Greetings everybody! Thank YOU very much for stopping by another of my ebay record auctions, as I am very glad that you have taken time out of your busy day (or night!) to have a look at what I have to offer this time! I know that recently my auction listings have been sporadic, but I'm doing what I can to get back to action like I'm used to. Well, I'm back at my new/old job-a record store, something I've done for the past 2 decades. My new boss is also my old boss, as he's the one who got me started so long ago, and I'm thrilled to be under his leadership again, and back at work in the business! I just enjoy being around records, don'tcha know! Hopefully, some of the ones I have up for bids are ones you'd enjoy being around and listening to as well! I suppose theres only one way to find out! Let's see what's up for bids this time!

This time up, I have a 1973 Barbados Pressing 7’ 45rpm release on the WIRL recording label, label #B 318, by Emily Buster With The Night Train. This is the single of “Speak Softly Love” b/w “Macairo-Y-Felipa”. Oddly enough, this is not the first time I have come across a single on this label. The difference this time is, at least now I know the label’s country of origin. Well, given that I had found out something I didn’t know before about this label, it helped fuel my interest in giving it a listen. Honestly, about the last thing I wanted to find out was this being Calypso, as I have attempted to sell that genre before, with little to no success. Thankfully, it turned out to be anything but that genre. “Speak Softly Love” might be better remembered by Andy Williams as part of the “Godfather” movie songs, but danged if Emily Buster doesn’t sound like a softer Lena Horne with her delivery. Smooth, sultry, and really doggone pretty! The music has a bit of a Caribbean flavor, but it’s still closer to a stateside big-city nightclub than it does as part of the islands. Things to get taken up a notch on the flip side though, as “Macairo-Y-Felipa” is a super-hot, quite uptempo latin number with plenty of whooping and hollering  going on, as this has a frantic, yet danceable pace that might leave the listener a bit exhausted after playing it. Again, not anywhere near as much Caribbean as it is latin American. The playing surface has a few needle marks and some “pock marks”-the latter, they type commonly found on pressings from this region. These marks did not interfere with the play, as both sides played through without a hitch, though there was some very light occasional crackling in the background. But it still sounded good enough to earn my average grading of E. No extra symbols, just E. 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 have a touch of storage wear, abrasions, and mild discoloration. The text can still be read quite easily. 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!

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!