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| Shortly before the doors open. Photo courtesy of their Facebook page. |
I’d be lying if I told you that I wasn’t just more than a
bit excited about Record Store Day, even when there was not a whole lot of
things I noticed on the pre-sale list for 2013’s offerings that I felt I “had”
to have.
But succumbing to the rare and exclusive aspect of R.S.D. is
the thing that makes you mark the date on the calendar-conveniently located on
4.20 this year and further reminding you of how awesome it was to go to the
record store, find a title with a double-gatefold sleeve which immediately
served as your pot tray when you got back up to your bedroom.
The real joy of R.S.D. is indulging in the experience of
going to a retail store devoted entirely of physical items that hold the music
of your life and treating that time with care and devotion. This shit is like
the Rosetta Stone for some of us, so let the luddites have their day.
The rest of you can download the shit.
I speak with no hint of cynicism or snobbery when I tell you
that there is nothing like the experience of placing down your hard-earned
money and buying a record. Like the 4.20 coincidence hints at: this is drug
dealing. I’m convinced that that burst of scent, which happens the first moment
you pop the cellophane seal possesses narcotic qualities. To the point where I’ve
often caught myself grabbing a few extra whiffs before the smell dissipates and
you’re left with the task of translating the grooves to memory.
The allure of the rarities also creates an environment
similar to the Black Friday early risers. My place of worship-the incomparable Record
Collector-always sports a line outside its entrance before it opens on Record
Store Day, and like clockwork, I try to time my arrival immediately after the
initial rush subsides.
I lovingly call these folks “amateurs,” because they rush
the joint, grab their shit and go. It’s like fucking a girl with no hint of
foreplay, and it’s wrong. Ideally, you want to grab your shit and hang out to
shop for stuff you had no intention of purchasing.
But even that idyllic scenario has its exceptions.
Some collectors become so enamored with the items that they’re
purchasing that they simply can’t wait
to get home to listen to them. I’ll make an exception for these folks because
they’re obviously junkies. Mama always told me “Never trust a junky” so best to
have them adhere to the old “in-out” for fear that they’ll grab that Avenged
Sevenfold vinyl right out of your hands.
And, no shit, there were Avenged Sevenfold rarities
abound on R.S.D. Apparently, people take them seriously now.
The other exception are those experienced shoppers who know
that to hang around a record store only means trouble. Like I said, they are
drug dealers, and before you know it, you’ve moved from buying a big bag of
dope to jamming condoms full of heroin up your rectum and driving back to the
border at Tijuana.
I’m getting to this point, because after circling the R.S.D.
center racks in the back of the Record Collector and lifting what was left from
my list, I found myself mindlessly lusting after things that I don’t need at
all.
At one point, I was eyeballing a sealed vinyl reissue of
Iggy Pop’s The Idiot, drooling over
its still sealed state for the simple reason that it would bring me closer to
the experience of actually being excited about getting a new Iggy Pop record,
circa 1977.
It’s crazy, I know. It’s almost like my ulterior motive was
to later put Werner Herzog’s Stroszek
on the Netflix queue and enjoy a nice quiet evening at home, fretting how my
turntable won’t allow The Idiot to
keep endlessly spinning like it did when they discovered Ian Curtis’ hanging
corpse.
Before I was left to my own devices, I handed Record
Collector owner Kirk Walther my handwritten list, immediately pointing out the
title that possesses the biggest urgency, a picture-disc single of Gonn’s
4-song e.p. Est.1966.
Gonn are from my hometown of Keokuk, Iowa,
and 45 years ago, they released a single “Blackout Of Gretely.” It was recorded
in a studio with one microphone, and the results were sufficient for the track
to get included on the wonderful Nuggets
reissue that Rhino put out years ago.
I’ve written about them before, but my interest in Gonn was
renewed a bit this past New Year’s Eve when I noticed that the band had put
together a 50th Anniversary package at a hotel near Keokuk. The
package not only included overnight accommodations at the Comfort Inn &
Suites in Fort Madison Iowa, but guests also received a pair of tickets to Gonn’s
50th Anniversary performance that evening (and into the new year!),
complementary champagne and party favors, plus a free Gonn 7” single.
I really wanted to go, but who watches the kids overnight on
New Year’s Eve while your miles away watching a bunch of 65 year old guys
playing a bunch of garage rock?
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| Targets acquired! |
“I think we still have this one” Walther offered while
stepping in to the center rack of R.S.D. goodies. He pulled out the sole copy
left, reaffirming the feeling I had that I was the only record buyer gunning
for the exclusive R.S.D. picture-disc edition of “Blackout Of Gretely.”
“The original copy sells for over $1,000” Kirk offered as he
handed me the object of my desire. “Brother, everything else I get today is
gravy!” I replied, thanking him for making my Record Store Day a success.
Here’s my complete list in no-particular order of
preference, just a guide of what to look out for, providing some semblance of
order until I circled the store twice before I realized the futility of it all.
That Iggy Pop record will have to wait another day.
Totale’s Record Store Day List:
Tame Impala – Tame Impala e.p.
Sold out almost immediately, which I guess should signify
that these guys are officially big shit in college towns.
Pink Floyd – “See
Emily Play” 7” (mono version)
Why do I even bother with these? It’s these kinds of
releases that have people waiting in line before the door even opens. I already
have this version on cd anyway, so this was nothing more than nostalgic jive,
anyway.
Jimi Hendrix
Experience - ”Hey Joe” 7” (mono version)
See above. For some reason, I’ve had a real hair up my ass
thinking that I need to get the UK
mono version of Are You Experienced?
for no other reason than the fact that it’s available on vinyl in a reissue,
and because I never had that edition. Don’t argue with my logic.
Shearwater/Sharon Von
Etten – “Stop Draggin My Heart Around” 7”
Acquired! Admittedly, the end results of this live track
aren’t as good as I’d hoped. It’s a bit rough around the edges, which probably
means that this was something else live in the flesh, while the recorded
results only prove how good the Heartbreakers are. The flip, “A Wake For The
Minotaur” is where it’s at, making this purchase worthwhile.
Gonn – Est 1966 7” (picture disc)
Acquired! The “Blackout of Gretely” b/w “Paint In My Heart”
another cut from 1966, which. according to the picture disc notes on the flip
side, is featured in some movie from last year called Joint Body. No idea. There are two additional songs per side that
are, evidently, new tracks recorded last year from a record called Fully Loaded. While I would hesitate at
recommending such a title, the new cuts did little to get me excited about a 21st
Century Gonn while not so bad that I lifted the needle off the record early.
Record 215 out of 1000!
Trashmen – Live At The Whiskey A Go-Go St Paul, MN
1966 7”
Sold out. This one hurt a bit and I even circled a few extra
times to see if I had accidently missed this garage rock nugget.
David Bowie – “Stars
(Are Out Tonight)” 7”
Put it back in the bin. “Stars” was the A-side b/w “Where
Are We Now.” Since I have both versions already on CD, vinyl and MP3, I couldn’t
justify the expense of the 7” that offered nothing new in return. I later saw a
guy about my age clutching the last copy that I had put back. Good for him.
Chet Atkins – Black Jack 7” (e.p.)
Acquired! Probably the second most sought-after item on my
list, so go me! A pretty penny too, at $15 I half expected a complementary
Gretsch guitar for the purchase price. A 4-song set of unreleased Atkins
tracks, including an alternate version of “Boo Boo Stick Beat,” that infectious
music bumper you hear on N.P.R.’s All
Things Considered. Released by Sundaze on an old RCA logo, this big-holed
single has clear red vinyl and is packaged in nifty 50’s nostalgia. Not for
sale.
Superchunk – “Void/Faith”
7”
Acquired! A friend of mine in northern Minnesota sent an urgent s.o.s. to be on the
lookout for this one for him. A guy navigating the record bin with his infant
reached for the same section where this find was sitting out in front at the
same time as I did. We both withdrew our hands at the same time and I submissively
asked “Did you want this one?” Thankfully, he did not, even when I clarified
that I wasn’t speaking about the Shearwater/Sharon Van Etten single. This is
Record Store Day, man! Be aggressive! Besides, how would I explain to my friend
“Yeah, they had that Superchunk single you wanted, but I was a pussy and gave
it up to a dude holding a baby.” Clear vinyl! Great song(s) (Fuck yeah, I
played it)! I’m now planning to keep this one for myself. Fuck you, Jason!
Record 186 out of 1000!
Orange Juice – Texas Fever (e.p.)
Sold out. The guy holding an infant got my hopes up when he
told me that he saw this on the other side of the record bin. Mama didn’t raise
no fool. I knew he was only trying to distract me from the section that
contained the Superchunk single above. Besides, when I finally made it to the
other side, it was not the title in question, but the last Orange Juice album
before they split. I didn’t want that one.
Tegan & Sara –
“Closer” 12”
Don’t give me no shit about my T/S fixation. This is one of
a very select breed of artists that the entire family tolerates together. The
little one likes to come down to the basement, the refuge of many a
domesticated male, and ask me to play a record. I figured this one, featuring
remixes of Tegan and Sara’s lead-off single to Heartthrob would get the little one dancing around the room with
me. Well, there’s always Men Without Hats!
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| On the drive home. That's my badassed 4-Runner behind the tree. Jealous? |
Aerosmith – Aerosmith
Reissued on 180-gram vinyl. But for $25?! Fuck that noise. I
put this shit back because I know I can probably find an awesome original copy
for tons cheaper. I know it’s probably not Aerosmith’s fault for the pricing,
but it’s so easy to hate on them. Particularly for the past 30 years of shit
they’ve done.
Black Milk – Synth Or Soul
Acquired! A badassed instrumental effort from this Detroit hip-hop producer, emanating
from luscious cream yellow vinyl. This will get plenty of late-night spins and
insure the spirit of 4.20 gets additional dates on the calendar.
Various Artists –
Rough Guide To Latin Psychedelia and Rough Guide To Psychedelic Brazil
Acquired! Both of them! No idea why I placed these two
compilations on my R.S.D. list, having never heard any of the artists before or
experience with the songs included on these well-appointed collection. I’ll let
you know how it works out.
That’s what I had on my list, but as I said before, half of
not coming across as just another “amateur” on Record Store Day is spending
some extra time circulating through the titles that were there before, and
after, the special marketing drive ends.
I make sure to sniff around the used cd collections too,
which are proving more and more to be a goldmine of good finds as people
begin dropping off their cumbersome collections and Seven Mary Three titles.
Which is why I nearly wet myself when I noticed a copy of
The Headless Horsemen’s Can’t Help But
Shake, a title that I have-no shit-been on the lookout for the last quarter
century.
The Headless Horsemen were a garage rock revival band
hailing from New York City
in the mid-to-late 80’s. They dressed in retro suits, but their music would
fool you into believing you were listening to an honest-to-God Nuggets-era band that came and flamed
with the best of them, leaving their bones to be haggled over by garage band
collectors.
There’s now another
outfit from the N.Y.C. area that’s using the Headless Horsemen name,
this time a duo made up of Conner O’Neil and Fareed Sajan, but they are not the
badassed purveyors of fine garage rock that I speak of.
Can’t Help But Shake
was originally released on the now-defunct Resonance record label and adorned
in kitschy 60’s attire, this is the real deal and I’ve finally found it. I
originally had a copy of it on a treble-heavy eq’d cassette that’s probably at
the bottom of some lost moving box somewhere, when it needs to be back in heavy
rotation again.
It will be now, thanks to some extra navigating around the
Record Collector, and is yet another example of why I need to spend more time
in record stores, besides the requisite annual expo.
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| Waiting for the obligatory post-game cheeseburger @ Lincoln Cafe in Mt. Vernon |
If anything, and this was most certainly true for this year’s
event, R.S.D. gives me an opportunity to devote at least one day to this
lifelong obsession, obtaining a carte blanche morning by myself and my hobby
without the interference of family or people who tag along. You know, the kind
of people who hover behind you, signaling the hints that they’re ready to go
while you’re keeping a running tally of the growing purchase price in your
head.
Speaking of, I overheard Kirk and the other Record Collector
staff members taking a look at the receipts after the first wave of purchases,
comparing the tallies of some of the regulars who came in when the doors
opened, dropping at least a car payment at the store before they left.
It sounded like a few regulars had even traveled to places
like Chicago for Record Store Day, assuring that some titles would be available
(the store-as is the case every year-sometimes gets overlooked on quantity and
titles in general, losing them to higher volume stores in larger cities) to
their greedy little hands at the stroke of midnight.
For me, my area record store (a half-hour commute away from
my driveway) was enough, and the titles I did manage to grab were enough to
warrant an obligatory spin of Lou Reed’s “Perfect Day” before the shrink-wrap
was cut open with an X-Acto knife.
Before the first inhale of that sweet, vinyl smell.
