Tag Archives: vinyl records

What Do Anthony Bourdain and Vinyl Records Have in Common?

Media, , ,

anthony bourdain no reservationsby Joe Wallace

As of late I’ve become addicted to Anthony Bourdain’s writing. Bourdain is a kindred spirit–he’s got the kind of take no prisoners attitude and and a love for grit and realism that I find refreshing in the world of overly nice and excessively coiffed media ding-a-lings. In another life, I spent far too much time working in television to see things any other way, especially ON television.

I’ve been digging old episodes of No Reservations, the weekly Bourdain globe-hopping food frenzy, and what did I find in an old collection from 2007? Anthony Bourdain tackling Jamaica in all its ramshackle glory. The food makes me want to brave the trip, but the most exciting part of that particular episode for me was the look behind the Jamaican music industry, complete with in-house vinyl record pressing operations at some of Jamaica’s busiest and most ambitious local recording companies.

There was some amazing footage not only of vinyl records being pressed, but also the sink-or-swim no-nostalgia ruthlessness of these record labels when it comes to product that just isn’t selling well. Jamaica being poor as it is, can anyone blame these record labels for hacking up the unsold stock, melting it down and pressing another potential dancehall hit?

The vinyl-centric part of the clip below comes about three minutes in, but the entire show is really worth a watch as it’s an eye-opener for anybody who isn’t hip to Jamaica food, culture or the truth behind the Marley tee shirts. As Don Letts points out, a lot of people who don’t actually live in these conditions tend to romanticize poverty, Rastafari, and the place in general. To paraphrase Letts, the ghetto isn’t something people want to do anything but escape from. I found Bourdain’s no-nonsense approach to the good and bad of Jamaica to be very refreshing…and the look at the record biz there? Priceless for a vinyl junkie and dub lover like me.



[ad#Google Adsense]

Join Turntabling at the Music Box Massacre

Turntabling Records, , , ,

Tomorrow, Saturday October 10 at noon til Sunday October 11 at noon, drop by the Turntabling booth at the Music Box Massacre, the amazing 24 horror movie marathon held yearly at Chicago’s Music Box Theater. We’ll be there selling new and used vinyl, soundtrack CDs, books and much more.

We’re giving away a limited Turntabling Favorites compilation CD with a dozen of the most-played tracks on our speakers to date! Buy anything from the table and get the comp for free, but only while supplies last. (This one will go VERY QUICKLY so get there early.)

Also, don’t miss the Reanimator reunion featuring Stuart Gordon and other luminaries. It’s going to be an excellent time! Hope to see you there. Join us at the Music Box Theater, 3733 N Southport Avenue, Chicago, IL 60613-3718. Telephone: (773) 871-6604 to get directions to the theater.

music box massacre 5 small

Stick It In Your Ear Springfield Missouri

Record Shops, ,

stick it in your ear springfield missouri vinyl record storeby 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 Stick It In Your Ear Springfield Missouri →

CD Exchange Springfield Missouri

Record Shops, vinyl road rage, ,

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.

CD Exchange vinyl records.jpg

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 CD Exchange Springfield Missouri →