Rare stock copies of US major label 45s

buckeyebeat

Tennalaga Class
Joined
Apr 24, 2011
Any of you somewhat familiar with the UK Northern Soul scene knows there is an obsession with 'demo' vs 'issue' copies of US 45s. For example, the black stock RCA 45s vs the promos. In an extreme case, a stock copy of the Yum Yums on ABC goes for over $3K where the promo is a shade over $1K.

So, I have been wondering off and on for years about certain US garage 45s that are either rare or non existent on stock copies.

I was most interested to know if these exist. What I would really like to see are SCANS/PHOTOS of the records. I think I had talked about this on the old garagepunk forums but I really don't remember now.

So, here are a few of the mystery stockers that I'm curious about

Rooks on Mercury - pretty sure no stock copies exist
Third Bardo on Roulette - rumored, never confirmed
First Crow to the Moon - a little more substantial confirmation that a stocker exists but I've never seen one
Tropics on Laurie - every one of the few copies are promos? never looked closely at them.
Seeds on MGM - stockers rumored but I've never seen one.
Outlaw Blues on Era - rare on promo, don't recall ever seeing a stock, compared to the Lyrics and No-Na-Mees on which the stocks are findable.
 
I can't recall seeing a stock of Ty Wagner - Slander - anyone else seen it?

MTM - thanks, I had forgot about the first MGM Seeds 45, I do know of a few stocks, I was thinking about "Did He Die"

I also discovered that there was an old topic about this from 6 or so years ago, so I won't bother to update this thread. If I have some time I will repost what I've seen there.
 
Summary -

Rooks - no stock
Third Bardo - no stock
First Crow - no stock
Seeds MGM "did he die" - no stock
Tropics - no stock
Outlaw Blues - TBD
Ty Wagner - TBD

Any stocks of these?
Rockin Ramrods on Claridge - Play it (a rare record on promo)
Great Lakes on Claridge
 
No red stock on the 1966 Claridge sides. I think they spent all of their money trying to push the Rockin' Ramrods "Don't Fool With Fu Manchu" in the fall of '65. That's the last Claridge 45 in the '60s that I have seen on a red stock label.

Add Adrian Lloyd on Charger. With all the success Dobie Gray had, label honcho Harry Maselow never pressed any stock copies of the other releases, to my knowledge.
 
The last Claridge stock 45 I have is the GTOs, a re-release of the Joey and the Continentals on an earlier release. I think there were 4 or 5 records after than including the two I mentioned.
 
How about the Clique on Wand?

The%20Clique%20-%20Splash%201.jpg
 
gray things charity laurie3367 promo.jpg gray things charity laurie3367 advance release.jpg
Yesterday I talked with the drummer of the Gray Things with his new band Joesboys. He said the advance release copies were the ones that were sold at local store and the ones that had ''promotional copies'' were sent to the radio stations.

gray things charity laurie3367 promo.jpg
 
I don't know if they fall into the 'garage' category but at least they are defo 'psychedelic'...
Jake Holmes - Dazed & Confused
Jake Holmes - Leaves Never Break
...I'm pretty sure they only exist as Tower promos. I've never seen a stock.
 
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Yesterday I talked with the drummer of the Gray Things with his new band Joesboys. He said the advance release copies were the ones that were sold at local store and the ones that had ''promotional copies'' were sent to the radio stations.

View attachment 1762

His recollection may be right, but the truth is Laurie records pressed by RCA custom in Indianapolis and Rockaway, NJ (East Coast) all used the advance copy notation on the label for promotional pressings during the mid 60s time period.
Copies pressed for promotional purposes at Monarch on the west coast have the small star on the regular label with promotional copy notation. It all had to do with the company that designed the labels and the measurements for the labels, which are different depending upon the pressing - a vinyl or styrene manufacture.
 
My advance copy is vinyl and the promo is styrene. I was wondering about the 'advance release' label since I have other Laurie 45s like that for the Chiffons, Jarmels. etc. One of the Jarmels also has ''not for sale'' on the bottom of the label on the advance release. Were there other labels that used the 'advance release'' vs Promo Copy?

jarmels advance promo.jpg