Diggin’ In My Own Collection – The Singles Section

Diggin’ In My Own Collection is a nine-part series where I’m taking a look at some of the rare, and incredibly unique, albums in my CD collection. 

During the heyday of writers receiving everything on CD I accrued not just a plethora of albums, but so many CD singles that I may have singularly funded Case Logic with the number of CD storage wallets I purchased.

OK, they may be a slight exaggeration, but I do have multiple wallets that hold hundreds of CDs, and they’re all filled to capacity.

Most of the promo singles I have in my collection have the value of a regular CD single, but there are some that have become of interest to fans of specific artists.

For this edition of Diggin’ In My Own Collection I’m taking a look at three promo singles from legendary artists, and theorizing on what makes these CD singles so desirable.

 

 

Amy Winehouse – Tears Dry on Their Own 

The fourth single off Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black album, you might be wondering what makes “Tears Dry on Their Own” a hot commodity. I was wondering the same thing.

The best answer I can come up with is that while there was a CD single release in the UK, there was no official CD single release in the U.S., making the promo CD single the only way U.S. fans could get their hands on a hard copy of the song. Sure, “Tears Dry on Their Own” is on an album, but if you’re an Amy Winehouse completist, and you need everything she’s released, this is a unique piece for a collection.

As of the writing of this column, only 2 people on Discogs have the single – so it’s me, and one other person, who’s probably upset that someone else finally said they have it – and 10 people want it. That’s a ratio that implies some pretty decent rarity.

FYI – The reason I have the back cover as the photo is because there was no front cover.

 

 

Guru – State of Clarity 

A hip-hop legend we lost far too soon, Guru was one of the greatest emcees of all-time, and an instantly recognizable voice. Whether it was as one half of Gang Starr, or when he was creating his Jazzmatazz series of albums, he was always the epitome of smooth.

“State of Clarity,” which featured Common, was off Guru's Jazzmatazz, Vol. 4: The Hip-Hop Jazz Messenger: Back to the Future, but the CD maxi-single seems to have had a very limited pressing.

As of now I’m the only person on Discogs who has it, while 10 want it. One is available in the marketplace, but it will run ya $75.

Oh, and in answer to your next question – no, I’m not selling mine, but you already knew that.

As an aside, I’ve written a lot of one-sheet bios for artists, and having interviewed Guru for a feature he liked, he ended up choosing me to write what would turn out to be his final bio that was sent to press. When the news of his passing came out I was absolutely gutted. It’s hard to believe it’s been over ten years.

 

 

Kool G Rap – The Streets / First N*gga / Thug For Life 

What do you get when you combine a hip-hop legend, and a legendary hip-hop label? Apparently you get a promo CD maxi-single that collectors really want.

Kool G Rap, and Rawkus Records, are two names that immediately bring hip-hop heads together, because there’s basically universal agreement regarding the greatness, and importance, of both. The fact that they actually came together for a release is pretty amazing, and perhaps that’s why there’s so much interest in the promo CD for “The Streets / First N*gga / Thug For Life.”

On Discogs it has a ratio of 7 having it, 17 wanting it, and in their marketplace there are two available, with a store in Belgium offering it up for $11.50 USD, and a U.S. store listing it for $100 even.

You know what that means? It means I have no idea what it’s actually worth, and neither does anybody else, but it’s a really cool piece to have in my collection.

 

The next installment of this series of columns is the final one, and it will stay in hip-hop, with two albums so rare I had to add them to Discogs myself!

Until then, keep digging!

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