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. Tr�s 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 Sch�pfer 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!
