Tag Archives: vinyl

Wanted: Beyond the Valley of the Dolls LP

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For reasons not even J.R. “Bob” Dobbs could possibly understand, I’ve become fixated with finding an LP copy of Russ Meyer’s Beyond The Valley of the Dolls soundtrack. I know I could order this from some schlub on eBay in all likelihood, but I’d rather deal direct with someone who ISN’T charging $75 for it. I want to LISTEN to it, not put it under glass and fondle myself while LOOKING AT IT.

If you have a copy you want to sell, drop me a line on Twitter, I’m at Twitter.com/Turntabling. Thanks in advance!

The Eternal Horror of Import Shipping Prices

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freelance-taxesI had this brilliant idea of importing Italian vinyl and selling it here on Turntabling.net. There’s so much great stuff on the Right Tempo label, Cinevox, and Cinedelic that I figured I could bring some over, turn people on to the great soundtrack sounds, 70s lounge/psych and other cool stuff.

Except what I didn’t count on was the shipping prices being as much or more than the cost of the vinyl itself.

I could not believe my eyes when I got the price quotes on this stuff! I was set to order an initial collection of 10 titles–double LPs one and all. Too bad the shipping was so high as there is some GREAT stuff in that initial list. It would basically force me to price the vinyl at above $20 per title plus shipping. A real shame–I was hoping to be the renaissance of Easy Tempo sounds on delicious vinyl with those nice gatefold sleeves and all.

I’m still toying with selling vinyl on Turntabling, but I’d need a real incentive to import from Italy. As it stands, there is plenty of great stuff on the ESL label and others, but I was starting out thinking about all those classic 60s and 70s cuts…

Which reminds me–if you are selling used vinyl, get in touch. I’m in full-on collector mode again.

WTF: Let Me Touch Him

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Southern Gospel loonies strike again. Just LOOK at these weenies. Matching suits, goofy smirks, plenty of Brylcreem and one GREAT BIG HOMOEROTIC ALBUM TITLE.

Just who were these guys getting the horn over, anyway?  Probably the photographer, standing in a baptism frock with a “Mom cut it at home” pageboy haircut and hippie sandals.

If you can get over the obvious, the title “Let Me Touch Him” sounds like some kind of weasel-faced, Jesus-soaked Buzzcocks ripoff (“Why Can’t I Touch It?”) but it’s much more fun to think of these creepy bastards fighting over some choirboy.

None of these guys looks like they even want to be on the cover of this musical abortion, let alone SING on it. How many copies do you think THIS one sold? Probably about as many as a Duritti Column 12-inch single.

Learn How To DJ With A Little Advice From Steve Albini

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I haven’t posted much on the actual art or business of DJing here lately so I thought I’d pass along something to amuse. It started after reading Steve Albini’s rant against digital on an old CD copy of Rich Man’s Eight Track Tape. Albini wrote that in a few years, the compact disc would be unplayable on any equipment considered state-of-the-art and modern. It took a lot longer than Albini thought, but with the iPod and MP3 downloads ruling the market now, it turns out he was right in ways nobody expected. Not even him. But I babble…this was supposed to be a rant about DJing, wasn’t it?

I am constantly amused by all the Learn How to DJ websites I run across. I especially giggle at the sites that tell newcomers that they should invest in two turntables as part of their DJ rig as though that’s still standard, required equipment these days. It’s not that you can’t or shouldn’t expect to play vinyl as a professional DJ but every DJ interview you read these days says the same thing. “Vinyl is too heavy. I held out for a long, long time but finally switched to MacBook Pro and Serato.”

One thing I personally am in favor of is using the turntable to enhance your digital setup. You can go digital all day long, but sometimes you have the urge to whip out that old Laid Back “White Horse” 12 inch and mix it up with some Radioactive Goldfish. So why not buy yourself a Technics SL-1200 MK2 and get crazy with the cheese whiz?

When you learn how to DJ the first thing you discover is the gear isn’t going to make you spin any better. I’ve run four hour broadcasts using two clapped-out old decks with half-dead LED displays and played DJ sets using the most shameful home stereo craptacular setup you can imagine. What really matters is does the music sound good, loud enough and is it mixed well?

But I will say this–there is absolutely no replacement for actual, physical media at a club or party. When your laptop bites the dust at the last minute, or that hard drive crashes, or worse yet–your computer simply stops recognizing the hard drives you stored all your tunes on, you’ll be greatful for vinyl or CDs and the players to run ’em on. Don’t overestimate your digital gear–one day it will take a nice big dirt nap on you when you need it most. Will you be ready to pick up the slack? Steve Albini is right–the future does belong to analog loyalists, even if only for those who were smart enough to pack some vinyl and a player for when their laptops quit working at the show.