How much is that record in the window?
I don't what's the most money I've ever spent on an old record, it certainly wasn't anything like 15,000 pounds (that's $26,483 at the current, terrible exchange rate) which is what collector Kenny Burrell paid for an original 45 of Frank Wilson's "Do I Love You (Indeed I Do)" making it by far the most valuable Northern Soul record of all time (the full story is here). I doubt if I've ever even spent a measly 15 quid on an old record. Don't get me wrong, old vinyl is very nice but it's not as if we're talking Rembrandts or Van Goghs here - pop music is recorded specifically to be reproduced and with so many great reissues around why bankrupt yourself buying originals? Anyway, I can think of a lot of things I'd rather spend 15 grand on.
So what makes this record so valuable? Wilson recorded it in 1965 for the Motown subsidiary Soul label but it was shelved soon after release as Wilson (and Berry Gordy I imagine) decided that he should concentrate on his work as a writer and producer and not record anymore. As a result only three copies of the single are known to be in existence, one of of which is now in the hands of Mr. Burrell for the price of a small automobile. So is it worth 15 grand? Of course not. But it is a cracking tune with a classic stomping Motown beat and should have been a hit for someone.
For years this record was the Holy Grail of Northern Soul collectors, a legend whispered about in tones of hushed awe, but recently the Motown vaults have been opened and you can now get it on compilations like This Is Northern Soul: The Motown Sound which must have pissed Kenny Burrell off no end.
[Download]
Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) - Frank Wilson
7 Comments:
Great tune, great post. I agree with your stance on dropping a small fortune on a record. While I'm not criticizing those that do...all the lovely compilations that are floating around really do save a lot of money. With $15,000 one would think you could pick up every Motown and Motown related reissue out there right now.
even the reissues of "do i love you? (indeed i do)" were going for a couple hundred dollars for awhile. it's one of my favorite record stories and a pretty great song too.
I’ve always had a bit of an obsession with vinyl -(used to be 1950’s stuff), and when I got into Soul, I did initially intend to collect on CD only. However, if you get a real clean original vinyl – The sound is very good and crisp, I’ve often found nice lesser known tracks that seem to pass the compilers by – (Who seem to favour the better known tracks a lot of the time, after all, why try to clean up a complete unknown master, when you can make just as much money by re-issuing Mr Wilsons Classic AGAIN!.) – I know that tons and tons of great stuff gets pumped out on CD…. But, there is something special – (Ok possibly anal) about having a copy of the real thing in your hand. I’m no major player in the buying expensive stuff brigade, so most of my records come in at single figures – possibly tens of pounds in extreme cases. I’m not in a position to spend hundreds on a single record anymore.
I bought a lot of second hand vinyl when I was at college in Kent. Luckily, there were a lot of record fairs there and a really good second hand market where you could pick up old 45s cheap. But I mostly went for 70s soul (Philadelphia International and the like)which wasn't so rare and sought after by Northern Soul collectors. I still love 45s but I'm happy with what I've got. Getting older and getting married means you don't have the time (or the inclination or the spare cash) to spend sorting through dusty boxes of vinyl in markets anymore. There's a wonderful song on St. Etienne's new album called "Teenage Winter" about that which also says that eBay has ruined the world of second hand vinyl:
"In the charity shop… there’s not much left on the doorstep recently/Something to do with eBay Johnny reckons.
The sad part is that people are already saying the same thing about cds. I know I've looked for a lot of out of print cds and paid some good money for them, only to find that now people are just downloading and trading them online. Some labels even have a lot of their out of print catalogues available for sale as mp3s.
Nice blog.I like this.
Nick
http://www.yahoo.com
Great tune and great singer!
Thank.
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