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!
Here's a nice copy of the very rare one-off single John Mayall recorded "Featuring Eric Clapton" on Immediate Records. The A side is an in-your-face, very short Psych rocker (have a listen to the mp3 "snippet'!).
One of the rarest Tommy Roe singles (it doesn't even show up in iTunes!), this one tries on the Surf Rock sound and even gets in a revving motor sound as he moves water play to a lake from the ocean. :-)
The A side ("Bird Dance Beat") is a retread of their classic "Surfin' Bird," but the B side is something else again... A terrific surf/racing number with a crazy laugh bit that's a cross between the Surfin' Bird vocalizing and the intro to "Wipe-Out."
This rare Norman single is remarkable not only for its energetic, rockin' RnB-with-a-bit-of-Deep-Soul-thrown-in cover of a Hank Williams nugget, but also because the whole darn thing clocks in at only 1:39!
Before Charles Wright was added to the band name, they released some dynamite singles for Warner Bros. This is one of the first, and the A side (no relation to the Rolling Stones tune, which hadn't been released yet) is so good I had to get an mp3 "snippet" of it into the jukebox for you to hear. Enjoy!
This single's A side ("I Who Have Nothing") is a splendid cover of this Soul classic, but it's the B side that gets collectors' juices flowing: It's a dyamite Northern Soul-style dancer so good I had to make an mp3 "snippet" of it so you can hear for yourself how great it is! FYI, Warwick is Dionne's younger sister, and Whitney Houston's cousin. This was her last single for Mercury, and you won't find the B side in iTunes.
This Connecticut rock band had a handful of singles on Cadet in the late 1960s, some with a distinctly Northern Soul feel to them. This one has two dynamite uptempo numbers, with perhaps a nod to the distinctive B side. Have a listen to the mp3 "snippet"!
This rare 1962 single has two great sides... I was so taken with the A side I had to make an mp3 "snippet" for you to hear (and me to enjoy in my iTunes library!).
This is a beautiful Mint copy of Barry White's first smash hit single, which even today remains one of the sexiest dance tunes ever recorded. My wife and I just started dancing to it, and it was an extreme effort to get back to work and write this down. *Whew* This single has an edited version of the 7:20 album track. (The mp3 "snippet" I felt compelled to make... just don't hear it often enough! ... is a further editing of the spoken/instrumental intro, in order to get to the end of the first chorus without making the file too large... B.W. please forgive. :-))
This is one of the all-time greatest uptempo doo-wop numbers. This is a beautiful copy of the first issue on the black/silver Casino label, with the label name in "shadow print" and no text indicating national distribution by Gone Records.
This great single was released shortly after Willis' untimely death in April 1958, both sides presenting an eerie premonition of his demise. Both sides are great enough to make Dave Marsh's list of the 1,001 greatest singles ever made, with the flip side ("Rock And Roll Shoes") at #409.
This is one of the great early Neil Diamond singles you just don't hear anymore... As one of the followups to his smash "Cherry Cherry" (his first top ten 10), it failed to catch fire despite the great sound, with Jeff Barry & Ellie Greenwich still at the production helm.
Here's a beautiful copy of Chicago's rare second single, following the first release of "Questions 67 & 68." "Beginnings" was re-released in 1971 on Columbia 45417 with "Colour My World" on the B side and became a Top 10 hit. This 1969 release didn't chart at all.
This terrific single has two keeper sides: The A side is a dynamite RnB number, while the flip gets on a Northern Soul-style groove. Have a listen to the B side snippet... you won't want to miss this one!
The A side is a fine Deep Soul number, but the real action (as in so many cases with 45s) is on the flip: "I'll Try" is a dynamite Northern Soul dancer you won't want to miss!
James re-recorded a number of his best-known tunes when signed to Bell on the Sphere Sound label. To my ears, this 1965 recording beats the 1962 original on Fire 504. Have a listen!
This rare single offers two dynamite numbers, with a slight nod to the super-funky B side. By the way, don't bother trying to find it in iTunes... you gotta find the single if you want the goods!
Hard to describe this one... because of the fuzz guitar and heavy bass, I'm sticking it in Garage/Psych Rock, but it's got a great dance beat as well. Have a listen to the mp3 "snippet" to hear for yourself.
Here's a fabulous Soul rarity you won't want to miss! The A side is so delightful I had to get an mp3 "snippet" up for you to hear, but that doesn't mean the B side is some kind of slouch. Far from it... Most Northern Soul fans prefer "Baby" to "Free At Last"... it's a stompin' dancer.
What a joyous, soulful musical offering, penned by Rudy Clark and arranged by Horace Ott, is this single's A side! I was so impressed I had to rush-make an mp3 "snippet" so you can hear this amazing performance. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
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Now playing:
Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight and the Pips
I Belong To You by Love Unlimited
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