Page One label: 3 x demo singles + promo sheets, 1969. Billy Budd, Guy Darrell +

	£		33
	$		44

3 x scarce Page One demo singles, 1969.

Two with original promo sheets!

Billy Budd; Guy Darrell; Alan Randall.

These three highly obscure singles, all issued on Larry Page’s Page One label in 1969, came from a small collection of records from this period that I bought fairly recently. The majority of the singles in the collection seem to have been played only rarely and some have clearly never been played at all. Because of this and because there were other demos among them, I think it is possible that the singles were originally owned by a radio station, DJ or music reviewer. This group contains the final three records from this small collection. Please click on See Other Items above if you would like to see the others that are still listed at the moment.

Page One released a very eclectic range of music during its five year existence (1966 – 1970) including some inspired psychedelic pop and early prog rock records. The Troggs were the label’s star attraction but many of the other bands did not have great success. The result is that many Page One releases now have significant rarity value. The three records here are not, to be honest, among the major Page One collectables but all are extremely hard to find now and two of them make interesting listening (the other is completely oddball, even by Page One’s oddball standards).

As you can see, all three records are demos and two even have their original promotional handouts. Promo sheets like these were used to supply DJs and reviewers with background information about the band. They almost never survive because they would have been useful for only a short period. After that they would be thrown away. These two were clearly never used at all and are as bright and clean as if it had been printed last week, not fifty years ago!

All three of the records look barely to have been played. One even looked like it had never to have on a turntable at all until I played it to test it. All have bright, clean labels to both sides and although the original sleeves are a little creased, they are also in nice, clean condition. The records are:

Billy Budd: Alice Long (You’re Still My Favourite Girlfriend) b/w The Straight Life (POF 138) + promo sheet.

I’ve been able to find out virtually nothing about Billy Budd, except that he came from Manchester (and that he was of a literary turn of mind, since he presumably named himself after the Herman Melville novel). The single itself is good fun in a “bubblegum” kind of way and is insanely catchy. I played it twice this morning and am still singing it in my head six hours later. If Ray Davies had decided to write a song for Eurovision, this is what it would sound like. The B-side is a whimsical song about the singer’s desire to escape his boring life.

Guy Darrell: Birds Of A Feather b/w Keep The Rain From My Door (POF 141) + promo sheet

Guy Darrell, who died in 2013, had an interesting career. He was pretty much a jobbing British R&B or beat singer for much of the 1960s, recording with his bands, Guy Darrell and the Midniters and the Guy Darrell Syndicate as well as as a solo artist. Later in his career he became lead vocalist with the progressive rock band, Deep Feeling, whose albums are now well regarded although they were not a great success at the time. In 1973, Guy Darrell has a surprise UK Top Twenty hit with a reissue of his 1965 single, I’ve Been Hurt, which had belatedly become popular on the Northern Soul scene.

Alan Randall: Down The Old Coal Hole b/w Oh Mother, Please (POF 145)

If, like me, you are old enough, you will remember Alan Randall from TV variety shows of the 1960s and 70s. He performed entirely as an impersonator of the music hall singer George Formby, thus effectively inventing the tribute act decades before anyone else. The A-side here is a George Formby song, performed in the George Formby manner. The B-side is a slightly disturbing song about a man who is still treated by his mum as a little boy, even though he is aged 33. Alan Randall sings in his own voice but a number of times, lapses into George Formby. As a trivia note, the song-writing credit is to Jim Dale, presumably the Jim Dale of “Carry On . . .” fame.

UK Postage and packing:  £3.50

International postage and packing:  Postage charges to international destinations are given below.

All postage prices quoted (UK and international) are maximum charges.  If postage and packing costs less than these estimates, I will refund the difference after posting (subject to the difference being £1.00 or more. Unless otherwise indicated, the postage prices I give in the listing are for a tracked and signed-for service, as required by eBay. If however, winning buyers would prefer cheaper options, I am always happy to help with that if I can. Please contact me for a quote.

I hope this description has given you enough to go on but should you require any further information, or more images, please do e-mail.  Please also look carefully at the hi-res photos – they are part of the description.  Thanks for your interest in this auction and good luck if you decide to bid.

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 promotional single demonstration record