Finds @ The Thing, Greenpoint/Brooklyn ...

After a fun but ultimately disappointing Thrift Safari, budding soul collector David and I decided on a visit to The Thing, a for-profit junk store on Manhattan Ave in Greenpoint/Brooklyn. This place gets their records from bulk buys-- I would guess estate sales, distributors closing, radio stations, etc. and amazingly, they sell everything at the same prices - $1 an LP and 50 cents a 45-- thrift store prices !

The Thing probably has 20-30,000 LPs/12"s, although generally there have been few 45s in the past-- most without sleeves, most from the late 70's and 80's and most of no interest at all... but David tipped me off to a new batch so we took a look... and voila -- good stuff! I bought about 75 singles, although probably about 15-20 can't be cleaned into playability, so 60 singles or so for about $30. Not bad ! Some highlights:

Earl Nelson - No Time to Cry / Come On - Ebb 164 (1959?) -- Here's a great rhythm'n'blues two-sider, from L.A. Earl was later one-half of "Bob & Earl", known for the Harlem Shuffle. Great voice and no lame backup singers!

Mary Ann Fisher - Can't take the heartbreak / Give - Seg-way 1007 - Here's a pretty obscure single on the small (New York) Seg-Way label. This one sounds like about 1957-9, soulful ballads. I picked it up despite the very anglo-sounding name of the singer due to the "D.Covay" co-writing credit on the b-side-- surely this is Don Covay of "Mercy, Mercy" fame ? Not sure, but it looks like this one isn't on CD anywhere! According to one site, Ms. Fisher was a singer for Ray Charles...hmm...

Bill Henderson - Ain't No Use / Angel Eyes - Blue Note 1727 - Henderson was a well-known jazz vocalist, but here he is backed by the Jimmy Smith trio on Blue Note (a one-off single, probably between contracts). Most of his sides are on Chicago's Vee-Jay label, so this one is a bit odd (Allmusic mentions he was backed by Jimmy Smith on "one date"). Whatever, the a-side is a fine jazz vocal with Smith's classic Hammond sound underpinning the affair. Despite a mild warp and scratching, this record still sounds great- Blue Note didn't skimp on the plastic! (This one may also not be on CD yet)

Abaco Dream - Life and Death in G&A / Cat Woman - A&M 1081 (1970?) - Here's a real oddity. Julian Cope's Psychedelic site (Head Heritage) claims this is in fact Sly & Family Stone under a different name... Not sure about that, but the A-Side is indeed a "Sylvester Stewart" song and is a storming funk track. The B-Side features early Moog synthesizing and some oddly lewd (and cockney) vocals and is credited to one "Eric Siday" -- a Google search quickly revealed Mr. Siday (pic at left) to be an accomplished jingle composer who apparently purchased the second Moog ever sold (Read about it here) ... Pretty weird, but the a-side is worth it and this one's in pretty good shape. Probably a $10-20 record on eBay, I'd guess. Apparently there's a second single called "Another Night on Love" on A&M...

Bob Crewe Generation - Music to Watch Girls By - Dynovoice 229 - From the 1967 album of the same name, this is a pretty silly track (and top 20 hit!) from the guy who produced Mitch Ryder among others. Cocktail music, some fuzz guitar but generally fun background / swingin' 60's music.

Dorothy Moore - Misty Blue / Here It Is - Malaco M 1024 - I'm usually wary of late 70's stuff on Malaco as it tends to drift into disco, but this one is surprisingly good. The A-Side was a big R&B Hit but the b-side, a midtempo dance number, belies it's '75 date. DJable !

Chubokos - Witch Doctor Bump / House of Rising Funk - Mainstream MRL 5546 (1973) - Along with Abaco Dream, this is definitely the Revelation of the Week. First off, anytime I see a Mainstream single I pick it up because it's a label (I thought it was LA, others claim Detroit) that was pretty small-run quantities, with the possible exception of Big Brother & the Holding Company (Janis Joplin) at the end of the 60's. This one was particularly intriguing because it has a much later date... It took a while through Google but I determined that "Chubokos" are actually Afrique, apparently a studio band from New York. The A-Side is pretty good funk/soul but is marred by the bizarre use of varispeed "chipmunk" vocals for the witch doctor (!!!). However the B-Side has some outrageously cool funk, with wah-wah guitar and a drum break. Clip coming as soon as possible, I promise!

Pretty good, and that's not to mention a whole lot more (3 Bobby Bland singles!)... Stay Tuned...