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SINGLES POP RECORDS
Few things are more of their time than pop records,
but their ephemeral nature has made them the subject of a lively collectors' market
In the 1950s, the 7-inch, 45rpm vinyl single replaced the 10-inch, 78rpm shellac single
as the basic currency of popular music.
This didn't happen overnight. For a few years, new
recordings were issued on both formats, but no more 78rpm singles were released in Britain after 1960.
The new vinyl records were much less fragile
than their predecessors, but were still seen as essentially throwaway items by most
people who bought them, while the companies that produced them were quick to delete from their
list any record that did not sell.
The change in the format of records
coincided with other changes in the popular music business.
Teenagers, a group that as far as most
people were concerned did not exist before World War 2, were suddenly the major buyers
of records, and the new generation embraced rock 'n' roll, the rebellious new music
from the USA, as their voice.
BEAT BOOM
The sale of singles reached its peak in the 1960s,
with the British beat groups and the American rhythm & blues and soul artists who
inspired them all selling well.
At the same times, a small collectors' market began to appear, as late-comers and nostalgics tried to obtain
hard-to-get, deleted classics.
By the mid-1970s, 33rpm LPs had taken over as he main form of recorded music. A few major acts, such as Led Zeppelin, never released singles, while most people saw them only as
trailers for LPs.
Then, in Britain, a new teen-led movement, punk, brought excitement back to
a moribund market.
Though the prime movers of the scene, the Sex
Pistols and The Clash, signed to major labels, others signed short-term deals with new, independent companies such as Stiff and
Chiswick, which was set up by the owner of a record shop.
Many bands took advantage of the
excess capacity at record-pressing plants to release and distribute their own singles, most of them in picture sleeves, and many of these products of what was essentially a
cottage industry are widely collected today.
COLLECTOR'S NOTES
Some record collectors specialize in one or two artists, while others follow interests in different labels or styles of music.
Almost all of them, though, start with an interest in music. Let your ears be your guide.
If you're looking for rarities, arm yourself with one of the published price guides to rare records before beginning the hunt. Bargains can still be had by sifting through the record boxes in junk shops, charity shops and jumble sales, while there are usually one or two
record stalls in every flea market.
Specialist dealers won't provide you with a bargain, but will save you ploughing through stacks of rubbish looking for the occasional gem.
Record fairs are advertised in local newspapers and the monthly magazine Record Collector.
The latter also lists hundreds of postal sales and auctions, which are the best way to get a good price for any records you want to sell; dealers will give you only around half of the listed price for a rarity.
The condition of a record is all-important. It is traditionally graded as mint, excellent, very good, good, fairly good, poor or bad.
Most collectors insist on at least very good condition. Records in poor or bad condition ones are worth little and should be avoided.
If you can't listen to a record before you buy, at least examine it under a good light, looking for scratches, scuff marks and general signs of wear and tear.
Make sure that any picture sleeves or inserts are present.
Records should be stored upright. Plastic outer sleeves help protect their covers and seal the records from dust.
Always keep records away from heat and damp, and never handle them except by the edges.
Old record players with auto-changers have a period charm about them, as have jukeboxes, but you should never play valuable records on them.
Recommended:
Goldmine
Record Album Price Guide, 2nd Edition
by Tim Neely
Instruments collecting:
Old
Guitar Mania: A Guide to Vintage Guitar Collecting: How to Get Started, Build and Maintain a Guitar Collection With Advice and
Personal Comment by Bill Blackburn
Vintage Synthesizers: Pioneering Designers, Groundbreaking Instruments, Collecting
Tips, Mutants of Technology
by Mark Vail
The Steve Howe Guitar Collection
by Steve Howe
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