Sold Date: May 14, 2014
Start Date: April 6, 2014
Final Price: $21.00 $13.50 (USD)
Seller Feedback: 1803
Buyer Feedback: 216

Greetings everyone! Thank you very much for stopping by another of my ebay record listings. I appreciate that you took the time out of your busy schedule to click on my listing and have a look at what I have to offer!  Normally, all records that I list on ebay are my own property.  However, the record business that I work for, and have for the past 19+ years, has requested me to take some of the recent stock that has come through and list it here on ebay.  Please don't worry, everything is on the up and up, the business knows, and I have the approval to do so.  Mainly because the part of the business I work in is online only, not their walk-in retail store.  Problem is, my part of the business recently moved, and is still without internet access. So, to generate some income, I have been going through some stock that has not been added to the store's inventory-I will NOT "cross sell" between Ebay and other sites, you have my promise! But to (hopefully) garner some revenue, The items I am listing are ones that I believe are scarce and/or would be excellent additions to any serious collector's selection. The prices are higher than ones I use for my own auction listings, but they are for the most part more valuable and scarce than some of the records I list for myself (Though if you'd like to have a look at my own records I have listed, I wouldn't mind!).  All proceeds of listings I do for the business will go to the business, minus the selling fees that Ebay takes. I hope that I/the store will have something you would like for your very own.  Let's see what's available this time!

This time up, We have a 7” 45rpm release on the Spectrum Records of N.Y.C. label, label # SP-137, by Bad Bascomb. This is the single of “Funk City” b/w “Crocodile”. Over the 2 decades that I have worked for this record store, back when we still accepted “want lists”, most of the lists that came through were from “soulies” (soul music collectors), and though most of the lists I saw usually had the same singles-artists & titles-far too often, I was not able to come up with many of the singles wanted, as those generally sold through the business’ auctions-back when we still ran auctions (not the ebay kind). But one of the names that showed up very frequently was Wilbur Bascomb and/or Bad Bascomb. And I don’t think the store ever had 45s under either name appear in the “set price” area. So when I came across this, I was pumped up! I’d never heard Bad Bascomb before, and I really wanted to find out what all the hubbub was about. “Funk City” was definitely worth the wait. And how! This is one bumpin’ funkier-than-thou tune! The lead vocalist, one “M. Romer” has a deep, gravely voice that he does let loose with some heavy duty grunting and hollering, kind of like the P-Funk guys, only with a slight case of the hiccups. The music is sho’ nuff funky though, but the choice of instruments was a bit….odd. The drums and bass are well evident, but the use of fiddle/strings, and banjo (!!!!) being plucked in the background just gave it a down-home, git down, funky feeling that will be difficult to get out of your memory! The flip side, “Crocodile” is a bit more subdued, as this is an instrumental piece, that is more jazzy than funky-at times almost getting smooth enough for easy listening! Not often, but at a few places. The sound is driven by the sax and horn section, but again, just like the A-side, there’s the fiddle/strings, and yes, some notes from that banjo again! Odd, funky, and a real good time! The playing surface is very nice as well, only a few light needle marks on either side, and these marks had no negative impact on the play nor the sound, and the sound was fantastic! If I weren’t so afraid of being called out for over grading (and only due to the marks being visible-though ineffectual), I would have easily added a “+” to my grading. But accusations are something I don’t want nor need, so I am only giving this my average grading of E instead. My grading is considered non-standard, so if you are considering placing a bid, please read the paragraph below, as it contains my gradings and their respective descriptions. The labels have some storage wear, abrasions, and discoloration, but the text is still bright and easily readable. If you have any questions or comments, please send them along to me, and you will receive a response. If you need more pictures or description, I can and will be happy to provide.

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 include 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.