Which Exotica LP is most valuable?

I got to wondering about my record collection’s value – Not that I would ever part with any. So I have a question for all you experts out there:

Which Exotica vinyl LP’s are considered to be the most rare and/or most valuable? And how much do you believe them to be worth?

I know that condition is a major factor in worth.

Brady

I am going to guess "Polynesian Fantasy" by the Out-Islanders.

Jack

On 2007-12-20 12:17, tabuzak wrote:

I am going to guess "Polynesian Fantasy" by the Out-Islanders.

Jack

Especially in stereo!!

I would also have to say the Paul Conrad album "Exotic Paradise" on Mahalo Records. This one is also pretty rare. Always goes for $100 or more in top condition.

Also ALL the albums by Paul Page seem to be impossible to find. $80+ on eBay

Here is one I have NEVER seen in stereo Jimmy Namaro's "Driftwood." This would fetch a pretty penny I'm sure.

I'm sure there are others.

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

I won a copy of Polynsian Fantasy on Ebay a couple of years back (probably NOT stereo). It looked fine when I pulled it out of the sleeve but my jaw dropped as I watched it separate into two pieces on my turntable. Must have had a hairline crack in it. I confess to using a substitute CDr burn that I traded for with another collector. BUT! That's only until I get a real copy of my own!

I did manage to land a copy of the Conrad LP which I consider a puzzle. It may be hard to find, but it's disappointing musically.

I remember paying $100 for les Baxter's "Sacred Idol" at Footlight Records a looong time ago. But I think a lot of these can be picked up for a lot less these days. Prices dropped when the "lounge" craze lost it's footing.

This is probably a good time to be buying Exotica vinyl. A lot of it has been dug up and the prices have dropped after supply surpassed demand.

-Jack

Taboo 1/2

I have the only copy. It's really good. Martin Denny plays tuba on it.

:lol:

what about the Original cover of Forbidden Island by Martin Denny?

Jeff(bigtikidude)

The Tiki Gardens lp tends to sell in the $300-$500 range whenever it comes up on eBay.

It looks like a fair number of Exotica lps still bring strong prices on eBay. Here's a list of the top sellers in the last 30 days:

http://data.terapeak.com/?query=exotica&siteID=0&id=306&date_range=ThirtyDays&date=2007-07-05&

Agreed, some of these are "Space" Exotica, but there are still quite a few Polynesian ones on the list.

Sabu

On 2007-12-20 13:27, tabuzak wrote:

I remember paying $100 for les Baxter's "Sacred Idol" at Footlight Records a looong time ago. But I think a lot of these can be picked up for a lot less these days. Prices dropped when the "lounge" craze lost it's footing.

-Jack

I remember when Tiki was just becoming collectible and eBay wasn't around yet, a copy of Martin Denny's "Exotica" #1 would sell for $100 in a record-store. Ebay helped to show that a lot of Exotica records weren't nearly as rare as we thought they were.

Sabu

Value is in the heart of the beholder, dear sir.

La Verandah paid $4.99 each for mint copies of Arthur Lyman's "Taboo" and Martin Denny's "Quiet Village" at her local used vinyl emporium. Less than $20 for the first "Adventures in Paradise" compilation and about that much for an early Coral Records collection of Yma Sumac with a Peruvian folk musicians' accompaniment via Ebay.

You couldn't get her to part with 'em with a live cattle prod.

Exactly. We didn't have true thrift stores in Manhattan. I worked a few blocks form "Golden Oldies" on Carmine Street in the late 80s and I wanted "Havanah 3 am" so bad I paid $50 for it. Denny and Baxter albums could be had but for minimum $30 each. Yep, Colony was selling beat up copies of "Exotica" for $100. I bought a mono copy of Fantastica at Footlight Records for $75.

Buying from dealers like Jack Diamond or Preston Peek was actually saving me money in comparison. Then came the WFMU record fair. Now Ebay.

Hitting places out of town, like Jerry's in Pittsburgh, was like finding paradise lost. New York City is not a great place to shop for records. The west coast had us beat hands down.

On 2007-12-20 21:33, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
It looks like a fair number of Exotica lps still bring strong prices on eBay. Here's a list of the top sellers in the last 30 days:

http://data.terapeak.com/?query=exotica&siteID=0&id=306&date_range=ThirtyDays&date=2007-07-05&

Agreed, some of these are "Space" Exotica, but there are still quite a few Polynesian ones on the list.

Sabu

Sabu, thanks for posting that link to terapeak.com. Amazing!

Nobody's mentioned "White Goddess" by Frank Hunter, which seems to go for $80-100.

On 2007-12-20 19:27, bigtikidude wrote:
what about the Original cover of Forbidden Island by Martin Denny?

Jeff(bigtikidude)

So which is the original cover?

On 2007-12-20 21:33, Sabu The Coconut Boy wrote:
It looks like a fair number of Exotica lps still bring strong prices on eBay. Here's a list of the top sellers in the last 30 days:

http://data.terapeak.com/?query=exotica&siteID=0&id=306&date_range=ThirtyDays&date=2007-07-05&

Agreed, some of these are "Space" Exotica, but there are still quite a few Polynesian ones on the list.

Sabu

There's an album I bought on that list! Hope I didn't pay too much over the odds ....

On the other hand, there are a number of LPs listed that I paid significantly less for, so I guess it all evens out in the end.

Interesting to see that at least six of these have been reissued in recent years. Do you think the availability of reissues has any effect on price?

On 2007-12-20 23:10, tabuzak wrote:

Exactly. We didn't have true thrift stores in Manhattan. I worked a few blocks form "Golden Oldies" on Carmine Street in the late 80s and I wanted "Havanah 3 am" so bad I paid $50 for it. Denny and Baxter albums could be had but for minimum $30 each. Yep, Colony was selling beat up copies of "Exotica" for $100. I bought a mono copy of Fantastica at Footlight Records for $75.

Buying from dealers like Jack Diamond or Preston Peek was actually saving me money in comparison. Then came the WFMU record fair. Now Ebay.

Hitting places out of town, like Jerry's in Pittsburgh, was like finding paradise lost. New York City is not a great place to shop for records. The west coast had us beat hands down.

Interesting to know that it's not just we Europeans who find ourselves forced to dig deep into our wallets to get this stuff.

I agree with Tabuzak that 'Polynesian Fantasy' by the Out-Islanders is one of the hardest to find these days. It is one of my personal favorites! Fortunately I was able to find the music on a blog site. I've been trying to get a nice hard copy for years. Although a little less valuable (I'd guess), two others that I've been looking for without much luck are 'Polynesian Paradise' by Phil Moore and a stereo copy of 'Rains in the Tropics' by The Gene Rains Group.

My best find to date is probably a mint copy of 'Exotic Paradise' by Paul Conrad for a mere $1 at an LA record show last year. It was buried in the bargain records under one vendor's table. My other coup de grace was finding a great copy of 'Eden's Island' by Eden Abhez in a local record shop a few months back. Maybe considered one of the rarest exotica LP's? It was displayed on the wall for $110, and I asked if they could discount it some. Much to my surprise and glee the store owner dropped it to $60! :) The record isn't perfect, probably a vg++ or so, but the cover is in the shrink and mint. Considering a recent ebay sale ($240), I'd say that was a good find!

Thanks Sabu for that link to Terapeak. Neat site!

On 2007-12-21 04:10, Quiet Village Idiot wrote:

Interesting to see that at least six of these have been reissued in recent years. Do you think the availability of reissues has any effect on price?

As with rare books, I think a reissue definitely drops the prices on Poor to VG copies of the album. But the VG++ to NM copies will always command high prices because they're selling mainly for their collector value.

Terapeak is a great site for researching when you have a fairly specific search, because it only shows one page of the top results for whatever keywords you plug in. It's not great for broad searches. For instance, it would be nice to know what some of those $30 & $20-range lps are just below the page, but you can't see them. Searching eBay closed auctions in broad categories is best for that kind of research, even though it only goes back 15 days.

If you want to research the high prices for a specific title, though, Terapeak is your best bet. (your best free one, that is.)

Sabu

Any stereo recordings of the David Rose orchestra. More lounge, then exotica though.

On 2007-12-20 13:13, Jeff Central wrote:

On 2007-12-20 12:17, tabuzak wrote:

I am going to guess "Polynesian Fantasy" by the Out-Islanders.

Jack

Especially in stereo!!

I got a mono copy of this for $10.50 just a while ago. If there's one thing that I'm learning, it's that there can be a huge gap in availability and price between mono and stereo versions of the same album.

On 2007-12-20 13:13, Jeff Central wrote:

Here is one I have NEVER seen in stereo Jimmy Namaro's "Driftwood." This would fetch a pretty penny I'm sure.

Well, they're certainly out there, as I actually have a copy of this that I bought from bellybongo (who hangs out here occasionally) for about $38 or so. Not particularly cheap, but I had no idea that it was such a major rarity.

No one seems to have mentioned a few that I think are rather rare:

White Goddess by Frank Hunter's Orchestra
Bora Bora by Les Baxter.

I still have my Bora Bora that I got as a kid at department store record department cut-out sale for .47 cents.

Anyone ever hear that Tak Shindo "Sea of Spring" album on that list? I never even heard of that one.

On 2007-12-21 04:01, Quiet Village Idiot wrote:

On 2007-12-20 19:27, bigtikidude wrote:
what about the Original cover of Forbidden Island by Martin Denny?

Jeff(bigtikidude)

So which is the original cover?

The one that is silverish with the big drawing of a tiki and a small pic of the Martin Denny Girl off to the side.
I heard that the big tiki freaked out alot of buyers, so they changed it to just the girl in the jungle show and it shot thru the roof in sales.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

On 2007-12-22 01:28, bigtikidude wrote:
The one that is silverish with the big drawing of a tiki and a small pic of the Martin Denny Girl off to the side.
I heard that the big tiki freaked out alot of buyers, so they changed it to just the girl in the jungle show and it shot thru the roof in sales.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

This one (actual scan):

Had no idea "Polynesian Fantasy" was so rare. I've had two copies, and I've seen it go for short dough on eBay on a few occasions.

The one that is silverish with the big drawing of a tiki and a small pic of the Martin Denny Girl off to the side.
I heard that the big tiki freaked out alot of buyers, so they changed it to just the girl in the jungle show and it shot thru the roof in sales.

Jeff(bigtikidude)

Interesting fact regarding record sales. I consider that first FI cover (with the tiki and small girl pic) to be so much more interesting than the second one. The foil cover and big tiki are cool.

I've been lucky enough to find several copies at various antique and thrift stores over the years, with a couple still in the shrink. One of them is now proudly displayed in a Monkeyman album frame in my tiki lounge. :)

Just to be clear, the Forbidden Island cover pictured above is the SECOND cover. The original is the one that was used on the Scamp and Rev-Ola reissues.

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2007-12-24 09:49 ]

On 2007-12-21 22:16, OnyaBirri wrote:
Anyone ever hear that Tak Shindo "Sea of Spring" album on that list? I never even heard of that one.

Well, that was the one I bought. The original buyer bombed out for some reason, so I got a "Second Chance Offer" for $38 -- which was a bit more than I had originally intended to bid, but I guess I got a bit carried away. I received it on Saturday.

Anyway, the LP was recorded in Japan ca. 1966, I believe, and consists of renditions of traditional Japanese melodies featuring samisen and koto with an orchestral backing. I enjoyed it very much.

On 2007-12-25 11:53, Quiet Village Idiot wrote:

Ok, this is way off-topic, but when it comes to TC monikers, I've got to say that

QUIET VILLAGE IDIOT has got to be one of the best usernames (top 3) I've ever seen!!!

Nice choice!

~glen

Why, thank you! :)

On 2007-12-26 13:51, I, Zombie wrote:
Ok, this is way off-topic, but when it comes to TC monikers, I've got to say that
QUIET VILLAGE IDIOT has got to be one of the best usernames (top 3) I've ever seen!!!

I agree. I think he and Savage Sissy would make a good couple. :D

Nobody has mentioned the Thurston Knudson albums yet. I hope that after his introduction in TIKI MODERN (p.57) he is accepted into the Exotica Hall of Fame now.

I can only imagine that THIS as a vinyl album must be very very rare:

I got it on CD from Jack Diamond years ago. Those Jazz/Beatnik poetry/Apocalypse Now/drug induced G.I.-musings on it are such an amazing time warp experience. Anybody have any information on these recordings?

I have yet to find any Thurston Knudson records, and yes, that Buddy Collette album "Polynesia" is VERY RARE indeed!!!

Everytime it shows up on eBay it goes for more than I can afford. :(

Eventually I'll find these hidden gems that continue to elude me.

The thrill of the hunt makes it exciting!!!

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

Thurston's "Primitive Percussion" on Reprise shows up relatively often. I have another Decca LP with Thurston on one side and someone else on the other.

There is a track on the Reprise album with some sort of "raising the dead" rhythm that sounds like a funk beat!

On 2007-12-24 09:49, OnyaBirri wrote:
Just to be clear, the Forbidden Island cover pictured above is the SECOND cover. The original is the one that was used on the Scamp and Rev-Ola reissues.

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2007-12-24 09:49 ]

Here's the first one (actual front/back scan):

On 2007-12-28 13:19, OnyaBirri wrote:
I have another Decca LP with Thurston on one side and someone else on the other.

You may be referring to this one:

A stroke of genius for Decca to pair these two percussion masters together on one LP

Yeah, that's the one I was thinking of! Thanks!

Great back cover graphics! Not exactly a Tahitian dress (or dance step) on the front cover! :)

...and there is THAT Tiki again:
http://www.tikicentral.com/viewtopic.php?topic=2910&forum=1&vpost=327740

On 2007-12-28 07:54, bigbrotiki wrote:
can only imagine that THIS as a vinyl album must be very very rare:

I would agree that Polynesia by the Buddy Collette Septet is very rare. Unfortunately, my otherwise NM copy has a skip on track one ("Taboo"), but it's still one of my favorite records. Here is another interesting offering from Buddy:

It was presented on blue vinyl and in a box from Bel Canto records. Side one contains five standards from Hawaiian-combo The Polynesians (usually found on Crown records) and side two contains two jazz tracks from the The Buddy Collette Quintet, including the fabulous Blue Sands.

Thank you for that great cover and track, Vic! Blue vinyl for Blue Sands, how cool! I don't know how rare it is, but I love my "KAPU" by Milt Raskin on LAVA-RED vinyl:

Red vinyl makes that rare but not the LP itself... i have found it TWICE now ..varying quality but its definitely around. That POLYNESIA one looks VERY promising....

Yeah, the KAPU album by Milt Raskin on red vinyl was the first pressing. Subsequent pressings were black. Also, the original cover (as pictured above) was a hell of a lot better looking than the reissues which pictured multiple hands underneath the title Exotic Percussion. Crown Records was notorious for repackaging the same album multiple times!!! The original pressing usual didn't sound to bad except for some excessive hiss!! Damn cheap vinyl!!! This one screams to be digitally remastered. :)

Lots of incredible West Coast musicians on this one including Dominic Frontiere.

Anyone know who owns the rights to Crown Records?

Cheers and Mahalo,
Jeff

On 2007-12-31 10:58, Jeff Central wrote:
Yeah, the KAPU album by Milt Raskin on red vinyl was the first pressing. Subsequent pressings were black.

Jeff,

You know what's even stranger? I found a a super budget LP called "The theme from the Good the Bad and the Ugly" on Custom records. Total cheapo knock-off, with cartoon illustrations of "scenes" from spaghetti westerns. Maybe $0.50 at a thrift or garage sale. And the first song is a crummy version of the promised theme. The rest of the LP? KAPU.

Totally bizarre. At least the Custom vinyl is a notch above the Crown vinyl.

~glen

You know, I have to say I really LIKE "Kapu." It doesn't get alot of respect. I even saw in a used LP store years ago, where the owner had attached a note saying it was "bizarre and not good, certainly for a luau." wow..the nerve..LOL.
I had a Crown re-issue of it as kid called "Exotic Sounds Of Hawaii" and it was one of, if not my 1st, exotica LP. I still enjoy listening to it today. I especially like "Lani Kai" which really sounds almost Egyptian-themed..kind of funny when you see what Lanikai actually looks like. And YES, I would live to see someone re-master and pu this out on CD...a nice companion LP that could be put on the same CD would be "Surfer's Paradise" aka "For Surfers Only" by Alex Keack also on Crown.

You know what's even stranger? I found a a super budget LP called "The theme from the Good the Bad and the Ugly" on Custom records. Total cheapo knock-off, with cartoon illustrations of "scenes" from spaghetti westerns. Maybe $0.50 at a thrift or garage sale. And the first song is a crummy version of the promised theme. The rest of the LP? KAPU.

Crown also did this with "Jazz Heat Bongo Beat." They did an album called "Guantanamera," with a lame-o version of the tune, and filled the rest of the LP with JHBB (minus the title track). It was the cleanest copy of that album I could find for a long time

"Kapu" is a totally great LP, agreed. I have a mono UK pressing with the original art and a later German stereo version titled "Exotic Tahiti" by Milt Rasin (sic) and his Orchestra. The German one has different cover art and the tracks are in a different running order, but otherwise it's the same LP.

I think I heard somewhere that Milt Raskin released some other exotica albums. Can anyone confirm this and/or provide details?

On 2008-01-01 12:37, Quiet Village Idiot wrote:
I think I heard somewhere that Milt Raskin released some other exotica albums. Can anyone confirm this and/or provide details?

Kapu was also released under the title Exotic Percussion, this is probably what you heard about. As far as I know, this was his only LP. Milt primarily made music for the movie studios. Too bad, as this is one of my favorite records and right up there at the top of the one-hit-wonder list (e.g., artists who produced a single exotica LP).

On 2007-12-28 14:11, vegasvic wrote:

On 2007-12-24 09:49, OnyaBirri wrote:
Just to be clear, the Forbidden Island cover pictured above is the SECOND cover. The original is the one that was used on the Scamp and Rev-Ola reissues.

[ Edited by: OnyaBirri 2007-12-24 09:49 ]

Here's the first one (actual front/back scan):

Hey what do you know ? I have the original cover . Was totally unaware they had changed the cover on account of fear of the big tiki - ha ! I remember buying this in a small used record shop in Shibuya , Tokyo around 1992 . I bought FI and Primitiva each for roughly $ 30 .