Index 0001-0100

 I'm going to post record indexes here in batches of 100 records. Here's the first one.

 

Record #0828: Stop, Come See Me / Gum Shoe – SONNY THOMPSON

King 5055 (original) USA, May or June 1957
Words & Music by:  Side A – Paul Tate; Side B – Henry Glover
Musicians: Sonny Thompson (piano and orchestration), Paul Tate (vocals on side A), King Curtis (tenor sax on side B), others unknown
Recording sessions: Produced by Sonny Thompson, probably at King Records Studio, in Cincinnati, OH, in early 1957
Highest chart positions: none

Thompson had two #1 hits in US R&B in the late 40’s plus few top 10 hits as well. By 1957 his peak success had faded.

The flipside is what makes this record interesting for me. It features one of the great saxophone players in rhythm & blues and rock’n’roll; King Curtis. He played sax on many, many classics, and I’ve posted few of those in this blog, e.g. here, here and here.

List price: American Premium Record Guide lists Thompson’s King releases at $5-$10. As I’m writing this post, someone (in Denver, CO) is asking $27,95 for this record in eBay. Well, no harm in asking. 😊

 

Record #0827: Birth of the Boogie / Mambo Rock – BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS

Rhythm BM 5405 (original) UK Finland, 1955 (around summer)
Words & Music by:  Side A – Bill Haley, Billy Williamson, Johnny Grande; Side B – Bix Reichner, Mildred Phillips, Jimmy Ayre
Musicians: Bill Haley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Franny Beecher (lead guitar), Al Rex (upright bass), Billy Williamson (steel guitar), Joey Ambrose (tenor sax), Johnny Grande (piano), Billy Gussak (drums), Dick Richards (tom-toms)
Recording sessions: Produced by Milt Gabler at Decca Studios, Pythian Temple, New York, NY on 5. January 1955
Highest chart positions: (Finland, none) Side A – US #26, Australia #14; Side B – US #18, UK #14

When this was released, rock’n’roll was still fairly unknown genre in Finland. The reception in local newspapers and magazines was highly critical and bewildered. This music was considered an eccentric gimmick or noisy, cacophonous jazz that would be just a passing trend. Well, little did they know. 😊

The record wasn’t a commercial success. The movie “The Blackboard Jungle” premiered in Finland in November 1955. After that, things started happening.

List price: Not listed and no selling history in eBay. Estimated market value for a VG+ would be about €15-€25.

 

Record #0826: See You Later, Alligator / The Paper Boy (on Main Street U.S.A.) – BILL HALEY AND HIS COMETS

Decca BM 05530 (original, 1^st pressing) UK export, February 1956
Words & Music by:  Side A – Robert Guidry; Side B – Bill Haley, Catherine Cafra
Musicians: Bill Haley (vocals and rhythm guitar), Franny Beecher (lead guitar), Al Rex (upright bass), Billy Williamson (steel guitar), Rudy Pompilli (tenor sax), Johnny Grande (piano), Ralph Jones (drums)
Recording sessions: Produced by Milt Gabler at Decca Studios, Pythian Temple, New York, NY on 12. December 1955
Highest chart positions: Finland #6, US #6, US R&B #7, UK #7 (the single entered the UK chart on 10. March 1956)

I’ve posted the original US release here.

The matrix numbers (88995-1 and 88996-1) stamped into the dead wax indicate that this is the first pressing of the record. These were made in England for export only. The ones made for the UK market were under Brunswick label (Brunswick 05530).
These were exported to the continental Europe and especially to the Nordic countries; and this copy ended up in Finland.

List price: No list price could be found. The estimated market value is €25–€50 for a copy in Very Good condition and €100 or more for one in Near Mint condition.