There's so much vinyl!!!!!!!!!!

Was really excited about Record Store Day, my local shop Fives had the full exclusive list in the window and the young guy in there had told me they were opening at 8am, but I should get down there before 7.30 as they’d walk down the line taking peoples orders so they’d have them ready when the store opened. The night before, I passed the shop on the way home from a lush Chinese meal and noticed they had a smaller list with some titles crossed out and numbers written next to them. I figured this was a list of what they’d actually managed to secure for the day and out of that list there was only Hendrix that I wanted. I was a bit disheartened, but my wife convinced me that we should pop down just before it opened to get involved, then we could go for some breakfast.

We got there around 7.40am and already there were around 20 people stood waiting. The fella at the front had turned up a 5.15am, everybody was chatting (apart from a couple of shifty guys who looked like they’d only come down to eBay whatever they could get their hands on). Then a lady came over with a notepad and asked what I was after - she said they’d got pretty much everything on the main exclusive list and the smaller one I’d seen the night before was just from one supplier. I got very excited, but was also kicking myself for not coming down earlier! She said they should have Foo Fighters, Deftones (nobody had asked for that one), Chillis and Queen. But the three copies of Radiohead had already been taken, as had Hendrix and the guy in front of me had just requested their only copy of Beastie Boys. There was no Pearl Jam,. There may be a Gorillaz, if I was lucky…

Once the doors opened we all filed into the narrow shop and watched as the people in front started hovering up boxfulls of vinyl and tried to trick the staff into let them buy multiple copies. It was pretty exciting tbh, wondering whether there would be anything left by the time we reached the counter. Thankfully she’d set a bag aside for me with all but the Gorillaz in! The old guy, who had opened up the shop early for me last year so I could grab their only copy of Backspacer on release day, looked pretty shaken by the flurry of activity - I guess this was the busiest morning they’d seen for a while.

We sat in a near by café eating a fry-up and looking over our records before heading back to bed. What a fantastic experience and I‘ll definitely be doing this again next year! To make the day even more special, Amazon delivered the J Mascis album just as we got in, I grabbed the new Foos earlier in the week and collected the Satchel album from the post office. That afternoon was spent with the record player.

I'm eyeing the Bob Dylan mono box set. If I get a summer job, most likely the first two paychecks will go to that set.

Its a great album, sadly the record has some pretty deep scratches on it - good knows how that happened. The Rolling Stones one sounds awesome, and I found the date and my late uncle's name written on the paper sleeve - I'm sure he'd be pleased to know its getting spun again.

Been looking out for the Vs and Vitalogy vinyl reissues - no luck, will have to order them.

On a brighter note I'm just spinning today's purchases! The new Stornaway album - nice! The Byrds, 'Untitled' which is mainly live and sounds brilliant (second hand), am yet to make it to Morrissey, Your Arsenal, which cost me a pound.

Been listening to both discs of the Ten Redux set today too - I tend to put it on when I want to adjust the turntable settings - since I know it so well, and when I get it sounding sweetest almost everything else sounds great too (I double check with Van Morssion's Moondance straight afterwards ) *sigh* don't you just love vinyl??

DewieCox wrote:

tremors wrote:

Been listening to both discs of the Ten Redux set today too - I tend to put it on when I want to adjust the turntable settings - since I know it so well, and when I get it sounding sweetest almost everything else sounds great too (I double check with Van Morssion's Moondance straight afterwards ) *sigh* don't you just love vinyl??

I took a little sampling of Van Morrison not long ago and made Moondance my first dip into his pool. Not really sure on what reissue I got, but it sounds amazing. I love it when the "fog horns" come in on Into The Mystic, but the whole thing just sounds great.

Glad you like it! I remember you posting that you'd picked that up, but I feared maybe you wouldn't like it so much - I have you down as being a bit of a 'heavy rock' sort (the led zep passion etc!)

Yeah, Moondance is a superb sounding record - the sound of his voice with the instruments, when you get it sounding right - it takes you places. That album, and the one before it - Astral Weeks, are my two essentials from Van - been listening to them both for about 22 years! :? You might like Astral Weeks - the sound is a bit thinner than moondance, but the singing is out of this world - he's having a kind of religious experience through this record. Also Dewie, you might be pleased to hear that Van used to point blank refuse to have Astral Weeks digitally remastered in any way (he might have relented by now, I'm not sure). It's completely original in the rock and roll canon - there's never been an album like it before or since. Elvis Costello famously said something similar..... Yep, Van has an amazing voice that a good turntable really brings to the fullest!

MK186319 wrote:

Here's a link to my Blog/website showing pictures and info of my vinyl collection, just started the site, I will be updating, so keep checking back, I have allot of vinyl to post. http://2f0r.zapd.co/

Awesome!

Got a great Cure vinyl from our little 10c swap shop. Very cool.
And had an amazing gift of the vs/vit box this week.

Great week for records!!

I might even finish the week of by going to the flea market on Sunday. It's mostly crap but there are some gems there from time to time. I picked a double 7" of Edith Piaf a few weeks back which is really nice on a turntable; it's scratchy and sounds jsut like it should. It cost me about 1zl (1/2 a US $ ?)

At our local guitar festival yesterday was a guy called Al Di Meola, he plays guitar and makes our MIghty Mike Mc look like a beginner. It was unbelievable.

Went to my local flea market this moring and picked up an album of his and one by John McLaughlin, who the seller recommended as an ever better guitarist. Also picked up JJ Cale 'Okie' and Rush 'Farewell to Kings'. 20 quid the lot.

Newch91 wrote:

i shit and i stink wrote:

At our local guitar festival yesterday was a guy called Al Di Meola, he plays guitar and makes our MIghty Mike Mc look like a beginner. It was unbelievable.

Went to my local flea market this moring and picked up an album of his and one by John McLaughlin, who the seller recommended as an ever better guitarist. Also picked up JJ Cale 'Okie' and Rush 'Farewell to Kings'. 20 quid the lot.

Al Di Meola is amazing. Glad you enjoyed him.

And he looks like one cools mother fucker. I bet the ladies go wild for him.

Newch91 wrote:

Looking forward to the next McCartney reissues! I'm surprised my dad doesn't have his first solo album on vinyl.

http://www.paulmccartney.com/news.php#/2152/2011-04

That is a great album. Unfortunately, I bought 'McCartney 2' recently thinking, obviously, that is the follow up album. I soon found out that Ram was second and 'McC 2' is 80s synth crap.