The usual three boot fairs again this weekend, with almost nothing to show for it. It seems as the season slowly winds down so do the records on offer.
For 30p I am VERY happy with this 45 though.
This was my only purchase today at one of the boot fairs I visited. Ever since I bought this Denise La Salle 45 I have been on the look out for more singles on the UK Westbound label. There weren’t many, and some are relatively easy to find as they were hits for the Detroit Emeralds. This particular release of theirs wasn’t a hit though, as far as I know, and I had never seen a copy before so for 30p it was an easy choice, and it’s in great nick.
So how come I was glum when I handed over the loose change? Because it is just possible that this record has effectively cost me £60.30, and that is because driving to the boot sale I could have been captured on one of our wonderful country’s speed cameras.
This one was a mobile camera. Picture the stretch of road: a fairly steep downhill with a 40mph limit, near the bottom of the hill the limit changes to 30mph, the road bends slightly to the left and there is a fixed camera about 500 yards into the 30mph limit. So where was the mobile camera van placed? About 200 yards before the fixed camera. And this was at about 7.30am on a Sunday. Now if that isn’t an example of a pure revenue generator then I don’t know what is. I suppose with all the Government cuts just about to kick in we can expect to see a lot more of these mobile cameras. My speed was somewhere between 30 and 40 so it remains to be seen if I actually get a ticket.
Still, I should be worried about a speeding ticket? Abrim Tilmon an original member of the Emeralds, and writer of the A side of this 45, died of a heart attack in 1982 aged just 37. Now that is really not fair.
The break at the beginning of “smart” has, apparently, been a favourite with the hip-hoppers over the years – Common, Nas, DJ Krush to name just three.
The B side is just as good (and was an A side in its own right in the USA, I believe), except perhaps for the slightly incongruous rock-esque guitar break.
6 comments:
The Dee-troit (as my old boss used to pronounce because he came from dee-troit) Emeralds were great. Many a night the old boss used to pull them out of his own little crate and pass around another beer saying "Listen to this, you'll love it!"
I love this record. Thanks for reminding me why I need to find a copy. 30p is a total steal.
Nice sounding rip too.
ana...
I picked this one up in the early summer - 50p.
I did too!
(Ha-ha - Now you're hooked too!)
Though I haven't got a scanner so can't do fancy label uploading : (
Great record. And it was a hit, not as big as their previous, but I remember hearing it on soul radio in Jersey.
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