June 14, 2010

The Distance to Here: 8 Months

As a reborn vinyl enthusiast, my purchases over the past 8 months can only be called measly.  I've let eBay auto-seaches find my goods for me, and let my most rarest Holy-Grail-find pass by without bidding: a sealed audiophile pressing of Live's The Distance To Hear, which sold for $24+ship. In the 3 years I've been looking for this record- even before getting back into vinyl again but just looking for it so I could frame it, (eBay auto-search included), this was the first time I could verify that it truly existed. Even on audiophile and vinyl junky message boards, no one could recall seeing a copy or seemed to even know of it.  I had come to the conclusion that it was proposed for vinyl release at some point but for whatever reason never made it. But at last- here it was, still factory sealed, pressed in very limited numbers and listed by a seller in Germany.  I watched it sit with just one bid all week, contemplating it.  The minute it sold for the opening bid, I regretted it.  Surely, the get-up-and-go in me got-up-and-went elsewhere besides my right mind.  I won't pass it up again that's for sure!  This photo is from the eBay sale, until finding it I could only find a photo of the supposed labels and the sticker in the top left corner- never the cover with the sticker or anything other than the stock CD cover.

Another Holy Grail- I caught a sealed copy of Cameo's Alligator Woman for $14 last October.  This album is SUCH an early 80's fave- my original is trashed and worn beyond belief! I played it to death on a floor console stereo that fused bass to the floor boards and shook the foundation! This, The Time, and Controversy were all our neighbor's nightmare when I was home alone.  I remember stacking nickels and dimes on the tone arm to get the best outta that thing- and man my records suffered! I wouldn't dare try playing them now, so glad I've been able to replace this and Controversy. Still waiting to see sealed copies of both the first and second Time albums.

And more recently, the '04 10th Anniversary Legacy re-issue of Jeff Buckley's Grace, with a bonus blue 45 of Forget Her.  Finally a cover of this album worthy of framing.  It still is not the best cover possible- the original '94 release is still the best cover to be gotten if you're willing to plunk down around $150 for a used copy (no I'm not).  This Legacy copy typically fetches $75, I got lucky for $29+free ship!  I haven't opened it yet- I'll save it for Christmas.  This unboxed photo is from a past auction.

Lady Antebellum: seems not much new country makes it to vinyl, this is a limited promotional-only pressing distributed through a couple people in Nashville with eBay accounts.  Each sell one copy at a time- one always starts at $8, the other always at $12.  One day a copy will sell for $35, a week later another sells for $8. I don't get it, but I waited til I saw one sneaking by for the $8 opening bid. Nice! It's a single pocket cover, plain inner sleeve, with credits listed on the back- boring but glad I have it!  Hope their second album is done on vinyl as well.  I much prefer Charles Kelly's voice over his brother Peter Kelly's, but unfortunately he shares lead vocals with Hillary Scott- also a great vocalist, but I'd just rather hear him if i could. Lady Antebellum online.

A late 80's fave, Marc Almond's The Stars We Are cut-out was a steal for a buck + shipping.  I played this a lot when I was alone at the record store, it was my "I'm gay but it's a big secret that's getting impossible to keep" record.  These My Dreams Are Yours was my secret theme song.  I had a GIANT crush on a guy that worked in one of the other branches- we would take shifts at each others stores to work together because we had so much fun.  I ALWAYS made sure to play These My Dreams Are Yours.  Like an idiot, I didn't know if he was gay, and I was in my 3rd yr of being engaged so I'm not sure if he knew about me.  When I did finally break off the engagement and come out, I saw the guy out at a gay dance club, surprised to see each other there.  Oh to travel back in time....!
This album is packed with great dramtic and some very uplifting tunes: Tears Run Rings, Only The Moment, Something's Gotten Hold of My Heart with Gene Pitney, The Stars We Are, These My Dreams Are Yours, Bitter Sweet, A Lover Spurned, and Kisses Burn is a duet with Nico just before she died in '88. Several excellent 12" singles also were born from these songs.  Marc Almond online.

Nothing but love for K-Tel!  SoundWaves was my first album ever, a birthday gift from my mom and brother in '80.  My first record that wasn't a 45 from my brother's records, my very own never-played-before, factory sealed record.  I played the HELL out of it.  I started asking for money to buy more albums soon after.  Til now I had forgotten where I got this record from, I knew it was one of my first, but I knew I didn't buy it my first time at the record store- the first 3 records *I* bought were Off The Wall, Sugarhill Gang, and a double K-Tel album called Certified Gold.  I've finally put the pieces of time together with a little help from my brother.  And finally, back in March, I swiped a still-sealed copy off eBay for 4 bucks!  I even scanned it and made a desktop from it. SWEET!

About the same time, a buck (plus stupid shipping..) brought in an mid-80's produced Chrysalis Records variety disc containing:
Huey Lewis - Heart And Soul
Benatar - Love Is A Battlefield
John Waite - Change
Ultravox - Dancing w/ Tears In My Eyes
Billy Idol - Eyes Without A Face
Blondie - Call Me
The Babys - Everytime I Think Of You
Nick Gilder - Hot Child In The City
Leo Sayer - You Make Me Feel Like Dancing
Toni Basil - Mickey
Jethro Tull - Living In The Past.


Last but not least: from Record Store Day 2010- the 3rd Choice Cuts vinyl sampler from Universal, since it couldn't be found locally.

Violent Soho, Neon Trees, Paper Tongues, Findlay Brown, Anberlin, Imelda May, Kellis, Major Laser, Moreland & Arbuckle, Alpha Rev, Kevin Hammond, Peter Wolf, Shel, Aqualung, Four Year Strong, and Steel Panther.

All three in the series:




2 comments:

Jeff said...

Major score on the Soundwaves! I'm enjoying reading your latest round of entries & the updated blog!

CEO said...

thanks Jeff! check this guy out- k-tel scans: http://www.flickr.com/photos/k-tellinandroncotoo/