Citizendia
Your Ad Here

Record collecting is a pastime for millions of music fans the world over. Although the main focus is on vinyl records, all formats of recorded music are collected. A gramophone

Contents

History

Record collecting has been around probably nearly as long as recorded sound. In its earliest years, phonographs and the recordings that were played on them (first wax cylinders, and later flat shellac discs) were mostly toys for the rich, out of the reach of the middle or lower classes. The phonograph, or gramophone, was the most common device for playing recorded Sound from the 1870s through the 1980s By the 1920s, improvements in the manufacturing processes, both in players and recordings, allowed prices for the machines to drop. While entertainment options in a middle to upper class home in the 1890s would likely consist of a piano, smaller instruments, and a library of sheet music, by the 1910s and later these options expanded to include a radio and a library of recorded sound.

After the fall of the phonograph cylinder, the record was the uncontested sound medium for decades. The earliest method of recording and reproducing sound was on phonograph cylinders. The number of available recordings mushroomed and the number of companies pressing records skyrocketed. These were 78 rpm, double-sided, ten-inch shellac discs, with about four minutes of recording time on each side. Shellac is the commercial resin marketed in the form of amber flakes made from Lac, the secretion of the family of lac-producing insects though most commonly from the

Growth in the recorded sound industries was stunted by the Great Depression and World War II, when some countries were hamstrung by a dearth of raw materials. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including By the time World War II ended, the economy of these countries began to grow again. Classical music (which was a large portion of 78 rpm releases) was slowly edged into a minority status by the influx of popular and new music. Classical music is a broad term that usually refers to mainstream music produced in or rooted in the traditions of Western liturgical and Secular music Popular music is Music belonging to any of a number of musical styles that are accessible to the general public and are disseminated by one or more

The introduction of both the 33 1/3 rpm, 12-inch LP record and the 45 rpm, 7-inch record, coming into the market around 1949/1950, provided advances in both storage and quality. Long play (LP record albums are 33⅓  Rpm vinyl Gramophone records (phonograph records generally either 10- or 12- Inches in diameter These records featured vinyl, replacing the previous shellac materials. Further groups of small labels came into existence with the dawning of the rock and roll era in the early to middle 1950s, and the growth of a market among post-war teenagers with disposable income to spend on 45 RPM singles. In the Music industry, a record label can be a Brand and a Trademark associated with the Marketing of music recordings and Music Rock and roll (also known as rock 'n' roll) is a form of Music that evolved in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s with roots in mostly African

In the United Kingdom, rare 78 rpms were traded, usually American Rock and Roll, Little Richard and Elvis Presley. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located Rev Richard Wayne Penniman (born December 5 1932 better known by the Stage name Little Richard, is an American Singer, Songwriter Labels such as London-American, RCA and Capitol were priced at a premium. RCA Records (originally The Victor Talking Machine Company, then RCA Victor is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as One of the earliest UK record collectors was Mike Adams, who was first known for trading in 1958 on Merseyside. He later became a DJ on the BBC and broadcasted on collecting records for many years. A disc jockey (also known as DJ or deejay) is a person who selects and plays recorded music for an audience He wrote several books on collecting including Apple Beatle Collectables. In the UK, labels considered collectible, such as Atlantic Records, Stateside, Motown, and Parlophone (EMI) turned into mainstream major record labels later on in the 1960s. Atlantic Records ( Atlantic Recording Corporation) is an American Record label best known for its many recordings of Rhythm & blues, Rock Stateside ($tateside Records is a British Record label which initially released licenced American recordings and is now a reissue label "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. Parlophone is a Record label, founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company. The EMI Group is a British music company comprising the major record company EMI Music – which operates several labels and is based in Kensington in

The record collecting hobby probably did not take shape as such until the 1960s. With the folk music boom in the late 1950s to early 1960s, there was suddenly a demand for archival material. The American folk music revival was a phenomenon in the United States in the 1950s to mid-1960s An archive refers to a collection of historical records and also refers to the location in which these records are kept Record collectors fanned out in some countries, searching small towns, dusty barns and mountain cabins for older discs. Initially, the most-desired items were pre-World War II shellac discs containing "race records" (that is, blues, country blues and hillbilly music), the precursors to then-current rock-and-roll and country styles. Race records were 78 rpm Gramophone records made by and for African Americans during the early 20th century particularly during the 1920s and 1930s The Blues is a vocal and instrumental form of Music based on the use of the Blue notes It emerged as an accessible form of self-expression Country blues (also folk blues, rural blues, backwoods blues, or downhome blues) refers to all Old-time music is a form of North American Folk music, with roots in the Folk musics of many countries including England, Scotland, Country music is a blend of popular musical forms originally found in the Southern United States and the Appalachian Mountains. Later generations of record collectors found their passion in digging up obscure 45's in the genre of doo-wop, or LPs from the late 1960s "garage rock" and "psychedelic" genres. Doo-wop is a style of vocal-based Rhythm and blues music which developed in African-American communities in the 1940s and which achieved mainstream popularity both in the 1950s Psychedelic rock is a style of Rock music that attempts to replicate the mind-altering experiences of hallucinogenic drugs.

The pop music scene changed forever in January 1964 with the arrival of The Beatles in the United States. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 In their wake, thousands of musical bands inspired by their fresh, lively take on rock music with a sharp British sensibility, picked up guitars, and many released records. Many of these acolytes released 45 RPM records in small batches to sell at local concerts and to their friends and families. Due to their relatively small pressings, these obscure local records became highly prized and valuable.

The "collector's item" with the most notoriety in record collecting is not a record at all, but merely an album cover. An album cover is the front of the packaging of a commercially-released audio recording product or Album. The Beatles themselves accidentally contributed what is probably the most well-known and valuable "collector's piece" of the rock-and-roll era: "The Butcher Cover". Yesterday and Today (rendered as "Yesterday" …and Today on the record label and in most published discographies is the ninth Capitol This is an informal title for the piece, which was an album cover for the album Yesterday and Today. Yesterday and Today (rendered as "Yesterday" …and Today on the record label and in most published discographies is the ninth Capitol Until 1967, the LP releases of the Beatles in their home country of the UK were substantially different from the LP releases in the USA. These American albums were shorter, had different songs, album titles and artwork.

A Holy Grail of some collectors is Bob Dylan's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963 pressing that has four songs that were deleted from subsequent pressings), known to fetch up to $35,000 in stereo and $16,500 in mono in excellent condition. [1]

One collectible record format is known as a test pressing. Test pressings are exactly what the name implies; 5-10 copies of a record pressed for the purpose of checking the mix or levels on a record, or to ensure that the die is cutting properly. Though usually meant for the band, producer, pressing plant, or record label to keep as reference, they are often placed in special packaging (such as a photocopy of the real record sleeve) and given out to friends or devoted fans.

In the 1970s, the record collecting hobby really took off with the establishment of record collecting publications such as Goldmine, and in the UK, Record Collector. Price guide books were published, codifying exactly how much certain "rare items" were supposed to be worth. The "grading" of records based upon condition became more standardized across the hobby with the publication of these price guides.

With the introduction of the compact disc in the middle 1980s, there began a stratification in the hobby; commonly found vinyl specimens that had been pressed in the hundreds of thousands or even millions of copies became relatively worthless, while the rarest of specimens became ever more valuable. A Compact Disc (also known as a CD) is an Optical disc used to store digital data, originally developed for storing digital audio These rare items included 45 rpm discs in the genres of blues, rhythm and blues, doo wop, garage rock, progressive rock, and psychedelic rock. Progressive rock (often shortened to " progressive " " prog " or " prog rock " is a form of Rock music that evolved Other rare and highly valued items include pieces from highly collectible artists such as The Beatles, Elvis Presley, U2, Madonna, The Cure, The Rolling Stones, or James Brown. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Madonna Louise Ciccone Ritchie (born August 16 1958 known as Madonna, is an American The Cure are an English rock band that formed in Crawley, West Sussex in 1976 James Joseph Brown Jr (May 3 1933 – December 25 2006 commonly referred to as "The Godfather of Soul" the "King of Funk" and "The Some of these are items that were pressed for promotional purposes only and sent to radio or television stations. Some are pressings from nations other than the USA or UK where they were pressed in very small quantities.

Even in the 21st century certain contemporary bands have a following of record collectors. This is most prominent in the punk and alternative genres. Alternative rock (also called alternative music, alt-rock or simply alternative; known primarily in the UK as indie) is a genre of For example, the special edition of NOFX's 1999 release, The Decline, on transparent vinyl has already reached prices of $350. NOFX (pronounced "no ef-ex") is an American Punk rock band that was formed in Los Angeles California (now based in San Francisco The Decline is a punk EP by NOFX. The CD version consisted of only the 18-minute title track but the vinyl included a different version Due to the DIY ethic and constrained budget of many punk bands and labels, releases by lesser-known bands tend to be in limited edition. Specific pressing runs of records are sometimes printed on different colored vinyl, have new or different songs, contain spelling or mixing errors, or may be in lower quantity than other pressings. All of such factors increase a specific record's collectibility. For instance, in 1988, New York hardcore band Judge attempted to record their debut Bringin' It Down at Chung King Studios. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) New York ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States and is the nation's third most populous Hardcore punk (now usually referred to as simply hardcore) is a subgenre of Punk rock that originated in North America in the late 1970s Judge was a New York-based Straight edge band formed in 1987 by Youth of Today guitarist John "Porcell" Porcelly Chung King Recording Studios, formerly known as The Chung King House Of Metal, is a New York City Recording studio founded by John King that The bad experience and low quality result left the band so disappointed that they scrapped the session and re-recorded the LP elsewhere. The older sessions, however, were pressed onto 110 copies of white vinyl entitled Chung King Can Suck It! and sent to fans who had pre-ordered Bringin It Down to reward them for their patience, as rerecording caused a major delay in the release. A vinyl compound is any Organic compound that contains a vinyl group (also called ethenyl) &minus C[[Hydrogen H]] =CH sub>2 Copies of the record have been sold for up to $1,700 on sites like eBay. eBay Inc is an American Internet company that manages eBaycom an Online auction and shopping Website in which people and businesses buy and

Other music genres also have their fervent adherents. Classical music, for example, has its own dedicated following. The first wave of collectors concentrated on early stereo orchestral recordings on labels such as British Decca and EMI, and US Mercury Living Presence and RCA Living Stereo. Decca Records is a British Record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis. Some of these records still sell at auction for hundreds of dollars. However, the focus of the top collectors has now shifted to earlier material, and rare European monos from the fifties by top artists have become highly sought. Monaural (often shortened to mono) sound reproduction is single-channel The Far Eastern collectors who dominate this market tend to prefer chamber music, and solo violin and cello. Chamber music is a form of Classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber

Intended audience

The intended audience of a collection may include

or a combination thereof.

Scope of collection

The scope of a collection may include

or a combination thereof.

Notable record collectors

Most valuable records

The following list is an attempt to list the 25 most valuable recordings. Greg Shaw (January 1949 &ndash October 19, 2004) was a Los Angeles -based Fanzine publisher music historian and Record label owner The Pebbles series is an extensive group of Compilation albums in both LP and CD formats that have been issued on several Record labels though mostly Who Put The Bomp was a rock music Fanzine edited and published by Greg Shaw from 1970-79 Bomp! Records is an American indie label featuring punk pop powerpop garage rock new wave old school rock neo-psychedelia and much more Thurston Joseph Moore (born July 25, 1958 in Coral Gables Florida) is an American Musician best known as a Singer, Data is sourced from Record Collector magazine, eBay, Popsike, Good Rockin' Tonight and other sources.

  1. John Lennon & Yoko Ono – Double Fantasy (Geffen US Album, 1980) Autographed by Lennon five hours before Mark David Chapman assassinated him. John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born born in Tokyo on February 18 1933 is a Japanese Artist and Musician. Double Fantasy is the comeback album by John Lennon and Yoko Ono, released in 1980 initially on the newly-formed Geffen Records, and then Geffen Records is an American Record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label Mark David Chapman (born May 10, 1955 in Fort Worth Texas) is the man who murdered English musician and activist John Lennon $525,000. [1]
  2. The Quarrymen – "That'll Be the Day"/"In Spite Of All The Danger" (UK 78 RPM, Acetate in plain sleeve, 1958) Only one copy made. The Quarrymen (circa late 1956—October 1959/1997—present are an English Skiffle band that was formed in Liverpool in the latter part of 1956 by John " That'll Be The Day " is a song written by Garth Salisbury and Buddy Holly and performed by various artists including Buddy Holly and The An acetate, or ethanoate, is either a salt or Ester of Acetic acid. $180,000 [2]
  3. The Beatles – Yesterday and Today (Capitol, US Album in ‘butcher’ sleeve, 1966) $38,500, though more typically prices range from $150-$7500 [3]
  4. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (CBS, US album, stereo 1963 featuring 4 tracks deleted from subsequent releases) $35,000 [4]
  5. Long Cleve Reed & Little Harvey Hull – "Original Stack O’Lee Blues" (Black Patti, US 78 RPM in plain sleeve, 1927) $30,000 offered to Joe Bussard. The Beatles were a pop and rock band from Liverpool, England formed in 1960 Yesterday and Today (rendered as "Yesterday" …and Today on the record label and in most published discographies is the ninth Capitol Capitol Records is a major United States -based Record label owned by EMI and located in Hollywood California and New York City as Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan is singer-songwriter Bob Dylan 's second Studio album, released in May 1963 by Columbia Records. CBS Broadcasting Inc ( CBS) is an American radio and Television network. Joe Bussard (born Joseph E Bussard Jr in Frederick, Maryland, July 11 1936) is an American collector of 78-rpm [5]
  6. Frank Wilson – "Do I Love You?" (Tamla Motown, US 7” 45 RPM in plain sleeve, 1965) $30,000[6]
  7. Velvet Underground & Nico – The Velvet Underground and Nico (US Album Acetate, in plain sleeve, 1966 with alternate versions of tracks from official release) Estimate $40,000+ Sold on eBay, December 9, 2006 for $155,401. Frank Wilson is an African American former Songwriter and Record producer for Motown Records. "Motown" redirects here For the city see Detroit Michigan. This article is about the band For their self-titled album see The Velvet Underground (album; for the book see The Velvet Underground (book Christa Päffgen ( October 16, 1938 ? &ndash July 18, 1988) was a German Singer - Songwriter, fashion model However bids were fake and record was relisted. Final selling price was $25,200. [7]
  8. Elvis Presley - Stay Away, Joe (US, RCA Victor UNRM-9408, 1967) One side promotional album. [8]
  9. The Five Sharps - "Stormy Weather" (US, Jubilee 5104, 78 RPM, 1953) $25,000 offered to David Hall of Good Rockin' Tonight [9]
  10. The Hornets - "I Can't Believe" (US, States 127, 78 RPM, 1953) $25,000 [10]
  11. Sex Pistols – "God Save the Queen" (UK A&M 7” 45 RPM with mailer, 1977) $22,000 [11]
  12. Bach, Cello Suites, Andre Levy, French Lumen 3. " Stormy Weather " is a 1933 song written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. The Sex Pistols are an English Punk rock band that formed in London in 1975 " God Save the Queen " was the second single released by the Punk rock band Sex Pistols. A&M Records is an American Record label owned by Universal Music Group which operates through the Interscope-Geffen-A&M division 447-449, signed by Levy on all three records, $20,000. [12]
  13. Blind Joe Reynolds – "99 Blues" (Paramount, 78 RPM 192?) $20,000
  14. The Quarrymen – "That’ll Be The Day"/"In Spite Of All The Danger" (UK 10” 78 RPM and 7” 45 RPM, in reproduction Parlophone sleeve, 1981 reissue, 25 copies of each) $18,000 [13]
  15. The Beatles – The Beatles (Parlophone UK album, 1968, numbered below 000010, black inner with poster and four colour prints) $18,000 [14]
  16. Bob Dylan – The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan (As #5 but mono version) $16,500
  17. Billy Ward & His Dominoes (Federal, 295-94, US 10” album, 1954) $12,000 [15]
  18. Charlie Patton – "Screamin’ and Hollerin’" (US 78 RPM) $11,550
  19. Judy Garland - Two unreleased acetates from March 1935, $22,500 bid for the pair, failed to meet reserve. Parlophone is a Record label, founded in Germany in 1896 by the Carl Lindström Company. Charlie Patton, better known as Charley Patton ( May 1, 1891 - April 28, 1934) is best known as an American Delta Judy Garland (born Frances Ethel Gumm; June 10 1922 – June 22 1969 was an American actress and singer [16]
  20. Elvis Presley - "That's Alright" (Sun Records, US 7", 45 RPM, 1954) [17]
  21. Mozart á Paris (Conducted Fernand Oudabrous) – (Pathe France, 7 Album box set, 1956) $11,300 (eBay, April 3, 2007) [18]
  22. John’s Children – "Midsummer Night Scene" (Track, UK 7” 45RPM, 1967) $11,000 [19]
  23. Willie Brown - "Future Blues" (US, 78 RPM, 192?) $10,200 [20]
  24. The Beatles - The Beatles (Decca, 1968 Contract export pressing) $9,800 [21]
  25. Basco Vs The Electroliners – ""The Beat Is Over" (Sm:)e US 10” red vinyl 45RPM, 1996) $9,400
  26. The Beatles – "Please Please Me" (Parlophone, UK 7” 45 RPM, 1963 signed by all four members of the band) $9,500 [22]

References

  1. ^ Lennon killer's signed LP on sale
  2. ^ Record Collector 100 most valuable records Rocklist. Sun Records was a Record label based in Memphis, Tennessee, starting operations on March 27 1952. John's Children, formerly "The Silence" were a Leatherhead, England 1960s pop-art/mod band featuring future T Willie Brown may refer to Willie Brown (politician (born 1934 Mayor of San Francisco 1996–2004 Speaker of the California State Assembly 1980–1995 " Please Please Me " is the second single released by the The Beatles in the UK and the first to be issued in the US net, accessed 2007-07-21
  3. ^ Scrap that recording, it'll become an instant classic Guardian Unlimited, accessed 2007-07-21
  4. ^ Scrap that recording, it'll become an instant classic Guardian Unlimited, accessed 2007-07-21
  5. ^ Desperate Man Blues bubbaguita. guardiancouk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. guardiancouk, formerly known as Guardian Unlimited, is a British website owned by the Guardian Media Group. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  6. ^ Tamla Motown stuff the soulsurvivor. co. uk, accessed 2007-21-07
  7. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  8. ^ Jerry Osborne picks valuable records Spirit magazine, accessed 2007-07-21
  9. ^ Ultimate Doo-Wop record Doo-Wop Society of Southern California, accessed 2007-21-07>
  10. ^ Good Rockin' Tonight Good Rockin' Tonight
  11. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  12. ^ EBay item number 230187288018, sold on Nov 2, 2007. Will probably appear in Popsike soon.
  13. ^ Record Collector 100 most valuable records Rocklist. net, accessed 2007-07-21
  14. ^ Record Collector 100 most valuable records Rocklist. net, accessed 2007-07-21
  15. ^ Jerry Osborne picks valuable records Spirit magazine, accessed 2007-07-21
  16. ^ Early Garland recordings fail to sell USA today, accessed 2007-21-07
  17. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  18. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  19. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  20. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  21. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21
  22. ^ Popsike.com Most valuable recordsPopsike. com, accessed 2007-07-21

External links

© 2009 citizendia.org; parts available under the terms of GNU Free Documentation License, from http://en.wikipedia.org
 Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic