Hippo just gave me an idea for this thread. He mentioned in another topic that he found a Joe Hicks original out in Lanzarote and couldn't work out how on earth it got there.

Anyone else found any gems in odd and inexplicable locations?

Not perhaps the best or most bizarre example, but my story is this; was flicking through the usual dross in an Evesham junk shop back around 1976. In amongst the Slade and Mud, there was one single solitary American import. I didn't know it at the time, but the label and pedigree looked irresistable. Couldn't wait to get it home, and I wasn't disappointed, although the tempo was way too slow for those manic days.

And that's how I bought a copy of Landy's Doctor Good Soul on Moonshot for just ten pence.

But what on EARTH was it doing there? It was the only soul record in the rack in a sleepy English market town a gazillion miles from Detroit.

What's your story?

Colin

Edited November 28, 200618 yr by Dayo

A few years ago whilst on a family holiday in Florida,we were staying at my wifes uncles house,

one day i went off looking for records came back later in the day with some 45s on seeing these my wifes cousin said dads got some of those in the cupboard,not really wanting to look at them she got them out anyway and passed them over to me, looking through them all run of the mill pop tunes untill "Wendy Woods on Sincere" sat there facing me needless to say it came home with me ,but i still wonder today how it came to be in my wifes uncles cupboard?.

Another time coming back from friends i was driving back through Essex i saw a sign for a memrobillia fair

so at the time i was looking for a "Soundburger" so i thought i`d have a quick look,so i goes in

have a look around but no "Soundburgers" to be found came to one stall bloke had a load of old tat on it but at one end he had a small plastic 7" box and some Lps so i had a look through mainly pop stuff some 80s Motown but stuck in the middle was a copy of

"Roosevelt Matthews-You got me diggin you" on a King issue,

so i pulled it out trying to look like it was no big deal, then looked through the Lps i pulled out around 8 or 10 60s/70s Motown Lps,i said to the bloke how much for these mate he said £1 ea for the Lps and 50 pence for the 7" so i paid him went straight to the car and put me foot down ,happy days

Dave f.........

Another time coming back from friends i was driving back through Essex i saw a sign for a memrobillia fair

so at the time i was looking for a "Soundburger" so i thought i`d have a quick look,so i goes in

have a look around but no "Soundburgers" to be found came to one stall bloke had a load of old tat on it but at one end he had a small plastic 7" box and some Lps so i had a look through mainly pop stuff some 80s Motown but stuck in the middle was a copy of

"Roosevelt Matthews-You got me diggin you" on a King issue,

so i pulled it out trying to look like it was no big deal, then looked through the Lps i pulled out around 8 or 10 60s/70s Motown Lps,i said to the bloke how much for these mate he said £1 ea for the Lps and 50 pence for the 7" so i paid him went straight to the car and put me foot down ,happy days

Dave f.........

Dave you jammy git

About 15 years ago I found 30 copies of Billy Hambric and the Curly Hammers Band at a car boot fair in Oxford. The guy had these and about 10 other UK pop things for sale in a box. He wanted 10p each for them. When I asked where they had come from and did he have anything else, he replied "10p each, do you want them or not"!!!!!!!!!

Well it would have been rude not to.

This story has a how at the end of it.

About 10 years ago I was staying with some friends at their farm in Irish Hills, Michigan. This is about 100 miles from Detroit. One morning I thought I take a walk and truddled round some of the small dirt lanes near the farm. After about half an hour I came upon a clearling in some woods. In the clearing is a pile of household rubbish, black bin liners paper spread every where, old toys etc.

So started to rummage round and see a 25 count of records, P Funk All Stars on Hump records, then a bunch of casettes with things like german tour written on them. Lastly, a 8 inch hand made medallion, with George Clinton's cartoon face on one side, Paliament logo on the other.

I take these things with me back to the farm and show them to my hosts. They take one look and say, 'those must have belonged to George, he used to have the Farm up the road until last year, when he lost it in a legal battle with his manager. In fact I've seen him wearing that on stage, he used to drop by and give us tickets to his gigs', pointing to the medallion.

Edited November 30, 200618 yr by Dave Thorley

In amongst my Aunt's Glam Rock 7" singles used to sit an original Mixed Emotions - Gold Of My Life before it was plucked out by a grateful nephew some 6-7 years back. She'd bought it in a 10 singles for a quid pack off Derby market sometime in the early 80's. The rest were rock things, except this, which was Rock-Way. How it got there is a mystery.

Back in the very late 70s early 80s there was a TV rental shop in Battersea that had a box of 45s & one of LPs where I plucked a sealed Billy Butler right track LP on Okeh (can't remember price but less than a quid) & a mint Frank Dell He broke your game wide open 50p. Think I also got an Andre Brasseur The Kid very very cheaply

Finding rare records in a record shop isn't that unsusal is it ? We've all had our finds, tho' far & away my best was 80/81 - Herby Brown One more broken heart Blue Ash 10 or 20p. Took it home where, unimpressed I shoved it away for 20odd years until I bought a price guide when I suddenly became very impressed !

Sold it on Soul Source just before Randy Mather who played sax on it contacted me asking for an mp3 wotsit. He had never seen a copy or even remembered the session!

Think Ive told this one before- In Dublin a couple of years ago- Goes into this record shop that has acouple of racks of 45s. Pulled out Dee Dee warwick - Funny how we changed places asjed how much and he said 2 Euros. I asked if this was an Irish pressing ?

He said no that they were Australian . I asked if he had anymore to which he replied yes 6 boxes downstairs. He promptly brought them up and I found some nice pieces. Lynn Randell, Bobby Paris etc all on Austrailian and the boxes were full of Austaralian records. In the last box 5 recortds from the endof about 200 was a US Demo of Mandrill- Too late - I asked how much and he said 1 Euro.

The guys in Dublin have since banned me from their records Shops Hee Hee

So How a US copy of mandrill got in 6 boxes of nothing but Australian records beats me!

Just remembered one, and if he was online at the minute I'd get him to tell you himself.

Some years ago Tats Taylor & Gilly called on this old lady in Detroit and were talking to her about her career in music.

Tats (being Tats) works his way into her kitchen and starts going through her laundry basket (as you do).

When he gets to the bottom he finds a pristine copy of "I Have No Choice" on Big Hit.

Now, this old dear was none other than Ms Matthews herself, but as for the 45 in the laundry basket.... how on earth did it get there?

Sadly, this desirable 45 is now beaten up and covered in Brown Sauce, like most of his collection, but it's still a particularly interesting and very true "How Did It Get There" story I reckon.

Sean

A couple of years ago i got off the bus in Sydney and there was a stall near the bus stop run by Australian country wives association they were selling scones and knitted coat hangers and bric a brac. I spotted a record box and skipped past all the Perry Comos etc and saw a white Abc Us Demo ! getting excited i pulled it out The Trends 'Not too old to cry " . I nearlly fainted . I also pulled out a Doug Parkinson I,ll be around aand a Renee Geyer be there in the morning 45 not a bad find for a pile of 20 records 3 being of Northern interest. 50 c each .....bargain !

pete morgan

Went to Disney, Florida many Years ago, promising not to do the vinyl thing......but by the Hotel in Kissimmee was a Music & Film Memorabilia type Boutique with just a Handfull of oldies on "45" including an unplayed "Ad Libs - New York In The Dark - AGP" for $3.

Des

Since this interesting thread started I've been trying to think of an unusual record find of mine to add but couldn't. Then I remembered many years ago, 10 perhaps, having a Sunday afternoon walk with the dog in a lovely village called East Morton which is about 10 miles north of Bradford. We came across this old antique shop (more like a junk shop masquerading as antiques but that's another story) and called in, after pottering about downstairs I went upstairs for another mooch about. There on the floor propped up against a table was a small handfull of albums, 3 or 4 at the most, second one in Sam Dees "Show must go on" Atlantic. How bizarre eh? Of course you pull it out of the sleeve expecting it to be battered but it was stone mint.

Flogged it for £40 in the end and no I didn't give it to charity.

derek

I can't believe I forgot this. Last year, from a record shop in Dudley, I pulled out a copy of Guitar Ray - You're Gonna Wreck My Life on Shagg for 50p. True story and sold to someone who's a member of SS.

A few years back when i was living in Fife. I went down to a boot sale in Leven near the beach , spent half an hour walking around no records at all when my dad spotted an old mate selling.

We went over to say hello and while standing by his car noticed a lone lp leaning against the boot picked it up it was a copy of the TWISTING KINGS lp on Motown, Thirty pence later it was mine the bloke had no idea when or where he'd picked it up , very strange.

Derek

About two years ago I found a copy of Andy Butler - Sunshine Love on Tangerine in a church charity sale in a small isolated village of about 200 people called L¶v¥nger in the north of Sweden!

It was the only soul record in a bunch of garbage, mostly swedish christian 45's.

not my find, but the original dave thorley copy of pyramid soul bros inc was found by a girl at a boy scout troop's jumble sale in gloucestershire. she gave it to tim ash who gave it to dave.

how the hell it got there, no-one seems to know.

i got a copy of start! in berlin after the wall came down, which was nice but not quite that weird.

That was me!!!!!! And this is my first try at a post so hope it comes out all right!

Wrong county though - it was a little village in Hampshire!

And let's just say Tim got a bargain as I had no idea what it was!!!

I do remember the find - crouched down under a table with all the late 60s and early 70s pop was 3 or 4 'possibles' which I bought on the off chance. All those weekends with the lads at record fairs must have had some effect.

That was me!!!!!! And this is my first try at a post so hope it comes out all right!

Wrong county though - it was a little village in Hampshire!

And let's just say Tim got a bargain as I had no idea what it was!!!

I do remember the find - crouched down under a table with all the late 60s and early 70s pop was 3 or 4 'possibles' which I bought on the off chance. All those weekends with the lads at record fairs must have had some effect.

Please let me know when you want to go to a Village Fair again, wont you?

You did real good!

Sean