Classic 45's Jukebox

Label: Stiff/Epic 50747
Year: 1979
Condition: M-
Price: $8.00

Just one small example of what made the British new wave so refreshing... from the Nick Lowe school of Pure Pop for Now People, Ian Gomm wrote and recorded perfect little pop rock confections that were pure ear candy. Note: This copy has light storage wear on the labels and vinyl, but after a cleaning the audio is pristine Mint.

Label: Dolton 25
Year: 1960
Condition: M-
Last Price: $35.00. Not currently available for sale.

I've put a snippet of this great surf instrumental in the jukebox because it occurred to me that while it's one of the most famous and most recognizable tunes in rock history, there are probably a lot of folks who don't know what it's called. This will help put two and two together. Plus, it's always a joy to hear again! Note: This copy comes in a vintage Dolton Records factory sleeve. It looks Near Mint and has pristine Mint sound. (This scan is a representative image from our archives.)

Label: B.T. Puppy 519
Year: 1966
Condition: M-
Price: $20.00

Typically fabulous Tokens outing... half surf/beach sound, half doo-wop. That's one of the combinations that defines Sunshine Pop, in fact. The flip is in the same "breezy" vein. The vinyl grades a weak Near Mint with visible hairlines, but the audio is much closer to Mint than not. The picture sleeve grades Near Mint with a partial tear where the hole of the 45 would sit.

Label: Sire 28591
Year: 1986
Condition: M
Last Price: $15.00. Not currently available for sale.

Dave Marsh was right to give this great Madonna hit such a high ranking in his list of the 1001 greatest singles every made... it's a perfect pop confection and a gorgeous blend of 1980's dance rock and 1960's girl group rock. This is a like-new copy of the limited edition pressing on clear blue vinyl. The picture sleeve is also distinguished from retail copies by having "Limited Edition Blue Vinyl Pressing" printed on the left-hand side of the front cover (see scan). The B side is a non-album cut. Note: This beautiful 45 has no notable flaws, grading Mint across the board (Labels, Vinyl, Audio). The picture sleeve has a small split seam at the bottom edge and some sticker residue from an original price sticker. (This scan is a representative image from our archives.)

Label: Epic 10345
Year: 1968
Condition: M
Last Price: $35.00. Not currently available for sale.

Here's an especially beautiful copy of one of the most interesting tracks in Donovan's catalogue. Here is a description from the wordiq.com website:

Released in May 1968, his next single was the swirling psychedelic nugget 'The Hurdy Gurdy Man', a song he originally intended for his old friend and guitar mentor Mac MacLeod who had a heavy rock band called Hurdy Gurdy. Donovan had also considered giving it to Jimi Hendrix, but when Mickie Most heard it, he convinced Donovan that the song was a sure-fire single and that he should record it himself. Donovan tried to get Hendrix to play on the recording, but he was on tour and unavailable for the session. In his place they brought in a brilliant young British guitarist, Allan Holdsworth. Jimmy Page also played on the session, and it is believed that John Paul Jones may have played bass with (possibly) John Bonham on drums. If so, this would make it the first recorded performance featuring the three future members of Led Zeppelin. Both Jones and Page have stated that the idea of Led Zeppelin was formed during the Hurdy Gurdy Man sessions.

Label: Original Sound 67
Year: 1967
Condition: M
Price: $30.00

This group's followup to their classic Psychedelic Rock single, "Talk Talk," wasn't nearly so successful, but that's no comment on its quality. The A side is a top-notch psych-rock performance, the flip is nearly its equal. I've put a snippet of the A side in the jukebox, since it's likely that many 1960s rock fans haven't heard it. Note: This beautiful copy comes in a vintage Original Sound Records factory sleeve. The labels grade very close to Mint, while the vinyl looks untouched, and the audio sounds pristine Mint!

Label: WB 7383 dj
Year: 1970
Condition: M-
Last Price: $18.00. Not currently available for sale.

This was Van Morrison's first single for Warner Brothers featuring two classic tracks from his breakthrough Moondance LP--including, in "Crazy Love", the most transcendent beauty he ever coaxed from those incredible pipes of his. Nothing else in Morrison's catalog sounds quite like this. You Van fans already know this... but in case you're just checking the guy's catalog out, be sure to make time for this gem. Note: This beautiful copy grades close to Mint across the board (Labels, Vinyl, Audio).

Label: Columbia 45547
Year: 1972
Condition: M
Last Price: $15.00. Not currently available for sale.

Paul Simon was one of the first non-Reggae artists to flirt with the reggae sound, and this is a damned good experiment, if you ask me! I'm always shocked to hear the incredibly powerful Stereo mix that they pressed these 7-inch releases with: Loud is simply not sufficient to describe the enormity of what's in these little grooves. The mp3 snippet I've provided doesn't do it justice, but hopefully you'll get the idea. :-) Collector nerd alert: This is the original release on the red/orange Columbia label. Note: This beautiful copy comes in a vintage Columbia Records factory sleeve. It has pristine Mint labels and audio... a real treat! The vinyl (styrene) looks almost untouched.

Label: Sire 29549 dj
Year: 1983
Condition: M
Price: $12.00

Stereo/Mono promo copy. This terrific outing from this offshoot of Talking Heads is specially edited from a much longer (5:48) album track. It comes in the very cool picture sleeve. Note: This promo 45 has Mint labels and pristine sound. The picture sleeve is nearly flawless, with just a faint touch of top-edge wear.

Label: Colpix 712
Year: 1963
Condition: M-
Last Price: $25.00. Not currently available for sale.

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!). This was a one-off single with no followups or albums. Note: This beautiful copy comes in a vintage Colpix Records factory sleeve. It has Near Mint labels. Although the vinyl (styrene) has some notable scuffing, the grooves themselves preserve Near Mint sound with just a touch of surface noise. (This scan is a representative image from our archives.)