FOR THE WEEK OF JUNE 19, 2017

DEAR JERRY: What is the name of a blues song played during the closing credits of the "Deadwood" Season 2 episode, "Complications?"

The lyrics are similar to "The Glory of Love," as in "you've got to give a little, take a little," etc.
—Lillian Bates, Staten Island, N.Y.

DEAR LILLIAN: It's hard to hear this bluesy tune and NOT immediately think of "The Glory of Love."

The unidentified singer-pianist accompanying the credits is the legendary John Chapman, whose stage name was Memphis Slim.

The song in question begins thusly: "you've got to cry a little, and sigh a little, you know sometimes you've got to lie a little . . . because life is like that."

Those last four words are the title. "Life Is Like That" was technically the B-side of a 1947 single (Miracle 111), though it may be the better known track now, thanks in part to "Deadwood." The A-side is "Harlem Bound."

Other than the 70-year-old shellac 78, now selling for about $50, for under $10 one can have a CD with "Life Is Like That," "Harlem Bound," and 15 more Memphis Slim classics.

And this compact disc album is appropriately titled "Life Is Like That" (Charley 249).

DEAR JERRY: Much to my surprise, my copy of Billy Joel's 1989 "Storm Front" album has a different singer on Side 2, though the labels on both sides are correct for "Storm Front."

I later learned that Johnny Mathis is the Side 2 artist, and that he too was on Columbia at the time. That might explain the mistake.

Might this be a desirable collectible to a Billy Joel or a Johnny Mathis collector?
—Evan Bolger, Amarillo, Texas

DEAR EVAN: Most manufacturing errors in the record industry involve jobs done at the same plant, in this case Columbia, and different releases in production very close to one another.

That is exactly what happened with your 'Billy Mathis' LP.

The second side is from Johnny's collection of 1950s and '60s tunes, titled "In the Still of the Night" (Columbia 44336). With only 30 possible selections — some numbers are assigned but never produced — between this and "Storm Front" (Columbia 44366), both jobs could have been in simultaneous production.

Since the Side 2 label is for "Storm Front," you probably don't know which side of the Johnny Mathis LP you have.

Now all you need do is play it, as I am providing the tracks for each side:

Side 1: "In the Still of the Night"; "It's All in the Game"; "Since I Fell for You"; "You Belong to Me"; and "True Love Ways."

Side 2: "Since I Don't Have You"; "Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye"; "The End of the World"; "All Alone Am I;" and "For Your Love."

In an industry whose record output is in the billions, there are bound to be flawed items that simply sneak past the quality control personnel. Most of these, including the LP in question, have a similar value to the error-free copies ($5-$10).

I say "most" because collectors of the Beatles or Elvis Presley, and other superstars, tend to covet anything atypical.

IZ ZAT SO? Having opened the door to records by the Beatles and Elvis, here are three pricey examples for each artist, with production mistakes:

Beatles:

Vee-Jay 498, single of "Please Please Me"/"Ask Me Why" (1963). Sold for $4,600 because both sides mistakenly credit "THE BEATTLES."

Capitol 5255, "Matchbox" label is missing all the usual printing on the right side, including publisher, running time, selection number, etc. (1964). Even stranger is the credit, "THE BEATLE." Sold for $500.

Parlophone PMC-1202 "Please Please Me" (1963). Their first UK album, making it their first anywhere. It sold for $750 because Side 2 has a royal mess involving tracks 4, 5, and 6. This is exactly how bizarre this label is, including precise line breaks:

Elvis Presley:

Sun 209 "That's All Right"/"Blue Moon of Kentucky." $1,500 was paid for this 1954 single because it has a "That's All Right" label on both sides.

RCA Victor 47-8188. This 1963 single sold for $1,000 because the label mistakenly has "Please Don't Drag That String Along" instead of "Please Don't Drag That String Around."

RCA Victor 74-0651, a 1972 single of "He Touched Me" plays at about 35 rpm, much too slow for 45 and slightly too fast for a 33 player. A rare and inexplicable plant error that fetched $300.