Select45rpm is a UK based Record Sales site. We sell Original 7" 45s by Mail Order.
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We sell Original Vinyl 45rpm records, we do not sell LPs or CDs. We do not sell bootleg CD-R copies of any of our records as you can find on other sites. We sell only the vinyl, the exact item you see is the one you'll get. Accurate grading on high grade vinyl is what you want, we rarely sell anything below EX.
Several Decades of being able to Buy, Play, Enjoy & then Sell Vintage Vinyl from 1947-1983 means we know Music very well and have always tried anything that was unknown & looked interesting musically. You'll look a long time to find another Dealer who really knows so many styles of music like we do, as we tried the lot out over the years. We don't collect Vinyl much now, having had so much of that what is eagerly sought today, so all items we get are sold on this website & listed on ebay. The best stuff you will always see after we've recorded it to the Computer! See Photos of Every Item and play MP3 samples of 2500+ items £12 and over.
Being willing to try unknowns that others sniffed at back in the earlier days mean we've started the interest in many items & they've grown in price & collectability since? How many even bothered with the Hipster Image 45 in 1991? We did & copies were easily found cheaply. We hyped our copies well & it's grown to be a big ticket item now! We got Jago Simms in 1986, & have sold it at the right price several times yet RC doesn't list it. That Craig Douglas Northern one is also our find from 1998, as is the Anita Bryant one from 1987. Being into all styles means you find gems amid unlikely sources.
As the record market changes, so do we. Our price ranges are £5, then £10 upwards. For a record to be listed at £5 it must be NM or better as anything else isn't worth listing or a fiver.
ORIGINAL RECORD COMPANY SLEEVES.
We do not supply these sleeves with any record, unless obviously a Picture Sleeve or an EP sleeve. Buyers still expect these Old sleeves for Free, but the reality is the ones they want in EX or better without tears or writing beyond the Catalog Number are actually pretty RARE. We often get those Repro sleeves, or ones we get we just bulk out cheap in large lots. On ebay etc you see Old Sleeves in the photos, either they are tatty ones, or if nice, they are nearly always Collectors selling up & they have spent the time matching sleeves. We supply the Vinyl & it's up to you to find these sleeves & swap them around as you find better ones, as well as putting the correct era 45 & sleeve together. Some ebay sellers sell these & have got surprisingly high prices for some. Over the years, well over 75% of old sleeves we've had have not been nice enough to bother sorting out & in the days we did as a page on the site shows, few wanted or now even want to PAY for them, even if high grade except the rarest ones!
RECORD PHOTO LISTINGS
This is a new way to browse records, so new that no-one else is doing this & most browsers were initially sticking to the text listings as our stats showed for the first 2 months, just as they were used to it. But AFTER JUST 2 MONTHS the PHOTO page hits are now nearly matching the (now obsolete & not going to return) TEXT format listings, which is nice. SO WHY ARE WE DOING THESE PHOTO LISTINGS? It's like browsing a box of records, you see the 45 & what you'll miss looking at boring Text you'll see looking at Photos. A picture tells more than words & our photos are a fixed size to be readable 3 discs-a-row on a 1024x768 19" screen and smaller sizes will show maybe just 2. They load up a 100 photos fast with our photos. Try it, you'll like it & yes it does look Cool. Look at a few pages & see we've got "That" and you didn't know we had it. Text listings are 40+ years old going back to the early list dealers, but just photos is a new one and one you should check out and copy it for your own site.
FINALLY DITCHING THE DULL A-Z TEXT LISTINGS is actually good for sales. Some may miss
the ease of quickly finding things, but Search is there & we'll add all manner of details to give INTERESTING reading of Text based search results. Ebay & Google results are totally random based on ebay's Time start-end or Google's complex scoring etc. To see yet again the same looking list with even a good amount of new items is boring to the point you don't bother looking as is the New Additions list when we have over 7500 live items amid our Stock. Simply people don't bother to look & the new Photos pages sorted by label are the closest you'll get to an A-Z order. Reading Text sorted by name as on one Soul guy's site is still archaic "Presley, Elvis" nonsense & even putting Elvis after the Platters makes awkward reading. So goodbye to text, us who bought in shops etc etc saw a mixed box & looked at the label or sleeve for what it is. Text reading is dull & you bet you'll have missed items you want as you don't spend more than a minute scanning a text page, but us looking at our Photo Pages & grimacing at seeing 4 copies of the same record sometimes though with different grades etc is what you saw in a box in that old Record Shop of old. Even on ebay you must cry out "Oh not that again" at some items that are forever relisted, but you remembered them despite the randomness.
STRESS-FREE description reading. We know how tiresome these "wow, amazing, life-changing, essential" type BS listings on ebay are as you have to almost read between the lines & translate the ridiculous wording into what you can understand, or even downsize the % text size to read Billboard size lettering. Being excited about a common record in VG is never going to happen, but you will find it attempted. All the "puff" they write & you then see a sticker on the label that they oddly don't state. One expected disappointed buyer left this comment to one silly hypester: "Description:Next to wonderful.....not really true". Blinded by hype he bought, in reality he gets an average record. People do buy lower grade items if they know exactly what they're buying, we can sell a £200+ rarity overall NM but noc with a big scratch across the B side clearly letting the potential buyer know it plays real nice despite looks & price realistically = sold fast & buyer happy (ebay sale).
We've got lots of high grade 45s & ones in lower grade that play better that are priced right. You can see Photos & get a basic idea from MP3s, so we let you decide without that tidal wave of hype.
SIMPLIFYING MUSICAL DESCRIPTIVE TERMS
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We avoid all the silly buzz-words to describe a music style as these are just confusing, don't actually tell you much or are outdated as the term has been overused. We are only using the more established terms that have been used for decades. This means we don't use Northern, Freakbeat or Popcorn, and what can mean those words to one may not to another. We list mostly uptempo music, be it a Midtempo Dancer or Uptempo Dancer, only established classic slower non-dance records sell now so why bother saying "Dancer" when 95% are anyway. The rest that is slow is by an artist or on a label that is collectable.
We are listing the most appealing or sellable side of a record first, that is the side modern buyers would prefer based on what sounded the better side to us. This means many hit records are listed by the B side as the B side has more appeal today, but the buyer who still wants the hit need only read what we class as the B side for the hit side.
Beat: more rhythmic version of 60s Pop. Merseybeat actually goes under Beat & Teen Beat.
Beat R&B: this is the UK Mod Freakbeat type music with a harder edge, fuzz guitars & that wilder sound.
Funk: we are using this for Soul records from 1968 on with an obvious sparce break-style beat or the wah-wah guitar sound such as on "Superstition" by Stevie Wonder. To us a 70s soul dancer isn't funk otherwise.
Glam: brash fuzz guitar Rock-Pop of an early 70s variety. We'll try to avoid it as Psych Pop or Rock Pop describes it better.
New Wave: 1977-82 type of lively experimental pop from Punk and Synth sounds to 2 Tone.
Pop is a style of music without any real clear definition unlike other terms. Doesn't mean it's boring. 50s Pop equates to the non Teen or Rock & Roll artists.
Psych is more used as Psych Pop or Psych Beat for mind bending type records from 1966 onwards.
R&B is Rhythm & Blues, the earlier stage of Soul. Strictly by Black artists, anything by White artists goes under R&B Beat or Soul Beat-Pop. R&B mostly ended by 1964 though some artists were still recording in the early 60s style in the 70s.
Reggae & Jamaican R&B, Calypso & Ska is listed together under those terms. Some "Reggae" type records are actually Soul or R&B but belong under the same Jamaican music heading.
R&R is both Rock & Roll and Rockabilly. Anything more Teen sounding is called Teen R&R to give a distinction
Soul we use to cover from 1964 onwards, see R&B for earlier years. Soul covers Northern Soul, Southern Soul, Deep Soul, Funk & more. Soul by White artists is under Soul Beat or Soul Pop
Soul Beat or Soul Pop: Blue Eyed Soul of a more Beat or Pop sound. Soul that sounds like Black artist Soul, but by a white artist. May upset PC ninnies but it's descriptive to the point.
Teen is White artist pop music that can be Teen Pop or if it is influenced by Soul, R&B or 60s Beat it is noted Teen R&B, Teen Soul or Teen Beat. Much of the Teen scene is also called Popcorn, but we avoid the term as it can cover too many styles.
Teen R&R is Rock & Roll with a more Teen Pop edge, eg Johnny Restivo 'The Shape I'm In' is still Teen R&R.
As the 'Ø' pictures above show, we don't play the Silly Hype game here.
If a record is of good musical quality we prefer to let you decide by playing the MP3s via the links on the listing pages. Some records just get a basic description like R&B Dancer so if that appeals, go have a listen to 60-90 seconds of the track.
All 45s we sell are 7" wide so can't be monsters as they're only little & they are not sharpened into a death star shape, so they won't be "killers" either! No buyer cares if a record is a "monster", "killer", "ultra rare" or whatever. We personally loathe the stupid killer term, for all that's gone on in the news, do we really need to hear it describing music? "All Killer No Filler" is to blame for that one. "All Hit No Shit?", "All Boss No Dross" is a better one.
What matters is they know it, want it, it's within their price range and is properly described & plays how they'd expect! Ken Dodd Demos are "ultra rare" but who wants them? A lot of records do sell for good prices with no mention of rarity. A couple we did used to put "rare" on as they genuinely are extra rare, but it now feels totally pointless even adding the word, so the only time you'll see RARE now is in the artist or song title. More silly words read on amateur sellers listings: "Deleted" (a 35 year old record usually would be, what 7" 45s beyond limited new 45s are not deleted?). "In Demand" (no it isn't I don't want it!). "Highly Collectable" (I'll nail it to the ceiling then). More randomness like that on our Disclaimers page.
Also, buyers do care if an otherwise "square" record or artist has gained credibility because of the sound of certain tracks & nearly every MOR singer made some groovy tracks, from Sinatra's "Bim Bam Baby", Peggy Lee with "Sneakin' Up On You" & others, Connie Francis and Brenda Lee with their "R&B-Popcorn" tracks. Even usually tame dull pop-easy artists may have sneaked out a groovy track, Buddy Greco, George Maharis, Frank Ifield, Vince Hill, Craig Douglas, Anita Bryant & plenty more.
The point is none of these silly hype words make a slight bit of difference, no buyer buys what they don't know unless it's rated highly in value or desirability & going too cheap! Having an MP3 for the inquisitive buyer to hear means much more. We know many dealers play our MP3s & help get the lesser-known ones known by finding copies & ebaying them in auctions, with varying results, we hope to lead where others follow! We've been doing that for years.
The best way to have & discover great Vintage tunes that will become the Soundtrack to your life is to try them on 45s individually. A long CD with lots of filler tracks or a lo-fi YouTube track will often hide great tunes for the amount there is to wade through. Focus on one item presented nicely & you will add something to your life that you will always remember. The first records you liked as a Collector will always be your favourites, so don't sell them as you'll only want them back again! There will be some records that hit you emotionally for various reasons (time, place, person, lyrics) & to have the original 45 with you is like keeping an old friend around who can sing to you when you need it! Enjoy your Vinyl!
BEWARE EXPENSIVE EBAY BULLSHIT!!
Ebay is full of storytelling shysters who appear to do very well (if the prices are actually genuine) with essays & a crafting of excitement & the idea of essentialness in the mind of the suggestible buyer. Such stomach churning verbal diarrhoea in word craft would do better in the world of trashy Novels surely? As an example, read on. A huge amount of effort is made by one ebay seller to quote misinformation, song lyrics (copyright?) & hypnotise you with his lengthy "lived it, mate" essays on admittedly high grade but otherwise common 60s chart hit records. And sit back in your chair and wonder how you missed out, yeah right. Yes, it includes tiresome Stamper code quotes naturally. A recent example is Jimi Hendrix Purple Haze. There are three versions on Track 604001 issued in 1967, one extra rare if not much known, one standard & one rarer. The top rarity is the one sided pressing with a White label and font type logo & details, looking like some 1967 Blue Beats. The B side is blank with no grooves cut. The music is the same as every other copy. In our experience the "Regular" found version is the White Track with the logo & the B side. It sold well & it sold fast in March 1967. It was later pressed on the Black label, judging by the 4:1 ratio of white to Black we've encountered over decades, not likely on black until mid 1967 when white paper ran out. The Black label pressings are a bit thinner vinyl too. Popsike shows someone got a £57 bargain with the 1 side copy & £30 for a Mint white label regular copy one is acceptable if a little high. Yet this absolute master of BS, making others look like Muppets, got a lofty £161 from a 1000+ rated bidder! All we can say is good luck to all involved, but now beware overpricey-itis & more BS.
Having dared to see what other BS guesswork they've got away with, how about a mid 1963 press 'From Me To You' for £300! See what we charge! The very first is the scarce (not rare) dull paper with small title as we show elsewhere, his was the later 'She Loves You' 1st type. We are just being shown how suggestable buyers are who are not collectors but more 'artifact' buyers & their pockets are very deep, to the point of not caring. But don't even waste a second of your time to think it's upsetting that you are missing out on such big carelessly spent money, consider if any of it is even real, 'nothing is real' as JL himself said.
Hits do turn up in very high grade, some buyers resisted the temptation to play, as well as caches of unsold stock. Hits did sell, you really don't find full unplayed boxes of 60s hits & those that were lightly played got stored 40+ years & now time is bringing them out. We remember the 80s when a Drifters 'Save The Last Dance For Me' big hit 45 was annoyingly only found in G+, yet a few years ago we actually had 6 Mint ones from varied collections! In the 80s, these records were still being kept or forgotten in boxes & only the well-used secondhand items were around from those who use & sell items fast without much interest after the initial popularity faded. There is similar going on in the LP market, with extortionate prices (allegedly) being paid for average records or better ones in VG!
What happens when these foolishly hypnotized buyers try to sell their 10x overpaid items on, or indeed what do they do with them? The Chase is better than the Conquest... We may reach some of these lofty prices if we bothered to auction, but as we have a website & a distinct lack of syrupy thought, we'd rather Set Sale & let the buyer buy calmy at real-world prices.
Record Prices don't really give too much of a clue to the musical worth, although some will like expensive records & think they are "better" when the truth is they often are just similar to the hits and cheaper non-hits in style, if lacking the money tunes kudos. Only having the big £100+ tunes & not the cheaper & usually better ones makes for boring listening. Some big hit Chart Records are surprising as the music style is very underground, but due to promotion & luck top 10 hits were made out of unlikely records like Crazy World of Arthur Brown "Fire" and Rupie Edwards "Ire Feelings Skanga". Many B sides of pop hits are experimantal too. In 1979-82 the New Wave scene unusually made hits of the best records, whilst the non hits lack the music quality of the hits.
In the 50s & 60s you'll find many records that really should have been hits, but with only a Top 30 or 50 chart & poor promotion, many either missed out on sales or sold steadily but not Top 30 amounts. Some non chart records sold a lot more over longer time periods than some fast hits did. It would be nice to see the Top 100 records per year, strictly by Sales if such info still existed. Look online at Pirate Radio charts & find many classics that only hit their charts.
Thankfully the change in Music Formats has made Vinyl more a pre 1990 format, as today's music with no direction is just mimicking styles of the past, Rap is over 30 years old & apart from a few early funk-based classics, is the most shite form of music there is. Formulaic "tactile" pop of today is so manufactured it barely exists, but is lapped up by the undiscerning (or those just unaware of 'real' music as it was before their time) masses. "Feed a Dog shit every day & it will grow to love shit as that's all it knows" is very true, and there will be fans & books written about the feel & texture, nay the taste of said merde. Rock music is finally dying off in commercial terms, the Stadium type rock killed it's progress in 1985 with 'Live Aid'.
Retro music is doing much better (most current music IS retro to some degree, nothing new out there) & old timers from the 80s & before are still pulling in bigger crowds & sales than today's lot that few know who they are or care. So dear reader, the Golden Years of Music from 1947-1982 should be treasured & explored fully as they really don't make 'em like that no more...
We are listing copies with Label Variations
but only differentiating if we have more than one copy, then some are getting listed as solid centre, pronged centre, smaller print, larger print, minor variant etc. We have to test the market & dearly hope it doesn't care beyond Elvis, Beatles & Stones buyers. We know some have a preference to solid or pronged centres, if gladly not to the insane 3 or 4 prong centre difference RC tried to say mattered on Wailers Ska Beat 45s. Records are being collected for reasons beyond playing the thing, so it may be interesting to see. So far there is no interest in non-Beatles varieties or mispressings or errors. In fact a mispressing is worth LESS than the proper item.
A word on Web Forum types & those who don't like Dealers... such as one that uses a below collector-grade name. You see it searching for our site name, so go ahead & read what they say as a related person chose to argue our side, which initially seems pretty pointless really for the outcome, but a good exercise in extinguishing some flames in the world of selling online. It was a sharp bit of PR really (unlike Politicians) as "they" were fully answered at every stage until they gave up & were sick of always being answered. All started as an unknown saw a £10 item on an out-of-date cached page that was now £12 on the then-current site. Search engines still have pages we used YEARS ago as our web stats show someone clicked on a page they found somewhere. No dealer in any commodity is "respected & admired" as one dodgy YouTube advertised rip-off buying site claims. Good established dealers create the market, keep it alive & help it grow, provide buyers with goods they cannot easily get and educate them of what there is that they would like. We'd never use "Expert" to describe ourselves & don't need Ego massaging by having our name exalted. Those cross little boys without real names may offer one wild opinion in knowledge they are anonymous with no apparent comeback, but we do know from our site stats who uses our site for research & very likely other dealers sites to see what they need to search out for & buy cheaply if they can which they are welcome to do. We do the work and they do totally trust our efforts as they reap the benefits as profits & good tunes, but sadly will never compliment or admit they were helped by a Dealer. But we too reap the benefits as they help get records known. IT'S JUST HUMAN NATURE... Most of it is like any person in any level of the media gets, you are out there & pigeons will poop on you sometimes. Wipe it off & keep on walking proud, but remember where that tree was next time...
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