You would probably think that given the incredible collectables that we add to our site on a daily basis we would have seen it all.
And in a way we have. Over the years we´ve been privileged enough to be able to offer you a U2 trabant motor car, Keith Moon´s till, Marc Bolan´s shirt, Spice Girls clothing, artwork by music legends Miles Davis, Jimi Hendrix and Bob Dylan and who can forget John Lennon´s glasses.
However, a couple of months ago we were invited to view a collection of records. Nothing out the ordinary there.
On the face of it this was just a large collection of records built up over a number of years and passed down the generations. How wrong we were.
This was a jaw dropping collection of the likes we had never seen in our 20 year history. Nearly 7000 pristine vinyl LPs and singles lovingly stored and looked after for over 50 years.
So who was the guardian of this amazing discovery?
His name was Weston Taylor, a music journalist with the News of the World from around 1957 until his untimely death in 1975.
Weston was a highly respected entertainment critic and the forerunner of today´s entertainments columns and pages that are the mainstay of today´s daily papers.
He would feature the Top 20 singles chart weekly and was at the birth of rock n roll with the likes of Elvis, Cliff and The Beatles.
A fair and honest critic and would always listen to a new artist and give them a leg up with a kind, positive word or review in his page.
In a way Weston´s daughter who made the difficult decision to part with her father collection, hit the nail firmly on the head by describing her dad as
"the John Peel of his generation". His eclectic and open taste in music is evident for all to see when browsing the collection.
Despite writing under a pseudonym for a renowned music magazine as well as for an entertainment magazine in the US, music played only a small part in his life.
He was also a revered film critic and was a fan of the silent movies and classic comedy like Laurel & Hardy and Buster Keaton. He also had a love of "real" Hollywood musicals and enjoyed listening to Film scores and soundtracks.
Weston was such a beloved character in the showbusiness circle that he was reguarly invited to openings and after show parties. He even had people trying to gain access to the parties using his name and on one occassion ended in the law courts.
Film would play a part in Weston Taylor´s life right to the end. Whilst visiting the set of the Peter Seller´s classic ´Return of the Pink Panther´, Weston was taken ill and unfortunately died shortly after.
There are more than 3000 LPs and 4000 singles, all 60s & 70s originals, covering genres as diverse as beat, pop, psych, mod, freakbeat, northern soul, prog, rock and jazz - 90% of the 45s are demos, the LPs are factory sample or review copies, some played just once then carefully filed away, others unplayed to this day!
This incredible collection will take us many months to sort through. We are adding records box by box, day by day, hour by hour. Rarities are selling fast, sometimes within minutes, so keep these links safe.
All products - http://991.com/Buy/PresetList.aspx?pageID=9858
All singles - http://991.com/Buy/PresetList.aspx?pageID=9859
All LPs - http://991.com/Buy/PresetList.aspx?pageID=9860
The snipers out there are picking off targets as soon as they come into sight. Check back with us at least daily - you could wait a lifetime before another chance like this comes along - don´t miss out.
If you have a similar record collection to sell, or indeed a bigger or smaller one, we´d love to hear from you. Call us now on +44(0)1474 815099 or buyers@991.com
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