60s NORTHERN SOUL PAULA PARFITT LOVE IS WONDERFUL ORIG

	£		107
	$		142

PLEASE NOTE:

THE POSTAGE ON THIS ITEM IS NOT FREE!

I REALLY COULDN'T AFFORD TO START THE BIDDING AT JUST 99p IF IT ONLY SOLD FOR THAT AMOUNT.

THE FEES THAT EBAY AND PAYPAL CHARGE ALL SELLERS HAVE TO BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT, AS WELL AS THE P&P COSTS, SO I'M SURE THAT PROSPECTIVE BIDDERS WILL UNDERSTAND. ALL OF MY ITEMS ARE WELL-PARCELLED, AND MOST ARE SENT RECORDED.

PLEASE WAIT FOR THE INVOICE BEFORE FINALISING PAYMENT.

Postal rates:

One 7" single: £1.80; 30p per 7" afterwards.

One 12" single/LP: £2.80; 50p per 12"/LP afterwards.

YOU ARE ALWAYS WELCOME TO PICK UP THE ITEM IN PERSON.

BID NOW - PAY LATER!

I KNOW FROM MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE THAT SETTLING UP DURING THE DAYS AFTER CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR CAN BE A LITTLE HARD ON THE BUDGET, WITH A GENERAL CASH SHORTAGE (PARTICULARLY IN THESE TROUBLED TIMES).

HAVE NO FEAR - DURING THE MONTH OF JANUARY 2010, I WILL BE QUITE HAPPY TO HOLD ANY ITEMS THAT HAVE BEEN WON FOR A PERIOD OF THREE OR MORE WEEKS, UNTIL THE WINNING BIDDER WISHES TO SETTLE UP. THE END OF JANUARY OR EARLY FEBRUARY WILL DO FINE, AND EXCELLENT FEEDBACK WILL STILL BE LEFT. YOU WILL PROBABLY RECEIVE A REMINDER AFTER THREE DAYS. TAKE NO NOTICE, IT IS SYSTEM-GENERATED, AND COMES FROM EBAY. THIS GENEROUS OFFER DOES NOT APPLY TO MILLIONAIRES.

I've made the decision to sell some of my very large collection of 7", 12" and LPs.

ALL THE ITEMS I AM SELLING COME FROM NEARLY FORTY YEARS OF COLLECTING.

I AM NOT A DEALER.

There will be some real gems, so make sure you keep your eyes open.

SOME OF MY LISTINGS CARRY 'BORROWED' SOUND CLIPS BENEATH THE TITLE.

I AREN'T QUITE ADVANCED ENOUGH YET TO PROVIDE MY OWN!

From now on, most of my items will start at just 99p, unless they are valued at £30 or more.

60s NORTHERN SOUL/POP

EVER-POPULAR FEMME SKIPPER

ON ORIGINAL BEACON

PAULA PARFITT

"I'M GONNA GIVE YOU BACK YOUR RING"

b/w

"LOVE IS WONDERFUL"

HEAR HERE! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k1TAqk8Ln44

(UK: Beacon BEA 135, 1969)

Record conditon: Very good (plays mostly Excellent - to Excellent ++ (A); mostly Excellent +++ (B))

Labels condition: Very good +

This Beacon B-side has always had more of a following among the fairer sex, and what it lacks in soul content it certainly makes up for in danceability. Surprisingly, it didn't received a placing in Kev Roberts' Northern Soul Top 500 - not even in the runner's up section. That may be down to current trends, which have tried to forget that Bobby Goldsboro once enjoyed more dance floor action than Bobby Hutton. Answers.com have insisted on titling this enchanting skipper as "Love Is Beautiful", but having said that, I must admit some surprise at even seeing a page devoted to this singer, especially since she only ever had one release.

"Love Is Wonderful" was first played on the Northern scene way back in 1973. It's hard to believe that it was only four years old, when it was spun at Bolton's Va-Vas all-nighter, during the six-month period between the demise of The Torch in March, and the opening of Wigan Casino in September. It went on to become a giant at the Casino in the mid-70s, until the inevitable 'second issues' flooded the market. These have a large US-style centre, as opposed to the solid centre of original 1969 copies. Another test: the edges of the labels end with a saw-tooth anti-slip rim on originals, while the repros have a smooth rim. Since then, it has made the journey to CD, appearing on Goldmine's essential 1995 collection, "British Soul Volume 1". Back in 1969, original copies were as commercially unsuccessful as almost everything else on Beacon, with the exception of the first release: The Showstoppers' "Ain't Nothing But A House Party". The real surprise is that the Willesden-based label eventually put out almost ninety singles, and lasted as long as three years. Paula Parfitt is far and away the most collectable of the Beacon singles, with Manship putting a conservative £150 on it some five years ago.

I found this copy in a so-called 'junk shop', thirty years ago - hence it's rather dirty appearance. I've never been much good at haggling, so begrudgingly paid the asking price of 5p. They must have seen me coming!

A. Jaunty pop ditty.

B. Joyous, uplifting memory-jerker; listen in full via the above youtube link.

This one is currently priced by Manship at £150 for a minter.

The record has numerous lightish scuffs and scrapes, giving it a very worn appearance. The sound quality, however, is much, much, much better. The A-side plays for the most part above excellent, with some light background noise part of the way through, and some light intermittent ticking during the fade ending. The B-side plays with just very light background noise near the beginning, and then very near mint for the remainder.

It's definitely very DJ-friendly. 

Both labels have a similar amount of grubbiness and ring-wear. All the text is fully legible, and there are no stickers, sticker marks, or any form of writing.

The edges are completely chip-free.