And come they did, to the semi-annual Utica New York LP Vinyl Records and CDs Fair!
Same old, same same sold. Same dealers, same picked over, over priced stuff. Interesting is that a coin show was scheduled for the place where they usually have the event, so the records were moved to the tiny fire truck garage across the way. It sucked for the guy that ran the show as his overpriced records was shoved far far way around the corner inside the building. I refuse to buy from the guy as he's a long time jerk who yelled at me a few times about some crap or other. One of these days someone is going to punch him out.
Anyway, I had spent around $50 but mostly on this one guy with $2 LPs who I think has set up a couple times before but he had new stuff that I've not seen before this time around. Had a lot of lesser known 70s stuff that I like poking my nose into and I think at least 40% of what he had was worth a lot more in the right location. He seemed to have sold a few crates of it before I got to him and some dealer was making a huge pile while I was leaving.
As always, it'll take me a while to listen to them properly but basically I tested a song or two on most of them on YouTube before buying and I found them rather good. I probably would have bought lots more blindly if the guy was selling his stuff for $1 each, especially his funk and soul ones. I was half tempted to ask but I went though them a second time and I was pretty sure I got what I really wanted and rejected stuff that was probably well worth refusing.
So without further ado, he we go!
Sailcat - Motorcycle Mama -- bought for $1, I wasn't sure what type of music it is exactly but the cover was worth $1 and I am going to decorate my bathroom with LP covers soon and this is one I was thinking of putting in there. The music is actually pretty good! I half expected truckers music, like CONVOY!!! Yee-Haw!
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Björn Again - So You Win Again -- Also bought for $1. This is for my large Abba related music collection. Maybe hang the cover in my bathroom.
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Kylie (Minogue) - Better the Devil You Know -- 12 inch import. Nice cover, I don't think this was one of her hits here in the USA as I barely recognize the song. From the "Rhythm of Love" CD which I don't think I've ever seen before! I do have a lot of Kylie remixes and 45s and I couldn't resist one for $1. I should get her proper CD releases as I think there is the first two and then a gap of about 25 years. For some reason no one wanted to release her in the USA.
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The Guess Who - Flavours -- I don't have any Guess Who, so I'm not sure what they are like aside from "American Woman". It's one of those bands like The Sweet and Nazareth which I almost never see in dollar bins and I've been wanting to try out. I'll probably try out their releases once I get to this LP on the stack. It was $1 as well.
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Girls' Generation - Run Devil Run DVD -- Seems to be K-pop (Korean Pop) from 2010? Worth a $1 just for sexiness and curiosity.
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Con Funk Shun - Spirit of Love and 7 -- One of the few hundred 70s to 80s funk/disco bands that I've seen over some 25 years of collecting but wasn't sure if I liked them. Tested 7 on Youtube and it seemed good enough!
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Black Oak Arkansas -10 Yr Overnight Success -- A band that's hit or miss like most 70s Southern blues/rock bands. I have a couple of their LPs and I like at least half of what's on them.
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Sugarloaf - S/T -- This is a replacement for a really beat the crap LP I picked up probably 5 or so years ago. Sugarloaf is REALLY good, but it seems that I'm the only one that feels like that. I've read a lot of bad reviews about them. Seems there is finally a 2-fer CD of the two LPs that I love the best. I'll probably order it. UGH! Seems there is a rare 4th LP that I never seen before. I thought that third one that I got (also beat to shit) was the last. I wonder why their LPs are always so beat up. I think it's because they are seen as a boy band/little kid bubblegum band or something to that effect and those buyers are the least likely to keep their LPs in top shape.
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New York Rock and Roll Ensemble - Faithful Friends & Roll Over -- Not sure if I have these or not. If I do, I think Roll Over was trashed. It's been a while since I've seen them. Good stuff, almost Progressive Rock (no one considers them as such which is odd.) They are sort of hard to find in good shape though and people usually trash the hell out of these. Looking at the discography list I think I have all but three of their LPs by now.
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Mike Rutherford - Smallcreep's Day Studio -- Amazingly this was the first time I've seen this in a discount bin. It's sort of hard to get as usually people will sell it in the Genesis section for $15 or so dollars. I wonder if I still have his "Acting Very Strange" LP. I've not seen my copy in ages but I may have given it away because I didn't like that one very well. I think it was far less proggy than this one.
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Inner Circle - New Age Music -- A very interesting one. I've never seen or heard of this band before but it's their 7th or 8th LP! Tried a track before buying and it was very good new wave/reggae not new age at all! I'm thinking it's probably one of those LPs that sounded nothing like their prior albums and they were trying hard to keep fresh and trendy. This is why I like "funk" as some bands put out some really great stuff that the general New Wave/Synthpop people miss out because those buyers never pop on an LP with a black guy on the cover. Ultimately they miss out on some great stuff! Oh, playing this now and they done a raggae cover of The Lovin' Spoonful's "Summer in the City" that's worthy of a UB-40 album. Going to really enjoy this LP I think!
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Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal 1976 -- Yeaaaah. LOL Just Yeaaaah! Dated Disco for the Olympics. It's GOOD disco, but yeah something that's probably well forgotten because it's cringely. By a bunch of Canadian people that I've never heard of but I was digging it a lot on youtube. I love Canadian disco as it's slightly different than American Disco. Usually more synths, less horns and brass.
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The Snake Corps - Flesh on Flesh -- Very interesting! Seems to be mid 80s England Post Punk. Small label, not very well known but had 4 LPs and a best of it seems.
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Average White Band - Put It Where You Want It -- Sneaky...a re-release of their first LP under a new sexy cover and name. Luckily I don't have that one but still it's sneaky! AWB is hit or miss. I like about half their early stuff, never seen their later stuff ever.
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Was (Not Was) - Anything Can Happen The Acid Condominium -- I'm not sure if I have this one. I do like Was (Not Was) stuff but they released a lot of remixes and it gets really confusing. I don't remember hearing a mix sample I heard on Youtube so I guess I don't have it at all or I never bothered to transfer it to my PC.
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Cymande - S/T -- Goofy cover, good stuff! Reading up about it, it seems that it was a cult status LP from 1972 that shaped bands for generations. First of it's kind. Worth about $15 on ebay (mine is in top shape and seems unplayed).
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Skylark - 2 -- I've seen both Skylark LPs from time to time but always at higher prices than what anyone would pay for. Not sure why they get such status. I've seen them in Prog/Soul/New Age and had no clue what it really was like, but I was guessing probably typical 70s goodness. Not to be confused with Skylark the Italian band which is sorta progressive metal and very very good. I discovered that band while trying to look up this band earlier this year.
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Blackfoot - Siogo -- This was a total new one on me. Tried a track from Youtube and was blown away. I bought the LP even though it was was plastered with dust and needed a serious cleaning. It was VERY good power metal/rock from 1983. Looking at their list, I think I have their cobra and panther LPs too. I vaguely remember trying out their cobra LP early this year (was it on vinyl or Youtube though?) and being so blown away. I must remember to seriously investigate this band and get more of their LPs, but they are sort of hard to find. I think it's one of those bands that gets lumped into heavy metal dealers stock and they always charge a small fortune for them because those collectors pay crazy prices for vinyl.
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Les Dudek - Ghost Town Parade -- I've tried him before and he was OK, but not enough to make want to buy. I recall the other two LPs being sort of dull actually. I think this one is a little more heavier (or more disco) as it's his third and I think he was trying to go with the current trends. The cover is tricky as it could be a new age LP and I kept thinking it was one like a Spyro Gyra LP cover. Tried the "Central Park" track on Youtube and it was really good, better than the other tracks I've heard from his other LPs.
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Jefferson Starship - Modern Times -- I need this on CD as well as Freedom at Point Zero but this LP completes my Jefferson Starship/Starship collection until I can stumble across them on CD. I know that anything after Red Octopus is generally considered trash by like everyone, but I personally love all of Jefferson Starship (not so much Starship though). Some of the LPs are uneven I'll admit but there is always something enjoyable on them. I personally love the last two completely (Winds of Change and Nuclear Chairs) before they dropped the Jefferson and went super-stardom. I've played those two CDs at least 50 times each. I think those were their least liked of the last 4 and it's why they changed their name as it was dragging them down. I personally never knew Starship was Jefferson Airplane (White Rabbit) as a young teen.
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Grace Slick - Dreams -- I'm pretty sure I have this but a demo version of it with a large sticker on the cover and radio station letters across the front. It's one of my fav LPs and I love the songs on here. Amazingly I need her first and last solo LPs. I've never had the luck to find them, but honestly neither were actually very good (but then most people think Dreams is her worse, so whatever).
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Mott the Hoople - Rock and Roll Queen -- Another band that I've been meaning to try. Seems this is a best of off their first two albums which is OK as it seems I've never seen any of the other LPs ever! It's probably like the rest of the stuff I picked up.
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Cameo - Single Life -- Cameo is a tricky band. Very very tricky. They are a band that sometimes has a great catchy hit but they often sound like a very average disco band yet they may put something on their albums that would be far better received if it was on someone else's album. It's why I collect their albums as they can come up with a few killer songs well worth getting an entire LP for (Triumph is another band like that).
"Single Life" is sandwiched right before one of the best crossover albums of the 80s "Word Up!" and right after the half great "She's Strange." So it has to be 3/4ths great right? I do wonder! I remember testing this LP on YouTube early this year and liking a few tracks but I wasn't blown away by it either.
Something I didn't know. It seems Cameo was a consistent top ten group on the black charts before the harder rap stuff basically killed the whole funk and R&B scene out. I'd wager a lot of these 70s black bands I'm always curious about are tops on this chart as well which is why I see them over and over again. I should get a book of funk/R&B charts and experiment with the bands that consistently hit the top.
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Transvision Vamp - Pop Art -- On CD for a dollar. I couldn't recall if I have this or not. I remember wanting it for a while and I think it was a very rare CD at one time which prevented my buying it. I owned the second one for like 20 years now and I remember really liking it to the point I wanted to get more. I also remember getting third one a frew years later and paying more than I cared for it and then hating it as it was awful. It was one of my first experiences that a band can really suck after a great album and to always try before you buy just in case of a dud. Either way, TV is a VERY strange band. Very art rock, which is why I like it. I don't think they get much love though.
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Music Inspired by War of the Worlds - Another CD, this is one of those obvious dollar store CDs that they used to release to cash in on whatever summer blockbuster movie that was going to be popular in theaters that year. It's 2005, so I'd wager anything that was when that film came out. I bought it because it had 2 covers from the Jeff Wayne version and it's one of my all time fav albums, so I wanted to hear how they would do it. And it contained something like 10 original songs based on WotW, which turned out to be very standard but enjoyable synth doodles that could fit on any New Age album. Well worth a dollar.
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I also got a strange random remixes CD of stuff which I most likely have on vinyl so it was nice to get them on CD. A couple songs I forgot about liking, so that was good too! I cannot remember the name of it, it's downstairs. LOL!
And that's it for this time around. Listening though several of the records while typing this and I do think I have chosen rather well, better than this past Spring actually. Many are way better than I had hoped. I think I've been doing this long enough to zero in on the stuff that I have some clue about and testing on YouTube before buying helps a ton too. I put back probably 15 LPs, but half of those were due to bad condition rather than bad albums.
This past summer I did pick up probably 100-150 LPs but I don't think they had much for myself in there. They are strictly for flipping. Someone I think had passed away and their collection went to the Clinton Book Sale and I ended up with I think 90 at $1 each. Many $10 to $15 dollar ones, if the prices at the record show is a fair estimate on what I should be charging for them. Basically I've decided to get a little more aggressive with buying and reselling records as I'm foolishly letting great bargains go by my due to ignorance (see prior record show rants). Early this year at the local thrift store they just put out a stack of records out for 25 cents each and I bought the majority of them. 80s rock stuff. I flipped them for $150 I think or something to that effect. Hurray!
But I remember getting to a booth too late at the Herkimer Largest Garage Sale and some old fart was hogging everything up and he has a stack of amazing LPs for $2 a pop. I got one (Godley and Creme "L") that he had rejected (probably didn't know they were from the band 10cc) but he had so many I would have bought. How depressing that was! What was fun for me to watch was that people kept trying to get at his stack over and over again. LOL! He had such amazing ones!
Well, you know, that had happened to me early that day as well but with video games and consoles! Someone had a collection out of 90s systems (but they were sorta hidden in the back of the booth where so few people wander back there, so lots of people had missed them) and I stacked them all in a heap and then people were after them like gimme gimme, and I had to tell them that I'm sorry they are mine. One of them got snotty about it saying he didn't see my name on it. Yeah, nice come back buddy. But yeah, that's one of the hard things about this business is that you may get a huge stack of awesome stuff and someone else will come in right after and try to get it after. A couple times I had stuff stolen from my piles of stuff because I couldn't watch it while I was off trying to get more stuff to add to the pile! T_T;;;; Oh wells!
Have a great winter everybody!
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