Tag Archives: used vinyl

New Orleans Record Raid June 21st 2014 in Bywater

Record Shows, , , , ,

New Orleans Record Raid

Saturday June 21st from 9-5, the New Orleans Record Raid, for one day only. Billed as the largest record show in all of Louisiana, this sounds like a lot of fun, but be warned–the nearest ATM is a block and a half away, so come stocked with cash or you might just miss that awesome vinyl find…

This record show is put on by a non-profit, “to benefit recorded music culture in New Orleans, Louisiana and the Gulf South Region” according to the official site, which also adds, “For the most part, our shows are open-ended: we welcome all formats of recorded media from all vintages and musical styles, and try to keep the shows accessible for collectors and sellers. We have had over 50 vendors from all over the region, and it’s currently the only event of its kind in Louisiana.”

 

Vinyl Road Rage Day #2: Bloomington Indiana, Louisville Kentucky, Cincinnati Ohio

Record Shops, vinyl road rage, , , , , , ,

by Joe Wallace

Day Two of Vinyl Road Rage #3 was filled with highway hypnosis. I went from Bloomington Indiana to Cincinnati Ohio, hitting a LOT of indie record shops along the way.

There are pictures, but they will be posted tomorrow–my camera is charging now and I’ll extract the images later. Suffice it to say that the trip so far has uncovered plenty of great shops.

I can tell you that Bloomington Indiana is great place to stop all around, but especially TD’s CDs and LPs at 322 E Kirkwood Ave. Not only did this shop have no fewer than four Goblin titles on vinyl (more? I lost count!) they also had a copy of the Terror soundtrack, which I have been lusting after for quite some time after letting a copy slip away ages ago, thinking “I’ll grab it later.” Foolish mortal!

Also great–Landlocked Music at 202 N Walnut Ave in Bloomington. Lots of new vinyl, but plenty of used titles to browse too. Like TD’s, this shop has a respectful section of experimental records that deserve a long look if you’re into those sounds (I am). I’ll have more in-depth reviews of these shops and others individually but I HAD to touch on some of the highlights.

Bloomington was much more clean-cut than Louisville, KY, which has a more Austin, Texas vibe to it. Sadly, there were no real rare, bizarre or otherwise lustworthy titles in Louisville. Record shops there seem to emphasize new titles more, and while there are plenty of used bins to pour over, my own personal obsessions went un-fed. Fans of 60s and 70s psych, garage and hippie titles will be pleased and any jazz fan will probably have a lot to crate-dig for.

Cincinnati record shops had to wait–there was a parking lot-style standstill just outside the city and I missed the shops thanks to the traffic. Tomorrow I will hit them and write up some notes later in the evening. Vinyl Road Rage #3 wraps up for the day on Saturday in Columbus where there are more record shops than police officers, near as I can tell.

Cleveland Ohio Record Stores: Music Saves

vinyl road rage, , , , , ,

Music Saves, at 15801 Waterloo Road in Cleveland is a great place for new vinyl. I was also pleased to find a used remix album for Depeche Mode’s Policy of Truth (I’m a sucker for DM remixes ever since the Eno and Helmet mixes I heard back in 1993) and actually purchased some CDs (for play in the Dreadmobile) by Stereolab and Spiritualized. The used section–as I’ll describe in a moment, isn’t nearly as large as the new vinyl but I had some good finds regardless.

There is plenty to sift through at Music Saves–I spotted a new vinyl copy of God’s Money by Gang Gang Dance–something that would sound SPECTACULAR on a turntable. At the time of my visit, there was a generous vinyl sale bin–the NEW stuff, that is…very nice.

The staff is very friendly and happy to point out money-saving sale items. I brought my CD copy of a Stereolab album and was quickly steered to the sealed sale vinyl titles–but sadly that one was sold before I arrived. Yeah–this is a store that knows its customers aren’t made of money and doesn’t mind pointing out a bargain. My definition of cool.

Music Saves embodies my favorite kind of vinyl shopping experience when it comes to indie record stores specializing in new releases. They are big enough to carry all your current obsessions while being cozy and friendly and fun to shop in.

The CDs–obviously not my primary interest by any stretch–are diverse and I was happy to find plenty of old school favorites like Stereolab alongside The Arcade Fire, Dangermouse and plenty of other comparatively new kids on the block. True that the used vinyl selection is dwarfed by new titles–but I suspect that the presence of an equally cool record store just half a block a way (which specializes in awesome used titles) could have something to do with that. But Music Saves has carved out a GREAT niche with the new stuff.

Music saves has been celebrating its six year anniversary at the time of this post–I hope they go a LOT longer. This is a shop that deserves to succeed. I will DEFINITELY be coming back here.

Continue reading Cleveland Ohio Record Stores: Music Saves →

Fun Used Vinyl Finds

album, Featured, , , ,

While out shopping for vinyl tonight I ran across these two delicious finds.I have a huge weakness for anything so wonderfully perverse as Switched-On Rock/The Moog Machine’s old hippie classics re-worked into Moog-synthesized mini-masterpieces. You thought your stereo was broken when you listened to Nine Inch Nails The Fragile, try the super-freaked out synth patches on “You Just Keep Me Hangin’ On”. I actually checked the monitors to make sure I hadn’t lost the tweeters. Hah!

With stuff like this, first you listen cuz it’s cheesy fun. After a few go rounds with it, you actually start hearing how it…could…be…good somehow. This stuff is brilliant. Like eating a brick of jalapeno Velveeta. You know you shouldn’t, but you can’t stop yourself. My favorite part of this two-dollar purchase is actually the liner notes, by “Album conceiver and macrobopper” Russ Barnard. Check out this hilariously dated bit:

“One thing must be stressed: This album is virtually 100% Moog–only two instruments are live. One is the drum set; Moog drums are possible, but in this stage of the art, sound kind of mechanical and ricky-tick.”

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! That’s 1967 thinking for you…

The Isaac Hayes Juicy Fruit (Disco Freak) is just as great in its own way. This is a long way from Shaft, folks–a disco-infected album (hence the name) that starts off with Isaac Hayes singing about picking up hotties at his favorite disco-teria, and wrapping up the album lamenting about a woman who must “love me…or lose me” My man Isaac is either picking up strict Catholic girls who also love to boogie down but not GET down, or Hayes was just at the end of his lyrical rope by the end of this 1976 coke-n-amyl nitrate soaked leisure suit fest.

I love this cheesy shit. Hayes ain’t phoning this in–he’s going for it on every single track, so there’s this great vibe running through the record. While it’s spinning, you can just see the ABC Records exec snorting coke off the mixing desk, nodding to the beat thinking it was going to be HUGE. “We can shift a million units and get Isaac down to 54 to say hi to Steve Rubell and give Andy Warhol his Polaroids. Then we’ll hit the big time…AMERICAN BANDSTAND.”

Favorite part of this album–the “Solid Gold Dancers” chorus on Thank You Love where the ladies are sing/shrieking “Makin Loooooove” and “Girl, I thank you”.

I ain’t NEVER head Isaac Hayes THANKING a woman for having sex, but it sure sounds like that’s what’s going on here…great stuff. It’s just too wrong NOT to enjoy. “We’ll make love every day…and weeeeeeeellll buh-loowww each other’s MINNNNEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSS”