Frankie Crocker

Even if a dozen or two Soul Source members have the record, and some quite possibly own those listed on Popsike, it is still a very scarce record. I rather thought the Professionals was a harder one to come by but I’ve not checked Popsike on this one lately; probably seen more Professionals offered on Soul Source than eBay in recent times.

Finished at £3,717. No frantic last minute activity on this one. Surprised it did not go above 4K. My particular interest in the record was largely due to owning a copy in similar condition. The sleeve of mine has been customised by Gold Soul and hand-stamped by a rubber-print stamp. I paid $1,300 for it about 25 years ago, top-whack for what it was fetching in those days. Pleased my investment was worthwhile in more ways than one. John often gives a little back-story on the prime pieces he auctions, but not this one...

Very wise Tony. This record’s a ‘Keeper’.

If you read the whole thread, you’ll see that it is not. I already have the record and I would never sell it. Ted, that's pocket change for a collector like yourself. Hope you’re well mate.

Thanks Mike. Definitely some superior copies here. Maybe Soul Source is the best place to find a really nice copy of George Lemons

Bidding now at £3,637. Less than three days to go, so it looks like the 4K mark should be passed.

Bidding now at £3,117. Thought I’d do a statistical analysis of the 19 sold on Popsike 2005-2019... penance for oversleeping and missing my ‘O’ Level Statistics exam that I’d not revised for anyway... VG- = 4 copies, VG = 5 copies, VG+ = 4 copies, VG++ = 2 copies, Ex = 3 copies and M- = 1 copy. Many had grubby labels, a few had WOL, one was warped but all were in acceptable playable condition without skips, cracks, chunks missing etc. For those who are quite fussy about condition (like myself), 10 copies were of a nice enough condition to bid on without too much hesitation. The Median value was <VG+ ie the central value of the ranked sequence of 19. The Modal value was VG ie the most commonly occurring grade. The Mean value was VG+ ie the average grading. So, the copy up for auction is probably the best to be put on the open market this century, with only two copies in the survey of 19 (M- & Ex++) approaching the near perfect condition of the one that will sell on Wednesday 5th.

Nice motor John... I like the number plate too.

I hope it went to a collector called Kenny...

Great record by the way. Hugely underrated. Never heard it played out but is really catchy, and ripe for dancefloor action. Also very cheap for such an excellent sound.

More like two, knee-trembling, finger-shaking bids... The protagonists have already decided what their limits are and wait nervously for the final countdown. May the richest man (or woman) win (especially if she is buying it as a surprise for her husband/boyfriend/toyboy... could it actually be for me me me...)

I wonder how many of us might have passed over this obscurity when ploughing through thousands of Atlantic 45’s. Atlantic was the largest independent soul label in the 60’s so it is odd that they relegated the Joe Moore release. I guess there must be a story behind this rarity.

Thanks for posting. Still one of my favourite features on here even though I follow the auctions daily. Surprised by the Attractions price. Another sold for less than half that a few days ago. Sam Moore on Atlantic is evidently rare but 2K is a lot to pay for something like this.

Game on. Less than a week to go. Now at £2,751. I expect most of the action on this one to be on the final day, but let’s see...

Not sure what the above point is, but John Manship would only auction genuine, original records that you could place 100% confidence in. As you study the original for sale, note the amateurish stamp denoting ‘vocal’, pondering why there is no stamp for the instrumental side. Look closely at the gold bar - badly drawn, as lines in the same plane are not parallel. So, we have a novicey musical family, somewhat imperfect but nevertheless delightful studio production, an amateurish label design and a cowboy outfit taking care of the marketing. This record is a little piece of music history. I can fully understand why someone might attempt to bootleg it for financial gain as the vast majority of people who like the record are never going to actually own a copy.

Bidding now stands at £2,717 with a fortnight to go. Looks like it will go way above 3K now.

My Love Is So Strong...top spin by Butch. Very rare and totally brilliant. Reissued recently and on Steve Jeffries web-site for £20.

Cool stuff. He sings well. Move over Joseph Webster...Herb Ryals is in town.

Yes, you’re right. Someone bought Carl Holmes’ Soul Dance No 3 about a week ago and paid $395.25 for it. Mind you, I wonder if they actually read the small-print before bidding...

I think the topic has been raised on here before. I wonder if a laser treatment would work? The technology exists in hospitals - could there be some other outlet where you could get your hands on the kit, or better still, have an expert tackle the problem. Fusion could be an ideal solution if technically feasible. Styrene records do not get on well with Superglue - believe me, I’ve tried. Nobody really wants a cracked record, so the best solution is sell-on after upgrading. Cracked records, even the rarest ones, have lost most of their financial value. If you are determined to keep the cracked record, the Manship outer-edge glue trick will stabilise the fracture as usually the two sides line up perfectly.

Herb Ryals sells for £30 or less. Really good track but not even semi-known such is its obscurity. Never heard it played out. One of those records that deserves spins and would arouse interest with a few plugs. He also released something on RCA so was seen as a potential talent back in the 60’s.

Hi Marc. Not too many ex-employees around nowadays. You could try to contact Russ or Richard - both are extremely obliging. There are a number of other DJ’s you could contact eg Kev, Pat, Dave and a couple of others. If you have one question, maybe put it on here - there are plenty of ex-Wiganers who might offer what you want. If your request is about music, dancing etc you should find a few takers. There is a ton of info already on Soul Source that you could find useful. Good luck with your project.

Bidding now at £1,821 with three weeks to go. This seems like a really long time - could people lose interest in it? I suspect a lot of the action will be on the final day anyway.

Don’t let Cancel Culture get to you. The music of George Lemons was made long before the subsequent tragedy. The whole of Black Music history in the USA stems from events hundreds of years ago, and is in itself a fascinating subject to study up on.

Tongue well and truly in cheek... Mind you, Gary and Co were poppy tuneful back in the day, definitely a Marmite sound nowadays.