Introduction from confused new member with little to no "garage" knowledge

[cotintail]

Hi All,

I have stumbled upon this site and had to join as opposed to lurk because the great conversation. I am a life long collector of 45's and have seriously collected "Northern Soul" for more than 30 years. The term means many things to many people however it originated in the UK and is very much still a British thing, yet I live in the southern (united) states. What I was collecting was small regional label releases that hovered around soul and R&B. Some of this is more country and some is more rock. I should say, some is stomping and some is funky. While I have mostly focused on soul, I have appreciated and collected what seems to be "Garage" records as well. Of course starting with western swing and rockabilly and then going down the line to fuzz, lo-fi and finally rock and roll.

I don't know much about Garage but I hope to learn. I am in the process of selling off my personal collection which is fairly large and diverse. I have favorites that I am parting with but I find myself keeping a lot of stuff too because I don't know what will happen once a record leaves my hands. What's becoming most important to me is when I part with something I haven't bought on speculation, I want that to go to another collector who will care for or appreciate the record before they rush to resell it. Try as I might, I can't get into other's heads so mostly what I will do is to put these records up on eBay with a low starting price and then go from there. I find I can be both overly pleased or very disappointed with the outcome of these auctions.

I know if something sells for less than what I purchased it for or think it's worth does not mean my imposed upon value is being insulted. If I had ten copies of a rare record every one would sell for a different price. I'm not here looking to sell records to you all but value your opinions and want to know what you all think of what I'm thinking of listing for sale.

I can't get over how much doo-wop has fallen out of fashion! And I guess I can't fathom how much punk has influenced generations of youngsters! Sometimes I think no one under 30 listens to Paul Weller, Oasis, Blur, or Pavement. But they all know Social Distortion. Or better, they know The Clash but wouldn't be caught dead with a Big Audio Dynamite LP. Why??? I'm very confused too!

 

[buckeyebeat]

Welcome to G45! :)
where is your store? I live in the Seattle area but I'm sure others who are closer would like to know about it.

If you want to learn about 60s garage band 45s and the history of collecting - by all means buy the book "Teenbeat Mayhem" which is discussed frequently here. it will have pretty much anything you want to know including a full discography of 45s so you can see the record ratings that you can use as you sort through 45s.

if you have Northern Soul to sell, I collect some of that as well, are you taking want lists or selling off?

 

[captainsalty]

agreed - the introductory chapter in TBM is by far the best written about the genre.

 

[cotintail]

Thanks again guys for recommending Teen Beat Mayhem. I just ordered one from Ugly Things for $50. Best price I could find. Looking forward to this!

My wife and I are partners in a record store located in Baton Rouge, La. We are at 2963 Government St. near Acadian Thruway. We're about 3 1/2 miles down Acadian Thruway (Hwy 427), or a ten minute drive from I-10. Please stop in to say hello if you are traveling south Louisiana.

We are unintentional record store owners. I have never bought record speculatively and then one day we decided to start selling new vinyl. Our partnership began with my wife renting gallery space so she could have some room outside our house to expand her fine art operation. Much to her dismay, I have relentlessly told her that I'd rather she had stuck with that. But we both love music beyond what we know is healthy. We originally offered a small collection of records that my wife and I had accumulated and over time have networked with some very sophisticated collectors near and abroad. The most rewarding part of it all are our truly fantastic customers who have broadened our experience and expertise. They are a big reason why we continue to love what we do.

A few months before the grand opening, I convinced my wife she needed a point of sale system and then things really got out of hand. We came to do two things very well, cataloging and cleaning our collection. This goes beyond records but right now the records are 9/10's of what we sell. Very early on, after our very first Record Store Day, I saw how we needed to move the used record catalog on line. There's no margin on new vinyl. If comparing new and used record stores is based on volume, we'd have to expand our operation by 30% every year and there's no way for us to do that in our current space. I have no idea how my most favorite used record stores can stay in business these days. These are stores that focus on used records only and carry little to no new vinyl. Don't know about your place BuckEyeBeat but we feel very pressured to carry new vinyl even if only a they make up 1/32 of our collection. There are some day's we run the Z-out and go; "jeeze, we sold only 17 used LP's but 150 new ones".

So I started up recently on eBay selling the stale new vinyl and being a longtime 45 collector, I am filling out my monthly limit with 45's. Being in southern Louisiana, it's a lot easier to find The Bad Roads or even rare Elvis than I found it is elsewhere. I have had no shortage of super records. I have collected 45's as far back as memory serves. My grandfather worked for Wurlitzer and I always had boxes of 45's as well as a diverse musical interest. Growing up to be a data oriented professional, I have never cataloged my personal collection but have to be entirely anal about the collection my wife and I have for sale. So now I'm working on my personal collection and I was surprised by how many Northern Soul 45's I've collected and how much doo-wop has fallen off the face of the earth. Because this is MY STUFF I am selling I want it to go to the most informed buyer I can find; after all I have been the person dragging around thousands of 45's for 1/2 a century. I have seen eBay searches list or rank items that have specific designations like "free shipping" or "offers returns" but this does nothing for me unless I know how to properly describe the records I am selling.

And yes I am selling (trading some too), please send your wants to [email protected]. Until I get my copy of Teen Beat Mayhem, I'm going to have to say most of what I have in 45rpm is Northern Soul. That may change tho thanks to you all.

Also of note, you guys notice that "Modern Soul" 12" singles are picking up? I have early rap singles getting into the $100 range where they were worthless (to everyone but me anyway) a few years ago. Very local stuff still though.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP AND UNDERSTANDING!

 

[buckeyebeat]

Thanks - a list will be incoming to you in the next few days (including Willie Tee).

I know a couple guys who are into modern/disco and early rap 12"s and some of them, more of the rap, are getting upper three figures.