Classic 45's Jukebox

Label: Diamond 233
Year: 1967
Condition: M
Price: $22.00

From a warehouse find, this is a new, unplayed stock copy, in its original Diamond Records factory sleeve. Forget about the sappy A side, and flip this baby over to hear the terrific, uptempo, and very characteristic Neil Diamond tune. Diamond also produced and sang backup vocals on the track. Note: This beautiful 45 record has no notable flaws, grading Mint across the board (Labels, Vinyl, Audio).

Label: Motown 1157
Year: 1969
Condition: M-
Price: $15.00

Even Michael Jackson's detractors must admit he was unbelievably talented. Witness this, the greatest of all Jackson 5 singles, as well as their first, and the first of four consecutive #1 hits over the course of the next 10 months. All of this success falling squarely on the back of little 11-year-old Michael. What a talent! Of course, whoever is doing honors on the piano and guitar ain't half bad either... I mean, the opening few bars of this record, once heard, are not soon forgotten. How could anyone not love this song? I'm always thrilled to get a nice copy of this amazing single back into the store. Note: This beautiful copy comes in a vintage Motown Records factory sleeve. The labels are Near Mint, with a faint touch of ringwear (too light to show up in the scan).

Label: Philles/Coll. 3210
Year: 1963
Condition: M-
Price: $12.00

The A side was originally released on Philles 111. However, the B side of this limited-edition release on Collectables was never released, before or since, on vinyl or CD. (That's why I don't tag this 45 as a reissue.) I had a bit of a jaw-dropping moment when listening to it, for as a huge fan of Spector's Philles productions, it was like discovering a long lost, never released Beatles studio recording. For those who aren't already fans of Darlene Love, she was, in the view of many, the best singer in Phil Spector's stable of talented girl-group vocalists. Aside from the handful of classics she released under her own name, she also sang lead vocals on the Crystals' "He's a Rebel" as well as on "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," a hit for Bob B. Soxx and the Blue Jeans. You'll notice that Dave Marsh places two of her 3 chart singles in his list of the 1001 greatest singles of all time ?? this one and "Wait Til My Bobby Gets Home." In addition to these, Love hit Billboard's Hot 100 with the amazing "A Fine Fine Boy."

But somehow, "Strange Kind of Love" must have got lost on one of the studio tapes, only emerging much later. This Collectables release is the first (and only) appearance of the song on 45 rpm vinyl.

Incidentally, the tune's writers (who actually recorded on their own under various names, including the Trade Winds) have credits to numerous classic 1960s hits, including "New York's A Lonely Town," "Do I Love You?" by the Ronettes, and "Soldier Baby" by Candy & the Kisses.

Label: RCA 9916
Year: 1970
Condition: M-
Price: $40.00

This Presley single features a terrific soul-style rocker on the B side, which turns out to have been co-written by Eddie Rabbitt, who also wrote Presley's hit "Kentucky Rain." Check out our mp3 "snippet" of it! If the track time for "Patch" is correct, it's specially edited from an album track that's about a minute longer (3:51). Note: This beautiful 45 comes in a nearly flawless picture sleeve. It looks Mint (Labels, Vinyl), and the audio is very close to Mint.

Label: Atlantic 3310
Year: 1976
Condition: M
Price: $12.00

It's amazing to think that Abba was overflowing with so many hummable tuney-tune-tunes in the mid-1970's that they could afford to throw catchy nuggets like "Bang-A-Boomerang" away on their singles' B sides. If you're an Abba Resister, this won't matter a whit to you, but if you've already succumbed, you now have a reason to turn all your singles over and listen again to those B sides. :-) This, by the way, was the group's fourth U.S. top-40 single. Note: This copy comes in a vintage Atlantic Records factory sleeve. It has Mint vinyl and Mint sound. (This scan is a representative image from our archives.)

Label: Apple 1818
Year: 1970
Condition: M-
Price: $14.00

Here's a beautiful copy of John Lennon's third solo single, which, as a marvelous article in Wikipedia points out, was one of the fastest records ever to be written, recorded, pressed, and shipped to market -- reportedly in only 10 days. It's also one of Lennon's very best solo recordings, though it (and the two singles that preceded it) never appeared on a Lennon studio album (they did appear on a later compilation LP). The drumming is simply out of this world, and turns out to be by future Yes drummer Alan White. That's Billy Preston on the keyboards, and George Harrison on guitar. The flip is "Who Has Seen The Wind" by Yoko. I'm putting a snippet that contains some of the best drumming bits in the jukebox... just can't ever hear that break enough! Note: This copy comes in a vintage Apple Records factory sleeve. The labels have some discoloration from storage wear, but the vinyl looks untouched, and the audio is Near Mint. (This scan is a representative image from our archives.)

Label: Columbia 45453
Year: 1971
Condition: M-
Price: $8.00

Extremely catchy bubblegum-style rock, with an equally catchy, bubblegummy instrumental on the flip! This single was credited to just "Raiders". Note: This copy comes in a vintage Columbia Records factory sleeve. It has pristine Mint audio despite some notable scuffing on the vinyl (styrene).

Label: A&M 1461
Year: 1973
Condition: M
Price: $18.00

From a warehouse find, this is a new, unplayed stock copy, in its original A&M Records factory sleeve. Here's a beautiful copy of one of Northern Soul fans' favorite dance numbers from the early 1970s. Have a listen to the mp3 "snippet," and you'll understand its appeal! Note: This copy has Mint labels and pristine audio. The vinyl (styrene) may exhibit faint storage wear, so we're grading that attribute Near Mint.

Label: Hot Wax 7008 dj
Year: 1969
Condition: M-
Price: $25.00

The B side of this promo is another great forgotten Motown-style dance number... You'll fall in love instantly! It was later released as an A side. This is the first pressing, on the multicolored Hot Wax label. Note: This copy comes in a vintage Hot Wax Records factory sleeve. The labels are Near Mint; the A label has a tiny promo "star" stamped on it. Although the vinyl grades below Near Mint, reflecting some light scuffing, the audio is terrific, nearly pristine.

Label: Epic 10864 dj
Year: 1972
Condition: M-
Price: $22.00

Stereo/Mono promo copy. The overwhelming feeling of joy in this performance is truly infectious... And notice that what's been found is not just "love" or "a love," but "The love"! How radio failed to notice it is beyond me, but don't you miss out! I'm adding a snippet to the Classic 45s jukebox so I can keep the sound handy. :-) Note: This copy comes in a vintage Epic Records factory sleeve. The A side label has very light ringwear (doesn't show up well in the scan). The audio, I'm pleased to say, is pristine Mint!