are these five LPs actually rare and valuable records?

THE AVID RECORD COLLECTOR is a column that I recently started contributing to the Sixties Music Secrets blog. The intention of the column was to address LPs released in the ’60s and subsequently deleted. Then they found their way into cut-out bins of retail record stores around the country and then, years later, found their way onto collector’s want-lists.

The first two columns of The Avid Record Collector provided Sixties Music Secrets readers with information about what this new column would address in the future. The third column looked at one particular album that was damn near ubiquitous in cut-out bins into the early ’70s.

Many articles on the internet read like the author knows next to nothing about their topic.

For the fourth, and most recent, installment, I changed course midstream. Instead of looking at an album that was a cut-out staple once upon a time, I wrote a piece titled, “Are These Five LPs Among The Rarest And Most Valuable Records In The World?”

If you know a thing or two about rare records, then the title of the Yahoo article probably did not have you thinking about Elvis Presley’s one-of-a-kind “My Happiness” / “That’s When Your Heartaches Begin.” Why? For the very simple reason that it’s not an LP, it’s a single!

Do you collect vinyl records?

I opened my column stating that many of the articles on the internet read like they were created by writers whose only goal was to fill up space. Many of these articles indicate an author who knows next to nothing about their topic. These ‘content providers’ do a bit of research, assume some sort of knowledge, and then spew their ‘facts’ and assumptions onto the internet.

The hobby of collecting records has certainly seen its share of this kind of misinformation. This is evident in a recent article that appeared on Yahoo! News titled, “Do You Collect Vinyl Records? Here Are Five Albums That Our Expert Says Are Among The Most Rare And Valuable.”

If you know a thing or two about rare LP albums, then the title of the Yahoo article probably did not have you thinking about Wu-Tang Clan’s one-of-a-kind ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHAOLIN. Why? For the very simple reason that it’s not an LP, it’s a CD!

Are these five LPs rare and valuable albums?

The entire text of the Yahoo article consists of two-dozen words and a 49-second video that lists five “rare and valuable” albums. This is their list:

The Beatles

The “first pressing ever created” copy of THE BEATLES.

Elvis Presley

A “rare test pressing” of his first-ever recording.

Wu-Tang Clan

The only copy of ONCE UPON A TIME IN SHAOLIN.

Madonna

The “original pressings” of LIKE A PRAYER.

The Dave Matthews Band

Standard copies of BEFORE THESE CROWDED STREETS.

As stated, I felt a need to address this ludicrous selection of “rare LPs” and used my Avid Record Collector column to answer the question the article begs, “Are these five LPs among the rarest and most valuable records in the world?” 

To read my article about their article, click here.

If you know a thing or two about rare LP albums, then the title of the Yahoo article probably did not have you thinking about Madonna’s LIKE A PRAYER album Why? For the very simple reason that it’s neither particularly rare nor very valuable!

The Avid Record Collector

There are three other columns in my Avid Record Collector column on Sixties Music Secrets:

1. To read “An Introduction,” click here.

2. To read “What Is A Cut-Out?” click here.

3. To read “The Rolling Stones’ Between The Buttons,” click here.