…in this case that is quite literally the name of the blog, and I am an absolute sucker for stuff like this. Another Crazy Vinyl Blog is recently updated, has a nice back catalog of posts to browse through, and not crammed full of the same old album covers that have made the rounds again and again.
This is a new discovery of mine and I’m looking forward to diving in to see what mad treasures await. I DID find one cover on this site that appears to feature a nude Judy Collins…no, strike that, it DOES feature a nude Judy “Send In The Clowns” Collins. The image below is courtesy of Another Crazy Vinyl Blog. Judy Collins fans, avert your eyes!
Yes, Another Crazy Vinyl Blog is among my latest vinyl-bloggin’ obsessions. THANK YOU FOR EXISTING!
After Vinyl Road Rage ended its too-brief Nashville phase, it only made sense to move along to Memphis to plunder the record stores there. Memphis Tennessee Record stores are, based on what was found there, basically awesome and well worth investigating.
The first stop in Memphis was Goner Records, located in a fun alt-culture district on the aptly-named Young Avenue. One look at Goner from the outside and I knew it was going to be great.
For starters, they have a nice collection of music-related print matter, books and mags that you probably didn’t stop in for but will want to look at anyway. Very hard not to be tempted there…but the vinyl selections were calling so the printed stuff had to wait. And with good reason.
For a collector of weirdness on vinyl, Goner is a gold mine.
Spotting the “soundtrack” to L. Ron Hubbard’s abysmal Battlefield Earth book was a surprise–it truly is one of the most godawful vinyl records of all time and here it is in all its glory at Goner. Bravo.
I dropped a nice packet of cash on the weird records, to be sure. But the usual suspects are all waiting for you, too…no shortage of great titles in all the genres you want to explore…and I must add there was a fairly impression collection of Ohio Players titles when I was there.
The store itself is laid out well, fun to shop and has great atmosphere–something I’d find sorely lacking on the next leg of the Vinyl Road Rage journey once hitting Arkansas. Needless to say, you won’t have that problem in HERE.
There are plenty of great places to shop, record store-wise, between Bloomington, Indiana and Arkansas, but I have to say, Goner Records was one of my favorite. That could have been clouded by finding so many bizarre record titles in one store, or it could have been that Goner reminds me of some other now-gone shops I’ve been to in Texas…either way this is a must-return store for me and you’ll probably feel the same way after a visit.
If you’re interested in learning more about my vinyl finds at Goner Records during Vinyl Road Rage, have a look at the video clip below, I mention Goner and the other most excellent Memphis record shop, Shangri-La Records.
Staggeringly poor taste? Misguided attempt at controversy? Or bad timing? According to several sources, this album cover for Party Music by Coup was accomplished before September 11, but that didn’t stop the FBI from taking a look. Coup were cleared of any perceived wrongdoing, but the mere existence of this imagery is enough to send Tea Party rebel flag flyers into a fit of apoplexy. To me, it’s just another cheesy album cover–but what POORLY TIMED CHEESE indeed. The story goes that this artwork was accomplished only a few months before September 11. Creepy.
This is not the official artwork for the album–the image above was yanked after 9/11, but it’s still what comes up when you shop for Party Music by Coup on Amazon.com. And that makes it a bona fide WTF moment for me, at least.
But according to the blog Whole Lotta Album Covers, the official album art is much more clever–and more subversive. The subtlety on THIS album cover puts 99% of their peers to shame. In an era filled with excessive goofiness on hip-hop & rap covers, the official cover for Party Music is definitely a breath of fresh air:
UPDATE: Not more than three hours after I posted this, magically Amazon has the official album art on display now instead of the controversial 9/11 cover that was originally designed, then pulled. Did I have anything to do with that? Who knows, but I AM amused…greatly amused.
