I don't like to use plastic sleeves on my records. There, I said it.
I can't stand how each record slides around on my shelves with the added slick-ocity of the plastic. Especially since I don't have backs to each shelving compartment. So it makes it really hard to keep them all lined up on the front edge. Plus, it's super hard to read each record with all that extra packaging. Maybe things would be different if I had some sort of bin system/situation going on, but I don't. I have IKEA shelves and I like to see the colors and names and spines touching as close as possible without all the distraction. Will this wear down the covers over time? Probably, but will I get less upset every time I take a record out and then put it back in? Most definitely.
Maybe if I kept fewer records in each cubby. Doubt I'll try that any time soon. Unless someone can tell me, without a doubt, that if I keep this up my records will be unplayable in 20 years... Unless that happens, I'm gonna keep on truckin'.
Also, I relegated my Prince and Prince related albums to their own cubby. They deserve it. My 80's pop was overflowing, so something had to be done.
SLEEP.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
3AM Eternal: Pancake Edition
The definitive time to enjoy yourself with pancakes is between the hours of 2AM and 3AM. They are good for breakfast, great for dinner, but there is something magical that transpires when they are consumed as a 4th meal WITH a bottomless cup of coffee. That last bit is mandatory. If you follow this blog and don't drink coffee, then I seriously suggest that you take some time off to cultivate the addiction. You will thank me at 4AM when you arrive safely at home thanks to your new best stimulent friend.
If you haven't guessed it yet, the pancakes from last night were sent directly on the A Train from Griddle Heaven. Blueberry and granola cakes w/ a side of home fries from the Cafe 217 (right near the end of Lark street in Albany (near the Dunkin Donuts )). The blueberry to batter ratio was off the hook and the berries were Eenormotron. For me that's the secret of killer Blueberry cakes. Just enough Jurrasic Sized berries. Too many and you got purple mouth, too little and you're just chompin' on batter. But the extra special gift in these babies was the granola. Such a subtle texture and flavor. They filled in the taste gaps between munches better than any other pancake additive I've had. And the home fries, let's all give it up for home fries, the master side item for many and all breakfast based dishes. They were exquisite. Coffee on the other hand, disposable. Let it be known that I will also be writing about coffee here at P&R. Just think of it as the unspoken "&C".
RATINGS:
Pancakes - Extra Large Stack
Home Fries - Extra Large Stack
Coffee - Short Stack
Service - Extra Large Stack
(This pancake review has been written entirely in the bath on the BlackBerry World Edition (as all pancake reviews should be)).
PS - I eat all my pancakes sans toppings and utensils. This includes butters and syrups, forks and knives. Adam M will be covering all topping based cakes.
Until next time,
Forks Up, Cakes Down
If you haven't guessed it yet, the pancakes from last night were sent directly on the A Train from Griddle Heaven. Blueberry and granola cakes w/ a side of home fries from the Cafe 217 (right near the end of Lark street in Albany (near the Dunkin Donuts )). The blueberry to batter ratio was off the hook and the berries were Eenormotron. For me that's the secret of killer Blueberry cakes. Just enough Jurrasic Sized berries. Too many and you got purple mouth, too little and you're just chompin' on batter. But the extra special gift in these babies was the granola. Such a subtle texture and flavor. They filled in the taste gaps between munches better than any other pancake additive I've had. And the home fries, let's all give it up for home fries, the master side item for many and all breakfast based dishes. They were exquisite. Coffee on the other hand, disposable. Let it be known that I will also be writing about coffee here at P&R. Just think of it as the unspoken "&C".
RATINGS:
Pancakes - Extra Large Stack
Home Fries - Extra Large Stack
Coffee - Short Stack
Service - Extra Large Stack
(This pancake review has been written entirely in the bath on the BlackBerry World Edition (as all pancake reviews should be)).
PS - I eat all my pancakes sans toppings and utensils. This includes butters and syrups, forks and knives. Adam M will be covering all topping based cakes.
Until next time,
Forks Up, Cakes Down
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Now That's What I Call Vinyl!!!
Holy cow... Major scores today:
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (marble)
Doll By Doll - Remember
Doll By Doll - S/T
Prince - The Gold Experience (double gold promo)
Prince - I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man 12"
Michael Jackson - Bad
The dB's - S/T (import)
I am now a very happy man. Though I must return for all the Prince 7/12 inchers that I put back... Good grief there were soooo many! I will return my loves!!!! I also am ashamed to say that I had to pass on Michael Bolton's Soul Provider... Jeeez I wanted that! It was even sealed! But something tells me I could get it elsewhere for cheaper... The vinyl gods better not have steered me incorrectly... Now for some seeerious eating! I am STARVING!!!!
Pearl Jam - Vitalogy
Kate Bush - Hounds of Love (marble)
Doll By Doll - Remember
Doll By Doll - S/T
Prince - The Gold Experience (double gold promo)
Prince - I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man 12"
Michael Jackson - Bad
The dB's - S/T (import)
I am now a very happy man. Though I must return for all the Prince 7/12 inchers that I put back... Good grief there were soooo many! I will return my loves!!!! I also am ashamed to say that I had to pass on Michael Bolton's Soul Provider... Jeeez I wanted that! It was even sealed! But something tells me I could get it elsewhere for cheaper... The vinyl gods better not have steered me incorrectly... Now for some seeerious eating! I am STARVING!!!!
Oh God.... I'm dying...
The Albany location? Seriously on another level. I have found soooo many albums that I have been searching for for years. This checkout is going to be one of the hardest ever... Oh man oh man....
And one more thing...
I have largely stayed away from ebaying as a whole in my post college years... Mainly because I could/can become super obsessed with it. Also because it's easier for me to buy something when my selection is limited (record/thrift store) instead of having a sea of records instantly at my finger tips. it is just too overwhleming. And I also don't think my wallet could handle it. I'm already pushing my online ordering limit. ;) speaking of which Amazon is calling my name (screaming really).
The Big Strike Out
I unfortunately struck out on the vinyl front this time, except that my dad was pretty awesome in getting me two records from the antique store in cape may that I always find gems in. One was a Sting album that I already have and the other was Feeling Is Believing by Erroll Garner, which I know absolutely nothing about, but I can't wait to give it a listen. Super cool that he winged it and got me some stuff.
Tomorrow I plan on the last shopping excursion of the year, Last Vestige in albany. Oooooh, it's gonna be sooo good! By the way, I think I forgot to mention that I also scored an Alphabet St. 7" in my last pile... And they still have 3 of them left. So a maximum of three prince fans will be able to leave that store happier. Speaking of Prince, my dilema tomorrow is: do I drop sick cash on the Gold Experience double gold LPs? Or do I put the money to less costly items. I guess I can only make that call when I get there and do the full examination. Nothin but good problems to end the remainder of my vacation.
In other news, I could watch Michael Jackson dance ALL DAY. I'm chillin' with the Bucharest DVD that I picked up in The Buy earlier. If you've never seen it, SEE IT. Total spectacle. That gets me thinking about how I need to add both Bad and Dangerous to my collection. I've started to grab 12/7 inchers here and there, but I've only seen Bad in one location, but it was only the sleeve, not record. That day was not a very good day for the entire state of Alabama in the Adam K history books.
The eye liner on these dancers is insane.
Tomorrow I plan on the last shopping excursion of the year, Last Vestige in albany. Oooooh, it's gonna be sooo good! By the way, I think I forgot to mention that I also scored an Alphabet St. 7" in my last pile... And they still have 3 of them left. So a maximum of three prince fans will be able to leave that store happier. Speaking of Prince, my dilema tomorrow is: do I drop sick cash on the Gold Experience double gold LPs? Or do I put the money to less costly items. I guess I can only make that call when I get there and do the full examination. Nothin but good problems to end the remainder of my vacation.
In other news, I could watch Michael Jackson dance ALL DAY. I'm chillin' with the Bucharest DVD that I picked up in The Buy earlier. If you've never seen it, SEE IT. Total spectacle. That gets me thinking about how I need to add both Bad and Dangerous to my collection. I've started to grab 12/7 inchers here and there, but I've only seen Bad in one location, but it was only the sleeve, not record. That day was not a very good day for the entire state of Alabama in the Adam K history books.
The eye liner on these dancers is insane.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Update Posthaste
Why not a quick update? Mom gave me for Christmas:
Al Green - Lay It Down
Calexico - The Black Light
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
And Cat Power's The Greatest might be on the way. Apparently it went "Temporarily Out Of Stock" right after she ordered it. Seriously? In some areas, Amazon really has to get it together.
Also, today I went to the Plan 9 in Harrisonburg. Pathetic. Makes the Plan 9 in Williamsburg look like, uh, the Plan 9 in Richmond. The used section was a total disaster. They had nothing anybody would want, and what they did have was ludicrously priced. I got a couple out of the new section, so it wasn't a total loss. A new copy of Parliament's Up For The Down Stroke (I'm going to get more vigorous about finding their records, because the more I listen to them the more I believe that civilizations could be built on their chanting) and a Mary J. Blige Retrospective. If I'm going to get serious about getting into neo-soul, I need to get introduced to Blige somehow, and a 2-LP set for less than 8 bucks seems like not a bad way to do it.
In worse news, I missed the bid on the Elmore James LP that was up this morning. Missed it by 2 seconds. At about 30 seconds left I went to put in my bid, and then found out that of course my password was not saved on this computer like it is at home. So I had to go through a couple passwords before I remembered which one it was, and by that time the auction was up. Nobody else bid on it either, could've put in the bid three days ago and still gotten it. Idiot!
Now back to eating a shitload of fudge, cookies, and Chex Mix. To hell with it, that's what New Year's resolutions are for.
Al Green - Lay It Down
Calexico - The Black Light
Raphael Saadiq - The Way I See It
And Cat Power's The Greatest might be on the way. Apparently it went "Temporarily Out Of Stock" right after she ordered it. Seriously? In some areas, Amazon really has to get it together.
Also, today I went to the Plan 9 in Harrisonburg. Pathetic. Makes the Plan 9 in Williamsburg look like, uh, the Plan 9 in Richmond. The used section was a total disaster. They had nothing anybody would want, and what they did have was ludicrously priced. I got a couple out of the new section, so it wasn't a total loss. A new copy of Parliament's Up For The Down Stroke (I'm going to get more vigorous about finding their records, because the more I listen to them the more I believe that civilizations could be built on their chanting) and a Mary J. Blige Retrospective. If I'm going to get serious about getting into neo-soul, I need to get introduced to Blige somehow, and a 2-LP set for less than 8 bucks seems like not a bad way to do it.
In worse news, I missed the bid on the Elmore James LP that was up this morning. Missed it by 2 seconds. At about 30 seconds left I went to put in my bid, and then found out that of course my password was not saved on this computer like it is at home. So I had to go through a couple passwords before I remembered which one it was, and by that time the auction was up. Nobody else bid on it either, could've put in the bid three days ago and still gotten it. Idiot!
Now back to eating a shitload of fudge, cookies, and Chex Mix. To hell with it, that's what New Year's resolutions are for.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Whoo!!! That was like watching Leatal Weapon 2 in the theaters on opening night and then following it up with a screening of Remains of the Day...
THRILLING!
Figured I'd just make a new post instead of commenting... I too am expecting some records under the tree tomorrow, which will be awe-sam. Last year was the first for that with my parents getting me Sprinsteen's Magic. It is unfortunate though because like 3/4 of the records I put on my amazon list this year became discontinued by the time Christmas ordering rolled around. So next year I'm gonna have to be like, okay Mom! I just put out my list! Order them NOW!!!! (I'll be standing right next to her of course)... But that just brings us back around to the Amazon discontinued issue. I think it will get a lot better once their stock pile gets replenished in the new year. In all honesty though, I would really like to go direct through the labels, but that shipping is a killah. Speaking of labels, one of my new years resolutions is to check out more of the artists on Ghostly International. I'm already pump-i-fied for School of Seven Bells and Daestro, so hopefully there will be more awesomeness where that came from. And they better have vinyl versions DArNiT. I definitely agree about the Neo Soul thing.... And other genres too. Seems like punk and indie got that mess on lockdown, and electronica obviously, but those releases are always a lot more pricey and totally hard to come by if you don't jump on the purchase button immediately.
I feel naked being away from my DECK (I really need to get a second one for my room so I can call them my decks and make sweet, seemless mixes, for myself).
I got Doolittle delivered a couple a days ago and the Jay Reatard record came today (180 gram heavy goodness!!!), but like I sad naked due to the inability to SPIN THEM.
Some records I was pissed about putting back: the first Devo album (produced by Eno), Bryan Adams' Waking Up the Neighbors, multiple Bangles records (I have put those back so many times! I need to man up and bite the bullet), Oval's 94 Diskont, better copy of Controversy w/ full on ridiculous MONSTER Prince shower/speedo poster, Thin Lizzy's Alive and Dangerous, Kiss' Love Gun, and soooo many more. I really need to log them when I'm in the store so I don't feel so much abandonment. I'll be back for you!!! I promise!! Gosh, it hurts even remembering...
THRILLING!
Figured I'd just make a new post instead of commenting... I too am expecting some records under the tree tomorrow, which will be awe-sam. Last year was the first for that with my parents getting me Sprinsteen's Magic. It is unfortunate though because like 3/4 of the records I put on my amazon list this year became discontinued by the time Christmas ordering rolled around. So next year I'm gonna have to be like, okay Mom! I just put out my list! Order them NOW!!!! (I'll be standing right next to her of course)... But that just brings us back around to the Amazon discontinued issue. I think it will get a lot better once their stock pile gets replenished in the new year. In all honesty though, I would really like to go direct through the labels, but that shipping is a killah. Speaking of labels, one of my new years resolutions is to check out more of the artists on Ghostly International. I'm already pump-i-fied for School of Seven Bells and Daestro, so hopefully there will be more awesomeness where that came from. And they better have vinyl versions DArNiT. I definitely agree about the Neo Soul thing.... And other genres too. Seems like punk and indie got that mess on lockdown, and electronica obviously, but those releases are always a lot more pricey and totally hard to come by if you don't jump on the purchase button immediately.
I feel naked being away from my DECK (I really need to get a second one for my room so I can call them my decks and make sweet, seemless mixes, for myself).
I got Doolittle delivered a couple a days ago and the Jay Reatard record came today (180 gram heavy goodness!!!), but like I sad naked due to the inability to SPIN THEM.
Some records I was pissed about putting back: the first Devo album (produced by Eno), Bryan Adams' Waking Up the Neighbors, multiple Bangles records (I have put those back so many times! I need to man up and bite the bullet), Oval's 94 Diskont, better copy of Controversy w/ full on ridiculous MONSTER Prince shower/speedo poster, Thin Lizzy's Alive and Dangerous, Kiss' Love Gun, and soooo many more. I really need to log them when I'm in the store so I don't feel so much abandonment. I'll be back for you!!! I promise!! Gosh, it hurts even remembering...
Almost finishing up the year
A hologram t-shirt with a spinning tree on a record player. Definitely possibly.
All that talk about Astral Weeks last week made me very antsy, so I said, "Enough of this craziness!" and pulled the eBay card. Initially I might have been a little disappointed to go that route instead of finding it, but this is a record I've let go to others at least twice having found it in record stores. Because I was shopping on those two occasions with people who had never heard the record and, seriously, how am I going to deny someone else hearing that record just so I can take it myself? Not that record. I can certainly get snatchy, snatchings of the Count Five's Psychotic Reaction and Led Zeppelin's first album come to mind, records that someone else pulled and showed to me and I was like YOINK. But when someone comes up to you with Astral Weeks in their hand and wondering aloud about it, all I could say was, "You should REALLY get that. You need it." So, having done that, I was going to let myself go the eBay route on this one. Plus I found it in a lot with His Band and Street Choir and Moon Dance. (Already had Moon Dance but the others I did not, so the second Moon Dance goes into the "To be sold under pancakes" pile) Got it in the mail this morning and man is it gorgeous. Worth all the waiting and searching, and definitely feeling no need now to get the 180 gram-mer.
Then I got curious and started browsing eBay further and found a guy selling my second favorite Van Morrison album, It's Too Late To Stop Now, and another one I don't see in record stores, for a Buy It Now price of 5 dollars and running some special where he wasn't charging shipping. We at Pancakes And Records have an endless obsession with free shipping, so I jumped all over that in a heartbeat. That hasn't come yet, because I decided to look at what else he was selling, and he has an Elmore James comp on auction that ends on the 26th, so I'm watching that hoping he'll ship the combo when I win that as well. Originally the Elmore James comp was not on a free shipping deal, and it's not a Buy It Now, but he says if I win that one too he'll ship it for free along with my first. SWEET! Even though it's eBay and it's not real hunting, I feel like I'm using some of my finding skills to work the deals a bit. Anyway, after that, I decided I would really like to have some Elmore James records, because I have none, and he's one of the very few people I think has a perfect discography. So I looked around a little and bought another comp. Then found another guy with another comp who was also selling a comp of Howlin' Wolf at Sun. Boner. So I jumped on those to get the combined shipping, but I need that douche to write me back and tell me what the combined shipping is so I can send him payment. After that, decided I wanted more Howlin' Wolf, so I went and found a 2-LP set of his best at Chess. That also arrived this morning and it's similarly gorgeous, though I have yet to spin it. Extremely successful eBaying.
Also got in my mail order from Fat Possum a couple of days ago, which included Paul 'Wine' Jones's Mule, Junior Kimbrough's All Night Long, and R.L. Burnside's Too Bad Jim. I definitely need to go through their lists. A lot of records I would love to have, and all 10 dollars new. That's hard to beat. Then I also got in an Amazon shipment with the Platinum Pied Piper's Triple P, which is also fantastic, as I try to expand on what little I have of neo-soul and R&B. Which reminds me, I really REALLY wish more modern soul and R&B acts would get on the vinyl bandwagon in a big way, like the way that involves them putting their stuff out on vinyl at the same time as CD, and also including a download coupon or something. There are a few records from last year, like Jazmine Sullivan's Fearless and The Foreign Exchange's Leave It All Behind that have apparently not come out on LP DAMMIT. And then for some reason the Jazzanova record was released in Germany (I think? Wherever amazon.de originates) on LP but I sure as hell can't get it here. At least not without paying crazy prices to import it. Why? WHY DAMN YOU?!?
Then I also made a quick trip to Goodwill this afternoon. Got Marvin Gaye's Live!, the Brothers Johnson's Right On Time, and Bowie's Let's Dance, which was fortunate because I've had "Modern Love" in my head the past several days.
But that should not be the end of it for me this year. My mom loves doing her Christmas shopping on Amazon, so of course the links I sent her as ideas were LPs. So tomorrow may be the first time since high school* that I've gotten records for Christmas, which will be awesome. Then tomorrow afternoon I'll head over to my dad's house, and sometime during my stay over there I'll hopefully make it over to Harrisonburg and see if that Plan 9 has anything. Not expecting much, but at least a couple records to make it worth my time. And hopefully when I get back my other eBay purchases will have arrived.
Also, I'm hoping to have a pancake report by the end of the year, because those coffee cake pancake commercials from IHOP are calling my name and I need to try them at some point. I don't know how the hell I can choose between blueberry and cinnamon apple though, because they're both making me salivate. Who am I kidding?!? The pecan streusel is calling out to me as well!
*I think it was my sophomore year of high school, my mom gave me some money to go to the Record Mart in Alexandria and I think one other place in southern Maryland, and buy some records as a Christmas present, because it was really all I was after. Which was wonderful, but then she made me give them to her when I got home so she could keep them until Christmas and wrap them up. Oh, you think I wasn't sneaking into her closet where she kept all the presents just so I could look at them like any other present? Even though I was the one that bought them? And I was sixteen years old? I most definitely was. I can't really remember what records they were, but it was only a year or so into my record buying career, so it was probably a lot of classic rock. I do remember that Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills and The Canned Heat Cookbook were two of them. I want to say there were around 8 total, but those are the only two I can remember, because I was majorly STOKED to get my hands on Cheap Thrills.
All that talk about Astral Weeks last week made me very antsy, so I said, "Enough of this craziness!" and pulled the eBay card. Initially I might have been a little disappointed to go that route instead of finding it, but this is a record I've let go to others at least twice having found it in record stores. Because I was shopping on those two occasions with people who had never heard the record and, seriously, how am I going to deny someone else hearing that record just so I can take it myself? Not that record. I can certainly get snatchy, snatchings of the Count Five's Psychotic Reaction and Led Zeppelin's first album come to mind, records that someone else pulled and showed to me and I was like YOINK. But when someone comes up to you with Astral Weeks in their hand and wondering aloud about it, all I could say was, "You should REALLY get that. You need it." So, having done that, I was going to let myself go the eBay route on this one. Plus I found it in a lot with His Band and Street Choir and Moon Dance. (Already had Moon Dance but the others I did not, so the second Moon Dance goes into the "To be sold under pancakes" pile) Got it in the mail this morning and man is it gorgeous. Worth all the waiting and searching, and definitely feeling no need now to get the 180 gram-mer.
Then I got curious and started browsing eBay further and found a guy selling my second favorite Van Morrison album, It's Too Late To Stop Now, and another one I don't see in record stores, for a Buy It Now price of 5 dollars and running some special where he wasn't charging shipping. We at Pancakes And Records have an endless obsession with free shipping, so I jumped all over that in a heartbeat. That hasn't come yet, because I decided to look at what else he was selling, and he has an Elmore James comp on auction that ends on the 26th, so I'm watching that hoping he'll ship the combo when I win that as well. Originally the Elmore James comp was not on a free shipping deal, and it's not a Buy It Now, but he says if I win that one too he'll ship it for free along with my first. SWEET! Even though it's eBay and it's not real hunting, I feel like I'm using some of my finding skills to work the deals a bit. Anyway, after that, I decided I would really like to have some Elmore James records, because I have none, and he's one of the very few people I think has a perfect discography. So I looked around a little and bought another comp. Then found another guy with another comp who was also selling a comp of Howlin' Wolf at Sun. Boner. So I jumped on those to get the combined shipping, but I need that douche to write me back and tell me what the combined shipping is so I can send him payment. After that, decided I wanted more Howlin' Wolf, so I went and found a 2-LP set of his best at Chess. That also arrived this morning and it's similarly gorgeous, though I have yet to spin it. Extremely successful eBaying.
Also got in my mail order from Fat Possum a couple of days ago, which included Paul 'Wine' Jones's Mule, Junior Kimbrough's All Night Long, and R.L. Burnside's Too Bad Jim. I definitely need to go through their lists. A lot of records I would love to have, and all 10 dollars new. That's hard to beat. Then I also got in an Amazon shipment with the Platinum Pied Piper's Triple P, which is also fantastic, as I try to expand on what little I have of neo-soul and R&B. Which reminds me, I really REALLY wish more modern soul and R&B acts would get on the vinyl bandwagon in a big way, like the way that involves them putting their stuff out on vinyl at the same time as CD, and also including a download coupon or something. There are a few records from last year, like Jazmine Sullivan's Fearless and The Foreign Exchange's Leave It All Behind that have apparently not come out on LP DAMMIT. And then for some reason the Jazzanova record was released in Germany (I think? Wherever amazon.de originates) on LP but I sure as hell can't get it here. At least not without paying crazy prices to import it. Why? WHY DAMN YOU?!?
Then I also made a quick trip to Goodwill this afternoon. Got Marvin Gaye's Live!, the Brothers Johnson's Right On Time, and Bowie's Let's Dance, which was fortunate because I've had "Modern Love" in my head the past several days.
But that should not be the end of it for me this year. My mom loves doing her Christmas shopping on Amazon, so of course the links I sent her as ideas were LPs. So tomorrow may be the first time since high school* that I've gotten records for Christmas, which will be awesome. Then tomorrow afternoon I'll head over to my dad's house, and sometime during my stay over there I'll hopefully make it over to Harrisonburg and see if that Plan 9 has anything. Not expecting much, but at least a couple records to make it worth my time. And hopefully when I get back my other eBay purchases will have arrived.
Also, I'm hoping to have a pancake report by the end of the year, because those coffee cake pancake commercials from IHOP are calling my name and I need to try them at some point. I don't know how the hell I can choose between blueberry and cinnamon apple though, because they're both making me salivate. Who am I kidding?!? The pecan streusel is calling out to me as well!
*I think it was my sophomore year of high school, my mom gave me some money to go to the Record Mart in Alexandria and I think one other place in southern Maryland, and buy some records as a Christmas present, because it was really all I was after. Which was wonderful, but then she made me give them to her when I got home so she could keep them until Christmas and wrap them up. Oh, you think I wasn't sneaking into her closet where she kept all the presents just so I could look at them like any other present? Even though I was the one that bought them? And I was sixteen years old? I most definitely was. I can't really remember what records they were, but it was only a year or so into my record buying career, so it was probably a lot of classic rock. I do remember that Big Brother and the Holding Company's Cheap Thrills and The Canned Heat Cookbook were two of them. I want to say there were around 8 total, but those are the only two I can remember, because I was majorly STOKED to get my hands on Cheap Thrills.
Last Major Haul of 2008 (or at least second to last)
Spent a rockin' 3 hous in Last Vestige Saratoga yesterday and came away with some great finds...
Here they be:
Pond: S/T (grey marble)
Killing Joke: Fire Dances
Aerosmith: Permanent Vacation
Joe Public: Live and Learn 12"
Alphaville: Afternoons In Utopia
Bryan Adams: Into The Fire
New Order: Low-Life
Montell Jordan: Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz 12"
Superchunk: On the Mouth
Go West: We Close Our Eyes 12" (club mix)
Echo & the Bunnymen: Porcupine
Echo & the Bunnymen: S/T
Depeche Mode: Speak & Spell
The Waterboys: Promo Mini LP ('83)
Michael Jackson: Remember the Time 12"
Michael Jackson: In the Closet 12"
Sinead O'Connor: The Lion and the Cobra
Also picked up a live Waterboys concert from '85, but it was on a compact format that will not be spoken of here.
Overall, quite pleased... If I get time, I'm gonna stop by the Albany location because their ebay store shows them having two Doll By Doll records (although NOT Gypsy Blood), a promo copy of Prince's The Gold Experience (on double gold LPs!!!), and a marble version of Hounds of Love that I would looooove to have (although it has a promo hole punch in the corner....
Topics for future discussion:
- describe the feelings you get when you have to put records back in the bin that you would love to have, but can't afford.
- how do you feel about Promo copies with promo stamps or holes or other various shapes to denote the promotional qualities of them. Do you wait to find a real deal copy? What if the promo copy is special on its own?
- How many versions of a record are enough? Do you like to collect multiple pressings? Colors? Etc.
- What is your favorite pre-record hunting routine?
I would also like to give some year end lists of favorite finds, best new releases, best deals, and more... If ya got the plums, dive right in.
Oh, and Merry Christmas from Pancakes and Records. Next year we'll record a Christmas song for you, right Adam? Maybe even a Christmas shirt that has a big picture of a tree and says Luv Yer Needles. '09 here we come!! ;)
Here they be:
Pond: S/T (grey marble)
Killing Joke: Fire Dances
Aerosmith: Permanent Vacation
Joe Public: Live and Learn 12"
Alphaville: Afternoons In Utopia
Bryan Adams: Into The Fire
New Order: Low-Life
Montell Jordan: Somethin' 4 Da Honeyz 12"
Superchunk: On the Mouth
Go West: We Close Our Eyes 12" (club mix)
Echo & the Bunnymen: Porcupine
Echo & the Bunnymen: S/T
Depeche Mode: Speak & Spell
The Waterboys: Promo Mini LP ('83)
Michael Jackson: Remember the Time 12"
Michael Jackson: In the Closet 12"
Sinead O'Connor: The Lion and the Cobra
Also picked up a live Waterboys concert from '85, but it was on a compact format that will not be spoken of here.
Overall, quite pleased... If I get time, I'm gonna stop by the Albany location because their ebay store shows them having two Doll By Doll records (although NOT Gypsy Blood), a promo copy of Prince's The Gold Experience (on double gold LPs!!!), and a marble version of Hounds of Love that I would looooove to have (although it has a promo hole punch in the corner....
Topics for future discussion:
- describe the feelings you get when you have to put records back in the bin that you would love to have, but can't afford.
- how do you feel about Promo copies with promo stamps or holes or other various shapes to denote the promotional qualities of them. Do you wait to find a real deal copy? What if the promo copy is special on its own?
- How many versions of a record are enough? Do you like to collect multiple pressings? Colors? Etc.
- What is your favorite pre-record hunting routine?
I would also like to give some year end lists of favorite finds, best new releases, best deals, and more... If ya got the plums, dive right in.
Oh, and Merry Christmas from Pancakes and Records. Next year we'll record a Christmas song for you, right Adam? Maybe even a Christmas shirt that has a big picture of a tree and says Luv Yer Needles. '09 here we come!! ;)
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
This sort of involves records
I had an idea for a website. It'd be a sort of website/message board full of thrift store scoops. One of the big problems we thrifters face is that you have to keep checking and checking all stores or you'll never know what you're missing. I went to a Goodwill one weekend and was browsing the music, they had an unusual amount of CDs at the time, and the manager tells me that the Monday before they had gotten a donation of close to 3,000 CDs from a guy that had just died. And, yes I know, CDs. *BELCH* But there was some good stuff in there, quite a few Fat Possum albums, and I would've loved to see what had been in there originally. But the stock had pretty much dwindled to 100 or so by the time I got to it. So, the website would be split into cities/regions/areas or whatever and would take a whole lot of involvement from the public, or at least the thrift store faithful. You go to a thrift store, and you report back on what's there. Things seem to come into thrift stores in batches. When you find one early 90s 12-inch, you're likely to find several. So when you go and notice that a new shipment has come in, and if you can take stock of a theme to it, you report back to anyone else who would want to know. And this doesn't just have to apply to records. Could work if you're looking for flannel shirts, western boots, life preserver vests, slickers, TVs, furniture, whatever. There could also be a section for requests. As in, "I'm asking you to be on the lookout for [this]. Have you seen [this] anywhere?"
At least two problems with this plan. (1) Specific to records, we who buy records can of course be grabby. If we come across a good stash, we're likely to clean it out right there. There would be nothing left to report back on. (2) The requests would probably get outrageous. I can see asking someone to be on the lookout for a genre or a group, but eventually people would start asking for a particular album, or a certain brand and size of television, or a certain color, size, cut, pattern, and fabric of shirt. It'd get out of hand. You couldn't ask people to remember that kind of stuff between thrift store and computer. But that's when I get to come down and reign supreme, deal out some punishment.
At least two problems with this plan. (1) Specific to records, we who buy records can of course be grabby. If we come across a good stash, we're likely to clean it out right there. There would be nothing left to report back on. (2) The requests would probably get outrageous. I can see asking someone to be on the lookout for a genre or a group, but eventually people would start asking for a particular album, or a certain brand and size of television, or a certain color, size, cut, pattern, and fabric of shirt. It'd get out of hand. You couldn't ask people to remember that kind of stuff between thrift store and computer. But that's when I get to come down and reign supreme, deal out some punishment.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
Gramming in the grooves. The debate continues...
I definitely get all that. And I guess the imperfections part I would concede, and I didn't really think about, although my records are majority lightweight pressings that were not anywhere near new when I bought them and they still play pretty well. Plus those imperfections, unless we're talking serious warping or sword damage on account of you used your record as a shield, are often what gives a record its character. Personally, if a record is too quiet or silent when it hits that startup groove, I'm unsettled. Need at least some initial pop. On the complete other side of the spectrum from the 200s, I definitely have some compilation records from the seventies that obviously crammed as much possible music as they could onto each side of the record, making for a horribly thin sound. Too lightweight definitely makes for a crap record.
But with the sound part, my whole take on it is, you have a record that was released in, say, 1968, on a lightweight pressing. Since its first release, that's how it's been heard and that's how it's been judged, that's how you've always heard it, that's how you've fallen in love with the recording, based on the sound that was made by that lightweight pressing. So, would getting a higher grammage of record, though it may in all measurable aspects sound "better," really be better than getting something closer to the original copy and something closer to the media that the artist would have originally expected their songs to be released on?
That's pretty much my take on it. I could full-on support new recordings being shipped from the outset on heavy records. (And crikey I wish they would be!) But all of a sudden wanting to amp up old recordings beyond what they were intended for doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I guess it's one of those many places dealing with records where the intangibles come into play. Like, yes, I know that if I buy that 180 gram version of Astral Weeks I'm probably going to hear a lot more of that album than I've ever heard before. Different parts of it will probably pop out at me and I could get a different perspective on the album. But is that what I want out of the record, or do I want the record that I already love?
Of course, the result of all this talk is only that I want to get both an old copy and the new 180 grammer. Of COURSE!
But with the sound part, my whole take on it is, you have a record that was released in, say, 1968, on a lightweight pressing. Since its first release, that's how it's been heard and that's how it's been judged, that's how you've always heard it, that's how you've fallen in love with the recording, based on the sound that was made by that lightweight pressing. So, would getting a higher grammage of record, though it may in all measurable aspects sound "better," really be better than getting something closer to the original copy and something closer to the media that the artist would have originally expected their songs to be released on?
That's pretty much my take on it. I could full-on support new recordings being shipped from the outset on heavy records. (And crikey I wish they would be!) But all of a sudden wanting to amp up old recordings beyond what they were intended for doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me. I guess it's one of those many places dealing with records where the intangibles come into play. Like, yes, I know that if I buy that 180 gram version of Astral Weeks I'm probably going to hear a lot more of that album than I've ever heard before. Different parts of it will probably pop out at me and I could get a different perspective on the album. But is that what I want out of the record, or do I want the record that I already love?
Of course, the result of all this talk is only that I want to get both an old copy and the new 180 grammer. Of COURSE!
I'll See Your One Eighty and Raise You Twenty
You wanna get real?? 200 GRAM VINYL.
With prices not for the faint of heart, 200 gram vinyl promises... um... heavier records. And boy oh boy does it feel good to hold a heavy record. I have been desiring the Peter Gabriel reissues for years, just never had the plums to drop wads of digital green. But do they sound better? Probably, but it depends.
(I shall now turn it over to Wikipedia)
VINYL QUALITY
The sound quality and durability of vinyl records is highly dependent on the quality of the vinyl. During the early 1970s, as a cost-cutting move towards use of lightweight, flexible vinyl pressings, much of the industry adopted a technique of reducing the thickness and quality of vinyl used in mass-market manufacturing, marketed by RCA Victor as the "Dynaflex" (125 g) process, considered inferior by most record collectors.[27] Most vinyl records are pressed on recycled vinyl.
New "virgin" or "heavy" (180–220 g) vinyl is commonly used for modern "audiophile" vinyl releases in all genres. Many collectors prefer to have 180 g vinyl albums, and they have been reported to have a better sound than normal vinyl. These albums tend to withstand the deformation caused by normal play better than regular vinyl[citation needed]. 180 g vinyl is more expensive to produce and requires higher-quality manufacturing processes than regular vinyl.
Since most vinyl records are from recycled plastic, impurities can be accumulated in the record, causing a brand new album to have audio artifacts like clicks and pops. Virgin vinyl means that the album is not from recycled plastic, and will theoretically be devoid of these impurities. In practice, this depends on the manufacturer's quality control.
The orange peel effect on vinyl records is caused by worn moulds. Rather than having the proper mirror-like finish, the surface of the record will have what looks like an orange peel texture. This introduces noise into the record, particularly in the lower frequency range. It should be noted that with direct metal mastering (DMM) the master disc is cut on a copper-coated disc which can also have a minor "orange peel" effect. As this "orange peel" originates in the master rather than being introduced in the pressing stage, there is no ill-effect.
While most vinyl records are pressed from metal discs known as 'stampers', a technique known as lathe-cutting is used to create the original discs. A lathe is used to cut microgrooves into an aluminium disc coated with a soft lacquer. This lacquer disc is then electroplated with nickel to form a negative known as a 'master' disc, which has a protrusion rather than a groove. The lacquer disc is destroyed when the nickel impression is separated. This master disc is then electroplated with nickel to form a positive disc known as a 'mother'. Many mothers can be grown from a single master before the master deteriorates beyond use. In their own turn the mothers are nickel plated to produce more negative discs known as 'stampers'. Again a single mother can grow many stampers before they deteriorate beyond use. It is these stampers that are then used to mould the final vinyl discs.[28] In this way several million vinyl discs can be produced from a single lacquer original. For production of discs where a relatively small quantity is required, the first nickel negative grown from the lacquer original is used directly as a stamper. Production by this latter process (known as the 'half process') is limited to a few hundred vinyl discs.
So that's that. Depends what you are comparing the record to, but overall chance for imperfections is less and it will stand up over time better than lighter weight pressings.
See how I summed that up there? Sweet. I still want that Gabriel.
With prices not for the faint of heart, 200 gram vinyl promises... um... heavier records. And boy oh boy does it feel good to hold a heavy record. I have been desiring the Peter Gabriel reissues for years, just never had the plums to drop wads of digital green. But do they sound better? Probably, but it depends.
(I shall now turn it over to Wikipedia)
VINYL QUALITY
The sound quality and durability of vinyl records is highly dependent on the quality of the vinyl. During the early 1970s, as a cost-cutting move towards use of lightweight, flexible vinyl pressings, much of the industry adopted a technique of reducing the thickness and quality of vinyl used in mass-market manufacturing, marketed by RCA Victor as the "Dynaflex" (125 g) process, considered inferior by most record collectors.[27] Most vinyl records are pressed on recycled vinyl.
New "virgin" or "heavy" (180–220 g) vinyl is commonly used for modern "audiophile" vinyl releases in all genres. Many collectors prefer to have 180 g vinyl albums, and they have been reported to have a better sound than normal vinyl. These albums tend to withstand the deformation caused by normal play better than regular vinyl[citation needed]. 180 g vinyl is more expensive to produce and requires higher-quality manufacturing processes than regular vinyl.
Since most vinyl records are from recycled plastic, impurities can be accumulated in the record, causing a brand new album to have audio artifacts like clicks and pops. Virgin vinyl means that the album is not from recycled plastic, and will theoretically be devoid of these impurities. In practice, this depends on the manufacturer's quality control.
The orange peel effect on vinyl records is caused by worn moulds. Rather than having the proper mirror-like finish, the surface of the record will have what looks like an orange peel texture. This introduces noise into the record, particularly in the lower frequency range. It should be noted that with direct metal mastering (DMM) the master disc is cut on a copper-coated disc which can also have a minor "orange peel" effect. As this "orange peel" originates in the master rather than being introduced in the pressing stage, there is no ill-effect.
While most vinyl records are pressed from metal discs known as 'stampers', a technique known as lathe-cutting is used to create the original discs. A lathe is used to cut microgrooves into an aluminium disc coated with a soft lacquer. This lacquer disc is then electroplated with nickel to form a negative known as a 'master' disc, which has a protrusion rather than a groove. The lacquer disc is destroyed when the nickel impression is separated. This master disc is then electroplated with nickel to form a positive disc known as a 'mother'. Many mothers can be grown from a single master before the master deteriorates beyond use. In their own turn the mothers are nickel plated to produce more negative discs known as 'stampers'. Again a single mother can grow many stampers before they deteriorate beyond use. It is these stampers that are then used to mould the final vinyl discs.[28] In this way several million vinyl discs can be produced from a single lacquer original. For production of discs where a relatively small quantity is required, the first nickel negative grown from the lacquer original is used directly as a stamper. Production by this latter process (known as the 'half process') is limited to a few hundred vinyl discs.
So that's that. Depends what you are comparing the record to, but overall chance for imperfections is less and it will stand up over time better than lighter weight pressings.
See how I summed that up there? Sweet. I still want that Gabriel.
180 Gram-mers
And, immediately, something else that sort of involves Amazon. While I was searching last night, I found out there's a few Van Morrison records that are going to be re-released on vinyl next week. One of them is Astral Weeks, which is one of my favorite albums ever, and one of the most massive gaping holes on my record shelves. But it's being released as a 180 Gram reissue, and it's going to cost $25. This might be an album that I'd spend that kind of money on, maybe, but isn't that a little absurd. First of all, $25 is a lot of money to spend on a single record. And second, I think I'd rather have it as a regular pressing than as a 180 Gram. Because, think about it, how much better can it be than what it was originally released as? I'd rather find a good old used copy of it for a legit price than shell out $25 for a 180 Gram-mer. I think. For this particular album, I could see myself caving if I was in Borders and it happened to be one of the 15 or 16 records they're currently shelving, and I just happened to run across it and fell in love. Generally though, I feel the same way about 180 Gram reissues of old albums, particularly albums like this that are not so sonically wild that a regular pressing would miss out on a ton of stuff, as I do about those deluxe edition CD packages that charge you twice for the album in mono and the same album in stereo. All I really need is the album as it was meant to be heard, or as it was originally released, the release that made me fall in love with it in the first place.
Argh! On the flip side, Amazon WOES
Last night I was in prime mode for an Amazonian. I couldn't think of any more gifts I was getting people that would need to be bought through Amazon, so I didn't have that excuse, but I pretty much decided, "To hell with it. I'm putting in an order anyway because I want free shipping." I knew of one record I definitely wanted to get, Junior Kimbrough's All Night Long, an album I should have bought in some form years ago but, over the last several days, decided it was fate I did not because close to a week ago I found out the Amazon store had it on vinyl. But I didn't order it when I found out because I was pretty sure I needed to order other Christmas gifts through Amazon but wasn't sure what they were. That fell through, so I just decided I'd get All Night Long and then find something else. (Almost decided on being sinful and getting Alice Russell's new one Pot 'O Gold, pretty much the only one of these retro woman British soul singers I've heard that I can stand, on CD! *GASP* Why her album has not been released on vinyl, I have no idea. It's retarded.) So I go to Amazon ready to put in my order and now All Night Long has that dreadful listing of "This item has been discontinued by the manufacturer." WHAT?!? In the week between when I first noticed it and when I went to order it, they decided to discontinue it? Major bummer, and apparently not really true, because I can still go straight to the Fat Possum site and order it, which I'll probably do, and also order Paul Jones's Mule and R.L. Burnside's Too Bad Jim, even though it will cost me $6 to ship them. But the LPs are $10 each, which is not bad at all for any new vinyl. But at the same time I still want to order something from Amazon to satisfy that jones! So I spent a few hours last night looking through Soulbounce and Allmusic end-of-year lists trying to see what I might be interested in that had come out on record, and the pickings were a little scarce. Estelle's Shine is a possibility, as is an older Platinum Pied Pipers record. Another one I came across was Eli 'Paperboy' Reed, but, I don't know. From what samples I've heard, he has the same problems so many other young "blues" singers have. The music is great, very good listening, but the vocals are douchey because they're trying to imitate someone, or everyone at once. Douchey. So I'll probably skip that one. The latest Q-Tip is a possibility too. They're all a possibility. This could get expensive.
Anyway, the lessons learned here are multiple. (1) If you're surprised to find that Amazon has an older record available on vinyl, directly through them rather than an auction or dealer and they're having some kind of special, scoop it up cuz it may not be there long. (2) More new releases need to be put out on vinyl. I'm sure we'll blog more about this in the future, but with mp3's now being so widespread and ideal for portability, there's no reason that albums, especially albums full of music that's just screaming for a vinyl release, can't be released as vinyl with an mp3 download. (3) A record's unavailability does not settle a jones. (4) "This item has been discontinued" seems to be a blanket statement for "We don't have any" on Amazon, so if the record isn't there, check the record label before you go pay twice the price on eBay or something. And, for a fifth, (5) speaking of that, why doesn't Amazon get some more? They could have some of my money.
Anyway, the lessons learned here are multiple. (1) If you're surprised to find that Amazon has an older record available on vinyl, directly through them rather than an auction or dealer and they're having some kind of special, scoop it up cuz it may not be there long. (2) More new releases need to be put out on vinyl. I'm sure we'll blog more about this in the future, but with mp3's now being so widespread and ideal for portability, there's no reason that albums, especially albums full of music that's just screaming for a vinyl release, can't be released as vinyl with an mp3 download. (3) A record's unavailability does not settle a jones. (4) "This item has been discontinued" seems to be a blanket statement for "We don't have any" on Amazon, so if the record isn't there, check the record label before you go pay twice the price on eBay or something. And, for a fifth, (5) speaking of that, why doesn't Amazon get some more? They could have some of my money.
Monday, December 15, 2008
Amazon
Gotta love the amazon free shipping. Put in an order for presents, place a few personal gifts on the back end of the deal for solo unwrapping under the tree. In this case, The Pixies' Doolittle and Jay Reatard's Matador Singles '08.
And yes, I plan on posting up every record that enters my collection. I'll love it. You, not so much... mainly because the jealousy over than many Bananarama LPs NOT in your hands will be too great.
Hurray for Christmas.
And yes, I plan on posting up every record that enters my collection. I'll love it. You, not so much... mainly because the jealousy over than many Bananarama LPs NOT in your hands will be too great.
Hurray for Christmas.
Options
I confess. I had the option to order pancakes yesterday, but I went with the Veggie Skillet instead. We're talking Crackerbarrel pancakes here though. Whether that's good or bad, you be the judge. BUT, I wanted to admit the pancake pass.
Truthfully, don't we have the option of whether or not TO pancake or not TO pancake each and every day we breath the swirling batter of life? I chose the veggie skillet and lived to tell tales of salty potatoes and egg complaining women. The pancakes would have been a good choice, but the side of biscuits dampened my fears of acceptance, put an end to my health desires for yet another day.
In the bathroom, country twang and brittle dreams.
The coffee wasn't so bad.
Truthfully, don't we have the option of whether or not TO pancake or not TO pancake each and every day we breath the swirling batter of life? I chose the veggie skillet and lived to tell tales of salty potatoes and egg complaining women. The pancakes would have been a good choice, but the side of biscuits dampened my fears of acceptance, put an end to my health desires for yet another day.
In the bathroom, country twang and brittle dreams.
The coffee wasn't so bad.
Friday, December 12, 2008
Shopping For Friends
I have spent a lot of hours in my life looking for Rhythm Nation: 1814 on vinyl. Every time I go into a store I check the pop section, the R&B section, the soul, rock, soundtracks (just in case) and I have never found it. It was up there with Doll By Doll's Gypsy Blood, Peter Gabriel's Last Temptation of Christ soundtrack, and any Prince record that I do not own. I could easily go online and buy in ten seconds, but I didn't. The goal is to have the record come to me. And last night it did. Adam bought it for me and then we started this blog. Thanks bro. Totes.
I bought my first records in 2000 on the way back from Wildwood, NJ at an antique store a few miles after the Cape May/Lewes ferry. They were all 50 cent 80s rock and in terrible shape. Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, David Lee Roth... all stuff that floods the $1 bins of every store I've been to since. But I bought as many as I could with the money I had in my pocket and worried about actually getting a record player later. Dude in the store wined and dined me with descriptions of his house full of tens of thousands of records, just waiting for me to buy them (if I was into that kind of thing). Not only did I have my first record buying experience, but I came face to face with what I would eventually become. A total record freak working in an antique store in DE. But hopefully my store will be a little more upscale... and not in Delaware... hopefully in Wilmington, NC and hopefully with Pacin' Mason by my side serving pancakes to himself while screaming at patrons to get the hell out of his store.
I bought my first turntable at a Mars music somewhere in Virginia... maybe in the Richmond area? Can't really remember. What I DO remember is that I owed my future wife Christy money at the time and instead of paying her back, I bought the record player. SMART. Adam's right when he talks about spending all the money you have on this stuff and having very little control over it. A week and a half ago I walked out of an Antique store in Cape May $70 poorer (note: included two cds and NKOTB comic book). I couldn't help myself! Richard Marx, Thomas Dolby, Lionel Richie and all their friends are just too powerful! Which brings me to my love of 80's pop vinyl. NOTHING BEATS IT. Collecting ALL the Eddie Money albums is extremely important to my existence. And please don't ask me to explain it. There is something about that crest of synth heavy music that moves me to FERVENT EMOTION. I guess it's that time period where music could be overtly cheesy and emotional (and thus immediately dated) without being worried about being cliche. What I'm trying to say is that The Outfield are geniuses. Cyndi Lauper can make me cry. Michael Jackson is and always will be the King Of Pop. Jam and Lewis are Gods and Michael Bolton is a White Lion of Greatness (but not in like an aryan race kind of way, yuck-o).
If you haven't guessed it yet, my posts are going to be heavy on 80's and early 90's pop... but not without the occasional gush about current trends in indie pomp and circumstance. But that will mostly be boring and completely worthless. Either way, here's to a new blog. The dream of our own record store (again, hopefully in Wilmington, NC). And also to pancakes, which we will rarely talk about.
Currently Listening to: Richard Marx: S/T
I bought my first records in 2000 on the way back from Wildwood, NJ at an antique store a few miles after the Cape May/Lewes ferry. They were all 50 cent 80s rock and in terrible shape. Bon Jovi, Twisted Sister, David Lee Roth... all stuff that floods the $1 bins of every store I've been to since. But I bought as many as I could with the money I had in my pocket and worried about actually getting a record player later. Dude in the store wined and dined me with descriptions of his house full of tens of thousands of records, just waiting for me to buy them (if I was into that kind of thing). Not only did I have my first record buying experience, but I came face to face with what I would eventually become. A total record freak working in an antique store in DE. But hopefully my store will be a little more upscale... and not in Delaware... hopefully in Wilmington, NC and hopefully with Pacin' Mason by my side serving pancakes to himself while screaming at patrons to get the hell out of his store.
I bought my first turntable at a Mars music somewhere in Virginia... maybe in the Richmond area? Can't really remember. What I DO remember is that I owed my future wife Christy money at the time and instead of paying her back, I bought the record player. SMART. Adam's right when he talks about spending all the money you have on this stuff and having very little control over it. A week and a half ago I walked out of an Antique store in Cape May $70 poorer (note: included two cds and NKOTB comic book). I couldn't help myself! Richard Marx, Thomas Dolby, Lionel Richie and all their friends are just too powerful! Which brings me to my love of 80's pop vinyl. NOTHING BEATS IT. Collecting ALL the Eddie Money albums is extremely important to my existence. And please don't ask me to explain it. There is something about that crest of synth heavy music that moves me to FERVENT EMOTION. I guess it's that time period where music could be overtly cheesy and emotional (and thus immediately dated) without being worried about being cliche. What I'm trying to say is that The Outfield are geniuses. Cyndi Lauper can make me cry. Michael Jackson is and always will be the King Of Pop. Jam and Lewis are Gods and Michael Bolton is a White Lion of Greatness (but not in like an aryan race kind of way, yuck-o).
If you haven't guessed it yet, my posts are going to be heavy on 80's and early 90's pop... but not without the occasional gush about current trends in indie pomp and circumstance. But that will mostly be boring and completely worthless. Either way, here's to a new blog. The dream of our own record store (again, hopefully in Wilmington, NC). And also to pancakes, which we will rarely talk about.
Currently Listening to: Richard Marx: S/T
We have a noble mission. Our mission is John Noble.
I was in a Goodwill recently in my usual position. Squatted. As close to the floor as I could get without sitting, ready to spring, with my arms hulked out in a semi-circle getting ready to plow my browse through a line of records that was packed way too tight, on the damn bottom shelf, for proper flipping. So I had to pull out about 15 and set them aside so I could get proper room to flip. Then I go in to get started. There's a guy standing behind me this entire time, I don't know what he wants but as he long as he's not bothering me I don't care. But he was bothering me because he was breathing loud and I could feel it. Anyway, I get going and he finally pipes up and says, "Oh! You're going to look through them all. That's alright I just want to look at tapes." VHS tapes are above the records. He keeps talking. "I like to buy these tapes cuz sometimes I just want to watch it once. We want a couple of specific ones. Here's one! Quigley Down Under. There was another one.... What was it? Anyway, what kind of records are you looking for?" I give him my standard answer, whatever I can find, whatever looks good, whatever strikes my fancy, nothing in particular. Then he goes off on some tangent about collecting little racecars, like Hot Wheels, how he has collectibles from Hardee's, a whole set! And then he asks me, about the records, "Do you listen to them or just collect them?" Which might be a good place to start this blog.
Records as collectibles? WHAT?! I think I can at least somewhat speak for Adam when I say that we are not collectors. We may be hoarders, we may be searchers, we can definitely be greedy about them, we can definitely come precariously close to putting ourselves in debt over them (and that will all come up in this blog) but they're not for show. Of course we play them! It's why we're selective. It's why we hunt. That's basically what we are. Hunter-gatherers. Always on the lookout, and ready to scoop en masse. And why do we hunt? They. Sound. Good. They sound incredible. They have character that no digital media can match and make for a listening experience that is practically supernatural. And they're beautiful. You get warm feelings when you hold them. And every time you actually find one that you've been waiting to find, waiting to hear, it's like your supposedly barren womb is unexpectedly ripe with twins. There's a reason they've lasted so long. Or there's tons of reasons. All of which we'll go through eventually. We'll talk about all that and then some. We spend a lot of time overanalyzing things into and past absurdity, so we will come up with all sorts of angles to look at records from. So on and so on general introductions.
Pancakes are delicious. They are shaped like records, it's true, and if you put one on a turntable we would probably get really excited, but that's not why they're primarily involved. Primarily they're involved because they're attractive. They smell incredible. Dude, you think I haven't seen the commercials for those new coffee cake pancakes at IHOP? I lean over myself and wet the floor when I hear about those. Pancakes could bring people in to a record store. No question. So, pancakes is the first word in our title. But, ironically, pancakes are secondary. Pancakes are amazing, but they are not records. But I do want some pancakes.
Records as collectibles? WHAT?! I think I can at least somewhat speak for Adam when I say that we are not collectors. We may be hoarders, we may be searchers, we can definitely be greedy about them, we can definitely come precariously close to putting ourselves in debt over them (and that will all come up in this blog) but they're not for show. Of course we play them! It's why we're selective. It's why we hunt. That's basically what we are. Hunter-gatherers. Always on the lookout, and ready to scoop en masse. And why do we hunt? They. Sound. Good. They sound incredible. They have character that no digital media can match and make for a listening experience that is practically supernatural. And they're beautiful. You get warm feelings when you hold them. And every time you actually find one that you've been waiting to find, waiting to hear, it's like your supposedly barren womb is unexpectedly ripe with twins. There's a reason they've lasted so long. Or there's tons of reasons. All of which we'll go through eventually. We'll talk about all that and then some. We spend a lot of time overanalyzing things into and past absurdity, so we will come up with all sorts of angles to look at records from. So on and so on general introductions.
Pancakes are delicious. They are shaped like records, it's true, and if you put one on a turntable we would probably get really excited, but that's not why they're primarily involved. Primarily they're involved because they're attractive. They smell incredible. Dude, you think I haven't seen the commercials for those new coffee cake pancakes at IHOP? I lean over myself and wet the floor when I hear about those. Pancakes could bring people in to a record store. No question. So, pancakes is the first word in our title. But, ironically, pancakes are secondary. Pancakes are amazing, but they are not records. But I do want some pancakes.
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