros. tracks — essential listening for fans of Country Rock, in particular, but this is such an exquisitely perfect performance and song that it's sure to please Rock fans of all genres. Some may think of this tune as the epitome of "Classic Rock," a catch-all term that to me is meaningless except insofar as it suggests "Essential Rock," but unfortunately I don't think that's how it is generically used in the press, in sites like Discogs (they actually allow the "genre" or "style" of "Classic Rock" ... seriously, what does that mean?), on TV shows like The Voice and on "social media" in general. The mp3 snippet I've added to the jukebox is from the powerful Mono mix, which the label notes uses the "CSG Mono Process."
This extended Funk workout so caught my ear I had to get an mp3 "snippet" up in the "jukebox" here ASAP! Really incredible number... Fans of early Funk will not want to miss this one!
Have a listen to the A side mp3 "snippet," and you'll see why as a fan of 1970s Motown-style Soul I just had to get it in rotation in the Classic 45's "Jukebox!" Even as late as 1973, Capitol decided to release this single with Mono mixes, and they sound incredible... don't miss it!
This is the nicest copy I've yet had in the store of this classic 1966 Motown-style Soul hit, penned by Edwin Starr, on the small Detroit label Impact (which Motown would later acquire). Probably recorded with Motown's session musicians.
This beautiful copy has pristine audio... awesome to hear this classic in its original pounding clarity. (Have a listen to the mp3 snippet! Then go listen to the LP version. No contest!) This is the second pressing with the triangular Gordy label.
The A side struck me like a lightning bolt — starting out with that snaky bass line, continuing with the stomping beat and female backup singers, by the time Holland begins I was so hooked I had to sock a snippet of the song in our "jukebox"... have a listen!
This dynamite single was the group's last for Cameo, and it got no airplay at all, sad to say, since the B side is a to-die-for Motown-style dancer, and the A side isn't too shabby either! "Envy" is a perennial club favorite in the U.K., and one listen to the mp3 "snippet" in our jukebox will explain why.
The A side, an early Burt Bacharach songwriting credit, is a terrific Northern Soul dancer in the emerging Motown style. Some collectors may call this sound "Popcorn."
This track has got to be heard to be believed — if you like Screamin' Jay Hawkins' sound this will sound familiar — so I've added a brief mp3 "snippet" to our jukebox... have a listen!
This is the first Argo pressing on the silver/black label with ship logo. These tracks are among my personal favorites from 1957 — they're mid-tempo rockabilly in an Everly Brothers mold, but with an RnB vocal group feel as well... great stuff on both sides! Definite 2-star material, so don't miss out!
This fast-paced Girl Group rocker features Carolyn Willis, a singer with both Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans and the Honey Cone. Both songs were written by David Gates, and whoever produced the tracks was clearly a fan of Phil Spector's patented (well, not really) Wall of Sound — these are terrific Phil Spector soundalikes (have a listen to the mp3 snippet in our "jukebox" to hear what I mean!).
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Now playing:
The World I Knew by Paul Wagnar
Could It Be Magic by Donna Summer
These virtual "boxes" are for you folks who only like new, unplayed or pristine Mint 45s.
