Virtual Fools

It was also around this time that I found myself purchasing items at second-hand more often then new. Something about “the past” had always appealed to me, but it took some time before I would realize that just about everything that I was interested in had since seen its hey-day, and was no longer commercial enough to market to the general public. All sorts of things, from NES games to out-of-print books to old postcards have this certain nostalgic appeal that I simply cannot find in “new” goods. Granted, there are some things in life that demand to be bought new. School supplies, for example, need to be updated yearly, so that one has access to the latest and greatest in pen technology. On that wavelength too lie jeans, which to me should be purchased new and worn for several years to the point of foulness.

OK, the scene demands to be set. Imagine an unassuming weekend in April. Nice temperatures, very little homework that demands attention, a certain air of freedom. While cruising about town in the logically established manner, I happen upon a sign discreetly informing the passer-by of a “Book Sale” at the Chantilly Public Library. Armed with insider information (Virtual Fool’s friend Andy’s mother is all but a public library guru,) I know that this sale is to benefit the public library by them liquidating donated books that they didn’t need, over-used books, old books and total crap to make room and make bling. I recall buying a few books at decent prices that first day, but it was what was mentioned to me on the way out that caught my attention. Apparently, Sunday was the “fill a box day.” For a measly $2, on can pick up a cardboard box and stuff it with anything in the place. BULLY! I was sure that this was the opportunity that I had been waiting for, my raison d’etre if you will. Arriving about 15 minutes before the allotted time on Sunday, my eyes were overwhelmed: hundreds of folks had had the same capitalistic impulse as I. Eager folks were impatiently in queue before the library, itchin’ to fill their boxes with all sorts of knowledge. I think to myself, if humans are to horde material goods, they might as well hoard books – nondescript little things brimming with knowledge. Two things began that day. First, my “personal library” was jumpstarted by an unprecedented influx of books, several base volumes on which to build an empire.

The second? A record collection! I had had tons of space in the second of the boxes, and decided to fill it with several vinyls, pretty much anything that looked interesting. From there came my collection, which has germinated slowly, but surely, to this day.

Why Vinyl?

Equally know as the phonograph, the record, or simply an approximation of the material out of which it is made, a “piece of vinyl,” at least in 33 rpm sense of the term, holds up to around 50 min of music and utilizes both sides for information. “Dropping the needle” is not some obscure and sketchy drug reference, but rather the means through which a player reads the music: said precise needle is placed atop the slowly rotating disc, touching the grooves of the recorded, in turn cranking out tunes.

Vinyl has a bad reputation. In most collections, i.e. those of people who have simply abandoned the format, records often appear dirty and scratched, with dog-eared covers and all sorts of dust. The main disadvantage to the medium, as I see it, is the size of the player and the lack of portability. The record player was a fixture in dens the world over for much of the 20th century, but it took Sony another format to make a portable version of the home player. In reality, with a clean needle and a well-cared for record, fidelity is nearly as good as CD, often with richer ups and downs- that is to say, the sound is fuller, but there will always be the sort of warm, fuzzy sound that comes as a result of the mechanical functions of the machine. The first generation of digitized CDs, especially those done before 1990, are often mastered very poorly or recorded at the wrong speed (often the case with Jazz discs, for which that are no verbal milestones on which to judge tempo.) For that reason, a purist would often take a 1970 copy of the self-titled Santana album over the first cd issue. However, for many (including myself,) this has become something of a moot point. The technology of digitizing music has advanced to the point where nearly all CD versions of an album will be superior to their older counterparts, and with the embracing of the 80 minute disc, bonus tracks are included on countless reissues. The newer CD version of Santana has several live cuts, a more dynamic range, and the portability that we all love. However, collecting vinyl is a strong and sure way to acquire out of print/difficult to find music, as well as cheaply acquire music that you are unwilling to buy on CD, due to rampant RIAA price-gauging.

Methods

Collecting records can be pricey, unless one knows the ropes. First of all, thrift stores, pawn shops, flea markets and special sales are the crème de la crème of the collector’s options. It is at these venues that one is most likely able to find a cache that can quickly establish a collection, sometimes for less then $10. Next come used CD and Record stores, the sorts of places that often have bargain bins or special sections. If one is set on collecting only mint, unplayed, first pressing Pink Floyd albums, these places are a rip-off. However, it quantity and discovering new artists is the goal, then these places are incredible. For specific titles in a specific condition, and with minimal required movement, nothing can beat the internet. Specific dealer sites often show their wares, but eBay is the most comprehensive of all. Whether bought in artist-centric lots, as singles, or in huge collections, eBay will often display the best prices. However, the bidding wars can heat up, so just remember not to overstep your bounds and set a budget before hand.

Goals

The beauty of collecting is that goals can be as limited (or limitless) as one wants. For example, my current “goal” is to locate Buddy Miles records, while some collectors go so deep as to want the entire Blue Note catalogue from 1962. Collecting is also the sort of field that is rapidly and continually evolving. I can start with my rather small goal, and by the time I am 50, will have branched out into trying to acquire obscure roots/reggae.

My List

Represented below is my list of records. I have spent less then $15 on all of them, and feel that I have a rather good collection. This list is accurate as of the beginning of July 2003.

Allman Brothers Band – The Road Goes on Forever – Capricorn 1975
Ballet Theatre Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake – Capitol
Boston Pops Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker – RCA 1956
Boston Symphony Orchestra – Mozart: Clarinet/Bassoon Concertos – Polydor 1980
Bob Dylan – Nashville Skyline – Columbia/CBS
Elton John – Madman Across the Water – MCA 1973
Emerson, Lake and Palmer – Tarkus – Cotillion/Atlantic 1971
Emerson, Lake and Palmer – Works – Atlantic/Warner 1977
Hot Tuna – Burgers – RCA 1972
Jean Luc Ponty – Cosmic Messenger – Atlantic/Warner 1977
Leon Russell & New Grass Revival – The Live Album – Paradise/Warner 1981
Moody Blues – Days of the Future Passed – Deram 1967
Monty Python and the Holy Grail Soundtrack – Arista 1975
Neil Young and Crazy Horse – Zuma – Reprise/Warner 1975
Paul Simon – One Trick Pony – Warner 1980
Paul Simon – Graceland – Warner 1986
Peter Frampton – Frampton Comes Alive – A&M Records 1975
Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra – Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 5 – Columbia 1960
Rick Wakeman – The Six Wives of Henry VIII – A&M Records 1972
Rick Wakeman – Journey to the Center of the Earth – A&M Records 1974
Robert Plant – Now and Zen – Atlantic/Warner 1988
Rush – 2112 – Mercury/Polygram 1976
Rush – A Farewell to Kings – Mercury/Polygram 1977
Rush – Moving Pictures – Mercury/Polygram 1981
Santana – Moonflower – Columbia/CBS 1977
Santana – Marathon – Columbia/CBS 1979
Steely Dan – Aja – ABC 1977
Ten Years After – A Space in Time – Columbia/CBS
Traffic – Low Spark of High-Heeled Boys – Island/Capitol 1972
Traffic – On the Road – Island/Capitol 1973
Various – Miami Vice Soundtrack – MCA
Virgil Fox - Heavy Organ: Bach Live at Fillmore East - Decca 1971
Yes – Relayer – Atlantic 1974
Yes – 9012 Live: The Solos – Atlantic 1985

My Wanted List

Buddy Miles - Live
This album was never issued on CD, but represents some of Mile’s best jazz/fusion/soul/rock. It contains one of my favorite covers of all time, a radical rethinking of Neil Young’s “Down by the River.” Added are some of Mile’s most inspiring vocals and some very groovy horn arrangements. It also contains other extended takes of some of Buddy’s tunes, most notably “Them Changes.” A double LP that I’d love to get my hands on.

The Talking Heads – The Name of this Band is Talking Heads
Everybody knows about of “the” Talking Heads album, Stop Making Sense, but this is (supposedly) an equally good album. A double-lp, it contains personal favorites like “Take Me To the River,” “Crosseyed and Painless,” and “Life During Wartime,” as well as tons of tunes I am not familiar with. I am sure that this one will cost me quite a bit to procure.

Santana - Lotus
Sure, I own the CDs, and I have the mp3s on my computer, and granted, I do have a cassette in my car, but this is probably my favorite album of all time – I want it in as many formats as possible. Carlos Santana was making the most challenging, hard-edged and “transcendent” music of the early 1970s. This deluxe set is a triple-lp, complete with some of the most inspiring quasi-religious, fully-psychedelic artwork every to be packaged with music. Hightlights include every damn second – I want it just so I can hear whether or not the “highs” are higher and the “lows” are lower then the CD.