Car booty

I went to my local car boot sale this morning as usual and made a few vinyl finds. Nothing very amazing but quite interesting none the less. Here are the best bits of today's car booty:

1. Gene Chandler - Rainbow/ You Threw A Lucky Punch. Released in 1963 on Stateside SS 185. Mint value - £40.

This is a great double sider by one of the true soul greats. Side one is a Curtis Mayfield song and the B side is a slightly altered version of Smokey Robinson's You Beat Me To The Punch, first recorded by Mary Wells. Wonderful record.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qzGkgYLb7-o http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XuelNbMqmwo

2. Johnny Otis Show - The Light Still Shines In My Window/ All I Want Is Your Love. Released in 1958 on Capitol CL 14837. Mint Value - £25.

Another excellent double sider featuring the voice of Marie Adams. This is the relatively hard to find follow up to Ma (He's Making Eyes At Me) and the B side features the same screaming live audience as Otis's big hit of the previous year. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSijJUx8Xrs

3. Stu James and The Mojos - Wait A Minute/ Wonder If She Knows. Released in 1965 on Decca F 12231. Mint value - £12.

After the Mojos' success with their big hit Everything's Alright, the line up of the band changed considerably. This was the only single by the band credited to leader Stu James, and by this time the band featured drummer Aynsley Dunbar and, more surprisingly, bassist Lewis Collins, better known as Bodie of The Professionals. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocYROY0cj68

4. Motown Memories Volume 3. Released in 1970 0n Tamla Motown STML 11143. Mint value - £60.

This is the most interesting of the many Motown compilations issued in the early days, featuring mostly previously unreleased (in the UK) tracks from the early 60s by the likes of Mable John, Sammy Ward (check out the Youtube clip), The Vows, Gino Parks, Amos Milburn and The Darnells. The sleeve notes were by Mike Raven and the front cover photo is by noted Welsh photographer Angus McBean, who took the photo for the first Beatles LP. It's been suggested that the figure in flowing female robes on the cover is none other than Smokey Robinson. Does anyone know if this is true? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ikw-z36IR5I

Finally here are some programmes from pop shows in the early 60s. I went to quite a few of these at the time but stupidly failed to keep the programmes, so these are quite collectable today. From left to right these are:

1. Top Twenty Hit Parade, featuring Bill Forbes, Roy Young, the Mudlarks, The Avons and Craig Douglas, with Alan Freeman as compere;

2. Jimmy Jones, star of Handy Man and Good Timin', also featuring Kenny Lynch, the Brooks Brothers, Michael Cox, Dean Rogers, the Trebletones, Mark Wynter and Janet Richmond;

2. Jack Good's 2nd Rock 'n Trad Spectacular, featuring Billy Fury, Georgie Fame, Johnny Gentle, the Four Kestrels, Duffy Power, Nelson Keene, Joe Brown, Tommy Bruce and Mark Wynter, and presented by Larry Parnes.

Those were the days!