CHAFFEY COLLEGE + BILLY BROOKS: WORTH EVERY PENNY? posted by O.W.

Chaffey College Jazz Ensemble: Imagination Flight
Imagination Flight (Chaffey College, 1978)

Billy Brooks: 40 Days
From Windows of the Mind (Crossover, 1974)

I was perusing eBay the other day and came upon this auction. I had to gently lift my jaw off the table...$500? That's not as crazy as compared to, say, a Velvet Underground acetate but still, for this particular album, it seemed far inflated, especially for an album that, in the past, rarely sells for much more than $50-75. The main reason people even look for the album is the song I have posted above - which, in my opinion, is a really cool soul jazz tune. Just not 5 Franklins cool. You decide though.

The Billy Brooks isn't nearly as obscure..."40 Days" has been comped a bunch of times but that still doesn't prevent his album from selling well over $100 consistently. Some think the song itself - ATCQ sampleage aside - is piffle but personally, I've always liked how laid back and soulful it is. Whether it earns back its market price is a different story but it's all in the ear of the beholder.