Cleveland Ohio Record Stores: The eXchange

Yes, technically speaking, The eXchange (or however you spell the bloody thing) is NOT an indie record store. But I must say that the selection for blues lovers was pretty damn fine–size notwithstanding. Yes, the selection is limited, but the blues/jazz titles IN that limited selection were pretty decent.

The rest of you will have to sit and spin with a few exceptions–this Cleveland Heights branch DID have a copy of REM’s Chronic Town that is NOT a resissue, but aside from that it’s pretty standard fare here–unless you like blues and jazz. This one is very close to the Cleveland Heights indie record store Record Revolution, so it’s not such a bad diversion if you need to fill in some holes in your collection (see below).

You could do worse, I suppose. I’m not a huge fan of this chain but they DO sell used vinyl so I had to stick my head in there for a second. Not the most shining moment of the trip to be sure, but I do love me some Miles.

–Joe Wallace

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Blog to Watch: Spy Bop Royale

Spy Bop Royale isn’t really a blog per se–it doesn’t have daily posts, but the owner, known only as The Mastermind, promises occasional updates when he finds new material. It’s a bummer that this site isn’t a more regular concern, but for the beginning collector (OK, let’s be honest and call them “obsessives”) of 60s spy soundtracks, this site is a gold mine of information.

There is a lot of detailed info on rare, probably now-out-of-print, and reissued sounds related to James Bond films, The Prisoner, The Saint, and film including Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang and even The Thunderbirds. If you’ve recently seen Danger: Diabolik and have become hooked, or are looking for a new vinyl junkie obsession to try out, Spy Bop Royale is an excellent place to begin researching titles. And those album covers are delicious…

I do wish I could report that this site, which started in 2002, was more obviously updated (the site isn’t set up like most blogs you’re used to seeing–you have to check out the What’s New section to find out the latest), but The Mastermind IS on top of the news and the site reflects the recent releases of the Jerry Cotton soundtrack from Allscore Media and the recent Prisoner series. This site is lovingly maintained and it’s obvious The Mastermind is a true lover of these sounds from the 60s.

How To Clean a Vinyl Record

How to clean a vinyl album? It’s a question that plagues crate diggers from Lake Geneva to the Finland Station. (Heh.) Do you want to know how SOME people clean their vinyl records? One rocket scientist on a message board somewhere suggests you IMMERSE your vinyl records in STEAMING HOT WATER.

Run right out and try that if you’re crazy enough, and by all means, be sure to let us know how that worked out for you.

Other people claim a dab of Lysol does wonders–but I’m not into giving that a try, are you? Ditto for the dude who suggests Methylated spirits. No way–not unless it’s a copy of a Paul Williams record that’s been used as a sun visor on a 68 Volkswagon. I’d love to hear the damage done that way…could be the next house disco treat if you throw some beats under it.

The vinyl record cleaning method described at Rebuilt Tranny’s Rat Rod Record Exchange makes the most sense of all the methods mentioned online that I could dig up. Use a bit of soap on a synthetic fiber brush, scrub gently in the direction of the grooves, then rinse with water. Purists, avoid getting the center label wet or you’ll weep great oceans of tears. Dry with a microfiber cloth and you’re done.

Bravo, Rebuilt Tranny, for offering the most common sense vinyl LP cleaning method on the web. Oh, did I mention that he runs the vinyl through Audacity’s click and pop filter afterwards and makes nice, clean Mp3s out of his nice clean records? NOW you’ve got some clean sounding tracks.

Vinyl Blogs to Watch: Egg City Radio

A blog that features posts on albums by Ryuichi Sakamoto, Sonic Youth, AND Jim “Gilligan’s Island” Backus, Bobcat Goldthwait, plus Dee Dee Ramone in his rappin’ phase?  That’s a blog I personally think could be the greatest thing of all time. Egg City Radio has been at it since 2007 and I sincerely hope it never ever EVER stops. The image for the Jim Backus album alone made it worth the search–having searched through Egg City Radio’s archives I can say this is a work of demented genius.

I’m fully aware that there are other highly eclectic vinyl collector blogs out there, but I’ll be damned to Satan’s personal, private hell and have cocktail wieners jammed into my eyeballs for all eternity if Egg City Radio isn’t THE most delightfully insane collection of musical contradictions ever under one roof. Who else has the balls to run a review of PiL’s Commercial Zone LP back to back with a music library LP for The Price Is Right? This is someone I seriously need to read on a daily basis.

This is quite possibly my favorite blog of all that I’ve seen this year. Seriously.

Chicago Record Stores: Reggie’s Record Breakers

Reggie’s is an unusual place–located at 2105/2109 South State Street in Chicago, this is a rock and roll venue, a bar and grill, and home to Record Breakers, the indie vinyl and CD store located upstairs. It’s a dangerous thing for a record collector to stop at the bar on the ground level BEFORE buying the vinyl–you’ll stagger up the stairs and back down much lighter in the wallet.

Record Breakers is a great place for new collectors–you can fill a lot of gaps in your collection if you’re looking for punk, post-punk, and soul. It’s not so great for soundtrack fiends like me, as the selection is pretty grim. I was happy to see a decent assortment of Chicago Wax Trax! era titles but really bummed about the soundtracks. The lack of a weird/unclassifiable section was a disappointment, but definitely not a deal breaker for the newcomer to vinyl.

I’d recommend Reggie’s for the full experience–don’t go and just record shop, take the whole scene in. A nice change from the standalone store, to be sure. If you go early on a Saturday, (after 12 but before 5) chances are you’ll have the run of the place–it was pretty quiet when I got there and got excellent service from the bar. Nice one.

–Joe Wallace

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Blogs to Watch: Dust And Grooves

by Joe Wallace

I love both the concept and execution of Dust and Grooves. Just look at that amazing photo of The Ohio Players greatest hits collection–just one of the many crate digger’s delights you’ll discover at DustandGrooves.com. There is a decent sized archive of excellent posts to crawl through here but it’s sad that the site hasn’t updated since late April–but Dust and Grooves’s Eilon Paz has been traveling so it’s entirely possible it’s just a temporary hiatus. (Please say it’s temporary!)

One of the great entries on the blog is the feature on European record collector Viktor Kiswell who had this little gem in his collection:

Dust and Grooves is one of my current obsessions–-here’s hoping this blog starts the updates again soon! GREAT work. Recommended.

Join Turntabling at Cyphan Friday June 25 2010

Turntabling has a table full of delicious vinyl and rare CD finds in the dealer hall at this year’s Cyphan con. The show is Friday June 25 through Sunday June 27 at the Westin Chicago North Shore Hotel in Wheeling, Illinois.

The Turntabling table features some vintage Goblin, Morricone, Bruno Nicolai, Tarantino soundtracks, a bit of the old Rob Zombie on vinyl, even some Doctor Who-related vinyl for the sci-fi set. We’ve also got a line of tees for sale this time out including the infamous “Sweet Innocent Teenagers” tee.

Cyphan is an experiment for Turntabling…sci-fi shows aren’t what we’re used to doing, but this one features a Friday The 13th reunion and a few other tasty treats, so we’ve decided to give it a go and see what happens. Come out join Turntabling for a weekend of fandom, vinyl, and something called the Browncoat Bash which features Firefly star Jewell Staite as the guest of honor. These maniacs have made the Browncoat Bash an OPEN BAR affair–a dangerous thing to do with a bunch of vinyl junkies in the room.

A Handy Guide to Digitizing Vinyl Records from Soul-Sides.com

Soul-Sides.com is an awesome vinyl/MP3 blog featuring rare soul finds including 45s, 12-inch singles and much more. The music selection is fantastic and highly recommended, but the added bonus of a well-informed and non-snobby guide to high-quality vinyl-to-mp3 digitizing makes this blog even more valuable.

Oliver Wang, AKA DJ O-Dub, has been running this since 2000 (as a blog since 2003), so he’s got more than enough to obsess over in the archives. I’ve only just discovered this blog but am already impressed by the scope and quality. Bravo! … Continue Reading

Blogs To Watch: Music For Maniacs, Stereofound, and Thrift Store DJ

by Joe Wallace

Every once in a while I like to call attention to blogs that have caught my eye, and there are three that I’m really enjoying. Music For Maniacs, Stereofound and Thrift Store DJ are all dedicated to the oddball stuff on vinyl that most record store shoppers pass up in favor of those albums by Modest Mouse and Radiohead.

What those shoppers don’t know won’t hurt them though–I’m all in favor of having the unclassifiable music left alone in the bins until I can swing by to scoop them up, doofy treasures that they are. My fellow travelers in search of vinyl weirdness blog about their discoveries and I am SO very glad they do.

Music For Maniacs covers everything from exotica to mechanical music. That’s right, music made by machines. Not COMPUTERS, mind you. Picture something on the order of Doctor Phibes’s Clockwork Wizards except without the animatronic mannequins. This blog manages to be even cooler with a whole section dedicated to sound collage and mashups. BRILLIANT.

Stereofound is dedicated to what it describes as “non-music” on vinyl. In fact, according to Stereofound, the blog is obsessed with “oddities on vinyl, found at thrift stores and flea markets. Think of stereo-test records, jingles, sound effects, instructions..” My favorite part of Stereofound is the Moog section, but the Floppy Records stuff is a close second.

Thrift Store DJ is on a similar bent in that it is dedicated to, you guessed it, the music that gets left behind in the junk shop. … Continue Reading

Blog To Watch: The Record Robot

You might get the impression I’m addicted to vinyl blogs, but I love the quirky ones best of all–the ones that report on stuff that you didn’t DARE dream existed, let alone WISH to actually exist. Behold the image above from The Record Robot, which is a 45 single by CW McCall. It’s just kinda creepy to see a 45 recorded in the 70s that manages to resonate more than 30 years later with lyrics like:

“Columbine, columbine/
Blue in the Rockies/
Will you miss me, when I’ve gone away?”

OK, so maybe that’s a bit of a stretch, trying to tie that 45 in with more recent events…but still, any blog that manages to dig up strangeness on vinyl from as far off as Vietnam has my wholehearted support.

The album below features lounge singers from Vietnam in a variety of languages and now I am DYING to hear it.

Vietnamese Lounge? That’s a massive undiscovered genre I need to hear, and SOON. Three cheers for The Record Robot for continuing to chronicle unusual vinyl finds since 2005.

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