I've been collecting records - that's records, mind you; vinyl - since preschool. No, really! Okay, I may have had some funky titles in my possession: "The Little Ballerina" and "Tubby the Tugboat Tugs." But I also had some cutting edge 45s. Remember Winchester Cathedral?Lately, of course, I make all my "real" music purchases on CD. But this summer, I started playing a game with myself (I get so easily distracted). What kind of records - vinyl - could I find in odd places, like garage sales, thrift shops, or stores that are finally getting around to clearing out their stock? Yea, I know I could run down to Walmart and get Pearl Jam or Lenny Kravitz on vinyl. Trés retro. But it's not exactly what I had in mind.
Of course, I'm not exactly sure what I have in mind. Just something odd that captures my interest, I guess. So, here I present:
Deb's Undercouch Record Collection
Okay, you say, very nice; Deb's got her little diversion going. Well, I'm asking, don't you want to play, too? If you've ever found a really fun, weird, good, strange and/or completely bizarre record album, let me know! I'll keep a running score and display the results here. Some rules though: It should either be used or never-opened old. Age is a definite bonus, though, especially if it is becoming anachronistic. It should be under $5, preferably closer to $1; let's say $5 for a boxed set or something like that. The purchase venue will also get you points for style. And details are everything; info that record companies choose to relate on the jackets can sometimes be quite amusing. So a used Elvis "Blue Hawaii" disc on blue vinyl, recorded in stereophonic sound, bought at a flea market in the mountains of North Carolina, out of the back of a van, for $1.50 would be, like, the Holy Grail!
- Cyndi Lauper: The record with "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" and "She-Bop." This was actually a pre-Game purchase a couple years ago when a music store was clearing stock. It is one of those plastic picture discs, so I decided to include it. Side one is Cyndi in full regalia dancing in the street; side two is her Van Gogh-soled shoes. I'll admit, I had this one on tape when it came out, but the damn thing busted. I think this disc is a much better momento. And it was only a dollar.
- Listen and Learn Italian, © 1957 by Dover Publications: I found this set of three ten-inch 33 1/3 long-playing records with manual in a used bookstore that was going out of business. The original price on the set was $4.95. The price the bookstore had marked was $4.95. Luckily, the day I was there, they were selling out at the price of, like, $5 a bag. So, I got this great tool for learning, in 15 hours or less, to speak the Italian essential for travel. And it's guaranteed! Oh, sure, the box is a little moldy...
- When Dalliance Was in Flower, and Maidens Lost Their Heads, from Elektra, 1956: I had such high hopes for this one. The songs ("Go Bring Me a Lass," "Two Maidens Went A-Milking" and "The Four Able Physicians," for example) were purportedly "culled from Elizabethan England with its pomp, gilt-edges and Shakespearean lustiness." Well, it sounds more like Lawrence Welk on a bad day. A bad day. I should have known. Although the jacket promised "songs of a Baroque-like flavor," how were they going to deliver with one guy on a recorder and another on a banjo, for crissakes?!
- The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack of Camelot: I made it up to myself with this one. This is another one I already had on tape, but I don't trust tapes. Camelot is really a great album and it saves you from having to sit through the movie. There's beautiful orchestration, which "When Dalliance..." severely lacks, and the double entendres are actually clever. Gee, I could burst into a chorus of "Simple Joys of Maidenhood" right now!
- Vienna Boys Choir Sings German Christmas Carols: How could you go wrong with this album? One thing I love about it, though, is all the tech information on the jacket: f'rinstance, it's DUOPHONIC, an exclusive Capitol Records electronic development which delivers a brilliant NEW two-channel sound that takes full advantage of TODAY'S finest stereo phonographs! And if that isn't enough, it's a HIGH FIDELITY recording!
- Chinese Classical Music: Made in Hong Kong, the only English on this album and jacket is "Chinese Classical Music." All the little characters are really neat though, and it makes a good dinner accompaniment when we stir-fry.
- Respighi, Ancient Airs and Dances for Lute, from the Rome Symphony Orchestra: This is a really beautiful classical collection. And it's in stereo!
- Voices of the Middle Ages, Music from the Gothic Cathedral: The jacket is a little academic for me ("A pointed contrast appears between the late-Medieval style of Dufay's Veni Creator Spiritus and the Renaissance-style setting of virtually the same tune, Komm, Gott Schöpfer of Resinarius,") but the music is very nice. And it just goes to show, Chant was not an original idea.
Thanks! Check back frequently to see what turns up!
