Darrow Fletcher 45 Groovy 3004 E- Cond. My Young Misery/Ive Gotta Know Why

$

45

Greetings everybody! Welcome to another of my ebay record auctions,and I am very happy to have you here! I hope that you will like what you see, perhaps enough that you might want what I have for your very own! Hey, that's why I'm here! Whether you are here to place a bid, to compare prices, gradings, policies, etc., I'm just glad that you decided to click on my header and check out what I have to offer. Well, now is the time that starts my transitional period, as the record store that I've worked for the past 2 decades has fallen on difficult times and some things had to go-in this case-Me. Yep. Laid off. Well, it was a good run, and though it's only been about a week since the news hit, I'm still a bit shaken up, but still standing. Not to mention, I've been collecting for ages myself, and I have basically a room full of records here, so don't worry-there's plenty to come! I may still do some listing for the business as I have been, but that won't happen tonight since the building was closed due to the winter storm. But me-I have a few nice records for your perusal, and they're just aching to get up for you. So it's time to shake off the out-of-work blues (don't worry, I'm not the type to go without employment for long-I like working, and will take what I can get!) and get these records up for you. Plus, the business I was laid off from has allowed me to still do Ebay listings for the store, now on a commision basis, so things are still looking up! Anyways, let's see what I have this time!

By the way folks, tonight's listings are going to be short, as I got home much later than I'd hoped. Sorry for the brevity. Also, I need to let you know that regarding all listings that close next week-I will be away March 1st through 8th. So any winning bids that are not paid by the morning of Feb. 28th will have to wait until I get back for mailing. I apologize in advance for any inconvenience. Also-I might be laid off, but they're still letting me do ebay until something else comes up, so all is not lost! One door closes, but was left cracked, so my foot's still inside! Whoo-hoo!

This time up, I have a 1965 7” 45rpm release on the Groovy label, label # G 3004, by Darrow Fletcher. This is the single of “My Young Misery” b/w “I’ve Gotta Know Why”. Again, I raided the collection of mostly r&b/soul 45s that I picked up a few years ago and promptly forgot about, and when I spotted this single it hit me that this was one of the artists that used to show up on want lists from soul collectors back when the store I worked for still took want lists! Thing is-I don’t remember ever seeing a copy of this in stock at the store, though occasional ones might have moved in the auctions-back when the business still ran auctions. So I figured now might be a good time to see if there’s still any interest. I had never heard Darrow Fletcher before, but he’s got a fine voice, albeit a rather young sounding voice at that. Not in a high pitched way, like, say, Donnie Elbert (no one else can hit those high notes!), but he sounds like he’s in his teenage years, post adolescence, and his voice is really nice, strong when needed, and yes, he can belt out some notes-and hold them- when he wants to, and that really helped these songs! The music on these are both pretty up tempo, and this has the “Mod” kind of soul music that apparently is what the “soulies” seem to enjoy, with the bass, guitar, and really rocking horn sections! These aren’t ballads by any measure, as these have plenty of energy to go around! Heck, I’m not even a soul collector, but if this is any example, then yes, I’m on board with the Darrow Fletcher sound myself! The playing surface doesn’t really look to be in very good shape as this shows storage/play wear, needle marks of various sizes and shapes, scuffs, light scratches and some staining. However, not only did both sides play through without the needle skipping around or getting stuck, the background crackling really wasn’t much to speak of! I mean, this sounded terrific! This sounded good enough to get at least my average grading of E, but on looks alone, this appears to be in the V to V+ range. Well, this time, I am splitting the difference and giving it my slightly less than average E- instead, and yes, I do believe it sounds good enough that the minus symbol could be removed, but for the sake of not wanting to be accused of over grading, this only gets 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 are in pretty nice shape with only minor storage wear and a few light scratches, and all the text is clean, clear and very easy to read. 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. BIDDERS!!!!
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!