It’s one thing to get a goofy, horrifyingly dated album cover to poke fun at. It’s another thing to get practically the same damn cover by two different artists about a DECADE apart. Moe Bandy’s record came out in 1974, the John Bult album is said to have been released in 1985. Bad ideas never die, they just move to different honky tonks.
New York City record stores come and go, but some are institutions. Bleecker Bob’s Records is one of those institutions and when you get inside, the collector in you comes right out and you stop thinking about silly things like prices and budgets and start drooling right away over whatever holy grail title you’re currently after on vinyl…you’re likely to find it here.
When I go into record stores that sell items intended to enhance the vinyl listening experience, (usually made out of glass) I tend to ignore that aspect of the operation, but sometimes you can’t even make it inside the shop without being reminded why so many feel that inhaling and record playing go together. But once I did get inside, it was obvious that my record collection needed some serious additions…but at this stage in the trip, my vinyl budget was in the red.
Yes, I do believe that is an ORIGINAL Mothers of Invention LP there on the bottom right. And your eyes do not deceive you–that’s a Jack Kerouac/Steve Allen LP there. What?
At this stage I just wanted to scoop up ALL this vinyl here. Coil? Current 93? Throbbing Gristle? Artifacts from an era when the music industry still had a barrier to entry but was opening up to people with strange ideas. Strange as in, good. I can’t help myself–I am a sucker for these gloriously weird and beautiful albums–they still sound as original as ever, more so sometimes when I hear the latest Vampire Weekend single. Sorry guys, I TRIED to like you, I really did. But, um, no.
All the metal you can eat. And then some. You may have noticed in this particular post that I don’t even bother TRYING to review Bleecker Bob’s Records. Hell, the pictures speak for themselves….do I really need to ooh and ahh over how much collectible stuff there is to spend massive amounts of money on? Record collectors may swoon, and some may hold their nose and hold out for an Ebay steal but the fact of the matter is that Bleecker Bob’s does have what the true junkie needs. Are you willing to pay their prices? That’s all you really need to know. But go look, regardless. There’s just a ton of essential vinyl junkie stuff here across a good cross-section of genres.
Continue reading New York City Record Stores: Bleecker Bob’s Records
I forget which punk rock album or ad campaign said it first, but I shall paraphrase here. Jerry Falwell is dead and it’s a damn good thing. But before he went, he inflicted this album cover on the unsuspecting public. No, this is NOT an ad sheet for the original Night of the Living Dead, but it would be very easy to mistake this horrid LP cover for such a thing.
Sorry zombie fans, but this is a Jerry Falwell album, and while Falwell is so blinded by religious fervor that he can’t see that the dead are right there in front of his pudgy little face, he wasn’t so giddy on Jesus that he forgot to include a handy explanation of the album for anyone (make that EVERYONE) confused by the album cover. That fine print on the left there explains, “A comprehensive message delivered by Dr. Jerry Falwell” with “beautiful special music” supplied by some other weenie. WTF is “beautiful special music”?
Probably the kind played with an extra dose of hate for those naughty unbelievers and people who laugh loudly at horrible album covers like this. Yeahhhhhh.
–Joe Wallace
Continue reading WTF Bad Album Covers: Jerry Falwell Where Are The Dead?
Bleecker Street Records is famous for those living in the area–and for many of us from farther away, too. And with good reason. This two-floor New York City record store, located at 239 Bleecker Street between Carmine & Leroy in the West Village, is chock full of excellent finds.
If you start on the main floor and work your way down, a first-time visitor will probably find it easier to pace themselves than if you go down to where all the amazing goodies are (downstairs). By the time you come up for air you’ll be flat broke! Unlike some of its NYC counterparts in the Village, Bleecker Street Records is efficiently organized and very easy to browse in spite of a huge volume of titles.
For the first-time visitor, Bleecker Street is a bit deceptive in terms of layout–you’ll probably get through many of the stacks in the basement before you discover the Collectibles side of the house (which is behind you as you walk down the stairs.) Just about the time I was asking myself where all the hidden gems were located, I found them waiting on the opposite side.
It has to be said; Bleecker Street Records is NOT run by a bunch of clueless record buyers. They know what’s collectible, and these LPs are priced accordingly. Experienced collectors looking for holy grail LPs will do well here, but newcomers may be put off by some of the prices until they learn what’s reasonable and what’s not. There truly is something for every stage of collector here, but it’s best to know what’s a steal and what’s not before trying to navigate LPs sold in ANY shop as “collectible”.
The selection in the Bleecker Street collectibles area cannot be beat. These records are plentiful, as well cataloged as the non-collector stuff, and there is a nice cross-section of genres and artists for sale. There are LPs, 45s, 10-inches, the whole gamut.
This is one hell of a record store. Vinyl junkies, this should definitely be a destination for you when you’re in the NYC area. I WILL be back!
–Joe Wallace
Continue reading New York City Record Stores: Bleecker Street Records