Secret Stash Records–A New Vinyl Goldmine

A few weeks ago, Secret Stash Records dropped some sweet vinyl releases in the Turntabling mailbox. Things got crazy round here but now that the dust has settled and there’s been a spare second to listen to the releases from this Minnesota-based label, I can report that this is a label to watch for vinyl lovers–especially if you’re into funk, soul, and related sounds.

Secret Stash’s most important releases so far, for my money, are the Porno Groove collection (on pink vinyl!) and the Mad Dog’s Hustle original soundtrack record. I loved these two titles and strongly recommend them. Look for reviews of both coming later this week along with another Secret Stash LP.

The image above is for the latest release on Secret Stash, Soviet Funk Volume One. I am very excited about this album, and you should be too. Stay tuned, vinyl lovers. And be sure to check out Secret Stash for the latest news and info. This label is doing great things in 2010!

–Joe Wallace

A Fistful of Soundtracks

Jimmy J. Aquino is a busy guy. He programs an internet radio station full of soundtrack music, does graphic novel work and runs A Fistful of Soundtracks which is heavy on the graphic novel stuff (Aquino’s Death to Skinny Jeans) but also full of soundtrack, television and cinema talk.

We’re new to this blog, but digging it very much. Highlights include a great discussion of the Superfly soundtrack (plus the awesome image below–we did NOT take this, the image is courtesy A Fistful of Soundtracks. Kudos to Jimmy Aquino–this is a worthy fellow soundtrack blog and the latest addition to the Turntabling blog roll. RECOMMENDED!

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Five Horror Sites to Watch in 2010

I’ve been making all sorts of new discoveries in 2009, and since a good number of the soundtracks and related material sold here at Turntabling are horror-related (as in, most of them) it’s about time I ran down a list of my favorites so you can join me in my current addictions.

HorrorSociety.com is the host of most of the Chicago horror events I run the Turntabling booth at; Mitch and Jessica Wells are the brains behind this along with several other Chicago horror fanatics and the job they do putting on the horror film festivals is fantastic. Great fun every single time and the website is quite good as well. I am a huge fan of Horror Society stuff. If you’re in Chicago and love horror, this is not just a meet-and-greet group that hangs out once every month or so, it’s a bona fide subculture in Chicago now–at least from where I sit.

Kitley’s Krypt is one of the fixtures on the horror front–running for ten years plus! The honest reviews, dedication to the movies and an utter refusal to “go commercial” make the Krypt an outstanding example of what a horror blog can be. Don’t delay, have a nice long read over at Kitley’s Krypt and be sure to drop by his booth at Flashback, HorrorHound Weekend and Cinema Wasteland (just to name a few) in 2010. Kitley is a fellow soundtrack lover and it’s good to see his reviews of the latest releases. Me, I’m more of an old-school soundtrack collector, going after the vinyl and etc. but Kitley does an excellent job with the reviews on the new material and yes, some old classics too.

Fatally-Yours.com is my latest discovery. I enjoy well-written and thoughtful reviews of genre movies, especially new horror. So many of the big name sites now seem a bit breathless for every horror movie that comes out regardless of whether it’s a tired old revamp of a once-profitable horror series or an indie splatterfest. The reviews at Fatally-Yours are just as critical and thought provoking as you want ‘em to be. Very good reading.

Horror 101 With Dr. AC is an excellent read, but I must direct horror newcomers to the amazing reviews section first, as it’s jam packed with more information that you can possibly digest in a hundred sittings. In short, the horror fanatic’s dream. Absolutely fabulous stuff from a serious lover of all things horror and dedicated to sharing. And yes, this site is in connection with the book Horror 101, which is a great read.

Chateau GRRR is a site I’ve only just become acquainted with, but I like them for the same reason I like HorrorSociety.com–it encourages community building and there are plenty of interviews and reviews, lots to chew on. Very good stuff so far–I’m still exploring the site, but after meeting the person behind GRRR at the last Horror Society event, I’m happy to encourage people to join this horror community. … Continue Reading

Join Turntabling at HorrorHound Weekend November 20-22

The Crazy Babysitter Twins from Grindhouse, Elvira, Kane “Jason” Hodder and many other well-loved horror movie names will be at HorrorHound Weekend this Friday through Sunday, November 20-22. And so will Turntabling–we’ll have a booth at the show featuring a great staggering pile of vinyl, CDs and yet another special, limited edition CD compilation of Turntabling Records singles from various releases including the as-of-yet not quite finished new Paisley Babylon album due out in Spring of 2010.
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Saturday (Nov. 14) Joint Turntabling at Zombie Outbreak at the Portage Theater

Tomorrow (Saturday Nov. 14) Turntabling will have its booth at the Chicago Horror Society’s Zombie Outbreak film festival at the Portage Theater. Join us at 4050 Milwaukee Avenue at 4PM til late.

Turntabling will have a great big pile of new and used vinyl for sale including Goblin, Morricone titles, Bauhaus, Public Image Limited, the wonderful Twin Peaks soundtrack, Lost Highway, tons more. And best of all, there are eight full hours of zombie movies playing! How does it get ANY better than that. When you go to the door, tell them that Turntabling.net sent you.

See you at the Portage!

Vinyl Art by Daniel Edlen

Some vinyl uber-purists might cringe at the idea that record albums are being used to create original works of art rather than take another spin on a turntable somewhere, but let’s face it–there are millions of records everywhere, and not all of them are in pristine condition, know what I mean?

That’s why I love the idea of using vinyl records in art–there’s a landill somewhere that will be lighter as a result, and those of us who love vinyl above and beyond what’s contained in those grooves the needle hits tend to be fans of this stuff. … Continue Reading

Vinyl Road Rage Update

by Joe Wallace

The weekend was full of interesting diversions–I took a side journey into the world of flea markets–the Texas vinyl collector’s old reliable alternative to the indie record shop. People who collect vinyl in Texas know flea markets very well and there are many bargains and rarities to be found. I’ll post a report on that soonest. I still have two excellent Austin record shops to write up and a look into the San Antonio market, too.

A good deal of Saturday was spent combing the flea markets, but the nighttime was spent watching Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fabulous Stains, which I can’t find ANYWHERE as an LP and while Amazon was offering downloads of the soundtrack when the DVD remaster came out, a rights dispute forced the tracks offline. … Continue Reading

Vinyl Road Rage–Austin and Beyond

by Joe Wallace

Brain fried from far too much driving. Here’s a gallery of images I’ve collected along the way, with some snarky commentary free of charge. I have gathered these images between Springfield, Illinois and San Antonio, Texas–and I’ve paid the price, let me tell you–my retinas are seared for life in some cases.

The name of this John Denver Album, in case you can’t read the type, is “I Want To Live”. Sorry matey, but you should have taken the bus.

I love this album cover. He looks like one of those plastinated dead bodies currently causing all the fuss on the museums. The bananas don’t look plastinated, though. Just very ripe.

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Cross Country Vinyl Chase Day Two part two

What a long strange vinyl bughunt it has been…From Chicago to San Antonio, I am now halfway through the driving insanity. Tuesday is OKC and Dallas…maybe even Denton if I feel REALLY sexy. I might just, after the stuff I was hearing all around me today at the record emporiums.

The following was overheard in one of the record shops I hit today–people with cell phones talking very loudly never know when they’re going to get their 15 minutes of fame. But when people are practically shouting this crap in your ear, it deserves a second go.

“Yaww, yew jist pour it in yore pee. Maik shore thu kristles are all, you know, like, dissolved and all or you’ll fail the teyust.” It was a 50-something woman who looked like an office drone. She sounded like a backwoods Tim Leary.

Then, ten minutes later, a COMPLETELY DIFFERENT PERSON on the phone. “Yah, yah, you just pour the little envelope of crystals into your pee. Look to see if it changes color. You only go about three ounces of pee anyway, don’t worry about it!”

In Springfield, Missouri, we now know people like to put additives in their pee. Should I ever go back there?

And then…

Oh, but she looks far too INTO having that puppet so near…where is her OTHER hand?

But wait, there’s more. Just in case you hadn’t quite finished playing a game of canasta with the Moosehead Lodge brothers, here come Herb Alpert to trumpet you TO DEATH. That sticker boldly proclaims that this is the very very FIRSTEST TIME IN THE WHOLE OF FOREVER that A Taste of Honey has been released as a picture disc. I’m touching myself even as I write this, I am so excited about the idea of this picture disc EVEN EXISTING. A bargain at twice the price, eh Eugene? Yeah, daddy-o. Let’s take the Galaxy 500 for a spin to the malt shop. No, wait, wrong culture. Martinis, everybody?

Just when you thought it was safe to fire up the record player, another face from the past comes back at you like a spoiled cinema hotdog. I’m so tired from driving that I can only hope that last line made as much sense to you as it currently does to me.

I still owe record shop reviews a plenty. Vinyl Exchange, CD Warehouse in Springfield, MO and tomorrow’s Guest Room Records invasion. Brace yourself.

Escape From New York Vinyl LP Soundtrack

Now for sale at Turntabling: The Dagored release of John Carpenter’s Escape From New York. This is a gorgeous vinyl version of the OST written by John Carpenter, featuring some great unreleased tracks.

Carpenter scored many of his own films including Halloween, but this electronic beauty is 80s synth-heavy and has some nice ambient touches. The only complaint I have with this soundtrack is that Carpenter didn’t include Isaac Hayes (who played the heavy) into any of the main soundtrack elements–can you imagine what kind of funk Hayes would have brought to this?

This release came out in 2001, remastered and expanded from the original 80s version, and how about that cover art? It gets better–the gatefold cover is in the usual Dagored style, so if you’re a fan of these releases you shouldn’t be disappointed here.

Some sites are flogging this for $30. You can buy this sealed, new copy of the 2001 Dagored re-issue of the Escape From New York soundtrack here for $23 plus shipping. Don’t miss the trailer below–if you’re undecided about getting this, check out the fat analog synths on the trailer and just TRY to resist. They truly do not make trailers like this any more…unless your name is Quentin Tarantino.