This could very well mark Banksy’s first appearance in the number one spot of our Top 30. For reference, this appearance isn’t a record recorded or released by the famous street artists. It’s features a cover spray painted by him. Back in 2002, Röyksopp pressed an ultra-limited edition of their double-LP Melody A.M., with just 100 copies available. The Norwegian electronic duo asked Banksy to put his personal touch on every copy, hand spray painting each cover.
If you’re a Röyksopp completist with a few grand burning a hole in your pocket or a swanky speculative art collector looking to add an original Banksy to your portfolio, it’s worth the eye-popping price. For the rest of us, that original Wall Of Sound pressing will have to suffice.
Looking in the top 10 entries, you’ll see the usual rare and obscure singles — but one in particular stands out. A copy of the rarest ABBA record ever pressed landed in the number three spot. It’s a red 12-inch maxi-single recorded for manager Stig Anderson’s 50th birthday. This specific copy even had Anderson’s signature, from an event in his hometown where he signed 100 of the singles.
There are more gems in this month’s Top 30 list, but we’ll leave the rest of the exploration to you. Dig in!
The Dick Morrissey Quartet – Have You Heard?
Sold for $1531.00 Label: 77 Records
Format: LP
Country: UK
Released: 1963
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Post BopEbba Grön – Antirock
Sold for $1570.00 Label: Efel
Formaat: 7″, Blu
Country: Sweden
Released: 1978
Genres: Rock
Styles: PunkSarah Webster Fabio – Jujus/Alchemy Of The Blues
Sold for $1600.00 Label: Folkways Records
Format: LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1976
Genres: Jazz, Funk/Soul
Styles: Poetry, Jazz-FunkJohn Heartsman And Circles – Music Of My Heart
Sold for $1600.00 Label: Not On Label
Format: 2xLP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genres: Jazz, Funk/Soul, Blues
Styles: Modern Electric Blues, Soul, Soul-JazzIrish Coffee (2) – Irish Coffee
Sold for $1679.00 Label: Triangle (9)
Format: LP, Album
Country: Belgium
Released: 1971
Genres: Rock
Styles: Hard Rock, Prog RockDavid Bowie – David Bowie
Sold for $1700.00 Label: Philips, Philips, Philips
Format: LP, Album, Gat
Country: UK
Released: 1969
Genres: Rock, Pop
Styles: Folk Rock, Country Rock, Space Rock, Psychedelic RockPaul Gonsalves Quartet – Boom-Jackie-Boom-Chick
Sold for $1708.00 Label: Vocalion (3)
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: UK
Released: 1964
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Post BopGboyega Adelaja – Colourful Environment
Sold for $1750.00 Label: EMI
Format: LP, Album
Country: Nigeria
Released: 1979
Genres: Jazz, Funk/Soul
Styles: Afrobeat, Disco, Funk, Jazz-FunkHank Mobley – Lee Morgan – Peckin’ Time
Sold for $1794.00 Label: Blue Note
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1959
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Hard BopPaul Chambers Quintet With Donald Byrd, Cliff Jordan*, Tommy Flanagan, Elvin Jones – Paul Chambers Quintet
Sold for $1910.00 Label: Blue Note
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1958
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Hard BopMandy Morton And Spriguns – Magic Lady
Sold for $1931.00 Label: Banshee Records (4), Banshee Records (4)
Format: LP, Blu
Country: UK
Released: 1978
Genres: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Styles: Folk RockEminem – Infinite
Sold for $1931.00 Label: Web Entertainment
Format: LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1996
Genres: Hip Hop
Styles: Hardcore Hip-Hop, Boom BapBengt Nordström – Natural Music
Sold for $1961.00 Label: Bird Notes
Format: LP, Album
Country: Sweden
Released: 1968
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Free JazzMonique (22) – If You Love Me (Show Me)/Never Let Me Go
Sold for $1999.00 Label: Maurci
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 0
Genres: Funk/Soul
Styles: SoulSamhain – Initium
Sold for $2000.00 Label: Plan 9
Format: LP, Album, Whi
Country: US
Released: 1984
Genres: Rock
Styles: PunkSahib Shihab And The Danish Radio Jazz Group – Sahib Shihab And The Danish Radio Jazz Group
Sold for $2247.00 Label: Oktav (2)
Format: LP, Album
Country: Denmark
Released: 1965
Genres: Jazz
Styles: Hard Bop, Modal, Big BandTerveet Kädet – Rock Laahausta Vastaan
Sold for $2358.00 Label: Ikbal
Format: 7″, S/Sided, EP, W/Lbl
Country: Finland
Released: 1980
Genres: Rock
Styles: Punk, HardcoreThe Arnold Corns* – Moonage Daydream/Hang On To Yourself
Sold for $2499.00 Label: Philips
Format: 7″, Single
Country: Netherlands
Released: 1971
Genres: Rock
Styles: N/ABizet*, Paris Conservatoire Orchestra*, André Cluytens – L’Arlésienne Suites 1 & 2/Carmen Suite
Sold for $2531.00 Label: Columbia
Format: LP
Country: UK
Released: 1964
Genres: Classical
Styles: N/AThe Search Party – Montgomery Chapel
Sold for $2613.00 Label: Century Records (4)
Format: LP, Album
Country: US
Released: 1969
Genres: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Styles: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, ReligiousSonny Clark – Dial “S” For Sonny
Sold for $2750.00 Label: Blue Note
Format: LP, Album, Mono
Country: US
Released: 1957
Genres: Jazz
Styles: BopDavid Bowie/Harry Nilsson – The Jean Genie/Remember
Sold for $2808.00 Label: RCA
Format: 7″, Single, Promo
Country: Japan
Released: 1973
Genres: Rock
Styles: GlamEinar Iversen – Me And My Piano
Sold for $2840.00 Label: NorDisc
Format: LP
Country: Norway
Released: 1967
Genres: Jazz
Styles: BopDavid Bowie – Memory Of A Free Festival
Sold for $2840.00 Label: Mercury
Format: 7″
Country: Norway
Released: 1970
Genres: Pop
Styles: N/ACandi Staton – Now You’ve Got The Upper Hand
Sold for $2911.00 Label: Unity Record Company
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1969
Genres: Funk/Soul
Styles: SoulThe Misfits* – Cough/Cool b/w She
Sold for $3000.00 Label: Blank Records (11)
Format: 7″, Single
Country: US
Released: 1977
Genres: Rock
Styles: PunkLed Zeppelin – Houses Of The Holy
Sold for $3000.00 Label: Atlantic
Format: LP, Album, Mono, Promo
Country: US
Released: 1973
Genres: Rock
Styles: Hard Rock, Classic RockABBA – Hovas Vittne
Sold for $3879.00 Label: Polar
Format: 12″, Maxi, Red
Country: Sweden
Released: 1981
Genres: Pop
Styles: VocalJohnny And The Brothers Of Soul – Goodbye, Sam
Sold for $3999.00 Label: Lifetime Recordings
Format: 7″
Country: US
Released: 1971
Genres: Funk/Soul
Styles: SoulRöyksopp – Melody A.M.
Sold for $6962.00 Label: Wall Of Sound
Format: 2xLP, Album, Ltd, W/Lbl
Country: UK
Released: 2002
Genres: Electronic
Styles: House, Downtempo
rock is dead!
The Search Party – Montgomery Chapel lp is the only one on the list worth the price paid.
OHG! Insane price for Melody FM 100 copies but its still the first lp, doh?
Yep 3000 USD for houses of the holy that is a fold-down of the stereo version and a quite bad sounding one…
$3000.00 for houses of the holy? am I the only one who finds this insane? Sure… mono, radio station promo… but… oh well.
Banksy spits on art collector and calls him a rube, art collector “i am now a work of art”
We’re all of these Hard-Bop/Bop/Post-Bop records purchased by the collector?
It’s a little funny, just about every one of these lists will have a glaring discogs infraction, such as #17 with a photo watermark for some kind of marijuana farm. Rules are meant to be broken.
What is a good place to start in coming to know records like these… the obscure punk, jazz, and soul… Are there any good forums, books, documentaries? Anything that sheds light on to this world of historically important records?