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!
12/28/10
American Breed
1968, Acta 824
Genre: Bubblegum
This B side is well worth seeking out, especially for Bubblegum Rock fans.
12/22/10
Dave Edmunds
1979, Swan Song 71002
Genre: Rockabilly/Retro
Now, here's a terrific two-fer! The A side ("Crawling from the Wreckage") is an Edmunds classic, a rockabilly cover of a Graham Parker tune. On this B side, you get the original version of the catchy song that Juice Newton took Top 10 in 1981. Written by pedal-steel player Hank DeVito, Edmunds was clearly prescient in picking up on its charms, and his is far and away the best version I've heard. In the U.K., Edmunds' "Queen of Hearts" was released on 45 rpm and reached #11 on the charts.
12/21/10
Van Morrison
1972, WB 7616
Genre: Other Northern Soul
One of Morrison's most beloved songs ("Jackie Wilson Said") is also one of his hardest-to-find singles. Besides the song's popularity, this single is highly prized because it has an amazing feature that more than delight fans of this great artist. It turns out that this B side was a previously unreleased recording produced as part of the sessions for Morrison's album "Saint Dominic's Preview," which opened with "Jackie Wilson Said." The really surprising part is that "You've Got The Power" has never been released as part of any Van Morrizon anthology, so it's only available in on this 45 rpm record! Not only is the song hard to find, it's a great one too. As Morrison biographer Peter Mills has written, the recording is "one of the best examples we have of Morrison's voice working in a fully integrated way with the superb band that blasted on to the concert stages in the 70s."
12/14/10
The Cars
1978, Elektra 45491
Genre: Power Pop
Here's a beautiful copy of the first — and some think best — Cars single.
12/10/10
Holidays
1966, Golden World 36
Genre: Northern Soul, Motown Style
This Motown-style tune was the Detroit group's biggest hit.
12/03/10
Brother To Brother
1974, Turbo 039
Genre: Other Northern Soul
Dynamite Funky/Northern Soul!
Rummage through hundreds of original-issue 45's for $6.00 or less!
Now playing:
Jolene by Dolly Parton
Spinster by Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
These virtual "boxes" are for you folks who only like new, unplayed or pristine Mint 45s.
