Thrift Shop Finds and Free Records!! Part 1

Well it’s been awhile since I’ve really posted anything, here, outside of some show playlists, but that should be changing, here, soon. I haven’t done a whole lot of thrift shopping, lately, but recently have had some interesting finds in the few attempts I have made. Back over the Summer, while spending a Sunday afternoon at some of the Asheville-area antique malls, I did make a couple of nice finds. At one location, I ran across three LP’s of note:

Homer and Jethro Strike Back – RCA Camden;  The Humorous Side Of Country Music – Homer and Jethro – RCA Camden; and one of Hank Snow’s first album releases, Country and Western Jamboree on RCA Victor.

But the find of that day had to be a 45 rpm that I ran across at another store; “Western Union” by the Five Americans on Abnak Records.  This record was a top 5 Pop hit in the Spring of 1967. I had a well-worn copy (which has now found a home in my 9 year old daughter’s growing 45 collection), but this copy is in excellent condition. And the best part? It was free! It turns out that the record was in the lost and found section and the staff had no idea what booth it came from, so they simply gave it to me.

My next acquisition came courtesy of a co-worker at my “day” job. Anne is her name and she had about 15 45′s that she wanted to get rid of, and rather than simply give them to a thrift shop or throw them out, she wanted to give them to someone whom she knew would appreciate them, and I do! Thanks, Anne!

There’s a nice mix of oldies, country, and a couple of regional sounds in the mix.  I wound up with the following…

“Sundown” – Gordon Lightfoot – Reprise

“Sunshine On My Shoulders” – John Denver – RCA Victor

“Sweet Georgia Brown” – Brother Bones – Harlem Globetrotters – This record was initially issued on a 78 rpm on the Tempo label.  My dad had a copy of this when I was a kid, but it got broke.

“Kind Of A Drag” – The Buckinghams – U. S. A.

“Acid Raga” – Sunn Cycle – Spectrum – This is a very scarce record, recorded here in Asheville, in 1969.  A Psychedelic instrumental, I think it’s a great sounding record, especially for a local release.

“The Ballad Of The Green Beres” – Sgt. Barry Sadler – RCA Victor

“Day For Decision” – Johnny Sea – Warner Brothers – This was an answer song to Barry McGuire’s “Eve Of Destruction”.

“Hung Up In Your Eyes” – Brian Hyland – Philips

“Baby I Need Your Lovin’ – Johnny Rivers – Imperial

“What The World Needs Now Is Love/Abraham, Martin, & John” – Tom Clay – Mowest

“Judy In Disguise” – John Fred & His Playboy Band – Paula – Another that replaced a slightly more worn copy that my daughter now has.

“Tee Shirts and Mudflaps, Parts 1 & 2″ – Johnny Bell & The Jaguars – Really Sincere – Another local release, I think from ’68.

“The Night Chicago Died” – Paper Lace – Mercury

“Nashville Cats” – The Lovin’ Spoonful – Kama Sutra

And that’s not all. I recently got a nice, inexpensive haul of 45′s AND 78′s, at the local Habitat For Humanity store.  We’ll look at that collection in part 2 of this article, coming up.

Thrift Shop Finds and Free Records!! Part 1