Around 3am last Saturday night in Exeter, my friend Craig Smith (aka the Funky Plumber) had his DJ box stolen just after playing at a bar in town.
 
The contents represent the heart of one of the country (and the world)’s best funk 45 collections, not to mention plenty of killer soul rarities as well. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but this is just so sad. Craig is that breed of collector who has always completely ignored the less tasteful aspects of our scene — hype, status, politics etc — and just focused on amassing the music he’s loved for most of his life.
 
As you can imagine he’s absolutely devastated, so this is a plea for help: please keep your ear to the ground in case it comes up for sale or surfaces in any other way. It’s instantly recognisable, since many of the records are known only by a small handful of copies — Andrew Brown on Brave, Black Exotics on United, Soul Authority Unlimited, Willie Wright, Earl Carter, Brass Horizon, Henderson and Jones, Delores Ealy - Honeydripper, Black Soul Express, Georgia Soul Twisters on Waxwing, etc etc. Please contact Craig directly — funkyplumber@gmail.com — if you know anything at all. And please share / pass this on as much as possible; the wider the net, the better the chance of getting them back.

 

Good luck getting them back, I hate theft but this sort is inexcusable.

 

String 'em up by their balls!

Edited April 23, 201312 yr by billb

Around 3am last Saturday night in Exeter, my friend Craig Smith (aka the Funky Plumber) had his DJ box stolen just after playing at a bar in town.

 

The contents represent the heart of one of the country (and the world)’s best funk 45 collections, not to mention plenty of killer soul rarities as well. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but this is just so sad. Craig is that breed of collector who has always completely ignored the less tasteful aspects of our scene — hype, status, politics etc — and just focused on amassing the music he’s loved for most of his life.

 

As you can imagine he’s absolutely devastated, so this is a plea for help: please keep your ear to the ground in case it comes up for sale or surfaces in any other way. It’s instantly recognisable, since many of the records are known only by a small handful of copies — Andrew Brown on Brave, Black Exotics on United, Soul Authority Unlimited, Willie Wright, Earl Carter, Brass Horizon, Henderson and Jones, Delores Ealy - Honeydripper, Black Soul Express, Georgia Soul Twisters on Waxwing, etc etc. Please contact Craig directly — funkyplumber@gmail.com — if you know anything at all. And please share / pass this on as much as possible; the wider the net, the better the chance of getting them back.

 

So sorry to here that George. Craig's a great bloke and doesn't deserve this. Was it townies or does he think it would be someone who would know the value of the box?

 

TWATS

I sincerely hope whoever did this dies a long slow painful death

thats a real shame, is it likely it was malicous or just an opportunist theif who hasnt a clue of their  value?

Shared on facebook to get the word out.

It's good to have a selection of the records stolen.

 

Andrew Brown on Brave

Black Exotics on United

Soul Authority Unlimited

Willie Wright

Earl Carter

Brass Horizon

Henderson and Jones

Delores Ealy - Honeydripper

Black Soul Express

Georgia Soul Twisters on Waxwing

 

 

I know most on here have a photographic memory / anorak obssesion for spotting and remembering records on lists so please keep em peeled.

If you do see a record pop up please let Craig know directly  - funkyplumber@gmail.com

 

Doc

Edited April 23, 201312 yr by Dr Pickles

Just awful, every D.J's night mare. I really hope some luck comes your way and you get them back.

 

Maybe if whoever is responsible reads this, they can search their conscience and return them - If you are, put yourself in Craig Smiths place for one moment. You have taken something that undoubtedly has taken a life time to amass. PLEASE RETURN.

 

Best of luck mate.

 

Len  

Edited April 23, 201312 yr by LEN

If it is any consolation, this happened to Skinhead john a year or two back. And thanks to the grapevine he was able to get his records back.

 

So dont give up hope yet.

Any CCTV in Exeter? Get the police to look. There won't have been many walking around with a box of 45's

Any CCTV in Exeter? Get the police to look. There won't have been many walking around with a box of 45's

I'd be surprised if the bar he was in didn't have CCTV

I'd be surprised if the bar he was in didn't have CCTV

I know in Manchester it's a legal requirement to have CCTV inside & on outside entrance area Dave

I know in Manchester it's a legal requirement to have CCTV inside & on outside entrance area Dave

That's what I thought, every bar I can remember going in recently clearly has CCTV, so surely that's the first place to start looking.

That's what I thought, every bar I can remember going in recently clearly has CCTV, so surely that's the first place to start looking.

 

Town centre streets are well covered these days too.

Gutted for Craig, hope he gets them back.

Good thinking on the CCTV could well be worth investigating.

 

 

Craig is a top bloke and he must be absolutely gutted I know he has some very nice records,  I really hope he gets them back soon.

thats a real shame, is it likely it was malicous or just an opportunist theif who hasnt a clue of their  value?

It could quite easily be someone who knows full well what they have taken and now have one of the best collections around. Hopefully it is some dimwit townie who won't have a clue what he has got.

Being an ex copper, one of my favourite recolections was arresting thieves after they had been caught by the victim,They were usually bleeding and bruised.

 

Good luck in your search, CCTV is your best bet.

 

Garry

saw this on fb...gutted for craig,only met him recently through george..top bloke...lets hope he gets them back!

 

dean

It could quite easily be someone who knows full well what they have taken and now have one of the best collections around. Hopefully it is some dimwit townie who won't have a clue what he has got.

 

That's what I was wondering Chalky, if it was a townie arsehole, the box could be over the back of some fence or something if they couldn't be bothered to lug it around any more. CCTV is the best bet.

sorry to here mate i had a couple of albums nicked a while back by a punter at a venue made me feel sick so god knows how you feel loosing a whole box i know if i could have caught him nicking mine i  would have killed the little twat but it was not a soulie i really hope you get them back many yrs of collection gone you must want to kill the thieving little twat good luck  

Every collectors worst nightmare..Hope to god he gets them back soon ..

Hope something bad happens to these who steal records.Can't imagine its anyone who knows how rare these tunes are.? Chancers. 

Being an ex copper, one of my favourite recolections was arresting thieves after they had been caught by the victim,They were usually bleeding and bruised.

 

Good luck in your search, CCTV is your best bet.

 

Garry

 

and the explaination on the report sheet for the bleeding and bruising.......injuries sustained whilst resisting arrest

I'm so sorry for Craig. I've just bought one of his rare records recently and he sent me an email saturday afternoon to tell me he had just sent it. I just can't imagine what I just learnt. I will be very careful if I see one of the records from the list appear online.

i completely agree with the opportunist theory,some dimwit who dosn't know what they've got, i'd err on the side of caution though, mentioning tunes and their value, especially on fb or twitter which are open social sites, because a dimwit might have a contact who's more au fait about anything musical...don't give em an inch!. cctv has to be the immediate answer....god help the loser if it's caught by anyone on the scene, in posession....it wont just be the law that's broke.

Just spotted this on FB and thought I'd pass it on:

 

LOST RECORDS — PLEA FOR HELP

Around 3am last Saturday night in Exeter, my friend Craig Smith (aka the Funky Plumber) had his DJ box stolen just after playing at a bar in town.

The contents represent the heart of one of the country (and the world)’s best funk 45 collections, not to mention plenty of killer soul rarities as well. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but this is just so sad. Craig is that breed of collector who has always completely ignored the less tasteful aspects of our scene — hype, status, politics etc — and just focused on amassing the music he’s loved for most of his life.

As you can imagine he’s absolutely devastated, so this is a plea for help: please keep your ear to the ground in case it comes up for sale or surfaces in any other way. It’s instantly recognisable, since many of the records are known only by a small handful of copies — Andrew Brown on Brave, Black Exotics on United, Soul Authority Unlimited, Willie Wright, Earl Carter, Brass Horizon, Henderson and Jones, Delores Ealy - Honeydripper, Black Soul Express, Georgia Soul Twisters on Waxwing, etc etc. Please contact Craig directly — funkyplumber@gmail.com — if you know anything at all. And please share / pass this on as much as possible; the wider the net, the better the chance of getting them back.

 

 

Just spotted this on FB and thought I'd pass it on:

 

LOST RECORDS — PLEA FOR HELP

Around 3am last Saturday night in Exeter, my friend Craig Smith (aka the Funky Plumber) had his DJ box stolen just after playing at a bar in town.

The contents represent the heart of one of the country (and the world)’s best funk 45 collections, not to mention plenty of killer soul rarities as well. I wouldn’t wish it on anyone, but this is just so sad. Craig is that breed of collector who has always completely ignored the less tasteful aspects of our scene — hype, status, politics etc — and just focused on amassing the music he’s loved for most of his life.

As you can imagine he’s absolutely devastated, so this is a plea for help: please keep your ear to the ground in case it comes up for sale or surfaces in any other way. It’s instantly recognisable, since many of the records are known only by a small handful of copies — Andrew Brown on Brave, Black Exotics on United, Soul Authority Unlimited, Willie Wright, Earl Carter, Brass Horizon, Henderson and Jones, Delores Ealy - Honeydripper, Black Soul Express, Georgia Soul Twisters on Waxwing, etc etc. Please contact Craig directly — funkyplumber@gmail.com — if you know anything at all. And please share / pass this on as much as possible; the wider the net, the better the chance of getting them back.

 

 

Apologies - at least it's on here.

I saw it on FB too, if they find the thieving bastard, hand him over to the Saudi's cos i think they still chop hands off

It could quite easily be someone who knows full well what they have taken and now have one of the best collections around. Hopefully it is some dimwit townie who won't have a clue what he has got.

Just reading these posts chalkey   my thought is it,s the first.....however can,t help thinking if it is a chancer....he,ll know by now what he,s got    because he,s been told on here and fb.........it,ll be hard to sell em because of the incestuous nature of this scene  lets hope that proves to be the case......hope he gets em back

It's that horrible feeling that washes over you when something like this happenes, happened to me or I thought it did many years ago at the 100 club, someone opened my DJ box took some records out must have realised it was not a sales box and put them back in Mick Smith's sales box I was light about fifteen records felt sick as soon as I picked the box up, a few days later I got  them all back but the not knowing was hell to deal with, might be an idea to put an SOS out to all the major record dealers in case they get offered them, I so hope Craig gets them back.

Edited April 25, 201312 yr by Mark Bicknell

Been done meself - some of 'em I'll never get back and I still feel sick when I hear the ones missing - the biggest heartbreaker.

Every collector's worst nightmare...

 

I've got a pal who was burgled about a year ago, while he was asleep in the house. His record box was taken, the thieves presumably thought that anything in a flightcase was worth money. Anyway, after the usual contacting all local shops etc. he wandered all the surrounding streets and found his records ditched in a hedge. And let's not forget what led Kenny Burrell to chain his box up - he allegedly got his DJ box nicked out the back of his car along with a couple of golf sweaters. The thieves threw the flightcase into a field and kept the sweaters, so the story goes...

 

I'd advise Craig to check all the bins and side alleys etc. near the venue. And if there's any local grifters who do the carboot sales and junkshops, then alert all these guys - it's the kind of thing which MIGHT surface at a carboot sale and the kind of thing that if someone was selling, they'd probably do them for 50p each - or take £50 for the box. I think buying them back and THEN getting the police involved would be the way to go... if you get a sniff, and alert the police you can be SURE the records will get binned immediately.

 

On a more optimistic note, I found a local (techno) DJs missing box (burgled from his house) in a local secondhand shop THREE years later. Shop was totally cool, gave him the records back for free and the name and address of the person selling - to do with as he wanted. So things can go into cold storage, but these are the kinds of records which if they came up for sale would start alarm bells ringing immediately. And if any crop up on ebay, best thing would be for Craig to "win" them, and suggest meeting in person to pay cash and look at what else they have. With the boys in blue...

 

GOOD LUCK CRAIG!

Terrible news :o( Hope Craig manages to get them back

Not sure if deejays do this (& I apologise if I'm teaching you to suck eggs) but I'd write on the inside of the box, if found please contact mobile no ********* If it's someone off the scene that's taken them (thieving scxm) it wont make a blind bit of difference, but if they come into the hands of someone who's clueless about records then it might.

Good luck Craig, hope there's a happy ending for you

Ali

 HI ALL....What can I say...nothing will take away the pain of this situation, no matter we all say on SOULSOURCE,  The issues that the loss brings up, are heart breaking to say the least, 33 years ago, my box was stolen at St Ives All-nighter, never got them back, even though 10 people had know the thief and saw the theft? gutted is not the word I used at the time, hope that they would turn up, proved to be wishful thinking, also it did not stop record dealers buying them,  THE BEST ADVICE I WOULD GIVE IS THIS,  TRY O STOP INTERNALISEING THE NIGHT, TRY AND ACCEPT THEY ARE GONE ASAP, AND START AGAIN  DON'T GIVE UP  DAVE

Might be a goof idea to add the rare records to your ebay.com searches, so you you'll be notified if any come up for sale.

Craig.

Deeply saddened that this should have happened. Is there any further news on the situation? Lots of good advice on here already to check local bins, skips, alleys and gardens etc. If this proves negative, the thief is more likely to be a vinyl fiend than a town-chancer. Post the details on flyers at local events to keep the records' details in peoples' minds. The genuine soul community will be watching auctions and sales lists and will let you know if anything turns up.

Does anyone out there photograph their records? I have got an invisible ink pen that shows up under UV light but have not got round to using this yet - any thoughts out there? Finally, I keep a list of records and their distinguishing marks which gives a little peace of mind should some go AWOL.