Sometimes it's all about crazy determination when it comes to hunting down these 45 RPM gems.
This is a record that's been escaping me for some time. It's so GOOD that it really bugged me that I kept getting outbid by pennies the few times a year that it came up for sale. The last copy was up on ebay in January and the auction ended at the moment I was about to head in to band practice; luckily, I just got web access on my phone so I was able to log into ebay and bid. Alas, outbid by a mere 5 cents.
Imagine my excitement recently when I won this copy, and for a fraction of what it usually goes for (perhaps because the seller listed the still great but less desirable side????). In opening the box, my heart sunk when I saw that there is a massive edge warp that made the record unplayable. I won't get into the saga of jerk-ness that the seller exhibited, but I will say that I was DETERMINED to make this record play.
Previous attempts with low heat in an oven with a record between two pieces of glass resulted in a melted, shrunken 45 (luckily nothing too valuable) so I wasn't gonna do that again. So I spent my day on Sunday thinking about heat sources. A Hair dryer! Worried I was gonna crack it , I fired up the hair dryer and heated the outer edge til it was flexible, then held the edge down TIGHT. I let it cool, threw it on the turntable and while there is still a lift, the beauty PLAYS!
Oh yeah, about the record...
The Bobbettes of course had a huge hit in 1957 with the infectious "Mr. Lee" while they were between 11-15 years old, sprouting out of a NYC glee club. They toiled for years, released more records and toured incessantly. This release finds them pairing two STOMPERS and it should have been massive. Perhaps it was too intense for 1966...
from 1966...
THE BOBBETTES - I'VE GOTTA FACE THE WORLD
7 comments:
Great tune! Love the warp-flattening story too. Good work all round!
Above and beyond.
Great song... but I wouldn't enjoy1/2 as much without your backstory! As I rather shamefacedly (and easily, and, yes, boringly) dl your kindly shared mp3, I appreciate that I get to vicariously experience the thrill of your victory. Thank you.
And as for the e-Bay dealer - one word - karma.
Holly :-)
Thanks Holly. Well, all the songs are here to enjoy so no need to say "shamefacedly". I started this blog because I enjoy the records so much I wanted to make sure that the enjoyment is shared with whoever cares to listen.
Dig this crazy sound. Thanks.
Great tunes I never heard before, pity about the distortion but what a sound. Modern clean production is so shop bought anyways that these crackly gems sparkle through.
djw
Pity about the distortion? Dude, this is what 60's soul sounds like. engineers pushed the levels up into the red, then they were pushed even hotter to make a punchy 45. It's no "pity" at all. This is the real thing. Music without sterilization. This is why people such as Raphael Saadiq and Bosco Mann are using vintage tape machines and gear to replicate that "distorted" sound.
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