Monday, September 14, 2020

Not That Abba



Please enjoy a $1500 garage 45 calld "Abba" by North Carolina's The Paragons. This was a local smash in Charlotte, and guitarist Pat Walters eventually went on to play with power poppers The Spongetones.

I dig this song, though I often wonder what makes this particular brand of garage rock better than others. This really could be anybody. But to be fair, do garage rock fanatics listen to say, reggae and think the same?

A tip o' the hat to Sal Maida for this one who got it from Josh Styles of Daddy Long Legs.

$1500? It's good, but I wouldn't pay more than $1150 for it.

17 comments:

Shriner said...

If this was on a Nuggets comp -- I wouldn't skip it. It's definitely got that sound down and is pretty catchy.

I'd give it an 80, Dick!

vincentsear said...

i have a scratched to hell copy of this that i bought from Pat Walters when we were teenagers.

cmealha said...

I often see these obscure records go for outrageous sums of money on Discogs and I'm left scratching my head. Ditto on this one.

Sal Nunziato said...

@cmealha
Is it the idea of spending that much money on any record, or specifically an obscure garage record? I ask because, as I said in the post, do garage rock fans hear reggae as being the same? Would you spend $1000 on a private press of an artist you loved if that was the only way to get the music?

Crab Devil said...

I know quite a few rockabilly collectors who are out there spending
the big bucks on original singles. I'm too cheap for that -- and I
consider myself fortunate to be content with "access" plus patience,
particularly since I love everything from Charley Patton to Hardanger
fiddle music and 70s-era punk rock. A case in point is that I by now
have that Paragons track on no fewer than 8 compilations. It's true
that I not too long ago lost my mind and dropped, like, a ten-spot on
a copy of Bill Hjerpe's "Navigation Blues." But just think of how many
reissues a guy could gather up for $1000.

Sal Nunziato said...

@Crab Devil,
I went to a record show in Asbury Park, NJ last summer. Held at The Stone Pony. I watched a 25 year old kid open up a lock box and pull out about a 1/2 inch of cash and hand it over to a dealer who handed him six punk 45s in return. I was told it was a $3500 transaction. I guess it all boils down to having the means.

I'd like to do a post "What's The Most You've Spent On A Record?" and see how many participate.

Ken D said...

I'm not a record collector but I'll just throw out a strong recommendation for the book "Do Not Sell at Any Price" by Amanda Petrusich, a staff writer for The New Yorker.
Subtitle: The Wild, Obsessive Hunt for the World's Rarest 78rpm Records.
A fun read (even if you haven't heard of 80% of the artists).

Nancy McClelland said...

For those bucks, you should get a three-car garage band....

Sal Nunziato said...

Nancy McClelland wins the internet!
Hilarious.

Todd said...

Ken D, The book you recommended sounds right up my alley! Got it coming from the Library right now!

Sal Nunziato said...

I second that Ken D emotion. Great book.

M_Sharp said...

Yeah! Excellent tune, I like Daddy Long Legs too. That price is way beyond anything I've ever spent. I always looked for reissues or compilation albums.

Whattawino said...

I think the song is way cool, but it seems that the decimal point between the $15 and the 00’s was left out....
Love Nancy’s three-car garage line too!

cmealha said...

Sal, Couldn't think of any record I'd pay $1500 for as I want to take it all with me. I start to sweat when the price tag gets to $100.

I nominate Nancy McClelland to the BW Comment Hall of Fame!

Anonymous said...

You need to watch the video of them performing it on a local TV show. I watch it about once a month to re-establish my reason for living.

Unknown said...

What's the most I've spent on a record? $250 for a sealed copy of KISS- THE ORIGINALS (1ST pressing).

Shriner said...

The video! Man, these guys were what? 13? 14?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDxjm8BkGBU

It could use a middle-8, though. Well, maybe not.

Still a catchy song a couple days later. Why was this not on the Nuggets box sets?