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Are You Down With OPV?

OPV as in “Other People’s Vinyl”. Lots of people have posted vids of their vinyl collections on YouTube. So many that I’m starting to think that there’s a subset of people out there who actually want to see these clips. Collection envy? Looking for previously undiscovered titles? Or maybe folks are just looking for new or new-to-them ways of storing and preserving vinyl records. Regardless, I’m trying a little experiment with a series of posts called, you guessed it, Down With OPV.

Behold the very first entry courtesy of a YouTube account by VinylElvis.I’d love some feedback on the OPV series. If you like it, hate it, or feel left out because your vid isn’t featured here yet, please leave a comment and let me know what you think. I’d love to know more if you’ve got vinyl related videos on YouTube, Vimeo or elsewhere.



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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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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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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.