Turntabling Wants Your Vinyl

It’s true. Since Turntabling has started making the rounds at horror conventions and smaller shows, the demand for tasty, tasty vinyl soundtracks and related goodness seems to have gone way up–at least round here. So I’m happy to announce that I’m in the market for vinyl collections large and small.

What we’re looking for: horror and cult movie soundtracks (just like you see selling here), Morricone, 60s and 70s softcore and euro sleaze soundtracks, French pop, disco cheese from all countries, new wave/post punk from all countries, and anything on WaxTtrax! or Mute records.

Also, anything bizarre or unusual is especially sought after. If you aren’t sure where your records fit into our want list, drop a line (see below) and we can work something out.

What we’re NOT looking for: Country, show tunes, butt rock (Journey, Scorpions, Autograph, Survivor, you get the idea) metal, classic rock, etc.

You can get in touch directly by dropping me a line at jwallace242 (at) gmail dot com. Please include a list of your titles, where you’re located, prices, etc. I’m buying large and small collections so don’t be shy.

Reader Poll: Where Should Vinyl Road Rage 2 Go?

Many of you will remember the Turntabling Vinyl Road Rage road trip we took in 2009, driving from Chicago, Illinois to San Antonio, Texas. I  blogged about a host of indie record stores along the way, and it looks like a spring 2010 version is shaping up nicely. But here’s the big question–where does Vinyl Road Rage #2 go?

The starting line is Chicago, Illinois, of course. But from there it’s anybody’s guess, so I thought I’d throw this one open to suggestions. Please feel free to get in touch directly by dropping me a line on Facebook. I am open to any suggestions at this point, short of looking for a record shop on the moon or in a place I can’t drive to within the continental United States.

Antone’s Records Austin Texas

The mighty Antone’s Records in Austin, Texas does NOT disappoint. Don’t be fooled by the modest exterior in this Austin strip mall, or the (comparatively) smallish space this shop takes up. Much like Doctor Who’s Tardis, this store seems to expand from within as the stock gets larger. And what a collection of fantastic records Antone’s has! This unassuming (and friendly) shop has an excellent assortment of rarities and more common titles. Behold:

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Vinyl Road Trip Snark-Every Picture Tells a Story

by Joe Wallace

Here’s a bunch of images I haven’t published yet from the vinyl road rage trek across ‘Merica 2009. Complete with snarky commentary and juvenile behavior.

You can always count on the gospel goofies for bad album cover fun. The name of this record by The Talleys is, in case you can’t read the script, Music With A Message. Judging by the array of instruments on the cover of this howler, you can bet that the message is “This music sucks.”

The word “baka” in Japanese means “stupid” or could even mean in the right context “retarded” in the current 7th grade put-down sense of the word. So for this record to be called Bakabillie Boogie is more amusing…to me. Unfortunately you can’t really see from this photograph that none of the band members are wearing pants. Yes, the dude in the middle is wearing a crotch holster. … Continue Reading

Forever Young Grand Prairie, Texas

When I read the rave review of Forever Young Records in Grand Prairie, Texas (just outside Dallas) I knew I had to go. The hype said this was a massive warehouse of glorious vinyl, so I dropped my other plans (sorry, OKC) and pushed right on through to Grand Prairie, Texas with all the urgency of a lonely coal miner on his annual trip to the cathouse.

When I walked through the doors, I was stunned. I’d never seen anything of this size filled with vinyl, barring the Austin Record Convention. Behold:

This image in no way conveys the size of the place. Imagine a small airplane hangar and you have the right perspective. … 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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Stick It In Your Ear Springfield Missouri

by Joe Wallace

I blogged about the Springfield, Missouri record emporium Stick It In Your Ear a few days ago, but I wanted the shop to have its own entry here, so to recap:

Stick It In Your Ear is a delightful hodge-podge of vinyl, CDs and music-related ephemera. The store has its share of fun finds (Devo’s Greatest Misses and TuxedoMoon were two of mine) and it has to be said, there’s no telling what the dedicated collector could find rifling through the stacks here.

There’s a big collection of metal (not my thing at all except for the bad album covers) and a lot of soul and disco comps–never a bad thing.

Any record shop that bothers to categorize the albums in any fashion beyond genre makes me happy, and even better in this case is the breathless way those records are filed–note the exclamation points on every single band title in the photo below, as if every last one of these bands is both a rare find and the store owner’s favorite of all time. I LOVE that for some reason. Don’t ask why, I have no idea–but it’s endearing. … Continue Reading

CD Exchange Springfield Missouri

I only include this because I stopped there–I was giving it a pass when I spotted a sign out of the corner of my eye that said, “VINYL” in big block letters. Could it be? I haven’t been in a CD Exchange in YEARS, so I had to at least stop and look. Could this be a sign of an era of coolness for CD Exchange? Have they added as many titles as they have in the CD sections I remember from my last visits?

I was as disappointed as a frat boy at a chastity convention–two paltry sections of vinyl, all brand new and selling at frat boy prices. Don’t ask me WHY they’re frat boy prices, but I can just see some 20-something with his greek letters shaved into the back of his head shelling out $22 or for a Ben Harper LP. Whatever.

This shop wasn’t bad as far as CD Exchanges go, but that’s like saying you didn’t mind losing your thumb that much because it was the one off your LEFT hand.

I had already been completely underwhelmed by the endless series of Walmarts, strip mall nail shops and fast food joints. Springfield, Missouri was already starting to wear thin by the time I pulled in here. My first stop was a complete dud. I pulled in because the name Vintage Stock just screamed vinyl records of all sizes. I mean, they put VINTAGE in the bloody NAME. … Continue Reading

Vinyl Road Rage Day 3

by Joe Wallace

I’ve lived in Chicago for four years now, and I’ve gotten used to walking almost everywhere and taking the car only when there’s gear to be hauled or groceries and vinyl to be stowed. So hitting OKC and Texas was a blast of ugly–in spite of my having lived in San Antonio for seven years. Too much highway, too many cars. Every trip takes half an hour even if you’re just crossing the street!

But I digress. Today I wound up in Dallas where I encountered the single largest facility for selling vinyl records–and every other form of recorded music including cassettes–I have ever seen. Look for a review of Grand Prairie, Texas’s own Forever Young coming soonish (maybe tomorrow). For now I’ll just use the cliche and say it’s Texas-sized. For real. For completists and hard-core collectors, this is the place to fill the gaps in your collection–but I’ll save the rest for later.

RANDOM NOTES ON THE JOURNEY SO FAR

Vinyl Isn’t Always Fun Department–Most Pointlessly Crass, Ladies-Hatin’ Album Cover So Far:

Dumbass Department

I was desperate need of a hotel on Tuesday night and could find nothing in OKC, but I knew where there were plenty of cheap hotels to drop my bags and score some snore time. So I pulled over and asked a local yokel: … Continue Reading

Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis Missouri

by Joe Wallace

Where the mighty St. Louis-based Record Exchange wins hands-down for sheer staggering size and collector-friendly deep stacks, Vintage Vinyl gets top marks for diversity of styles and a selection that’s more squarely in the present and recent past (though the classic vinyl doesn’t get neglected, no siree.)

In short, it’s the sort of place an OCD vinyl junkie can bring a less-interested significant other and have a reasonable chance of both walking away with new tunes. I am particularly impressed with the soul/R&B vinyl, and there’s plenty of new, shink-wrapped releases to look at, too.

Once again, the “rock” category proves to be a real bummer since most of the stuff I look for there is more along the Athens jangle-pop sound or obscure new wave titles…but you’ll be forced to sift through those godawful Krokus albums and 15 million copies of Journey and Manfred Mann. The prerequisite Aimee Mann/Til Tuesday records (ever present!) are there, but there’s an awful lot of good 80s/90s indie vinyl represented. And if you’re a jazz freak, you won’t ever leave, since that section is equally well-stocked. … Continue Reading