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.
My friend Amy has a really great blog called Vinyl Hysteria. She blogs about her recent record hauls, her current favorite songs, and other music-related topics. Her latest project is interviewing women who collect vinyl. I was so happy to participate when she came to visit me one weekend. Amy took some really great shots of my favorite records and I answered some very thoughtful questions she came up with. Check it out and subscribe!
Every day my inbox is flooded with upcoming shows from local venues. When I scrolled down to the bottom of TLA's message I noticed they featured a photo I took from the Santigold concert earlier in the month! It was really neat to see something I enjoy doing being displayed on their Instagram page (it got over 100 likes!) Validation is wonderful.
Killing two birds with one stone I present my April and May hauls from Vinyl Me Please. Since so many albums were very festive in color, how could I not capture their awesomeness by taking photos below?!
Here is my April haul. It consisted of the Album of the Month which was Fugees: The Score. Freshman year of high school? How could I not love it?! Other albums included the new Bleached (looks like a cookie dunked in milk), Parquet Courts, Black Mountain (green vinyl), Explosions in the Sky (clear vinyl with geometric shapes), Yeasayer, and Sufjan Steven's anniversary release of Illinoise (the one album is in the shape of a star - red, white and blue!) Check out all of the radness below....
Here is May's haul. The album of the month being Weezer's "Pinkerton." An album I did not appreciate as much in the past but now I have a strong liking for. The album is marbled blue with black and the inside of the sleeve is a pop-out! Aesop Rock's albums are neon green and magenta. There is a HUGE poster which folds out to a gargantuan size of stellar artwork. White Lung I will see in August and have heard so much buzz about them, I had to pick up their album. Here are pictures of the albums....
This is the second year in a row that I wasn't completely "wowed" with the RSD releases. In all honesty I checked that list 5x and wasn't super stoked about anything. I was interested in the Patti Smith "Horses" live and Regina Spektor's Soviet Kitsch. Other than that there were some 7" and I only ended up picking two.
I'm a day late and a dollar short but here were my finds. Honestly there was barely anything left in stock today at one of my local record stores. The one is The Thermals 7" and the other is Mission of Burma / Metz. That album is a marble green and purple. And who doesn't love Sub Pop?! There were no Wolf Alice 7" so these two had to suffice. I know, very disappointing. But, with all of the concerts I've recently attended, I think RSD already happened for me this past week.
Update: I visited my favorite record store a few days after RSD. I was questioned as to where I was. Out on the counter he pulled two copies of Patti Smith's "Horses" live album. I snatched that up. I also snagged to copies (one for free since I sold some vinyl back) of David Bowie's 1966. So alas, it wasn't a complete failure.
I figured I'd just make one big post from previous vinyl purchases. Lately I've been in "soundtrack" searching mode, so I picked up some of these at Urban Outfitters and Innergroove. The Once Bitten soundtrack was a very rare find. That was pretty exciting...
Finishing out my St. Lucia collection, I found "When the Night" at Urban Outfitters after purchasing "Matter" at Tunes two weeks ago.
These were just fun finds, reasonably priced....
And I scored some more Bowie, two being re-mastered versions.
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?
I swear this is my last haul until next month. Friday I got out of work early so venturing over to Bordentown in 20 degree weather seemed like the right thing to do? Two record stores are within a few blocks from one another. The first one I hit up was The Record Collector. The building itself looks something out of the 1950s with this do-wop vibe. Prices however run pretty high. All of my purchases to the left were from The Record Collector. He had a lot of Bowie but I'm not insanely collecting every piece he's put out. I opted for Station to Station and Tonight which has the song "Blue Jean" on it. Public Image Ltd's First Edition keeps taunting me as I finally picked it up to pretty much complete my PiL collection. Patti Smith's Wave was cheaper here compared to other stores I've seen copies in. Dork fan-girl moment but when Carrie Brownstein did her Portlandia tour with Fred, her and Annie played along to The Stranglers "Hanging Around." I picked it up since the song was on this album. Plus I heard they're good. The Record Collector also has live bands play which is pretty cool. My total was around $80 for all of these so not too shabby, PiL being the most expensive thing I picked up.
The second store I hit up was The Man Cave. They sell albums, cds, and all kinds of other things like memorabilia, books, soda, food, etc. I looked through and really didn't find anything I needed. I did not understand why two copies of Bowie's Blackstar were priced at $100. He had so many copies of Earthling I could've just bought it from there instead of turning to ebay (my next post). Walking out empty handed I wasn't that disappointed.
Scored: Patti Smith Group - Wave, Public Image Ltd - First Edition, David Bowie - Station to Station, David Bowie - Tonight, The Stranglers - IV
On Second Thought: (albums I put back) Shamir. I just couldn't kick the $23. I had the Talking Heads and Mission to Burma albums in my hands but could not decide. Another time.
Customers: There was an older couple and a younger couple in both stores. It was so cold out barely anyone was buying records. Bordentown apparently has a "chocolate walk" on the main drag but who knows if there was a big turn out. It was so cold!
The album of the month is Big Bill Broonzy Sings Folk Songs. I'm pretty diverse in my tastes so I'm curious to give it a listen. Here's what I bought from the membership store....
Grimes - Geidi Primes
First Grimes album? The songs on here are not as produced as her latest albums but being a completist I picked it up nonetheless.
Lizzo - Big Grrrl Small World
Lizzo opened for Sleater-Kinney. That's how I first heard of her. The band usually has amazing openers when they tour. I did not see Lizzo at any of the shows I attended but was drawn to her first album LizzoBangers when listening on Spotify. I really need to pick this one up too. Her latest single she's been promoting on Instagram "My Skin" which has a powerful message of loving yourself no matter your size, shape, color. Being a Missy Elliot fan I highly recommend Lizzo.
Savages - Adore Life
I was hooked after listening to their previous album on Spotify, I actually went back to the online store and purchased Adore Life a week later. This album has taunted me for the past week displayed in tons of record stores. I kept telling myself, "Any day now! It's coming in the mail! Hold on!" My favorite song is "Surrender." I CANNOT wait to see them in late March. It got to the point where I was actually considering Irving Plaza and taking the late train home to see them perform. Luckily they are playing closer to me so I don't have to go through that ordeal.
What started off as a Friday to find PJ Harvey cds for friends (scored Stories and Rid of Me) turned into a weekend of other finds. Seriously I need help. Is there a support group I can join?
Heading to Tunes I picked up these two albums. I noticed Rhino was re-releasing a good handful of The Replacements albums. Let It Be is a great one so I picked that up. Ever have a really cool friend in your childhood years? One where you were dying to know what they were listening to next? Meg was that cool friend for me. If it wasn't for her I would've never even heard of Cibo Matto in my high school years. They were so different and unique with their sound. The first few songs off of Viva la Woman I'd have on heavy rotation. When I saw the album on display I had to pick it up. The album is actually a reddish-orange color! Rad! In terms of cds, I don't really collect anymore but when I saw a copy of Slant 6 and Heavens to Betsy I could not pass that up. Total score!
Saturday I ventured off to my favorite record store Innergroove in Collingswood. Immediately I went to the "B" tab for Bowie. There was a $60 rare German album, a late 80s one that I haven't really heard much about, and Pinups. I really want to collect more of 70s Bowie so I went for Pinups. Being an Elvis Costello fan I was pleased to find Almost Blue and a Police album I don't own with a good mix of songs. My golden find was in the "Just In" section. I love browsing through here because these are random trade-ins or add-ins. As soon as I saw the Kill Rock Stars compilation from 1991-1992 I had the biggest smirk on my face. The songs are everything from Bratmobile, Bikini Kill, Nirvana, Courtney Love, Mecca Normal, etc. How random to find some Olympia scene things this weekend! The riot grrrl goddesses were working in my favor.
Scored!: Bowie - Pinups, Kill Rock Stars compilation, Police - Ghost in the Machine, Elvis Costello - Almost Blue, Cibo Matto - Viva la Woman, The Replacements, Let It Be.
On second thought: (albums I put back) Patti Smith Group - Wave, The Faint - Danse Macabre, this 50s album compilation of female do-wop bands. I might pick that up another time.
Customers: I was the only girl in Tunes. At Innergroove there was a mix of ages. The owner Dave is cool. He knows his shit. He informed me that RSD 2016 is looking dire from the lists and pleaded with me to ditch my Cros. :) I think I talked his ears off about Sleater-Kinney.
Yesterday my dad found a copy of Hunky Dory at the flea market for $1. If that spins without skipping he found GOLD!
This weekend I hit up two record stores I've never been to. Here were the results....
Record store #1 isn't necessarily a record store, it's more of a collection of sorts. Located in the upstairs of a flooring department store it was a tad overwhelming. All you see is this...
Against the walls were some newer releases but super expensive. Siamese Dream for $44?! Looking through the boxes everything was very organized, alphabetized, categorized. That wasn't an issue. The main issue I had was almost all of these albums looked like they came from dirty basements and were in poor condition. The prices asked were extremely unfair considering the condition of the albums. The large majority of the collections were 60s, 70s, and very little 80s. They also had cds but I no longer collect those.
Scored!: Nothing!
On second thought: (albums I put back) Amy Winehouse's "Back in Black" because I could really find that anywhere and probably for a better price. There was a Live at Carnegie Hall Nina Simone album but priced at $20 when it had tons of scratches wasn't worth it.
Customers: I was the only one! The guy asked me three times if I was looking for something in particular and I said I was browsing. I later inquired if he had any Bowie but he rechecked the same places I already looked in. I returned to my car defeated.
Record store #2 I will give the name of because it was a great experience. It's called the Haddonfield Record Exchange. I always pass it on my way to Collingswood and decided to finally check it out. The inside is a bit trippy with the orange and psychadelic posters but it's very well organized and those albums are taken care of. They mostly sell classic rock and have a modest selection of 7" singles. I'm a pretty fast flipper so it didn't take me too long to peruse the entire store.
Scored!: Bowie, Queen, Yaz, Eurhythmics, Gloria Estefan (you KNOW you blared that when you were 9), Elvis Costello and The Cure 7" singles.
On second thought: (albums I put back) some of the Bowie albums only because I could afford the one.
Customers: At first I was the only one in the store then a few others came in as I was leaving. I loved that Stevie Nicks was blaring and the woman working was kind enough to hold my records at the counter when I shopped. She was super friendly too and complimented all of my picks. We had a great conversation. She asked when I started collecting albums, how I knew of the bands I picked out, etc. She also complimented my David Bowie album and told me I picked out a good one with some great songs. Then she let me help myself to the candy bowl at the register before I left. :) Definitely returning there next month. They've been open for 6 months now. I wish them the best of luck.
Here's my Saturday haul...
Be warned this is a MONSTER of a list. I did not buy all of these albums brand new. A good majority came from flea markets, yard sales, or used. There are others that I got through Vinyl Me Please. So here you go all 98 of them...
Grimes: Visions / Art Angels
Caribou: Our Love
Doomtree: All Hands
Bad Brains: Bad Brains
Sleater-Kinney: Sleater-Kinney / Call the Doctor / The Hot Rock / All Hands on the Bad One / One Beat / The Woods
Marianne Faithful: Broken English
Erasure: The Innocents
Grace Jones: Nightclubbing / Fame / Slave to the Rhythm
Patti Smith Group: Radio Ethiopia / Easter
The Motels: Little Robbers
St. Vincent: Marry Me / Actor / Strange Mercy / St. Vincent
Phil Collins: No Jacket Required
Elvis Costello: Taking Liberties
Prince and the Revolution: Purple Rain
Devo: Freedom of Choice
Four Tet: Pink
Blessed Feathers: There Will Be No Sad Tomorrow
B-52's: Whammy / Wild Planet / Live 8.24.79
Bikini Kill: Bikini Kill / Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah
Chvrches: Bones of What You Believe / Every Eye Open
Suzanne Vega: Solitude Standing
Wild Flag: Wild Flag
Portishead: Dummy
Janis Joplin: Pearl
Ex Hex: Rips
Television: Marquee Moon
Miguel: Wildheart
PJ Harvey: To Bring You My Love
Lou Reed: Transformer
Punk 45 Vol 2: Underground Punk 1977-1981
Rolling Stones: Let It Bleed
The Graduate Soundtrack
David Bowie: Let's Dance
Duran Duran: Duran Duran
Fast Times at Ridgemont High Soundtrack
Fugazi: Fugazi
The Human League: Dare
The Moody Blues: The Other Side of Life
Pretty in Pink Soundtrack
Split Enz: True Colors
Bruce Springsteen: Tunnel of Love
Kurt Vile: I Believe I'm Goin' Down
The Stone Roses: The Stone Roses
The Strokes: Is This It
Sonic Youth: Evol
Rilo Kiley: The Execution of All Things / More Adventurous
Run the Jewels: Run the Jewels / Pt. 2
Radiohead: In Rainbows / King of Limbs
Johnny Marr: Playland
Ryan Adams: Demolition
Jeff Buckley: Grace
The Decemberists: The Crane Wife
Depeche Mode: Violator
The Dismemberment Plan: Uncanny Valley
Dresden Dolls: The Virginia Monologues
Garbage: Garbage
High Fidelity Soundtrack
Garden State Soundtrack
Joanna Newsom: Divers
M83: Saturdays Youth
Gems: Kill the One You Love
Nils Frahm: Spaces
Tamaryn: Crane Kiss
Yes: Fragile
Green Day: Dookie
X-Ray Spex: Peel Sessions and Singles
Torres: Sprinter
Black Sabbath: Paranoid
Girlpool: Before the World Was Big
Nada Surf: High/Low
A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders
Alanis Morissette: Jagged Little Pill
Cat Power: Moon Pix
Oasis: What's the Story
Pavement: Slanted and Enchanted
TLC: CrazySexyCool
The Eels: Electro-Shock Blues
Sunny Day Real Estate: Diary
The Spells: Age of Backwards EP
Records as Gifts!
No Doubt: Tragic Kingdom
Sleater-Kinney: No Cities to Love
