VYING FOR VOLUMES OF VINTAGE VINYL
It’s a Bargain Bin Feeding Frenzy.
Word Travels Fast in a Small Town
If a crate of records is enough to stimulate even the most hardened vinyl junkie, imagine what a dining table piled high with records can do.
Collecting second-hand vinyl is a hit-and-miss affair. It’s why I routinely circle Hobart's record shops and second-hand stores, waiting for that magic moment. Besides, it gets me out in the sunshine for some fresh air.
Tuesday, 18th April 2023.
I stumbled into one of my regular haunts, and lo and behold, there’s a crowd scene forming at the back of the store where they keep the CDs, DVDs, and records.
One of the store volunteers is wheeling out shopping carts full of vinyl records and stacking them on a dining table.
Someone’s very extensive record collection has just been donated.
Thank goodness for the new The Riff submission guidelines; otherwise, this might have gotten slightly expletive-laden.
It appears the Record Nazi isn’t working today, and everything is going for $1 or $2.
About half a dozen people are crowded around the table, and the elbows are out. One gentleman informs me that most of the best stuff has already gone.
No matter, I still manage to stagger out with as much as I can carry, which amounts to over fifty records.
By my usual accounting, at seven discs a pop, that’s enough for eight episodes of my Record Bargain Reflections™.
Where to start?
The Classics
There was a fair spread across the sixties, seventies, and eighties, with a healthy share of classic rock. That’s where I’m going to start.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason — Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd’s first album following the departure of Roger Waters, I struggle to rate this one in their top ten.
I feel sorry for David Gilmour when I listen to this. The pressure must have been immense. The collection feels fragmented, the lyrics are patchy, and overall it feels like he’s trying too hard.
Bargain-o-meter: 1 out of 7.
Let’s Dance — David Bowie
Similarly, not Bowie’s most stellar effort. Like A Momentary Lapse of Reason, I can recall buying this one the day it came out. I can also remember feeling somewhat underwhelmed.
To my ears, the best songs are retreads. The best being his cover of Iggy Pop’s China Girl.
His cover of Metro’s Criminal World is at least on par with the original and features some particularly tasty guitar work from Stevie Ray Vaughn. Not having heard it for years, it almost sounds like Yes — a reminder that Steve Howe is one of the more blues-orientated guitars in the prog scene.
Then there’s Cat People, a radically different rendition of his collaboration with Giorgio Moroder. It’s not terrible, but the original atmosphere of the song has been mostly discarded.
I find the grooves on both the title track and Ricochet leaden; Golden Years they ain’t.
Bargain-o-meter: 2 out of 7.
Who’s Next — The Who
One of the greatest straight-ahead rock albums ever made. I’ve been giving this one a real pounding as of late.
I’ve got it on CD, I’ve got the triple album re-release, and perhaps more so than just about any other album, I know it like the back on my hand.
Do I need another copy? No. Do I want another copy? You bet I do.
A classic but a little unnecessary.
Bargain-o-meter: 3 out of 7.
Straight Shooter — Bad Company
Not quite in the same league as their debut, Bad Company, yet it certainly has its moments, particularly in the rock and roll odyssey, Shooting Star.
Feel Like Making Love is good too.
Unfortunately, Bad Company often strikes me as the English version of Journey. A band chock full of talent, yet unable to transcend the generic nature of the content their talent seems determined to deliver.
Some of the material hasn’t aged well, yet Shooting Star will always have a fond place in my heart.
Bargain-o-meter: 4 out of 7.
In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida — Iron Butterfly
The title track, filling out the entire second side of this record, is the high water mark in psychedelic rock absurdity. The shorter tracks on side one offer little respite.
Yet, the inspired use of the title track in The Simpsons can’t help but put a smile on my face every time I listen to it.
Stuffed into the back of the protective sleeve was the 7" single of the title track. That’s what I call a bargain!
Bargain-o-meter: 5 out of 7.
Led Zeppelin IV — Led Zeppelin
With a similar status to Who’s Next, this one got me thinking about The Peanuts.
One of my favourite cartoons involved Charlie Brown (or was it Lucy?) borrowing some of Schroeder’s records. Schroeder is excited by Charlie’s elevated taste in music until he realises Charlie wants the records to be used as bases for the baseball diamond.
Using the records for this purpose probably best describes the condition of my current copy of Led Zeppelin IV. So, getting a fresh copy in immaculate condition was a welcome surprise.
Furthermore, the volunteer had no idea what it was and tossed it in the $1 pile.
Bargain-o-meter: 6 out of 7.
Excitable Boy — Warren Zevon
Possibly Zevon’s commercial peak, he simply didn’t achieve the recognition he deserved.
Werewolves of London is undoubtedly his best-known song and, to my surprise, features a rhythm section of John McVie and Mick Fleetwood.
Yet Lawyers, Guns and Money, Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner, the title track, and Accidentally Like a Martyr fill out the album with some of my personal favourites.
More so than any of the others, this was the one I was most excited to have in my hot little hands.
Bargain-o-meter: 7 out of 7.
This is the latest installment in my vinyl bargain-hunting adventures. You can check out the last episode here:
