Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Five Sharps

Have some extra cash laying around? Check out this rare and valuable record being auctioned off at Christie's Auction House:

The Five Sharps "Stormy Weather/Sleepy Cowboy" Jubilee 5104
Original 78 RPM record, circa 1952. 10"


Sale Information
SALE 2012, 25 June 2008
POP CULTURE


Conditions of Business for this Sale
Estimate(Set Currency) $20,000 - $30,000 Christie's Buying Guide

Previously unknown example of this legendary rarity. Recorded in 1952 Stormy Weather by The Five Sharps has attained vaulted status among record collectors, not necessarily for the music but more for the fascinating story of its discovery and subsequent history. Jubilee 5104 was the first and only release by the teenage quintet from Jamaica, Queens The Five Sharps. The recording of Stormy Weather and flip side Sleepy Cowboy, took a few hours, and the group of was paid in hot dogs and soda. An unknown quantity of records were released but somehow it failed to make an impression. It was rediscovered in 1961 when a copy was found, and Time Square Records owner Slim Rose played it on his popular radio show.

On the way home from the studio Rose snapped the fragile 78 record in half (although some accounts have his pet raccoon Teddy doing the deed). In an attempt to find another copy, Rose advertised a reward in his shop. Over the next few years the reward got more and more lucrative, but no one came forward. Since then, a scant few have surfaced and legend of Stormy Weather has grown.

The offered example was purchased by our consignor in 1952, at the Blue Note Record Shop in Harlem. A Harlem resident, she enjoyed music, and looked forward to purchasing a new record each week, which she then would meticulously record in her 78 album sleeves (not offered, see inset for illustration). It has been in her and her family's possession ever since.

Source:

http://www.christies.com/LotFinder/lot_details.aspx?from=searchresults&intObjectID=5095614

More New Vinyl Releases

The Hold Steady have unveiled some bonus material for the upcoming physical release of their new album. The record is titled "Stay Positive" and is due out July 15, 2008.

The band apparently pushed out a digital release quickly to counter a leak, and so the physical releases will include bonus tracks. The vinyl version will include "Ask Her for Adderall" and the CD version will include "Adderall" in addition to two other tracks, "Cheyenne Sunrise" and "Two Handed Handshake."

Charlatans Release Tenth Studio Album

Brit-rock pioneers The Charlatans have recently released their tenth full-length record. Described as an album of "childhood fantasies and adult realities," the LP finds the UK quintet reinvigorating the 80s with a contemporary sensibility.

Available earlier this Spring as a free download from a UK site, You Cross My Path was downloaded more than 90,000 times. The album is available now via Cooking Vinyl.

You Cross My Path Tracklist:

1. Oh! Vanity
2. Bad Days
3. Mis-takes
4. The Misbegotten
5. A Day for Letting Go
6. You Cross My Path
7. Missing Beats (of a Generation)
8. My Name is Despair
9. Bird Reprise
0. This is the End


Other recent and upcoming vinyl record releases:

Adele: 19 [vinyl]
Black Lips: Black Lips! (reissue) [vinyl]
Booka Shade: The Sun & the Neon Light [vinyl]
The Builders and the Butchers: The Builders and the Butchers (reissue) [vinyl]
The Cure: Freakshow (Mix 13) (single)
Dosh: Wolves and Wishes [vinyl]
Elbow: One Day Like This (import single)
Emylou Harris: All I Intended to Be [vinyl]
Foals: Red Socks Pugie (import single)
Foxboro Hot Tubs: Stop Drop and Roll!!! (with bonus CD) [vinyl]
Gas: Nah und Fern (2-LP) [vinyl]
James Hunter: The Hard Way [vinyl]
KaiserCartel: March Forth [vinyl]
Levon Helm: Dirt Farmer [vinyl]
Madonna: Hard Candy (3-LP edition with CD) [vinyl]
Mars Volta: The Bedlam In Goliath [vinyl]
Miss Kittin: Kittin Is High [vinyl]
My Morning Jacket: At Dawn [vinyl]
My Morning Jacket: The Tennessee Fire [vinyl]
Odd Nosdam: Pretty Swell Explode [vinyl]
Old 97s: Blame It on Gravity [vinyl]
Plants and Animals: Parc Avenue [vinyl]
Robert Pollard: Robert Pollard Is Off to Business [vinyl]
Subtle: Exiting Arm [vinyl]
Supergrass: Diamond Hoo Ha [vinyl]
Various Artists: Body of War: Songs That Inspired an Iraq War Veteran [vinyl]
Vetiver: A Thing of the Past [vinyl]
The Virgins: The Virgins [vinyl]