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45 Singles You Just Had to Buy

In the bad old days before the internet & streaming😀, what pieces of music did you have to purchase on a 45rpm single because there was no other genuine way of getting them home? The trouble was that more often than not, an album cut of a rock-and-roll hit would be a different version/take/mix of the one you loved hearing on the radio. Which means you just had to get the 45.

Here's a random handful of mine --

Hanky Panky -- Tommy James & the Shondells

Save the Country -- Laura Nyro

She Don't Care about Time and Change is Now -- The Byrds

Baby Please Don't Go -- Them

Candy Girl -- Four Seasons

The Battle of New Orleans -- Johnny Horton

edcyn
tylermunns
601 posts
 

@officerat I love my “Let’s Pretend We’re Married” 12”.  
Mainly because it has “Irresistible Bitch” as the B-side

clearthinker's avatar
clearthinker
1,582 posts
 

'Offshore Banking Business'    The Members

Ghostbusters theme, on 12 inch.   Played loud.

boxcarman
582 posts
 

1st 45 I bought was 'I'm Henry the eighth I am'. I was 11 or 12.  Best value for a kid goes to 'Paperback writer'  because the flip side was 'Rain'.  One Lennon and one McCartney.  Wow for a 13 yr old.

mksun
866 posts
 

Led Zeppelin ‘Immigrant Song’ just to get the B-side ‘Hey Hey What Can I Do’ which wasn’t available on any of their albums at the time.

tylermunns
601 posts
 

@mksun +1

Dick Vivian at Rooky Ricardo’s Records in San Francisco will blow your mind with his knowledge of ‘60s 45s.  
Between his store and his home he’s got over 100,000 of ‘em.  

He has a CD series of custom compilations (28 songs apiece) of these direct 45 rips packed to the brim with uber-rare ‘60s 45s from artists like Dolly and the Fashions, Maureen Grey, Stormie Winters (a few of his personal faves) and innumerable artists no one’s ever heard of (some of my favorite tracks I’ve not even found on YouTube, let alone iTunes or any streaming services)

Those custom CD compilations (again, direct 45 rips and most of the sides sound terrific - again, most of this stuff you’re literally not going to find anywhere else) run for roughly $10, IIRC, and are worth so much more than that.  
One could always just pick up a few 45s outright.  

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