What I have purchased and acquired in the month of May is not normal. It's like my own version of Rex Manning Day only with vinyl. I think what sparked this was a rare find of a friend, then that sparked the interest of another friend, then that friend rubbing off on me. Basically it let me to discogs purchasing shit tons of albums along with going crazy in the Vinyl Me Please Membership Store. The apocalypse is coming? Maybe! What treasure troves did I find / order? Well....
From the Vinyl Me Please Membership Store I purchased Nick Cave's "The Boatman's Call." This is my first Nick Cave album AND it came in a smoky red and black color. Figured it would be a collector's item down the line, picked it up. Next is Sylvan Esso's latest album in cherry red, "What Next." One word: fire! Such a fantastic array of songs. Next is Beach House "Teen Dream" which I've wanted to own for a while and the first album of their's I discovered. It's depressing but so is life sometimes ;P To round out my Gorillaz collection "Plastic Beach" and the new one "Humanz." Haven't listened to it yet, next on my list. Slowdive, a favorite of my best friend. The album is silver and very beautiful to listen to. Last but not least Julien Baker's "Funeral Pyre" 7" because anything by Julien is golden.
On Ebay someone was selling a copy of Liz Phair's "Juvenilia" where I nearly screamed. Plus they are two 7" lps! Interesting. No clue this even existed. Bonus? The seller lives in my state so shipping was super fast!
Now for Discogs! Lots of European sellers for some of these. Otherwise I would NEVER find any of these in the US. First off was Ex Hex's 7" "Hot Cold." I tried in the past for that on Ebay but the seller wanted too much money for it. Next I completed my Le Tigre collection with their self-titled, Feminist Sweepstakes, and This Island ALL on vinyl! Not only that, I nabbed a copy of Kathleen's Viva Knieval 7" where only 1,000 copies are made! My copy is 527. Wow! Rounding out the rest of my purchases I found Mary Timony's "Mountains" and holla!!! PJ Harvey's "Uh Huh Her" from someone in Greece. If only "Is This Desire" or "Dry" were more reasonably priced :(
Lastly I pre-ordered the Helium bundle pack in late March which came in the mail this month. It comes with all of Helium's albums and a special edition album of demos and live tracks. Plus you get a Helium tote as a bonus. Mary Timony rules!
So I'll be holding off on major vinyl purchases for a while as you can see. Most of this was birthday money and some good deals.
There's many times where I go to record stores and cannot find what I am looking for. Where do I turn to next? eBay! These are albums I've accumulated off eBay for the past few months and honestly I'm done for quite a bit now!
Two were from Black Friday Record Store Day that places just instantly sold out of. No chance in hell of getting my hands on them. The B-52's album is golden yellow and from a live show back in 1979. Seeing Sleater-Kinney in New York and watching them cover "Rock Lobster" this album is very special to me. David Bowie's Earthling is very industrial sounding. Twice I've put it back because of the price. The day before his passing I literally saw one copy left on the wall of a record store and left without it. Next day going back it was gone. So, I resorted to eBay. The record is green. Thankfully both albums were a little under or the same price I would've paid for them on RSDBF. Shipping was inexpensive and not a big deal.
My Excuse 17 album is in mediocre condition. Getting that for $17 off eBay was a steal. It plays perfectly and I have a piece of little Carrie Brownstein screaming her lungs out on almost every song. Piece of Riot Grrrl history here. Don't even get me started on The Slits. I think I actually wrote to Carrie how frustrated I was at not being able to locate Cut. This album is Carrie's favorite and Kathleen H. of Bikini Kill claimed it's her desert island album if she could only bring one. To have something like this in my possession is the greatest thing. Most of the sellers with this item on eBay are from the UK. So I basically paid double the price of what I could get it for here. That's the problem. Nowhere to be found. This album is in EXCELLENT condition and plays like a charm. I kept the hardbound clear plastic cover the seller sent me for protection. "So Tough" is one of my favorite songs and to finally listen to it via record is insane! Ari Up is the greatest. You should see the feedback I left the seller and that the seller left me. It just proves I am a major dork and crazy for music I love.
The most recent album was a fight to the death. I opted for the "Buy it Now" option after losing so many auctions. Too many people bid on copies. Whipsmart is my second favorite Liz Phair album. You can never find this in stores. There is a rare Japanese version of this album in ruby red. My copy is white and unopened. I paid probably too much but in the end it's something I needed to finalize my collection on her. I only like her earlier albums to be honest. So for me, this was worth it.
Ebay is very addicting. I've been a member now for 16 years and got my first credit card at the age of 20 for that main reason! Most of my eBay finds were PJ Harvey singles. Now it's more of a variety of odds and ends. What do you use eBay for? Do you have any albums you cannot find in stores but are dying to get your hands on?
