NORTHERN SOUL 45 RUFUS WOOD - BEFORE 2001 ON ESPANOLA

$

1,334

Ghettoville/Before 2001 (Espanola 3602)

Important note: On the blue lettering pressing 45, Before 2001 is the B side and Ghettoville is the A side. On the black lettering pressing 45, song titles are transposed or shall we say flipped and Before 2001 is the A side with Ghettoville on the B side. Remember the item you are bidding on is the much more rare blue lettering pressing!!

         Back in 1968, Houston, Texas native Rufus Wood was a mysterious genius nonpareil - his brilliant and presciently titled hard-hitting soul record "Before 2001" gave everyone who was alive at the time 33 years advance notice on how the 21st Century would be. In this song he sings of being a king with his queen and convincingly sings "Before 2001, I want to have my fun" on this ultra rare one-off 45 for the Espanola label. The Espanola label HQ was situated at 3602 Dowling in the heart of Houston's Third Ward - and in this case the reference number does match the street address. Today, it seems as if Espanola and Rufus Wood have vanished into thin air - not much is known about this one-off label and its star singer. I like to refer to Rufus Wood's "Before 2001" and "Ghettoville" as a type of subtle Northern Soul subterfuge - with his music he is able to masterfully get someone to dance by giving the option to contemplate his thematic subjects later. As great as Wood's singing is, the musical arrangements of "Before 2001" give an unexpected frisson with its edgy guitar riffs and hard-driving beat. "Before 2001" was written by A. Collins and produced by Don Kemp and Alton Valier. This is definitely peak hour Northern Soul - if you're a DJ, you have to build up to this record - that's how great it is....On another note, the real question here is "Black or Blue?" If you're wondering whether this is the Espanola 45 with black lettering or blue lettering, today is your lucky day - this is the 45 with BLUE LETTERING! As some of you may already know, the blue lettering 45 is worth a lot more than the one with black lettering. One theory I've heard about the disparity in value between the black and blue is that the blue lettering 45 was just an extremely limited first pressing and the black was the official label regular pressing. Manship lists the value of this blue lettering 45 at 550 GBP. I think it might be worth even more than that now! This is an INCREDIBLE Northern Soul record, and I have to say this is my favorite soul 45 to ever come out of my hometown of Houston, Texas, so bid accordingly! Trust that you will not be seeing this one again anytime soon. It is the RAREST OF THE RARE even here in Houston! Pass it up now and you may never see it again, believe that. Grade: VG+ (There are light scuffs on one side and a few scratches on the other side. There are a few minor audible pops at the beginning of 2001, but with such a loud and well-pressed record that is basically Houston soul history, this should not even matter.) Shipping cost is $5.50 for US destinations. You must have a verified account with a confirmed address if using the Paypal option. Feedback is requested and expected for this transaction. Payment for this item is due July 8th as I will be going on vacation and unavailable until the end of July. Thank you for looking and participating!

Just being facetious here, but I'd be remiss if i did not thank all of my Soul-Source.co.uk fam effusively for watching and visiting this auction page....I encourage all of you to place a bid on this item...This one's for you!....On another note: For once, I can say I actually agree with James Trouble - at least when it comes to his assessment of this record....I also forgot to add the fact that this great Rufus Wood record is also included in Manship's "Million Dollars of Rare Soul" book....Anyways, as we say down South, HAVE A GOOD ONE!