Wednesday, November 16, 2011

NEW LISTINGS - Vinyl Record BUYERS GUIDE

                        * New Issue Out Soon



Nf Records, Inc10925 Nw 59th Street, Doral FL

The Records Reviewer Inc243 Wimbledon Lake Drive, Plantation FL

Ego Records LLC12864 Biscayne Boulevard, North Miami FL

Guajiro Records, Inc2575 Collins Avenue # B1, Miami Beach FL

Rix Records, LLC5711 Willow Creek Lane, Delray Beach FL

Vida Records, LLC9767 Nw 49th Terrace, Doral FL

Andres Records6240 Contessa Drive Apartment 204, Orlando FL

Cluster Records2915 Prairie Avenue, Miami Beach FL

Smuggler Records4941 Nw 86th Terrace, Lauderhill FL

Streetteam Records7667 N 56th Street, Tampa FL



NEW VINYL RECORD RETAILER LISTINGS
Added to new edition
   



V 54 RecordsLakewood CO

Doe John Records LLCColorado Springs CO

Diggin Dog Records, LLCLoveland CO

Aural Fixation RecordsBoulder CO

Beat Culture Records, IncDenver CO

Bohemia Beat RecordsDenver CO

Sunday, October 30, 2011



RETAIL DIRECTORY
of Vinyl-Record Sources
………..

NEW ADDITIONS
TO OUR DIRECTORY OF OVER 1000 VR LISTING ENTRIES
New VR BUYERS GUIDE issue arrives before end of this year, with 100's of fresh regional and local vinyl-record retailer and web-based supplier with new and classic LP and 45rpm releases. Here are a few  those ...

Indiana Record Stores
Luna Music
1315 86th St
Indianapolis Indiana



Kentucky Record Stores


CD Central
377 South Limestone St
Lexington Kentucky
Ear X-Tacy
1534 Bardstown Road
Louisville Kentucky



Maryland Record Stores
Record and Tape Traders
736 Dulaney Valley Center
Towson, Maryland

Record and Tape Traders
1409B Merritt Blvd
Dundalk, Maryland
Record & Tape Traders


Bel Air Town Center
558 Baltimore National Pike
Bel Air, Maryland

Saturday, October 15, 2011

Tips to Properly Maintain Your Vinyl Record Collection

A few tricks that can prevent damage ...  if you can take care of a pet rock, you can take care of your vinyl collection. It shouldn’t be a challenge, and most of this advice is a no-brainer.



Here are the basics:

1. Don’t stack records: records are made of a polyvinyl chloride that is soft and malleable. The weight of stacked records and other weighted objects can deform the circular shape and distort the sound producing grooves that guide the needle, a problem that cannot be fixed. The best way is to sort them vertically, but be careful not to pack them too tight, as this will have the same effect you are trying to prevent.

2. Don’t leave you records next to a heat source: Like most plastics, vinyl has a low heat capacity and will begin to melt at temperatures rising from 70 degrees F. This means that heaters, ovens, microwaves, fireplaces, and other places that receive direct sunlight are poor places to shelve your records. I would suggest a bookshelf in a room with a moderate temperature.

3. Moisture is a vinyl serial killer: Once your record covers and sleeves get wet, they will start to mildew, and aside from smelling terrible, they will be worthless. If you are storing them in a garage, don’t store them on the ground or next to a water supply.

4. Don’t Leave your records out of the sleeve: The sleeve is like the force field on the Millennium Falcon, once the shields are down, all the knicks and scratches will add up and eventually render the record unplayable. Would you participate in a fencing match naked? Hopefully, you get my point.

5. Don’t play your records with a dull needle: Although cartridges can last several years, it is important that the needle remains sharp. Otherwise, as the needle dulls it will increase in surface area, and the effect is kind of like trying to jam something large into a small hole. As I explained earlier, once the grooves are compromised there is very little you can do to salvage them.

6. Be careful to whom you lend your records: Just as you wouldn’t lend your car to a random person you met in Compton, you should take similar precautions when lending records. Make sure that the lendee will care for your precious collection with the same meticulous care that you would. Small children, drunk friends, and crazy ex-girlfriends are a few examples of people you might want to think twice about lending to.

General Maintenance:

When it comes to vinyl a little tender love and care every now and then can go a long way. Serious damage is typically the result of long-time neglect.

For example, if you handle your records frequently, it doesn’t hurt to wipe them down with a fiber-less clothe (the type of cloth you would wipe your glasses with) and some gentle ivory soap; stay away from alcohol, sticky substances, and corrosives.

This will eliminate residue build up and dust particles that get trapped in the sound grooves. It’s particles as such that are responsible for those snaps and pops that most vinyl lovers live for; however, if not washed occasionally, your vinyl will sound like a bowl of Rice Crispies. This is also bad for your needle as the dust will collect on the tip.

With this being said, if you plan to store your records away for a long period of time, consider putting them in airtight boxes or purchasing poly-sleeves. Also, keep in mind that record covers are equally if not more valuable than records themselves so bent corners, wrinkles, scratches, and tears can seriously impact a records total value.

The best way to protect covers is to rack them vertically and to purchase poly-bags (European style record jackets). Finally, the best way to prevent damage to records is to take care when playing them. Be careful when changing tracks, try to handle them by the edges, return them to their sleeves when done, etc.

Alright, now that you know the ins and outs of record maintenance, you can sit back, relax, and get groovy.


BY:  By Joseph Gregory, courtesy of RecordPressing.com



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Wednesday, October 5, 2011

THE DOORS - "Strange Days" Vinyl Record

Title: Strange Days
Artist: The Doors
Many of the songs on Strange Days had been written around the same time as the ones that appeared on The Doors, and with hindsight one has the sense that the best of the batch had already been cherry picked for the debut album.




For that reason, the band's second effort isn't as consistently stunning as their debut, though overall it's a very successful continuation of the themes of their classic album.

Besides the hit "Strange Days," highlights included the funky "Moonlight Drive," the eerie "You're Lost Little Girl," and the jerkily rhythmic "Love Me Two Times," which gave the band a small chart single.

"My Eyes Have Seen You" and "I Can't See Your Face in My Mind" are minor but pleasing entries in the group's repertoire that share a subdued Eastern psychedelic air. The 11-minute "When the Music's Over" would often be featured as a live showstopper, yet it also illustrated their tendency to occasionally slip into drawn-out bombast.

Performers: Doug Lubahn - Bass; Douglas Lubahn - Bass; Jim Morrison - Vocals; John Densmore - Drums; Ray Manzarek - Marimba, Vocals, Keyboards; Robby Krieger - Guitar

BY: Richie Unterberger

Keywords: vinyl records, vinyl album, doors album, rock albums



 

Tuesday, September 27, 2011

Early MILES DAVIS Vinyl-Record - "Sketches Of Spain"


Title: "Sketches Of Spain"



Recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 -- after Coltrane and Cannonball Adderley had left the band -- Davis teamed with Canadian arranger Gil Evans for the third time. Davis brought Evans the album's signature piece, "Concierto de Aranjuez," after hearing a classical version of it at bassist Joe Mondragon's house. Evans was as taken with it as Davis was, and set about to create an entire album of material around it.

Artist: Miles Davis Along with Kind of Blue, In a Silent Way, and Round About Midnight, Sketches of Spain is one of Miles Davis' most enduring and innovative achievements.

The result is a masterpiece of modern art. On the "Concierto," Evans' arrangement provided an orchestra and jazz band -- Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb, and Elvin Jones -- the opportunity to record a classical work as it was. The piece, with its stunning colors and intricate yet transcendent adagio, played by Davis on a flügelhorn with a Harmon mute, is one of the most memorable works to come from popular culture in the 20th century. Davis' control over his instrument is singular, and Evans' conducting is flawless.

Also notable are "Saeta," with one of the most amazing technical solos of Davis' career, and the album's closer, "Solea," which is conceptually a narrative piece, based on an Andalusian folk song, about a woman who encounters the procession taking Christ to Calvary. She sings the narrative of his passion and the procession -- or parade -- with full brass accompaniment moving along. Cobb and Jones, with flamenco-flavored percussion, are particularly wonderful here, as they allow the orchestra to indulge in the lushly passionate arrangement Evans provided to accompany Davis, who was clearly at his most challenged here, though he delivers with grace and verve. Sketches of Spain is the most luxuriant and stridently romantic recording Davis ever made.

To listen to it in the 21st century is still a spine-tingling experience, as one encounters a multitude of timbres, tonalities, and harmonic structures seldom found in the music called jazz.
Performers: Miles Davis - Flageolet, Flugelhorn, Trumpet; Jack Knitzer - Bassoon; Billy Barber - Tuba; Earl Chapin - French Horn; Eddie Caine - Flugelhorn, Flute; James Buffington - Horn, French Horn, Fender Rhodes; Janet Putnam - Harp; Jimmy McAllister - Tuba; Joe Singer - French Horn


By: Thom Jurek, Rovi

The Pretty Things - "S.F. Sorrow"



Title: "S.F. Sorrow"Artist: The Pretty Things
Who could ever have thought, going back to the Pretty Things' first recording session in 1965 -- which started out so disastrously that their original producer quit in frustration -- that it would come to this?



The Pretty Things' early history in the studio featured the band with its amps seemingly turned up to 11, but for much of S.F. Sorrow the band is turned down to seven or four, or even two, or not amplified at all (except for Wally Allen's bass -- natch), and they're doing all kinds of folkish things here that are still bluesy enough so you never forget who they are, amid weird little digressions on percussion and chorus; harmony vocals that are spooky, trippy, strange, and delightful; sitars included in the array of stringed instruments; and an organ trying hard to sound like a Mellotron.

Sometimes one gets an echo of Pink Floyd's Piper at the Gates of Dawn or A Saucerful of Secrets, and it all straddles the worlds of British blues and British psychedelia better than almost any record you can name.

The album, for those unfamiliar, tells the story of "S.F. Sorrow," a sort of British Everyman -- think of a working-class, luckless equivalent to the Kinks' Arthur, from cradle to grave. The tale and the songs are a bit downbeat and no amount of scrutiny can disguise the fact that the rock opera S.F. Sorrow is ultimately a bit of a confusing effort -- these boys were musicians, not authors or dramatists.

Although it may have helped inspire Tommy, it is, simply, not nearly as good. That said, it was first and has quite a few nifty ideas and production touches. And it does show a pathway between blues and psychedelia that the Rolling Stones, somewhere between Satanic Majesties, "We Love You," "Child of the Moon," and Beggars Banquet, missed entirely.

The CD reissue on Snapper adds four valuable songs from their 1967-1968 singles ("Defecting Grey," "Mr. Evasion," "Talkin' About the Good Times," and "Walking Through My Dreams"). This version of "Defecting Grey" is the original, long, uncut five-minute rendition, and not of trivial importance; it's superior to the shorter one used on the official single.

Performers: Dick Taylor - Guitar, Vocals; John Povey - Sitar, Percussion, Organ, Vocals; Phil May - Vocals; Twink - Drums, Vocals; Wally Allen - Wind Instruments, Piano, Vocals, Guitar, Bass; Wally Allen Waller - Woodwind, Piano, Guitar, Guitar (Bass), Vocals

By:  Bruce Eder & Richie Unterberger, Rovi



Jerry Lee Lewis - Original Sun Singles '56-'60



Title: "Original Sun Singles '56-'60"Artist: Jerry Lee Lewis
Collections of Jerry Lee Lewis' Sun singles are a common occurrence: sometimes it seems as if Sun licenses out the hits to any label that comes calling, so there's a surplus of comps that cover the same territory, some in more detail than others, some providing a better experience -- both as listening and history -- than others.



As the music itself sounds good no matter how it's heard, all that matters is the quality of the presentation, and Sundazed's 2009 set Sun Singles Collection ranks among the best comps of this material presented.

Arguably, it may be the best, as it serves up the 24 A-sides the Killer released at Sun, running through them all in chronological order, giving the consumer all sorts of bang for their buck. Naturally, this doesn't have all the great music Jerry Lee recorded at Sun, and some may miss "Drinkin' Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee" that appeared on the previous Sun standard-bearer, Rhino's 1984 18 Original Sun Greatest Hits, but Sun Singles Collection is six tracks longer, adding such killer rock & roll as "Let's Talk About Us," "Break-Up," and "Hang Up My Rock & Roll Shoes," plus country sides like "I Could Never Be Ashamed of You" and "Old Black Joe" that hint at Lewis' range.

Much of this can be heard elsewhere, either in truncated or complete form, or in editions that go further into his Mercury work (whether it's Universal's Definitive Collection and Gold or Bear Family's Rocks) but this serves up the best and biggest dose of Jerry Lee at his prime. ~

By: Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi


New Vinyl-Record Listings






DIRECTORY
of Vinyl-Record Sources
………..

NEW ADDITIONS

Generation Records 210 Thompson Street New York, NY 10012-484

Vinyl Road Rage
Chicago to San Antonio

Recycled Records, Springfield, Illinois

Vintage Vinyl St. Louis Missouri

Record Exchange St. Louis, Missouri

Stick It In Your Ear, Springfield Missouri
Forever Young, Grand Prairie, Texas

Waterloo Records, Austin, Texas

The Clash - "London Calling" - CLASSIC CLASH



Title: "London Calling" Artist: The Clash

Give 'Em Enough Rope, for all of its many attributes, was essentially a holding pattern for the Clash, but the double-album London Calling is a remarkable leap forward, incorporating the punk aesthetic into rock & roll mythology and roots music.



Before, the Clash had experimented with reggae, but that was no preparation for the dizzying array of styles on London Calling. There's punk and reggae, but there's also rockabilly, ska, New Orleans R&B, pop, lounge jazz, and hard rock; and while the record isn't tied together by a specific theme, its eclecticism and anthemic punk function as a rallying call.

While many of the songs -- particularly "London Calling," "Spanish Bombs," and "The Guns of Brixton" -- are explicitly political, by acknowledging no boundaries the music itself is political and revolutionary.

But it is also invigorating, rocking harder and with more purpose than most albums, let alone double albums. Over the course of the record, Joe Strummer and Mick Jones (and Paul Simonon, who wrote "The Guns of Brixton") explore their familiar themes of working-class rebellion and antiestablishment rants, but they also tie them in to old rock & roll traditions and myths, whether it's rockabilly greasers or "Stagger Lee," as well as mavericks like doomed actor Montgomery Clift. The result is a stunning statement of purpose and one of the greatest rock & roll albums ever recorded. [In 2000 Columbia/Legacy reissued and remastered London Calling.]

Performers: Irish Horns - Brass; Varren Steadman - Voices; Joe Strummer - Guitar (Rhythm), Guitar, Vocals; M. Jones - Piano; Mick Gallagher - Organ; Mick Jones - Guitar, Piano, Vocals; Paul Simonon - Vocals, Bass; Topper Headon - Drums (Snare), Percussion, Drums


By: Stephen Thomas Erlewine, Rovi


View More Details About This Classic Vinyl-Record:  

Blues Magoos - "Psychedelic Lollipop" Album



Title: "Psychedelic Lollipop"   Artist: Blues Magoos

 The Blues Magoos sound less like psychedelic visionaries than a solid garage band with a taste for the blues on their debut album, Psychedelic Lollipop, though the lysergic reference of the title certainly put them ahead of the curve in 1966, when LSD was still obscure enough to be legal in much of the United States.



The album leads off with the group's first and only major hit single, "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet," and unlike most albums released by one-hit wonders of the mid-'60s, the single isn't the most exciting song here. That honor goes to the Magoos' cover of J.D. Loudermilk's "Tobacco Road" (which Lenny Kaye selected for his iconic garage rock compilation Nuggets), featuring some gutsy guitar work from Mike Esposito and Emil "Peppy" Thielhelm and impressive organ swells from Ralph Scala as the tune leans into a major rave-up midway through.

Outside of that, Psychedelic Lollipop rarely sounds like a classic, but it's solid stuff -- the covers are chosen and played well (including a committed take on James Brown's "I'll Go Crazy"), the originals show the band knew their way around rock & roll, R&B, and blues with no small aplomb, and the band could stretch out on numbers like "Sometimes I Think About," "Worried Life Blues," and "Tobacco Road", while generating excitement and not losing the plot.

Psychedelic Lollipop doesn't sound like the work of a great band, but certainly like one who were better than average, and considering how many bands who cranked out a single like "(We Ain't Got) Nothin' Yet" ended up making albums clogged with filler, it says a lot that even the weakest tracks here show this group had talent, ideas, and the know-how to make them work in the studio.

Performers: Emil Thielhelm - Guitar (Rhythm); Geoff Daking - Drums; Mike Esposito - Guitar; Ralph Scala - Vocals, Organ; Ronnie Gilbert - Bass

By:  Mark Deming, Rovi


FOR MORE DETAILS ON THIS ALBUM -   
                                                                  Visit This Classic Rock Web Site

Friday, September 23, 2011

Vinyl Record Retailers - Few New Additions To Directory



DIRECTORY
of Vinyl-Record Sources
………..

FEW OF OUR LATEST NEW ADDITIONS


Michiana Used Music & Media
4609 Grape Road

Mishawaka, IN 46545-8257
( 574) 247-1188




Record Revolution
1828 Coventry Road
Cleveland
Hts, OH 44118-1692
(216) 321-7661
New West Coast Pop & Indy Artists, Funk & Soul, Blues




Music Saves
15801 Waterloo Rd Cleveland, OH 44110


Bent Crayon
11600 Detroit Avenue Cleveland, OH 44102-2320
(216) 221-9200


Jerry’s Records 2136 Murray Ave Pittsburgh, PA 15217


Mr. Mike’s
27 S 3rd St Harrisburg, PA 17101


Double Decker Records
808 St John St Allentown, PA 18103

How Colored Vinyl Records Drive LP Prices




As reported by "The Daily Weekly"

Jack White Challenges
eBay Flippers

Jack White’s Third Man Records produces a large number of standard all-black vinyl records for every album it releases—but those LPs and 45s aren’t the ones that drive fans wild. No, what the fans go crazy for are the limited-edition versions, made in two- and three-colored vinyl.

The trouble is, scalpers or “flippers” have been profiteering off of the fans’ insatiable appetite for these rare multicolored records, snatching them up and selling them on eBay for hundreds of dollars. Recently, according to Antiquiet, White decided to take matters into his own hands when Third Man Records put five copies of an extremely limited double-colored reissue of The White Stripes’ first album on eBay directly. One has already sold for $510, and odds are it will never see a turntable.
Fans, many of whom pay for special access to Third Man Records through The Vault fan club, expressed outrage. White responded: “We sell a Wanda Jackson split record for 10 bucks, the eBay flipper turns around and sells it for $300. If $300 is what it’s worth, then why doesn’t Third Man Records sell it for $300? If we sell them for more, the artist gets more, the flipper gets nothing. We’re not in the business of making flippers a living. We’re in the business of giving fans what they want.”



Who can argue with the fabulous Wanda Jackson getting paid (not to mention her hard-working engineers, mixers, and producers), over the opportunist guy lingering outside Third Man Records in his black SUV? Still the move has raised a lot of questions about who’s exploiting the collectors market, and how.
In our interview with Ben Blackwell, the head of vinyl production at the label, he explained, “The idea is to make music accessible. We do a limited run of these tricolor or split-color records to cater to the collectors, the people who crave that stuff. But if you’re a music fan, we’re also the place for you. [The music] will always be available.
“People sometimes complain, saying, ‘I couldn’t get your 8-inch records in Texas or your 13-inch records,’ or  ‘I couldn’t get the glow-in-the-dark records in London.’ Those records were made to celebrate an event. The point is that you had to actually be there.

We also get a little bit of a flack for not making this stuff available online to the worldwide market. To those critics, we just have to respond by saying that they are totally missing the point. One of the ideas behind Third Man is that not everything is just available with the click of a mouse. A lot of what we try to do is meant to be a part of a tangible, real experience.


The White Stripes reissue in question.

 
“When we started out pressing the tricolor vinyl, we were pressing 100 copies of tricolor 7-inchers, and they were only available at our storefront. People were pissed—some of them are still pissed about it. Seeing how well it went over, but trying to respond to the complaints, we’ve tweaked it a bit. We still make 100 available in our storefront. People line up and wait overnight outside of our store to get them; some will get proxies in there, and people will flip them on eBay, all that stuff. But we also press 50 copies that we insert randomly into mail orders for that title. So you never know.”

Monday, September 12, 2011

DEEP PURPLE - Made In Japan - Vinyl Album





Metal LPs RULE
New York City – From notable artists like Metallica and Van Halen are hard to find limited release vinyl records meant to document live shows.

The record cover below has regular wear for its age. Vinyl plays well, expressing
the high energy generated by DEEP PURPLE in the shows performed
during their Japanese tour.

                                                                    
LIVE Deep Purple LP FOUND IN NYC



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