Billy Sprague 45 Photo S2663 E+ Condition Summertime/Boy Meets Toy

$

54

Greetings everyone! Thanks for stopping by another of my record auctions! I appreciate that you made the time in your busy schedule to check out the goods! I’ve been doing this on ebay for the past 8 years of so, and it’s always fun to have folks show up and see what’s available…though it’s more fun to get what I have sold, and into your hands! Your business is always appreciated, and that’s not just lip service! So let’s see what I’ve got for you folks this time!

This time up, I have a 7” 45rpm release (date of release unknown, but would guess late 50s to early 60s) on the Photo record label, label #P45-S2663, by Billy Sprague. This is the single of “Summertime” b/w “Boy Meets Toy”. I picked this up on my boss’ last auction, mainly due to having never seen this label before, and was (and still am) unfamiliar with the artist. But it looked pretty neato, so I was able to get the winning bid in for it. “My Boss’ auctions?” you ask? Just look at the next to last paragraph on the page, I’ve included that information in my copy/paste stuff below. Anyways, I had already had this in my queue to get listed for you folks, and the only thing I really needed to know was what kind of music it was, and what the sound was like, but hey, that’s why I play grade what I get listed for you folks! “Summertime” is indeed, the famous tune from the Gershwins, only thing is-this also has a subtitle of “In 5/4”. Sprague’s trumpet takes the lead on this tune, providing music where the vocals would have been, but, being an instrumental (both sides are), anyone attempting to sing over that trumpet would have a difficult task, as Sprague’s playing is quite loud, strong, and damned imposing! That’s not to say it’s not good, it’s freaking excellent!  The neat thing about this tune is, after about around a half minute or so into the tune, the rest of the group settles in, and danged if while Billy’s playing “Summertime”, the rest of the aggregation (other singles of this 45 on a different label have it as “Billy Sprague Aggregation”) winds up playing something that is not at all unlike Dave Brubeck’s “Time Out”. The bass and drums have a nice rhythm going, but then-Sprague relaxes for a moment, and there are some killer vibes getting played. Then it’s pretty much trumpet vs. vibes, and the winner is the listener! “Boy Meets Toy” is quite interesting as well, as this tune starts-and ends-with the sound of wind-up toys. After a few moments of this at the start, Billy’s trumpet blasts through this cacophony with that wonderful trumpet sound, and there is a mélange of jazz stylings going on that’s really hard to describe. The percussion is incredible, as there is so much going on, trying to get a bead on any single instrument isn’t impossible, but it’s damned difficult. But there’s also bass, guitar, and again-vibes, but it’s more just backup for Billy’s trumpet playing. It’s rocking, it’s jazzy, you may not be able to dance to it very well, but it will definitely get you going! The playing surface is in nice shape, only a few very light needle marks appear, and these proved to be harmless as both sides played through like a champ, no problems for the needle, and I heard no background noise either. This is definitely good enough to get my E+ grading! That’s my grading though, and my grading is considered non-standard. If you are considering placing a bid, please read the paragraph that follows this one, as it will show you the gradings and their respective descriptions. It won’t take long to read, please do. The labels show some storage wear and some abrasions/discoloring, however, the text is still clean, clear, and very easy to read. If you need more pictures or description, I can and will be happy to provide. If you have any comments or questions, please send them to me, and I will reply as soon as possible.

My Grading is as follows: M (Mint)-ONLY for Still Factory Sealed Records ONLY! No 45 nor 78 will ever get this grading. E+, minimal wear, perhaps only needs cleaning. E, a few light marks, maybe some minor background crackle and/or hiss. E-, light marks, crackling (nothing major), scuffs, etc.. Not great, but still quite playable. V+, More marks, scuffs, needle marks, scratches-but nothing that would make the needle skip. Will have background noise that even with a cleaning will still be around. V. Worn. Scuffs, scratches, can be noisy, but still (probably) won’t cause the needle to skip nor get stuck. V-, Noisy? You bet! Worn? Oh yeah. Playable? Sure, but don’t expect it to sound all peachy keen. P. Bleah! Playable perhaps, but do so at your own risk. Don’t trash a new needle on it. Only used on records considered rare enough for “fill in” purposes to a collector-or to those who do digital restoration. 

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IMPORTANT NOTE FOR NON-U.S. BUYERS!!!!
All items I sell will be sent with postage printed up from eBay. This way, the prices are automatically listed for customs purposes and cannot be altered. Yes, this does mean that the customs people will know the value, but since I get a bit of a price break on postage, I can keep the prices low for you-the buyer.  I will not "mark item as a gift", just so you can evade import rules.  The people at my post office know me, and they will check overseas packages for inspection.  I hope you will understand my position about this, my apologies if you are not able to comply.

Also, international bidders, the price listed for postage on my listings are for domestic mailing.  I wish I could send overseas for that price, but reality speaks different.  I place a fair price on all international postage.  Watch for the invoice if you win.

ALSO-I need to let international bidders know of a certain problem that doesn't always happen, but will arise from time to time.  All International mail sent from this region has to go through the U.S. Postal Service sorting center in Sandston Virginia, by our local airport.  This sorting center has been named the least efficient sorting center in the entire U.S. Postal Service.  They prove this from time to time by mis-routing packages.  If this happens-and I will monitor the delivery-usually it will add at least an extra week for it to arrive.  If there are any problems, please contact me first, and I will do what I must to make sure you are satisfied with the order.
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All items that are sent to a U.S. address will have delivery confirmation (at my cost) attached, as I have found that it helps...a lot!....to ensure that packages are truly en route to the customer.  This is for both of our sakes.  I will be using USPS "Media Mail" as my primary shipping method, however, if needed, and for an extra charge, I can ship with "Priority Mail", and if i can get away with it for the price, I really like 1st Class, but that's weight-dependent.

Oh yes, if you are the winning bidder, and you are in the Commonwealth of Virginia, I'm afraid you are going to have to fork over the 5.3% Virginia State Sales Tax.

Paypal is my preferred method of payment, if you need another way, please contact me before bidding.  Or, if you have any other questions about this listing, or any of my listings, please feel free to contact me.  I will answer any & all questions as quickly and concisely as possible.

Also, I do have other listings available as well, and if you would be interested in more than one item, I have no problem with holding onto wins in case you would like to combine wins to save some money instead of multiple p&h costs.

Ebay has mandated that I include a "handling time" something I had thought was already included.  I usually get records mailed out the day after payment arrives.  But I will let you know that if any listing that is paid for after Friday mornings will have to wait until the following Monday, since I do the majority of packing at work-I have my packing stuff there.  Plus-I won't hound you for payment. As long as people stay in touch, and let me know the interest is still there, don't rush on my account. I don't mind waiting a bit and usually won't send any kind of reminders until after a week-at least-has gone by.  In this economy, the last thing anyone needs is for a seller to come off like a bill collector.  I'll work with you!

Folks, I have lots of records for sale/auction here on ebay, but I also have another outlet that I use as well, where items I haven’t listed elsewhere, and occasionally things that have been listed (but not anymore) here as well. I work for a record store as you may already know, and my boss has been putting out one of the largest, if not the oldest record auction in the Mid-Atlantic area. If you look online for RecordSmith auctions in Richmond, VA, you can easily find the site. If not, or if you’d like any information, you can always contact me through the ebay message system, and I will be glad to get that information for you. Hey, I love my boss, and love working there. So I don’t mind doing some “shilling” for him, and I’m certain he (and I!) would enjoy your participation and business!

I hope that there's someone out there who might like to make this part of your own collection, since that's what I'm here for!  I do appreciate that you did click on my listing and had a chance to check out the goods, thanks again for stopping by!