Category Archives: Record Shops

WTF Album Cover Vs. House of Whipcord

Record Shops, Vinyl Finds, WTF?, , , , ,

I’ve been staring at this album cover for quite some time trying to remember what it reminded me of…

I have never listened to Come to The Chapel, but I can only imagine that it’s totally dreadful–LOOK at this and try to convince someone, anyone, that it’s worth five seconds of needle-drop time. Just TRY.

But that’s besides the point. I could NOT get it out of my head what it was this LP cover was reminding me of in all its wretched glory. And then it popped into my head like the distant drunken memory of touching a party guest inappropriately after one too many glasses of wine…

This album cover is creepily reminiscent of Peter Walker’s 70s Brit-sploitation magnum opus House Of Whipcord.

If you’ve never seen the film, that reference will mean NOTHING to you…but if you HAVE seen House of Whipcord, doesn’t this poor old born-again crooner lady bear the faintest resemblance to the creepy whip-loving matron of the private dungeon in the Pete Walker flick?

She just projects the VIBE of someone who would be inclined to keep “wayward girls” locked up in an illegal detention center waiting for the chance to put ’em on trial or lay down the whip, either way.

If you have not seen the movie, you owe yourself a look at this obscure 70s retro classic of Brit moral terror. Click the pic to go buy it right this effing instant from Amazon.com.

–Joe Wallace

Collecting Vinyl Vs. Mp3 Downloads

Record Shops, We Buy VInyl, ,

I’ve been pondering an article by Dave Allen about the future of music, where he points out that today’s music consuming public doesn’t seem to want to OWN music as much as have access to it.

This is a bit of a contradiction in my world, where people seem to be quite rabid about their record collections, new acquisitions, etc. To read Dave Allen’s article, you might come away thinking that buying and selling vinyl is an endangered pastime.

But after a second look, it seems clear that where Dave Allen’s music-consuming discussion ends–with a warning to musicians to carefully reconsider the type of business they’re in–my world actually begins.

Because when you think about the type of business vinyl buyers and sellers are in, it seems clear that it’s more than just the music. There is a real addiction (at least for me) to the entire experiece of collecting vinyl. The thrill of the hunt, the artwork, the tactile nature of an LP versus the intangible download…all of these things add up to a desire for EXPERIENCES and not just the simple act of listening to a new record.

Taking Dave Allen’s advice, I find that buying and selling records has as much to do with nostalgia, community, and aesthetics as it does sound. Knowing that makes it easier to understand and articulate.

I’ll never be a vinyl purist–I do love the convenience of the MP3–but there are just some things that beg to be purchased on vinyl. In some cases, vinyl is the only way you can experience the release short of Youtube posts. In others, that must-buy urge is fueled because the packaging is amazing, the artwork is really good, and the music is strong enough to motivate you to support the artist by purchasing the album. Maybe everyone doesn’t share my love for the aesthetics, so I ask–why do YOU collect vinyl LPs?

–Joe Wallace

Turntabling: Selling Records Again in 2013

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It’s been a while! The site has been dormant for some time because of a variety of things happening behind the scenes, but Turntabling is coming back in 2013 to sell rare, weird, obscure, fun and innovative music on vinyl and CD once more. The site is going to be getting a bit of a facelift, I’m getting very active on Twitter, Instagram and elsewhere, and basically Turntabling is coming out of the woodwork in the new year to do what we do best–live the vinyl lifestyle and blog about it here.

Keep watching this space, we’re live and active again as of now.

Record Show Calendars

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Vinyl collectors tend to find the really awesome record shows and mark their calendars accordingly, but woe to the poor collector who doesn’t know where and when the shows are–how many amazingly rare, cool and lustworthy vinyl titles have you missed because you just…didn’t…know?

Here’s a collection of resources to help you mark your calendar:

Record Shows Of America is one of Turntabling’s go-to resources for record show dates, and the name is a bit misleading as the site also covers record shows in Canada, too. “Record Stores Of North America” doesn’t really have the same ring to it, but that’s what this site truly is. Recommended!

There’s also good info to be found at the Goldmine Record Show Calendar, and Goldmine also gives our neighbors to the north some love as well.

Vinyl Times also has a record show calendar which urges you to contact the shows by e-mail prior to traveling–good advice!

These are what we’d consider the top three online resources for record shows–at least that we’re currently aware of. Some excellent results can be had by Googling the name of your state or city along with the phrase “record collector shows” to find events in your area that might not have made it onto the listings for the sites mentioned above. Believe it or not, some events don’t take advantage of these centralized show listings–usually because they don’t know they exist, we’re guessing.