RARE 60s NORTHERN SOUL LAURA GREENE BLACK RCA ISSUE M-

	£		207
	$		274

ALL MY SALES ARE ALWAYS PLAY-GRADED

AND NOT JUST GIVEN A VISUAL ONCE-OVER

THE ITEMS I AM SELLING COME FROM NEARLY FORTY YEARS OF COLLECTING.

I AM NOT A DEALER.

There will be some real gems, so make sure you keep your eyes open.

SOME OF MY LISTINGS NOW CARRY 'BORROWED' SOUND CLIPS BENEATH THE TITLE.

I AREN'T QUITE ADVANCED ENOUGH YET TO PROVIDE MY OWN!

MOST OF THE IMPORTANT INFORMATION CAN BE FOUND AT THE TOP OF THE PAGE.

POSTAGE RATES ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE.

IN BETWEEN CAN BE FOUND LOADS OF WAFFLE!

ALL MY ITEMS START WELL BELOW BOOK VALUE

SOME FROM AS LITTLE AS 99p.

60s NORTHERN SOUL/R&B/MOD

ONE OF THE GENUINE CLASSICS

VERY, VERY, VERY IN-DEMAND BLACK RCA ISSUE COPY

NEAR MINT TOO!

AND SUPERB FLIP!!

LAURA GREENE

"LOVE IS STRANGE"

b/w

"MOONLIGHT MUSIC IN YOU"

HEAR HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OE2H92jGoS0

(US: RCA Victor 47-9164, 1967; original company sleeve; ISSUE)

Vinyl

Record conditon: Mint - (very, very slight dish)

Labels condition: Spotless

Sleeve condition: Excellent ++++

First off the pile after a forced break (nasty PC virus), I thought I'd make it a real goodie.

I'm selling this little rarity for a long-time friend, who has found himself in charge of someone else's collection. The record actually belongs to a well-known face on the Potteries soul scene, who is selling some of his prized items in order to sponsor his early retirement in Thailand (jammy b?!?!"d). In order to keep up with the life he has grown accustomed to, some items have to go under the hammer. It's a case of 'wine, women, and song'. To keep up with a plentiful supply of 'wine and women', the 'song' has to go!

His loss certainly - someone's gain definitely.

Considering her cult status, little is known about Laura Greene. She saw herself as an actress rather than a singer, appearing on both stage and screen many times. Her TV appearances include comedies, soaps, and adverts, and she twice made it into the cinema. Her debut was in the 1968 film For Love Of Ivy, in which she had a small role as a hostess in a casino. The film's producer and main star was Sidney Poiter, the first really influential black actor to make it big in Hollywood. In 1969's cult satire, Putney Swope, she had the larger part of 'Mrs. Swope'; although the latter film is more interesting for some of it's bit parts, which included roles for Al Green, Ronnie Dyson, and Antonio Fargas (later to regularly star as Huggy Bear, in Starsky & Hutch).

Laura may have been born in Cleveland, Ohio, where she recorded a single in 1966 for the influential Way Out label ("Come Have A Drink With Me"/"Don Deopo"). Soon afterwards, she headed for the bright lights of New York City, and further 45s on Mercury, DCP, Epic, Capitol, Soundtrex, and other smaller labels. She was described as a "woman of African, Irish, and Indian descent", whose "exquisite beauty frames a talent that is exciting, vital, and vibrant" - an advertisers babble it may have been, but Laura was certainly a foxy lady. I haven't included some of the bedroom shots from Putney Swope, but they are out there, for those who care to look!

I don't think I need to dig deep into the history of "Moonlight Music In You". You've almost certainly got at least one permutation of the backing track in your collection already. For the UK label devotee, the Holy Grail has to be a Philips copy of Frankie & The Classicals' "What Can I Do" (Pye Disco Demand will definitely not suffice!) The cheapest vocal (and the earliest) is "Moonlight, Music And You" by The Essex (Bang) - exactly the same lyrics as Laura Greene's version, but with the word "radio" instead of "guitar" during the spoken intro. There are plenty of options if you prefer instrumentals, some of them having a cacophony of farmyard grunts and squawks. If it has Teddy Vann's name on the label, and dates from 1966, 1967, or 1968, then it's probably in there somewhere.

As I said before, this is a pretty much unplayed black issue copy, which looks visually stunning, and plays as new. It also has a bit of story behind it, because it came from Laura Greene herself, and was one of a few mint issue copies she had retained. Forget the various reissues (either orange, beige or grey), or recent repros. This is the genuine article, with the title incorrectly displayed as "Moonlight Music In You" (no comma either).

A. Clip-clopping, mid-tempo, stomper; doesn't deserve to lie forever in the shadows of it's illustrious flip; uncredited male call-and-response; hand-clap beat at the end.

B. No comment; listen in full via the above youtube link (not taken from the sale copy).

The vinyl is flawless (very, very lightly dished), and both sides play like new.

Both labels are immaculate. Apologies for the crap scan. White demo's make far better images, but are only half as valuable. At least Nipper and his gramophone are visible.

To complete the set, the single has it's original RCA Victor company sleeve (red, black, and white/curved top/inside glued), which is in close to perfect condition.

This record has been played on both sides to verify condition, but there's a full money-back guarantee on all my sales, and I'll refund anyone who isn't totally captivated.

Domestic postal rates (sent recorded delivery, unless the winning bid is under £5):

One 7" single: £1.90; 40p per 7" afterwards.

One 12" single/LP: £2.90; 80p per 12"/LP afterwards.

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO PICK UP THE ITEM IN PERSON.

Overseas postal rates (all sent recorded delivery):

One 7" single: £7 or £10; 50p per 7" afterwards.

12"/LPs at a cost to be determined later.

DUE TO A NUMBER OF LOSSES/CLAIMS RECENTLY, ALL OVERSEAS WINS WILL AUTOMATICALLY BE CHARGED £10, WHICH I WILL THEN ADJUST, ACCORDING TO THE SALE VALUE.

OVERSEAS BIDDERS WHO WIN AN ITEM UNDER £30 WILL BE CHARGED £7 FOR A FULLY INSURED PACKAGE.

OVERSEAS BIDDERS WHO WIN AN ITEM OVER £30 WILL BE CHARGED £10 FOR A FULLY INSURED PACKAGE.

THIS IS NOT TO DETER PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS, BUT TO ENSURE PEACE OF MIND.

PLEASE DON'T BID IF YOU DISAGREE.

IF YOU ARE AN OVERSEAS WINNER, PLEASE WAIT FOR ME TO AMEND YOUR INVOICE BEFORE PAYING.