Fiestas; Master Four (Tay-ster); Barbara Redd; Herman Griffin - minters

[Guest Classic45s]

 

This week, we added some new 45s to our Louise Neal 45 Soul Auctions page, which features eye-popping, previously unplayed promo treasures from the Louise Neal Soul 45 collection. See the Auctions page for photos.  Three of these beauties are ending on December 26 - Boxing Day!

If you are interested in bidding, please visit the Louise Neal 45 Soul Auctions page for images and an explanation of the auction process.  

 45s recently added to auction:

Fiestas, Old Town 1178, 1965.
     "Think Smart / Anna"
     Condition: M- (EX+|M-|M-) This rare Northern Soul single by the former Doo-Wop RnB group has two fine sides, with "Think Smart" winning the go-to prize.  This single is one Louise Neal may have actually played, judging by the light wear on the vinyl. The A label has a red star stamped on it, and both sides have light ringwear, grading a strong EX. The audio grades Near Mint like the vinyl, but note that in the first couple of beats at the beginning of the A side (before the drums kick in), light surface noise is audible. For most of the track, however, the audio sounds pristine.
     MB: $300

Barbara Redd, SPQR 3311, 1963.
     "I'll Be All Alone / Dancing Teardrops"
     Condition: M- (M-(x)|M-|M) Did Barbara Redd make more than one single? Not on the evidence I've been able to find, but the one she did make is highly sought-after and features a terrific Northern Soul dancer (in a "Popcorn" style) on the A side and a lively RnB rocker on the flip. This beautiful copy has two X marks on the A label, which are otherwise pristine. The vinyl grades Near Mint to reflect light storage wear, and the audio sounds pristine Mint.
     MB: $200

Master Four, Tay-ster 6012, 1967.
     "Love From The Far East / It's Not The End"
     Condition: M (M|M|M) This obscure group with a female vocal lead released only a handful of singles on the small N.Y. Tay-ster label in 1967-68. All of them are pursued by fans of Northern Soul, and the reason is readily apparent on listening to the A side: A definite dance-floor winner! This new, unplayed stock copy has no notable flaws, grading pristine Mint in all respects (Label, Vinyl, Audio).
     MB: $250

Herman Griffin, Mercury 72401, 1965.
     "Dream Girl / Nothing Beats A Failure But A Try"
     Condition: M (M|M|M) "Dream Girl" is a particularly catchy Northern Soul dancer with a terrific, Motown-influenced beat. The B side ballad is also a worthy contender for your collection. The 45 comes in an original Mercury Records factory sleeve, and the auction includes a very cool (unique to the Neal collection) Mercury shipping package. This new, unplayed stock copy has no notable flaws, grading pristine Mint in all respects (Label, Vinyl, Audio).
     MB: $125

 45s with active bidding and associated close dates:

• Inez and Charlie Foxx, Dynamo 102 (promo), 1967.
       "Tightrope / Baby Take It All"
       Condition: M- (M-(x)|M-|M-) This terrific Northern Soul dancer didn't chart, but it's one of the most collectable Foxx singles. Kev Roberts, FWIW, thought so much of the tune that he ranked it at #130 in his list of the Top 500 Northern Soul singles! This copy is one that spent some time outside its protective sleeve, so the B side vinyl has some tiny scratches and light scuffs. Fortunately, the A side vinyl is Near Mint, and so is its audio. The B side audio grades EX. The labels grade Near Mint, reflecting two red marks on the A label and some light storage wear. This is the original 1967 promo, which has the "Nashville" matrix stamp in the dead wax.
       High Bid: $70 | Auction ends 7PM EST Fri., Feb. 12.

45s ready for an opening bid:

• Barbara Dane, 3 Trey 3012 (promo), 1960.
       "I'm On My Way / Go 'Way From My Window"
       Condition: M (M|M|M) Here's a new, unplayed promo copy of this highly sought-after 1960 "Popcorn" Soul number. The flip is a somewhat spooky RnB recording. This beautiful 45 record has no notable flaws and features pristine Mint audio.
       MB: $250
• Inell Young, Busy-B 3, 1967.
       "I've Never Considered / His Love For Me"
       Condition: M- (M|M|M-) Here's a beautiful, previously unplayed copy of this rare 1967 single, which has two strong sides: "Considered" is a mid-tempo Northern Soul-style dancer, while "His Love" leans toward Deep Soul. This copy has Mint labels, and the vinyl looks untouched. The audio grades very close to Mint, but the vinyl has faint, native surface noise audible only in the quietest passages.
       MB: $125

• Dean Barlow, Lescay 3004 (promo), 1961.
       "Third Window From The Right / Baby Doll"
       Condition: M- (M-(x)|M-(sw)|M) The A side, an early Burt Bacharach songwriting credit, is a terrific Northern Soul dancer in the emerging Motown style. Some collectors may label this sound "Popcorn." This new, unplayed promo copy has two "x" marks on the A label. The vinyl looks untouched but grades Near Mint to reflect a very mild, no-impact warp. Fortunately, after a cleaning the grooves preserve pristine Mint audio — gorgeous!
       Minimum Bid: $250
• Jimmy Dotson, Mercury 72801, 1968.
       "Heartbreak Avenue / Baby Turn Your Head"
       Condition: M- (M|M-|M-) This rare 1968 single has two great sides, both in a Deep Soul vein. This new, unplayed stock copy comes in a crisp Mercury Records factory sleeve and with an original Mercury Records shipping package from the Neal collection. Though new, a couple of tiny manufacturing defects on the A side lower the vinyl (styrene) and audio grades to Near Mint. The audio is undistorted and strong, but the two defects cause a handful of faint "pops" as the stylus passes through them.
       MB: $85
• Harrison Freese, Jr., Roulette 4496 (promo), 1963.
       "You Better Let Him Go / I Am"
       Condition: M- (M-|M-|M) Freese only recorded a couple of singles for Roulette in the early 1960s, and this is definitely the one to seek out! The A side is a fine Northern Soul dancer that's sure to please. The new, unplayed promo 45 record comes in a crisp Roulette Records factory sleeve and comes with a vintage Roulette Records shipping package. Its labels and vinyl (styrene) grade very close to Mint, with just a hint of storage wear, and after a cleaning the grooves reveal pristine Mint audio.
       MB: $70
• Helen Glover, Nelber 105/106 (promo), 1964.
       "Just Like That / God Bless The Child"
       Condition: M- (M-|M-|M-) This terrific rarity hails from the ascendant Motown style of Northern Soul, with Helen belting it out like Martha Reeves. This new, unplayed promo copy has two red "x" marks on the A label, and the vinyl exhibits faint storage wear. The audio isn't perfect, but it's a solid Near Mint.
       MB: $50
• Billy Floyd, 20th Century 6678 (promo), 1967.
       "Sweeter Than Candy / One Chance"
       Condition: M (M|M|M) This terrific rarity offers two fine Northern Soul dancers, with a particular nod to "Sweeter." This new, unplayed promo 45 has no notable flaws, grading pristine Mint in all respects (Labels, Vinyl, Audio). It comes in a crisp 20th Century Fox Records factory sleeve.
       MB: $120
   

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Louise Neal was a black female disk jockey from North Carolina who had a 3-hour Soul/RnB/Blues show from the late 1950s through the mid-1960s. During that time, she collected thousands of (mostly) promo 45s at her home from the many record companies she was registered with for receiving promotional material--ABC, Atlantic/Atco, Chess/Checker/Cadet, Decca, Brunswick, Shout, Stax/Volt, Fame, Imperial, Jubilee, Okeh, Sue, Philles, SureFine, Vee-Jay, Kent, Duke, Bell, Paula/Ronn, Rojac, Peacock, Motown (all labels), Veep, Capitol, Modern, Dial, Jamie and many others. A large number of these precious 45s accumulated unopened in their original shipping packages after Neal left the business and moved to New York in 1967. (Also during 1963-65, when Neal had earlier left town.) Most are highly collectable and extremely rare Northern Soul singles with book values ranging well above $100... a few above $1,000! Many are pristine--unplayed and with a bare minimum of storage wear. Others may exhibit very light storage wear and/or an "x" marked on the label. A good many come in their original factory sleeve, some of which are rare and valuable on their own these days.

The collection also contains rarities and classics of interest to fans of RnB, Blues, Girl Groups, Doo Wop, and various other genres of Rock.

We began selling records from the Louise Neal collection in June 2015, and it will take years for us to get through everything. To see what's for sale, what's already sold, and what's coming up, visit the Louise Neal Collection page on Classic 45s (https://www.classic45s.com/). We continue to add more details about the collection as time permits. This page shows all the Louise Neal 45s we've added to date (some have sold).