EYE ON EBAY------Sarah, the rare and the rarer

Here's a selection of Sarah records which sold recently on ebay.

First up the reasonably rare Come Get Me by the 14 Iced Bears. This is the fifth release on the legendary label by a band represented on several labels during their existence.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190279644358&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=009

Here is the Orchids very fine single I've Got A Habit. This is the Bristol based label's second release and I remember paying £18 for this in MVE nearly twenty years ago. Poor old Vanbrugh had to part with £77.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=190279642848&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=009

And finally the single that started it all. Sarah 1, the utterly essential Pristine Christine by the Sea Urchins. Many would argue that Sarah never equalled this debut release. This fell a few pence short of £70. That's £70 well spent.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=170295202052&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=007

THE NOBLE ART OF SCAVENGING

The girlfriend and I ventured into the deep middle class recesses of the home counties a few weeks ago. We wandered the discovered paradise that is Windsor, never to be a wasteland despite the volatile nature of the economy. We forgot the camera so I cannot entertain you with an amusing pictorial. Little was rescued from charity shops. A number of Inspiral Carpets 12" and a Pooh Sticks one sided live LP on Fierce were spotted and denied access to T.Rev Towers.
I'm no fan of live LP's and having seen the Pooh Sticks live I had little inclination to part with £3.99 for the honour of being transported back to that shambolic night many years ago.

We waved goodbye to the jewel-encrusted citizens of Windsor with a two fingered salute which was encouraged by the infernal road system which was certainly designed by a cartel of cyclists.

Eventually we arrived at Henley, adjusted our boaters, and mingled among the rowing elite. Our only discoveries were made in Oxfam where a quartet of posh teenage girls amused us with their gentle fondling of LP's, oohing and aahing over the pretty artwork as one said to another, "be careful, you might break it," despite the vinyl still being in its sturdy sleeve. Records are not as fragile as false eyelashes, girls. Leaving youth to pet the records I discovered Sabre Dance by Love Sculpture, wanted for the superior B side, and Tied Up With Mary, unfortunately not a tribute to the pleasures of bondage, by the very wonderful Patsy Ann Noble. A fabulous piece of pop backed by a robust mid-tempo moody number called Green Eyed People which is not a dismissive ditty about people cursed with emerald eyes but a sophisticated indictment of those that revel in the sin of jealousy. K hovered around the bookshelves and found a collection of Richard Brautigan's writings and with our treasures we repaired to the pub.

EYE ON EBAY

I like Hypstr66. He's the man from whom I won the Evening Outs single. We completed the transaction in a car park in Walthamstow. It was most clandestine though he did invite the girlfriend and I to the pub for a drink. He could certainly afford to buy us one. But we had to hurry off to a party and so declined his kind offer.

Anyway he scooped £43 for You're A Rebel by Metropak which I picked up for £1.99 in a local charity shop a couple of years ago. Metropak followed this single with the inferior Here's Looking At You 7" before changing their name to Pak and releasing one more single. Found the second single in a charity shop too.

(An Evening Outs update. Since I parted with an incredible amount of cash for aforesaid record the little beast has made ebay its natural habitat. It sold for just over £100 a few weeks ago and currently two sellers have it up for auction. One has it a reckless starting price of around £250.)

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=160311209427&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=006

EYE ON EBAY------Keys please me

Rather surprised that this single by the Keys gathered in £42.30 for the seller. I picked it up in MVE last year for £3 (smug smile). I also own an LP by them which I confess I have yet to play; it has been lost among recent purchases which are cluttering up our hall.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=330304136351&ssPageName=STRK:MEWA:IT&ih=014