GENE CHANDLER Duke of Earl 45rpm Vinyl Columbia DB 4793 First Press 1961
£
30
$
40
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Description
GENE CHANDLER Duke of Earl 45rpm Vinyl Columbia DB 4793 First Press 1961
Gene Chandler is remembered by the rock & roll audience almost solely for the classic novelty and doo wop-tinged soul ballad "Duke of Earl"; the unforgettable opening chant of the title leading the way, the song was a number one hit in 1962. He's esteemed by soul fans as one of the leading exponents of the '60s Chicago soul scene, along with Curtis Mayfield and Jerry Butler. Born Eugene Dixon, he was a member of the doo wop group the Dukes and "Duke of Earl" was actually a Dukays recording; Dixon was renamed Gene Chandler and the single bore his credit as a solo singer. Chandler never approached the massive pop success of that chart-topper (although he occasionally entered the Top 20), but he was a big star with the R&B audience with straightforward mid-tempo and ballad soul numbers in the mid-'60s, many of which were written by Curtis Mayfield and produced by Carl Davis. Chandler's success became more fitful after Mayfield stopped penning material for him, although he enjoyed some late-'60s hits and had a monster pop and soul smash in 1970 with "Groovy Situation." His last successes were the far less distinguished disco- and dance-influenced R&B hits "Get Down" (1978) and "Does She Have a Friend?" (1980). (Richie Unterberger, AllMusic)
I have graded the vinyl Very Good Plus. There are light play marks and those consistent with a record being brought in and out of its sleeve over time and yet the vinyl still looks very good and it certainly plays well. There are those singles that I test play that frankly make my heart sing - this is one of them. What a great number, Duke of Earl, which summons up the era perfectly, the early early sixties. I think both sides give clear quality play.
There is an inner sleeve with a soft protective lining, as well as a thicker outer plastic sleeve. I have created a photographic frontispiece for easy identification when housed in a collection but I must make it clear that THIS IS NOT THE ORIGINAL SLEEVE.
- Matrix / Runout (Label A): 45-VJ416A 45
- Matrix / Runout (Label B): 45-VJ416B 45
- Matrix / Runout (Runout A, stamped): 45 VJ 416A-1 N OT
- Matrix / Runout (Runout B, stamped): 45 VJ 416B-1 N OT
POSTAGE : I prefer to use UPS via eBay, which is a really speedy service, usually arriving overseas within 2-4 days, whereas Royal Mail can take many weeks to arrive. I have a flat rate of £20 which is what it costs to deliver to US and other parts of the World although Europe is around £15. There is only provision for one flat rate and so it is fixed at £20. If you live in Europe please mail me and I will adjust the postage before you buy. In some instances the postage costs more than £20, to further parts of the World and we may need to similarly adjust this, although often I am prepared to pay the difference provided the record isn’t very low value.
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