My nephew (14 years old) is just getting into vinyl. He’s looking for a record player, but doesn’t have a lot to spend, or a whole lot of space. Any recommendations for a starter record player which won’t break the bank? 

Thanks @tempo_n_groove - appreciate this!

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

mrussel1 said:

brianlux said:

Just picked up this beautifully bizarre album.  I can't believe I've lived this long and had never heard it, but after reading about it and also reading that it's on Lee Ranldo's top-ten favorite albums list, I took a chance and ordered a copy.   

This is a super nice package and the vinyl is a tape sourced reissue of the original mix.  Loving it!

Grateful Dead* – Anthem Of The Sun

More images

Label:	Warner Records – RCV1 695008, Rhino Records (2) – 081227883171
Series:	Vinyl Me, Please. Essentials – E121
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album, Club Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, Orange / Yellow Splatter, 180g, Gatefold
Country:	US
Released:	Jan 2023

Love it. That’s It’ For the Other One is my favorite primal Dead tune and Bobby’s masterpiece. My favorite line is“The Heat came around and bust me for smiling on a cloudy day”.  While I was not fortunate to live in that era, it always felt like it captured the essence of the acid trips and their connection with Neil Cassady and Further. 

Great line! 

It's taken me 800 years to delve more into the Dead catalog even though I lived in San Francisco from 1969 to 1973 (in my late teens/ early 20s) and, oddly enough, never once saw the Dead.  I looked like a hippie, people called me "hippie", but I never really was a hippie, and living in San Francisco during those years really burned me out on the hey, maaaaaan, can you spare a dime? hippie vibe.  And because the Grateful Dead were the quintessential hippie band,  I just didn't want to be in that scene.  Now, at last, I can listen to the music from a different perspective and now realize a lot of it is excellent.

This has Pigpen on it so it has to be good!  I'm a fan of him live going off and doing Pigpen things, lol.

I'm guessing Pigpen played a roll in forming the friendship between the Grateful Dead and the Hell's Angels, but I never understood that relationship.  The Dead were a major musical adjunct of the "peace and love" hippie movement, but the Hell's Angles were generally a thuggish and violent band.  After we graduated from high school, friend of mine from high school really got into riding motorcycles, but because he was a non-Hell's Angeles biker, he was once pistol whipped by a gang of Angels to within an inch of his life.  He was in the hospital for a good while and for the first several days, we weren't sure he would survive.  And then there was Altamont... good God.  No love for those thugs from me.  

Loujoe said:

Glad you made it^^ I'm always late to the party too and can understand where you're coming from. Studio dead is levels below the live suff. 
I do love American Beauty, Shakedown Street, and recall enjoying Workingmans Dead. Also have a best of cassette that gets a lot of play.

I won't ask you for a dime...

Maybe a 20 due to inflation 

It's true their studio albums are very inconsistent, but yeah, American Beauty is a fine album!

brianlux said:

mrussel1 said:

brianlux said:

Just picked up this beautifully bizarre album.  I can't believe I've lived this long and had never heard it, but after reading about it and also reading that it's on Lee Ranldo's top-ten favorite albums list, I took a chance and ordered a copy.   

This is a super nice package and the vinyl is a tape sourced reissue of the original mix.  Loving it!

Grateful Dead* – Anthem Of The Sun

More images

Label:	Warner Records – RCV1 695008, Rhino Records (2) – 081227883171
Series:	Vinyl Me, Please. Essentials – E121
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album, Club Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, Orange / Yellow Splatter, 180g, Gatefold
Country:	US
Released:	Jan 2023

Love it. That’s It’ For the Other One is my favorite primal Dead tune and Bobby’s masterpiece. My favorite line is“The Heat came around and bust me for smiling on a cloudy day”.  While I was not fortunate to live in that era, it always felt like it captured the essence of the acid trips and their connection with Neil Cassady and Further. 

Great line! 

It's taken me 800 years to delve more into the Dead catalog even though I lived in San Francisco from 1969 to 1973 (in my late teens/ early 20s) and, oddly enough, never once saw the Dead.  I looked like a hippie, people called me "hippie", but I never really was a hippie, and living in San Francisco during those years really burned me out on the hey, maaaaaan, can you spare a dime? hippie vibe.  And because the Grateful Dead were the quintessential hippie band,  I just didn't want to be in that scene.  Now, at last, I can listen to the music from a different perspective and now realize a lot of it is excellent.

The Grateful Dead seem to find everyone, or more specifically, a person with wide musical tastes always seems to make it the Dead eventually.  I always though it was because they were so varied in their styles, they could appeal to anyone.  And then you hear the magic of Jerry, and his unparalleled "groove" and grace, and you're done at that point.  You've been "shown the light" as they say.    

Your other point about the hippies being a pain and what-not is on point too and something I have thought about.  There was a certain culture around the Dead in teh 60's and 70's that turned people off.  And then in the 80's/90's when I was into it, there as a total circus environment.  Now that we are removed from all of that, it's probably easier for people to appreciate the music on the merits alone, without any baggage.  Toss in the extraordinary amount of material, and it's easy to dig in and get lost.  

brianlux said:

mrussel1 said:

brianlux said:

mrussel1 said:

brianlux said:

Just picked up this beautifully bizarre album.  I can't believe I've lived this long and had never heard it, but after reading about it and also reading that it's on Lee Ranldo's top-ten favorite albums list, I took a chance and ordered a copy.   

This is a super nice package and the vinyl is a tape sourced reissue of the original mix.  Loving it!

Grateful Dead* – Anthem Of The Sun

More images

Label:	Warner Records – RCV1 695008, Rhino Records (2) – 081227883171
Series:	Vinyl Me, Please. Essentials – E121
Format:	Vinyl, LP, Album, Club Edition, Reissue, Remastered, Stereo, Orange / Yellow Splatter, 180g, Gatefold
Country:	US
Released:	Jan 2023

Love it. That’s It’ For the Other One is my favorite primal Dead tune and Bobby’s masterpiece. My favorite line is“The Heat came around and bust me for smiling on a cloudy day”.  While I was not fortunate to live in that era, it always felt like it captured the essence of the acid trips and their connection with Neil Cassady and Further. 

Great line! 

It's taken me 800 years to delve more into the Dead catalog even though I lived in San Francisco from 1969 to 1973 (in my late teens/ early 20s) and, oddly enough, never once saw the Dead.  I looked like a hippie, people called me "hippie", but I never really was a hippie, and living in San Francisco during those years really burned me out on the hey, maaaaaan, can you spare a dime? hippie vibe.  And because the Grateful Dead were the quintessential hippie band,  I just didn't want to be in that scene.  Now, at last, I can listen to the music from a different perspective and now realize a lot of it is excellent.

The Grateful Dead seem to find everyone, or more specifically, a person with wide musical tastes always seems to make it the Dead eventually.  I always though it was because they were so varied in their styles, they could appeal to anyone.  And then you hear the magic of Jerry, and his unparalleled "groove" and grace, and you're done at that point.  You've been "shown the light" as they say.    

Your other point about the hippies being a pain and what-not is on point too and something I have thought about.  There was a certain culture around the Dead in teh 60's and 70's that turned people off.  And then in the 80's/90's when I was into it, there as a total circus environment.  Now that we are removed from all of that, it's probably easier for people to appreciate the music on the merits alone, without any baggage.  Toss in the extraordinary amount of material, and it's easy to dig in and get lost.  

Good points, all, especially about Jerry.  Even a casual fan like me can hear half a dozen Garcia notes and, boom, just like that you know who it is.  He had a magic touch, for sure.  

mrussel1 said:

The nexus between the Dead and the Hell's Angels never made any sense to me either, other than the lifestyle of doing drugs.  And the Angels were definitely into their music.  

I looked into it a bit more a one thing I read said Jerry Garcia in particular had a long standing friendship with Hell's Angels, but other band members were actually quite uncomfortable around them.  Interesting. 

lol I was coming to comment on the Hells Angels part.  Jerry liked having them around and the rest of the band was not understanding why?  Yes the rest of the band was terrified with them being around.

Look up Hunter S Thompsons hanging around them.  Theres a famous interview w him and the treasurer of the HA.  The crowd laughs at the mentioning of wife beating.  What a trip to think this was acceptable behavior back then...
https://youtu.be/ccyu44rsaZo?si=bCudjV9chIzy94_h

A little derailment but its a worthy story.

tempo_n_groove said:

DC29940 said:

Was able to snag Tracks II for $170 new!

This looks really cool.

The set is beautifully put together. Top notch all the way around. There's the 7 albums plus a hardcover book with reproductions of little mementos tucked in throughout the book. Even had a studio tracks sheet folded up and hidden back in the box. Really cool presentation.