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“John Lennon Sings Great Rock & Roll Hits” was a disaster from the start. The recording session was rushed. The quality was bad. Record producer Phil Spector was not at his best. The album, released on Adam VIII Ltd Records, was sold on television my mail orders. Lennon was also upset as he ordered a copy and it was a month before he received it. But all that grief adds up to one thing—a record collectible! The ill-fated album is worth up to $750.00 today.

He was born Eugene Dixon but recorded under the name Gene Chandler. Record producer Carl Davis gave Dixon the new name because movie star Jeff Chandler was Davis’ favorite actor. However, after Gene’s #1 hit in 1962, most people know him as the Duke of Earl. The 45 on Vee Jay Records is worth up to $25.00. A mono copy of the “Duke of Earl” album can sell for $100.00 while a stereo version is worth up to $150.00 today.

Fleetwood Mac’s founder was blues guitarist Peter Green. B.B. King once said about Green, “He has the sweetest tone I ever heard; he was the only one who gave me the cold sweats.” Green was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1998. A mono copy of “Peter Green’s Fleetwood Mac,” released on Epic records in 1968, is worth up to $100.00 today.

One of the biggest instrumental hits of all time came in 1958 with “Tequila” by the Champs who took their name from Gene Autry’s horse, Champion. The band consisted of studio musicians. Their album, “Go Champs Go,” released on Challenge Records, is worth up to $100.00 on black vinyl and up to $500.00 on blue vinyl. A red vinyl copy of the “Tequila” 45 can fetch $1,000.00 today.

Sting parted with the Police in 1984 after the band’s fifth and most successful album, “Synchronicity.” There are a lot of cases where the color of the record label or the color of the vinyl can make a difference in value. But here’s a case where the color of the cover establishes value. Yellow, red, and blue covers are up to $10.00. Gold, gray, and brown are up to $50.00 while the same album with a black and white cover can sell for $100.00 today.

At the age of 13, Thelonious Monk had won so many amateur award contests at the famed Apollo Theater that he was asked to stop entering the competitions. One of the architects of what is known as Be-Bop, Monk is one of the most influential musicians in the history of Jazz. He is one of only three musicians that ever appeared on the cover of Time magazine. The U.S. Post Office honored him with a stamp. Among many of his highly acclaimed albums is “Monk’s Mood.” Released on Prestige Records in 1958, an original copy is worth up to $750.00 today. The 1954 10-inch album “Thelonious Monk Trio” on Prestige Records can now sell for $1,200.00.

Taking their name from Belmont Avenue in the Bronx, the Belmonts led by Dion cranked out the hits in the late 1950’s. They had their first hit with “I Wonder Why” in 1958. Next up was “Nobody Knows,” which hit # 19 on the Billboard charts. Their biggest hit “Where or When” hit #3 in 1959, but they are best known for their second biggest hit “A Teenager in Love.” That 45 in stereo can fetch $50.00 today. In 1959, Laurie Records released the EP “Their Hits” by Dion & the Belmonts featuring their first hit and “A Teenager in Love.” A copy is worth up to $200.00 today.

The Supremes were not overnight sensations. On their first recordings, it was Florence Ballard and not Diana Ross who sang lead. Things were going so poorly that Ross took a job in a Detroit department store. However, when she was put at the front mike, the Supremes would go on to have 12 #1 hits beginning with “Where Did Our Love Go” and “Baby Love.” But the early releases with Florence Ballard as lead singer can be quite collectible. “Buttered Popcorn,” released on the Tamla label, is worth up to $250.00 and “I Want a Guy,” their first single on Motown, can get you $1,000.00 today.

Soupy Sales had the #1 TV show in Los Angeles in the early 60’s. Even Frank Sinatra was a guest. In 1964, Soupy moved his show to New York and was syndicated throughout the country. Famous for getting pies shoved in his face, he also played clubs and Broadway. In 1962, Reprise Records released the Soupy Sales album, “Up in the Air.” That’s not worth more than $30.00 but the single, “My Baby’s Got a Crush on Frankenstein,” contained on the album, is worth up to $100.00 whether it’s a commercial or promo copy.

Dressed as a cowboy on the album cover, Bo Diddley’s 5^TH  album was called “Bo Diddley is a Gunslinger.” The album not only includes the “Gunslinger” single but also “Sixteen Tons,” first made famous by Tennessee Ernie Ford. Bo Diddley was invited on the Ed Sullivan Show to sing “Sixteen Tons,” but he surprised Sullivan on the live Sunday night broadcast by singing “Bo Diddley” instead. Sullivan was not amused. The “Gunslinger” single can sell for $25.00 today but the “Gunslinger” album, released on Checker Records in 1961, is worth up to $200.00 today.