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Tracklisting & More Information
The LP itself is rare enough, but the story behind this one is unique & charming.
Way back when, in 1958, a gentleman fan obtained tickets to see 'The Black And White Minstrel Show' being filmed for TV. The show was one of the BBC primetime entertainment shows of the period and Rosemary Squires was quite a regular guest during 1958, 1959 & the early sixties.
Rosemary herself had earlier declined an offer in 1955 to be the vocalist for the Ted Heath Orchestra in favour of 'going it alone'. This would prove to be a wise choice as the combination of her personal charm, singing voice & weekly exposure on BBC Television [one of only two UK TV channels at the time & the only nationwide offering] contributed to her becoming a well known and much loved star.
In those innocent days, far from being whisked away in a limousine as soon as the show was over [it was broadcast live too], the stars often lingered to chat to the audience and were usually very accessible by fans.
So it came to be. The broadcast had finished & the gentleman fan found himself chatting to the young singer. She happily signed a 3½" x 5" black & white publicity photo for him & even wrote sweetly on the back 'Sorry, but I don't have a fanclub yet!'
There was quite a conversation about her music and it must have been mentioned that the four songs that were released on an EP here in the UK were actually part of a selection of twelve that were released on a US only LP and not available in Great Britain.
This may not seem such a showstopper now in this world of Internet transactions & global markets, but then it was a really big deal. Some of the largest record retailers were able to obtain import LPs, but it wasn't something easily done by your local Radio Rentals record store. As a consequence, foreign pressings of albums were a rare sight indeed to anybody that didn't live in a major city with a large Record Retail Outlet that they could easily get to.
Undeterred, this fan actually wrote to Rosemary at the BBC in order to obtain information about the title, label & the catalogue number of her US-only LP.
Imagine the joy when a personal letter from Rosemary arrived, dated 13/11/58, in which she apologises for not having the catalogue number details as she was away from home, but does supply the information for the title & label of the album & signs at the bottom 'Yours Truly, Rosemary Squires'.
Move forward in time a little, to when a relative of this fan went to visit the United States. Naturally, they were asked to pick up a copy of the album if they could.
They did indeed find a copy of the album and it has spent the last fifty five years in the care of that fan & his family to this day.
Both the signed photograph & personal letter are included here.
The LP itself is one of Rosemary's rarest LPs to find these days as it remained unreleased in her home country, where she was most popular.
Condition wise, the sleeve shows several seam splits as the British were not used to the US LP sleeve designs & were unaware of what would happen if you didn't tape them up! There is an area of light staining to the bottom right corner, but this just lets you know that what you are looking at is just five years away from being officially an 'antique'. Everything is there, but it does show its age
The disc itself is on a 'deep groove' MGM label with 'Unbreakable' text. There are a few light surface scuffs on both sides, but as LPs in those days were pressed onto granite, this is mostly cosmetic with surface noise remaining at a minimum. Indeed, the record still retains a shine, even after over fifty years.
A rare record, a signed photograph & a personal letter. A celebration of Rosemary Squires that holds no equal.
Tracklisting :
My Love Is A Wanderer
Just Another Day Wasted Away (Waiting For You)
April Heart
Where Love Lies Waiting
Early Autumn
When You Kiss Back
Mean To Me
Summer Is A-Comin' In
Saturday Friends
Lazy Moon
My Wayward Heart
I'll Get By (As Long As I Have You)
LP RECORD
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