Most of it was vinyl - a full set of Radiohead reissues, lots of 7” singles (most going for $5 and $6; there was a time when I could get them for under a buck each, after getting a slice of pizza and a can of coke for 25 cents!) They all looked stunning, and I was sorely tempted by the rich red vinyl Pretenders’ single and the double 10” My Morning Jacket EP, but even with the latter offering a CD in the package, I didn’t have a spare $20 and I can’t justify collecting more vinyl until I get the USB turntable up and running. My old skool vintage (read: old) turntable was acting weird recently when I was testing some maybe-to-sell records - it probably balked at having to play an old Fleetwood Mac bootleg.
Speaking of vinyl (yes, I digress) check out this
news report - Best Buy is going to start selling vinyl! And a few days ago, I opened an email from fye music, offering a discount on vinyl purchases, which I didn’t even know they stocked. The more things change...
But before we get too excited, I also read that overall sales volume for vinyl as a format is slightly more than 1,300,000 units a year (from 2007 RIAA sales reports). Overall. So, all the vinyl records sold in the entire year would just beat a single platinum CD by U.S. standards. We’re talking cult status for sure. But I’m still in the cult, on the fringes.
Anyway, much as I loved handling the vinyl, I was basically window shopping, not buying, though I figured I might have to get the $3 Costello 7” just to pay my tithe/respects to the store.
And then I saw a cardboard box marked “Freebies” next to the cashier desk. Of course, I peeked in. There were some CD singles from acts I didn’t know, except for Erin McCarley (I have her full-length); stickers, so I grabbed a bunch of Depeche Mode for one of the Apple store gang; and some postcards. And then...one most amazing discovery!
STEVE GOODMAN - Live Wire (Red Pajamas Records)
I elaborate on what I told College Girl in explaining what finding this disc means to me:
Back in my college days, bored and lonely, I went to a free concert at a neighboring dorm to see this guy perform, knowing nothing about him except that his show was free. He was wonderful! By way of comparison, I would cite Matt Nathanson as his modern contemporary - solid songs, a hilarious stage presence with rambling stories and odd cover tunes, a damn nice guy who gives his all whether the audience knows and loves him or has no idea who the hell he is.
After that first night at Stony Brook, I saw Steve Goodman about half a dozen times, including a memorable show at NYC’s Bottom Line where I saw both Glenn Close and Jeremy Irons in the audience. They were appearing together on Broadway but sat at separate tables; Irons at the table just next to us, which caused us “Brideshead Revisted” fans to go fairly mental, though we tried to hide it. Steve Goodman was loved by Those In The Know.
I even got to interview Steve once (he’s the kind of guy you can’t help but address by first name) and he was a doll; genuinely pleased to hear that I was a true fan, and not just going through the promo motions. And then he died at age 36, in 1984, after living with leukemia during the entirety of his recording career.
Most of the obituaries made mention of the fact that he wrote “City of New Orleans,” and the royalties from that was probably what fed his family, but it was playing live that obviously fed his soul.
What the hell was this year-2000-dated live album from an obscure Chicago folkie doing in the 2009 freebie box of a Richmond record store? And why did I, a longtime fan of the man who thought she had every album of his, miss it when it first came out? It’s kismet, I tell you, and listening to it before I started writing this took me right back to those marvelous shows. And the set list is so much better than the live album I did have - 2006’s “Live at the Earl of Old Town.” That one was good, but this one is definitive. I still can’t believe it was just sitting there, waiting for me to find it.
I also pulled these two dsics out of the box:
The COOL KIDS - The Cake Sale (Chocolate Industries)
Just looked this one up on Google and found out it’s a hip-hop duo from Chicago and Detroit. If I’d known that, maybe I wouldn’t have grabbed it, but the graphics are so neat and the sticker says “The Highly Anticipated Release Featuring ‘Black Mags,’ ’88’ and Other Unreleased Material.” And it was free, remember? Can’t go wrong and might learn something.
PASTE NEW MUSIC SAMPLER 51 (Paste Magazine)
I often buy the magazine, but don’t have the March/April issue, so this is a nice filler. There’s a Beirut track (College Girl saw them/him last month and loved them/him), one from Asobi Seksu (finally! I have been reading so much about them?/him?), and a frighteningly high percentage of people about whom I have not a clue. It used to be that I could forgive myself for not knowing all the acts on the CMJ samplers ‘cause they include all sorts of rap and metal that I don’t follow, but Paste is my demographic. Isn’t it? Or have I aged even out of that one?
I took my delicious discovery freebies to the counter, along with
ELVIS COSTELLO - Complicated Shadows/Dirty Rotten Shame (Specialty/Hear)
It was Elvis. It was only $3. It was a way to celebrate Record Store Day. It was a way to pay Plan 9 back, in some small part, for the gifties. And for still existing. Yeah, that's what I'll tell my husband when he asks why the hell I'm buying vinyl!
Time for bed, as I don’t think I can bear staying up for Craig Ferguson’s interview with Matthew McConaughy (love the former; can’t stand the latter). But since Animal Collective is doing a most bizarre (WTF? with those dancers? and I mean that in a good way) and infectious performance on Letterman’s show, I will add to the tally a digital download, care of emusic, from awhile ago:
ANIMAL COLLECTIVE - Merriweather Post Pavilion (Domino)
I haven’t had much time to spend with this CD, but anytime I hear a song from it, I am reminded to get back on the case - this could well be one of the year’s best. A MGMT-style sleeper that grows and grows and takes over the world.
CRAIG FERGUSON - A Wee Bit O’ Revolution (Image Entertainment)
I may end up buying/renting the DVD of this, as I just love the guy’s cheeky monkey expressions, but it was cheap to download through the service and fun to listen to. Sent a copy to mom, who loves him, too, in her Mother’s Day package, but I wonder how she’ll react to the track called “My Giant C***” (the astericks are used on the contents). Actually, I am surprised that the whole album isn’t more blue, since I bet this guy can go wild when he’s not worried about TV standards, but he’s cute enough to get away with it. I feel I owe it CF to buy his stuff since he gives me so much free fun every night. In a strictly platonic way. (Damn.)
YTD O/CD Tally: 148
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