Rare Record Price Guide 2018 reviewed

Rare Record 

Price Guide 

2018 edition 

now available.

One new book published in October is, without any doubt, the best resource for the latest information about the state of the market for used vinyl records. Its a huge book with over 1,400 pages, listing one hundred thousand (100,000) of the rarest record releases in the UK. Better than just a cataloguing of the A & B sides, the catalogue number and artiste, the book also puts a fair valuation on the records' prices, based on actual sales and opinions of many of the UK's top record sellers.

Each artists has their own listing which chronologically runs through singles, EPs, LPs, etc, as can be seen herte with this very short exceprtt from the Beatles section, which tells how to accurately age the many issues and re-issues of their releaes. A 'First Pressing' is worth far more than a third or fifth repressing, that will proably have been contracted out to another company, as the Beatles were selling so many records in the sixties.

Editor Ian Shirley, of the world famous Record Collector monthly magazine,  assesses the business with the help of some of the leading experts in the field.  The RRPG is now in its 14th edition and covers all kinds of pop, soul, dance, rock and many more sub genres. Singles, albums, even CDs and 8 tracks are included,  where these are appropriately rare. 

Rare Record Values 

The guide shows 'mint' values, and has the necessary grid to track how to assess the comparison of your copies - is it Very Good, Fair, Poor, etc and so arrive at a reasonable valuation for items in your own collection.  The book lists every UK single worth over £5 mint,  every EP (ask your dad!) over £10 mint, each CD single with a value over £8, Album (LP) worth over £12 and CD album over £18

Sometimes it s not only the vinyl thats of value, but the correct sleeve; much is put on a record being in its correct 'birth sleeve' and to help be certain that these are correct pictures of the right ones are shown for the most valuable records. 

No matter how obscure your taste you'll find the most sought after items here whether your particular obsession is 50's rockabilly, 60's MOR, 70's jazz funk, 80's post punk, hip-hop, reggae, Northern Soul, British Jazz or today's indie bands. If it is collectable, and it was released in the UK, then you'll find it in the Rare Record Price Guide!

2018 is the latest edition 

The book comes out bi-annually, and previous year's editions still sell for quite hefty prices, ullustrating what a valuable work of love this book is. Constantly revised and updated, no self-respecting record collector or music fan should be without a copy. I am sure you will be using it for many years and it will give many years of enjoyment, for you and, once they realise you have a copy, for all your friends. too. They will all be popping around regularly to 'just check one record oiut' and will probably stop for hours leafing through!

The book can be obtained via Amazon who offer next day delivery for just £29.99 including Post and Packing, or there are some offers  where you can get a copy for around £20. (Take care to be sure you are ordering the right year's edition). The 2016 has already been out for two years - its the 2018 one thats the latest and most up to date. 

Radio Adventures of the MV Communicator

Radio 

Adventures

 of the 

MV Communicator 

Its over thirty years ago that I wrote the book "Lid off Laser 558", a story about we set up one of Europe's most successful radio stations, on board a ship!  

The book was a great success, just like the radio station, Laser 558, which attracted over five million listeners in the UK and a similar number on the continent. Although very successful, the station was short lived, thanks to a totally inept New York based management who tried to control the station from the Big Apple.

They spent a fortune entertaining prospective advertisers on a series of junkets to Las Vegas but starved the poor DJs out on the ship of food, wages and even water. Eventually the crew mutinied and in true pirate fashion took the ship into port, where I was waiting with a writ!

The ship was sold for a pittance to pay her outstanding bills and her next owner put her back to sea as Laser Hot Hits. he was even less successful and soon she was languishing back in harbour again. Her next owner was Fred Bolland who had run the very successful Radio Monique. He took her to Portugal for a refit as a four station radio giant, but the Dutch secret service got very scared about one of his customers - a fundamental religious organisation called the Underground Church. By spooking the Dutch government's cabinet,  the BVD (Dutch sceret police) got permission to take immediate action and mounted an armed raid on the Radio Caroline ship, that crippled the organisation.   They also persuaded the Portuguese to stop the Communicator leaving harbour.       

A few years later the ship was taken to Holland, given a licence and successfully broadcast with a new high popwer Medium Wave transmitter on 1224AM.  Holland FM, Veronica Hit Radio and Q The Beat are just three of the stations that broadcast from the ship. She broadcast legally in Holland for around eight years during which time she made a fortune for her operators.

 In 2003 she was sold to a British company and taken to Scotland, the Orkney Islands to be exact, and launched a local radio station from there called the Super Station.

Now availabe as HARDBACK
or as a SOFTBACK copy 

This is a collection of stories of those eleven radio stations that were heard transmitting from the Communicator at one time or another. They are all "from the horse's mouth" , either the owners, the engineers, the DJs, the suppliers  and, in many cases, my own. I also examine the background into the many other projects that planned to transmit from her.  The midnight raids, the extortion, the takeovers and of course that other big lure of pirate radio - The Loot! 

Among the questions answered are:-

• Why was it on board a ship?
• What qualifications did DJs need to join the ship?  
• How did they live and spend their time on board?  
• What did they eat and drink ? 
• What did they do for recreation?
• Who was the ghost who appeared in the transmitter room?

A fun-filled, action-packed tale of 
dramatic events on the High Seas.  

Over 200 pages of swashbuckling excitement!  

To get a copy you can either order it at your local bookshop (ISBNs are below) or order via Amazon, or direct from the publishers who can get me to personally sign it and put in whatever dedication you wish.   Find it at the WorldofPages web site. An excellent idea for a Christmas present perhaps?

Radio Adventures 
of the MV Communicator

by Paul Alexander Rusling.  

Published by World of Radio Ltd

ISBN   Hardback   978-1-900401-14-2

             Softback   978-1-900401-12-8

Radio Adventures of the MV Communicator

Radio Adventures

 of the 

MV Communicator 

Its over thirty years ago that I wrote the book "Lid off Laser 558", a story about how we set up one of Europe's most successful radio stations, on board a ship! The book was a great success, just like the radio station, Laser 558, which attracted over five million listeners in the UK and a similar number on the continent.

The story of Laser 558 is now being retold, along with ten other stations that broadcast from the same ship over a voyage across the airwaves of Europe lasting 21 years.

Although very successful at getting large audiences, Laser 558 was short lived, thanks to a totally inept New York based management who tried to control the station from the Big Apple. They spent a fortune entertaining prospective advertisers on a series of junkets to Las Vegas but starved the poor DJs out on the ship of food, wages and even water. Eventually the crew mutinied and in true pirate fashion took the ship into port, where creditors waited with writs!

The ship was sold for a pittance to pay her outstanding bills and her next owner put her back to sea as Laser Hot Hits. He was even less successful and soon the Communicator was languishing back in harbour again. Her next owner was Fred Bolland who had run the very successful Radio Monique. He took her to Portugal for a refit as a four station radio giant, but the Dutch secret service got very scared about one of his customers - a fundamental religious organisation called the Underground Church. By spooking the Dutch government's cabinet,  the BVD (Dutch secret police) got permission to take immediate action and mounted an armed raid on the Radio Caroline ship, that crippled the organisation.  They also persuaded the Portuguese to seize the transmitters.       

A few years later the ship was taken to Holland, given a licence and successfully broadcast with a new high power Medium Wave transmitter on 1224AM.  Holland FM, Veronica Hit Radio and Q The Beat were just three of the stations that broadcast from the ship. She broadcast legally in Holland for around eight years during which time she made a fortune for her operators.

 In 2003 she was sold to a British company and taken to Scotland, the Orkney Islands to be exact, and launched a local radio station from there called the Super Station.

Now availabe as HARDBACK
or as a SOFTBACK copy 

This is a collection of stories of those eleven radio stations that were heard transmitting from the Communicator at one time or another. They are all "from the horse's mouth", either the owners, the engineers, the DJs, the suppliers  and, in many cases, my own. I also examine the background into the many other projects that planned to transmit from her.  The midnight raids, the extortion, the takeovers and of course that other big lure of pirate radio - The Loot! 

Among the questions answered are:-

• Why was it on board a ship?
• What were the qualifications DJs needed to join the ship?  
• How did they live and spend their time on board?  
• What did they eat and drink ? 
• What did they do for recreation?
• Who was the ghost who appeared in the transmitter room?

 Its a fun-filled, action-packed tale of 
dramatic events on the High Seas.  

Over 200 pages of swashbuckling excitement!  

To get a copy you can either order it at your local bookshop (ISBNs are below) or order via Amazon, or direct from the publishers who can supply a personally signed copy in either Hardback or Softback with whatever dedication you wish.   Find it at the WorldofPages web site. An excellent idea for a Christmas present perhaps?

Radio Adventures 
of the MV Communicator

by Paul Alexander Rusling.  

Published by World of Radio Ltd

ISBN   Hardback   978-1-900401-14-2

             Softback   978-1-900401-12-8

The original book about Laser, called The Lid off Laser 558,  is currently being reprinted.