Tuesday 16 December 2008

U.K. Hip-Hop & The Record Collector Price Guide


I've had this post saved in my drafts for the last few weeks and gradually been updating it as I trawl through the 1408 pages of the latest Record Collector 'Rare Record Price Guide' - the 2010 edition. I usually put this book, which is published every other year, on my Christmas list but was lucky enough to get a copy at trade price slightly early so bought it myself.

For those of you unfamiliar with 'Record Collector', it's a monthly magazine published in the U.K. cov
ering just about every genre of collectable vinyl. Bi-yearly they publish this book which is considered to be a price guide to some of these records (the U.S. equivalent being 'Goldmine'). It only includes U.K. pressing (with a few exceptions) so you won't see any Ron B or Phase 'N' Rhythm 12"s in here, and up until the 2008 edition the only Hip-Hop listed was standard releases by groups like The Beastie Boys and Public Enemy - the type of stuff that's not really worth a great deal anyway. Over the last year though there's been some interesting articles written in the magazine that are far more in-tune with the real Hip-Hop marketplace and as a reflection a good number of additions to the 2010 edition have been made. The previous 2008 guide featured a slight appreciation of how collectible certain Hip-Hop vinyl has now become and this year's publication takes it a step further with a wealth of additions that might surprise even the most hardcore Hip-Hop enthusiast.

Of course, the term 'guide' should be used liberally as trends within record collecting constantly change and so a piece that is very desirable one year might not be the next. There's many factors to take into account when assessing some of the prices listed in the book but I can't be bothered to go into them here - if you're reading this then there's a good chance you already know the in's and out's of buying vinyl anyway.

I've got a sort of 'love-hate' relationship with this book. A lot of your 'old-school' record dealers, the type who mainly trade in the old Rock 'N' Roll, 60's Pop, etc, take the prices as gospel and so to now see more Hip-Hop being listed is in one way very annoying. The days of these dealers overlooking it and either leaving it alone or pricing very cheaply could soon be over. At the same time it's nice to see Hip-Hop finally being acknowledged as a serious genre within the vast world of record collecting.

So, listed below is some of the Hip-Hop vinyl which 'Record Collector' consider to be desirable - I've o
nly included records that are valued at £15+ but there's probably about the same amount listed which fall below this price bracket. These are the more 'staple' pieces which most collectors will already have or are still fairly easy to pick up. I've highlighted the £50+ records in bold and although I was a little surprised at a few of these (some are ridiculous), a lot of them seem about right for a MINT condition copy in today's market. There's a few records which are not listed in the guide which I also found surprising - most notably, Hijack's 'Original Horns Of Jericho' album which consistently sells for more than the regular Warner Bros release.

I always thought my U.K. game was pretty solid as I was buying quite a lot of it at the time of re
lease - especially during the late '80s early '90s - but thanks to the exposure by Aroe & The Soundmakers on their superb 'Crown Jewels' mix CD's (buy them here), a whole heap of obscurities and slept-on gems have now come to my attention. Shame a good deal of these are now listed in the 'Record Collector Price Guide' as well...



A
spects - '2012' E.P. (1998 Hombre) £40
Aspects - 'Revenge Of The Nerds' E.P. (1999 Hombre) £25
Atorie - '
It's My Time'' 12" (1989 Conscious) £45
Black Radical / Sir Nova - 'B Boys Be Wise' 12" (1988 Bass Inc) £40
Black Radical MK II
- 'Monsoon' 12" (1989 2 The Bone) £18
Black Radical
MK II - 'Sign Of The Beast' 12" (1991 Mango - Promo) £15
Black Twang - 'Whats Going On?'' 12" (1995 Sound Of Money) £30
Black Twang - 'Queens Heads' 12" (1995 Sound Of Money) £20
Black Twang - 'Real Estate' 12" (1996 Sound Of Money) £15
Bl
ack Twang - 'Detwork Southeast' 12" (1996 Sound Of Money) £20
Blade - 'Lyrical Maniac' 12" (1989 Raw Bass) £25
Blade - 'Lyrical Maniac' 12" (1989 691 Influe
ntial) £15
Blade - 'Mind Of An Or
dinary Citizen' 12" (1989 691 Influential) £25
Blad
e - 'Rough It Up' 12" (1991 691 Influential) £20
Blade - 'Clear The Way' 12" (1993 691 Influential) £50
Blade
- 'Survival Of The Hardest Working' LP (1992 691 Influential) £25
Blade - 'The Lion Goes From Strength To Strength' LP (1993 691 Influential) £35
Blade - 'Sur
vival Of The Hardest Working' 12" (1996 691 Influential) £20
Bo
dy Snatchers - 'Genocide' EP (1997 Backbone) £100
Braintax - 'Fat Head' EP (1992 Low Life) £60
Brainta
x - 'Future Years' EP (1997 Low Life) £45
Braintax - 'The Travel Show
' EP (1999 Low Life) £18
Brainta
x - 'D90 Rules' 7" (2006 Low Life) £15
Breaking The Illusion - 'Where Will It End?' EP (1992 Low Life) £35
Bre
aking The Illusion - 'Lose Your Illusion' EP (1993 Low Life) £15
Bushkiller - '92 Salute' 12" (1992 Danger) £30
Bushkiller
- 'Troublemakers' EP (1994 Danger) £45
Ch
ampions Of Nature - 'The F*ck Off Song' 12" (2000 white label) £45
Champions Of Nature - 'Finalisation' 12" (2000 white label) £45
Champions Of Nature - 'Salsa Smurf' 12" (2001 white label) £20
Constru
ction - 'Sudden Impact' 12" (1990 white label) £40
Construction - 'Transmission' 12" (1990 white label) £100
Constr
uction - 'Change Your Attitude' 12" (1991 white label) £75
Criminal Minds - 'Guilty As Charged' EP (1990 TCM) £150

Crim
inal Minds - 'Tales From The Wasteland' EP (1991 TCM) £100
Def Tex - 'Tutorial Sessions' EP (1992 Sound Clash) £30
Def Tex - 'Master Blaster' EP (1992 Sound Clash) £60
Def Tex - 'Poetic Speech Techniques' 12" (1999 Son) £15
De
f Tex - 'Sing Sad Songs' 7" (2001 Monkey Face) £15
Deighton Ta
sk Force - 'Neighbourhood' 12" (1990 white label) £45
Deli
verance - 'Serious Public Disorder' 12" (1992 European Rhyme) £25
Deliveran
ce - 'Dead Funny' 12" (1994 Nut Cracker) £35
Deliverance - 'Inject Intellect' EP (1995
Nut Cracker) £15
Deliverance - 'Ywisted Mystics' 12" (1995 Nut Cracker) £15
Demon Boyz - 'Northside' 12" (1988 Music Of Life) £20
Dem
on Boyz - 'Recognition' 12" (1989 Music Of Life) £15
Demon Boyz - 'Recognition' LP (1989 Music Of Life) £18
Demon Boyz - 'Glimity Glamity' 12" (1992 Tribal Bass) £20
Demon Boyz - 'Original Guidance' LP (1992 Tribal Bass) £15
DJ Mink -
'Hey Hey Can U Relate' 12" (1989 FON) £25
D
J Mink - 'Hey Hey Can U Relate' 12" (1989 Warp) £15
Do
minant Force - 'Criminals' EP (1991 Gangster) £25
D To
The K - 'Hard But Live' 12" (1988 BPM) £40
First Down - 'Jaw Warfare' 12" (1990 Cobden Capers) £50
First Down - 'Let The Battle Begin' EP (1993 Ill Gotten Gains) £25
First Down - 'Mad Dogs & Englishman' EP (1994 Blitz Vinyl) £25
First D
own - 'World Service' LP (1994 Blitz Vinyl) £30
Fresh Ski & Mo Rock - 'Talking Pays' 12" (1989 Tuff Groove) £90
Fresh Ski & Mo Rock - 'The Long Awaited Paroxysm' EP (1991 Conscious) £35
Gunsho
t - 'Battle Creek Brawl' 12" (1990 Vinyl Solution) £18
Gunshot - 'Crime Story' 12" (199
1 Vinyl Solution) £15
Gun
shot - 'To Those Who Deserve It' 12" (1993 Vinyl Solution) £20
Guttersnype
s - 'Trials Of Life' EP (1994 Liberty Grooves - green vinyl) £15
Guttersny
pes - 'Trials Of Life' EP (1994 Liberty Grooves - white vinyl) £20
Guttersnypes - 'Trials Of Life' EP (1994 Liberty Grooves - blue/red vinyl) £10
Guttersnypes - 'Trials Of Life (Instrumentals)' EP (1994 Liberty Grooves) £40
Hardnoise - 'Untitled' 12" (1989 white label) £150
Hardnoi
se - 'Untitled' 12" (1990 Music Of Life) £18
H
ardnoise - 'Serve Tea, Then Murder' 12" (1991 Music Of Life) £18
Hijack - 'Style
Wars' 12" (1988 Music Of Life) £20
Hijack - 'The Badman Is Robin' 12" (1988 Rhyme Syndicate) £15
Hijack - '
Hold No Hostage' 12" (1988 Music Of Life) £20
Hijack - 'Style Warriors Revenge' 12" (1989 Music Of Life) £20
Hijack -
'Daddy Rich' 12" (1991 Rhyme Syndicate) £15
Hijack
- 'The Horns Of Jericho' LP (1991 Rhyme Syndicate) £30
H.Q. Squad - 'Burial Proceedings...'' 12" (1989 Music Of Life) £20
Icepick - 'Phenominal Criminal' 12" (1997 Backbone) £25
Icepick - 'The Icepick' EP (1998 Backbone) £20
IQ Proce
dure - 'Run Tings' 12" (1994 Bluntly Speaking) £25
Jehst
- 'Premonitions' EP (1999 YNR) £40
Jehst - '
High Plains Drifter' EP (2001 Low Life) £25
Jehst - 'The Trilogy Remix' 12" (2001 Low Life) £60
Jehst - 'Alc
oholic Author' 12" (2002 Low Life) £20
Jehst - 'Stand Up' 12" (2004 white label) £25
Jus Badd - 'Freestyle' 12" (1987 Tuff Groove) £75
Killa In
stinct - 'Whispers Of Hatred' EP (1993 European Rhyme) £30
Killa Instinc
t - 'Escapism' EP (1994 Move) £15
Kinetic Effect - 'Borderin Insanity' 12" (1993 Insane - green vinyl) £30
Kinetic Effect - 'Borderin Insanity' 12" (1993 Insane ) £18
Kobalt 60 - 'Chaos From Order' 12" (1991 Music Of Life) £20
London P
osse - 'London Posse' 12" (1987 Big Life) £20
Lon
don Posse - 'Money Mad' 12" (1988 Justice) £30
Lond
on Posse - 'Gangster Chronicle' LP (1990 Mango) £15
London
Posse - 'Hows Life In London?' 12" (1993 Bullet) £15
M.C. Mell 'O' - 'Bizzie Rhymin' EP (1989 Republic) £20
M.C. Mello - 'Mello Gone Crazy' EP (1992 Funki Dred) £40
Might
y Ethnicz - 'Freestyle' 12" (1988 Good Times) £30
Mighty Ethnicz - 'Can I Get A Deal?' 12" (1993 Lowdown) £15
Mr.Pink / Mr.Blonde - 'Payin The
Price' 12" (1996 Resevoir) £20
Mr.Pink
/ Mr.Blonde - 'Jamaica Crimewave' 12" (1997 Resevoir) £15
Lewis Parker - 'B Boy Antics' EP (1995 white label) £75
Lewis Parker - 'B Boy Antics' EP (1996 Bite It!) £25
Lewis Parker - 'Rise' 12" (1996 Bite It!) £35
Lewis Parker - 'Wonderwall' 7" (1997 white label) £40
Le
wis Parker - 'Shadows Of Autumn' 12" (1997 Melankolic) £25
Lewis P
arker - 'Masquerades & Silhouettes' LP (1998 Melankolic) £30
Lewis
Parker - 'The Options' EP (2000 Melankolic - promo) £25
Lew
is Parker - 'Its All Happening Now (Remixes)' EP (2001 white label) £50
Lewis Parker - 'Its All Happening Now' LP (2002 Melankolic) £18
Lewis Parker - 'Mr Parkers Siesta' 12"
(2003 Dusty Vinyl) £18
Lewis P
arker - 'Masquerades & Silhouettes (Insts)' LP (2006 Dusty Vinyl) £20
P Brothers - 'Heavy Bronx Experience Vol.1' EP (2001 white label) £40
Rodney P - 'Tings In Time' EP (1997 Pussyfoot) £15
Rodne
y P - 'The Future' LP (2004 Riddim Killah - white vinyl) £20
Roots Manuva - 'Next Typa Motion' 12" (1995 Sound Of Money) £50
Roots Manuva - 'Juggle Tings Proper' 12" (1999 Big Dada) £18
Roots
Manuva - 'Witness (1 Hope)' 12" (2001 Big Dada) £20
Roots
Manuva - 'Yellow Submarine' 12" (2002 Ultimate Dilema) £20
Roots Manuva - 'Too Cold' 12" (2005 Big Dada - yellow vinyl) £15
Roots Manuva & Skitz - 'Where My Mind Is At' 12" (1996 Ronin) £18
Roots
Manuva & MC Skeme - 'Fever' 12" (1996 Wayward) £50
Ruthl
ess Rap Assasins - 'We Dont Care' 12" (1987 Murdertone) £20
School Of Culture - 'Detonate To Activate' 12" (1991 white label) £70
Silent Eclipse - 'How Many Miles Back To London' 12" (1992 Mendoza) £40
Silent Eclipse - 'The Damned' EP (1993 Monroe) £20
Sindecut - '
Sindecuts Kickin It' EP (1987 Baad) £20
Sir B
eanz OBE - 'Mars Attacks' EP (1999 Mapache Chet) £15
S
keleton - 'Bangers N Mash' 12" (1994 Viceroy) £18
Skin
nyman & DJ Flip - 'Forever Rangers' 7" (2005 Netgroove) £20
Skitz - 'F
ingerprints Of The Gods' 12" (1998 Ronin) £15
S.L.R. Crew - 'Bass Drum' 12" (1988 SLR) £45
S.L. Troopers - 'Debut (Unarm
ed, Yet Dangerous)' 12" (1988 Global Rhythm) £30
S.L.
Troopers - 'Movement' 12" (1989 Music Of Life) £15
Solid N Mind - 'An Original Break' 12" (1990 Liberty Grooves) £20
Solid N Mind - 'Centre Stage' 12" (1991 Liberty Grooves - promo cassette) £25
Son Of Noi
se - 'Son Of Noise' 12" (1991 Music Of Life) £20
Son Of Noise - 'Master Of Menace' 12" (1991 Kold Sweat) £15
Son Of
Noise - 'The Mighty Son Of Noise' LP (1992 Kold Sweat) £18
Swor
n Lord - 'The Vengeance Is Mine' 12" (1990 Davy G) £30
S
.W.S. - 'Boys From The Bec' 12" (1988 DTI) £25
S.W.S. -
'Overture' EP (1990 Cue) £18
Taskforce - 'New Mic Order' LP (1999 K'Boro) £60
Taskforce - 'Graf Da Bus Up' 12" (2000 Low Life - 1 sided promo) £50

Taskforce - 'Wha Blow' 12" (2000 Low Life - 1 sided promo) £50

Tas
kforce - 'Voice Of The Great Outdoors' EP (2000 Lowlife) £18
Taskforce - 'Life Without Instructions' EP (2001 Rehab) £18
Taskforce - 'Music From The Corner Vol.2' LP (2003 MFTC) £20
Taskfo
rce - 'The Bitches' 12" (2006 white label) £15
3PM
- 'Better Late Than Never' 12" (1992 Busted Loop) £25
Total Fiasc
o - 'See How They Run' 12" (1989 white label) £120
Trouble - 'I Get Hype' 12" (1988 Justice) £75
2 The Top - 'The Rhythm I Give Em' 12" (1989 Rhyme & Reason) £35
2 The Top - 'Score To Settle' 12" (1990 President) £20
T
wo Times Def - 'First And Last' 12" (1992 Mendoza) £150
Two T
one Commitee - 'Beings From A Word Stuck Surface' 12" (1991 Precinct) £40
Unanimous Decision - 'Rap Sings The Blues' EP (1992 Kold Sweat) £15
Upfront Rudies - 'Real Skills' EP (1993 Krazy Fly) £18
Various Artists - 'Easter Island' EP (1999 Low Life) £25
Various Artists - 'Hardcore One' LP (1988 BPM) £30
Various Artists - 'Sons Of Nubia' EP (1990 white label) £150*
Various Artists - 'Underground With Style' EP (1992 UAR) £35
Various Artists - '98 Series Vol.1' EP (1998 Low Life) £30
Various Artists - '98 Series Vol.2' EP (1998 Low Life) £25
W.B.I. Red Ninja - 'Danger Zone' 12" (1990 Red Ninja) £25

*according to
the Record Collector price guide only 10-20 copies exist due to a pressing fault.


Here's a small selection of favourites from my own collection tha
t made it into the book...





2 The Top - 'The Rhythm I Give Em' (1989 Rhyme N Reason)






Blade - 'The Coming Is Near' (1989 Raw Bass)






Demon Boyz - 'Glimity Glamity' (1992 Tribal Bass)






Dominant Force - 'Criminals' (1991 Gangster)






D To The K - 'Ease Up Your Mind' (1988 BPM)






Hardnoise - 'Untitled' (1990 Music Of Life)






H.Q. Squad - 'The Burial Proceedings...' (1989 Music Of Life)






London Posse - 'London Posse' (1987 Big Life)






M.C. Mell 'O' - 'Wize' (1989 Republic)






Unanimous Decision 'Bomb Diffusal' (1992 Kold sweat)





10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Easy there Krum, dope blog by the way, came across it the other day. Gotta say that some of these prices are waaaay off. Dudley Jaynes the guy that has priced these is a bit off the mark on some of them I gotta admit, some are still in press and he's got them at stupid prices... Anyway, just wanted to say i like ya blog bro.
1
Disorda

Anonymous said...

£100 for the Criminal Minds 'Wasteland' EP? There used to be loads of those in the rack at their local Our Price. Bet they haven't got them anymore . . .


I ain't

Those list prices are all over the shop though.The Roots Manuva 12"s wouldn't reach those prices surely. Anyway, keep up the dope work.

PZ

MR KRUM said...

Cheers for the comments...

Some of the prices are ridiculous, I know. A lot of them are well over the usual going rates. One thing to take into account though is the fact the prices listed are for mint condition, unplayed copies.

Still, there's some well over the top figures in there all the same.

@ Disorda - you must be sitting on a small fortune if you were to price up your collection according to this book!!!

Daily Diggers said...

Krum...

once again nice work - man I still didnt have Glimmity Glammity so I just checked Discogs and copped one for a fiver! Nice one for the nudge Mr K!!!

Quality sheeeeet indeeed!

Kid Dyno

Unknown said...

Hi
Thought I'd just clarify having read some of your comments.

Firstly as you've quite rightly said prices change all the time. I am Dudley Jaynes (aka Rhyme Traveller) who priced SOME of the records in the book. In fact I agree with you that lots are way off for a number of reasons. Firstly there are a few I didn't put in and some mistakes I didn't put in (eg mistake - i submitted this at a higher price but it was printed as this: Bodysnatchers - on the rare occasions it turns up it goes for far more than 100 - in the last 6 months I've seen it sell for 450 privately and 300 on discogs). Secondly a whole host of records that I'd changed the price from the last last edition didn't get changed eg Blade's Clear the way - 6 years ago was fetching around 50-60 regularly - not anymore - much lower now/the in demand MOL stuff (kobalt etc)went through a period of selling at around 20 now less etc etc - and there are lots of others.

Secondly I got the feeling you feel I am someone who knows nothing of this genre and am some rock n roll dude (not dissing rock n roll dudes of course) giving it a go. In fact I have been buying uk hip hop since Junior G and Family Quest were recording and was a UK rapper in the late 80s /early 90s myself. In fact you mention Aroe's Crown Jewels (aroe is a good buddy of mine) and i was responsible for a fair few of the records that appeared on those mixes. So I do know my shit as it were.
Anyway I'm not meaning to be angry sounding but I just wanted to clear a few things up! I do agree that a fair few of those prices are not right for reasons stated and if I am honest was a bit disappointed. Anyway for more up to date prices check out some of the features we do in RC.

Finally it's worth saying that for me, this is all about getting recognition for our music - at the end of the day vinyl collectors are getting fewer and fewer and I'd hate to think that hip hop vinyl's flame dies out and hip hop is just considered bargain bin trash by the music populus. Basically, prices are damn hard to pin down and will always be a bone of contention (eg Demon Boyz Original Guidance - now a 100+ record - 6 or 7 years ago 15-20)

Cheers!

Unknown said...

ps great blog btw

Unknown said...

Sorry me again! Last points:

It's worth saying that pricing is frought with difficulty and will always be a bone of contention and as a result is only ever a guide (as stated in the book). I keep a very comprehensive list of prices that records sell for in shops/auction sites etc (very sad I know!) - so any one opinion does not really provide a good snap shot (including my own without research)eg about 2 years ago Disorda (I mention him as he posted) had a Hardcore vol 1 on sale for around £30 give or take a few quid, at the same time another e based shop sold the record for over double - both sold - now I'm not commenting on either one's pricing but what I am saying is how do you then price the record, well over time it ends up being an average like popsike and all those but even they I find are quite lax at keeping up to date with sales - great site that said! So basically it ain't an exact science!

Also worth mentioning a lot of the still in print stuff won't necessarily have been me - most of my stuff is pre 96 in the book - though there are some collectibles of course beyond then

right- now i'll shut up!

MR KRUM said...

Dudley,

Thanks for dropping by and leaving your comments.

Firstly I just want to say, I'm not disputing your personal knowledge as a Hip-Hop collector. At the time I wrote this post I didn't actually know who was responsible for the Hip-Hop submissions. I recognise your name from the DWG forum and it's very obvious you have a vaste knowledge of Hip-Hop and vinyl. You get upmost respect from me.

As I said in the post, I have a love/hate relationship with the book in general. I collect all sorts of music as you can see from the blog, and my sentiments towards the book pricing extends across all genres. There's still hundreds, if not thousands, of records listed for £10 upwards which you literally could not give away!!!

In your defence I did point out that prices listed are for MINT copies, and that obviously collecting trends are constantly changing, so a £40 record one year could drop to £10 by the following year. The internet has pretty much rendered the book irrelevant as a solid reference point because the easiest way to find out a records current market value is to simply check eBay or Popsike (although, like you pointed out, Popsike can still be a little misleading). I've been buying the book since before the internet, not so much because I take every price listed as Gospel, but simply because like you, I enjoy looking through lists of records with prices attached! Because the book is only published every two years of course alot of prices will be out of date by the time it goes to print. It is still a nice object to own, and to me archives a 'snapshot' of collecting trends when put into perspective against previous issues.

So, hope that clears things up my end. It really wasn't intentional for the post to sound like some idiot had made the contributions (in fact I've just read back through it all and I don't think it does anyway). Like I said, I have upmost resepct for you and really enjoy the articles you write in the R.C. magazine. Keep up the good work!

Cheers - D

Unknown said...

Absolutely fella - I suppose I read your bit and then the comments from others and took it all to heart - not meaning to hit out at you! Actually when I read back you did defend me re: mint etc - so apology from me too!

I totally agree with you re: prices out of date etc but that it is nice to have a snapshot in print as it were

Thanks for responding and no offence taken at all now. I will be checking your blog on the regular - great stuff here!

Cheers D

Waxer said...

Well I think it's about time you all stopped being so grown up about it and had a fight round the back of the technology block on Thursday after games. Haha, I'm doing some research as I'm interviewing Dudley today for Disco Scratch and came across this, interesting debate, I mean I see ridiculous prices of records all the time and you only have to look at the DWG forum to see that I'm not a happy bunny when it comes to being ripped off.

I think pricing records is such a constantly fluid market there is no way to actually print a book on the subject. Only if you could have a website that automatically updates to the last price known for a particular record to sell.

Krum I noticed in that list there's a Harnoise Untitled 12 at an average price of £18 but today there's one on eBay for £2. It's all subjective, depends on who's after it, how much they want it, what it means to them, etc etc etc.

Right now Johnny Roast is selling a copy of Break A Bitch Neck for 2 and a half grand... I suppose it's up to the individual. Even if I had that money completely spare I'd never pay that, but then I'm not mentally into vinyl as much as others, but much more mentally into wax than others again... it's all subjective... thank you m'lud.

PS Krum I wanna interview at some time old son! Bigup as always!