A Special Public Service Announcement from Sarah's Records

If you love playing vinyl I know that this has happened to you. For us it is often after a long night of listening to music with friends, maybe with a few, or many, drinks. Your friends finally go home, you realize it is some ridiculous hour of the night and you hear this sound. Or maybe you doze off in front of the fireplace with a loved one and wake up to it. It's a soothing sound......

PCC Flea Market - Lot's of Records!!!

I finally got around to going to the Pasadena City College (PCC) flea market last weekend. It was a great success. I love the Rosebowl Flea Market but I think I actually like PCC better, especially for records.

There were more record vendors than I had ever seen at one flea market and everything was pretty well priced. It's definitely a little bit of a grueling morning if you want to do it right (we got up at 8am) but well worth it. We walked away with alot of jazz and blues, but there is definitely something for everyone. If you go, prepare to be a little chilled since most of the flea market is in a parking garage and I'd bring a big tote bag or backpack so you have something to haul all of your purchases in.

For more details check out there website; http://www.pasadena.edu/fleamarket/

Elvis' Christmas Album

Sometimes its hard to get in the Christmas spirit when you live in southern California. It's just so sunny all the time, it doesn't feel like December. If you are having a hard time getting into the spirit, Elvis might just help you get there.

Record Hunting Tips

We do alot of record shopping to keep our collection fresh and exciting. Here are some tips and tricks that we've learned along the way.

Where to Start - Since I'm almost never searching for the newest release of anything there are alot of options.
     
Record Stores - The best selection and variety of genres can usually be found at your local record    store. You will probably pay more here than anywhere else but there is generally a level of quality to be expected where scratching and warping is concerned.

In addition, alot of record stores will buy records that you no longer want in exchange for store credit. This is a great way to refine your record collection.


Goodwill/ Thrift Store - As with anything else at a Goodwill or similar thrift stores, records can be really hit or miss. The good news is that records here are usually priced at $.50 cents to $1.00.

Often they appear to be your grandma's castoffs (Christmas music, lots of classical, musical theater). The selection is largely dependent on the neighborhood surrounding the store so keep that in mind. There is the opportunity to find something great here, our copy of J.J. Cale Troubador came from a Goodwill.

Flea Market - Flea markets are pretty big here in LA, the Rose Bowl and Melrose Trading Post both have quite alot of records. The selection at these flea markets is pretty hip, obviously the type of music likely depends quite a bit on the other types of things being sold at the market.

At the flea markets here they stock alot of the usual suspects (Beatles, Rolling Stones, Zepplin), often at prices above what they would be asking at your local record store. The good thing about flea markets however is your ability to haggle, and you can buy so many other fun things while you are there!

Ebay - Ebay is best when you really know what you are looking for. Sometimes I use it as a method to price check something before I buy it. I have been burned before ending up with records that are so warped or scratched that they would barely play. As with all things on Ebay it's fun to browse but I generally only buy if it is something that I cannot find anywhere else or if I kind find it for cheap enough that I'm willing to take a chance.

Craigslist - Craigslist may sound like an odd place to look for records but it is very useful for two reasons. We keep an eye on our local Craigslist for people giving away or selling big collections of records. If you are just starting your record collection this is a great place to start.

The second great use for Craigslist is to check the listings for local yard sales that are selling records.


Yard Sales - Last but certainly not least, the yard sale. The best way to search for records this way is to set aside an entire day of your weekend. We make a list, trying to stay within a neighborhood or a few nearby neighborhoods.

You really never know what you will find at a yard sale but sometimes what people are selling will surprise you and it will generally only run you about $1.00 a record. Alot of times if you grab a big stack you can get a really good deal and it gives you the opportunity to take a chance on an unknown album. We've discovered that yard sales are also a pretty great way to meet other vinyl enthusiasts.



Where do you find your records?

B.B. King A Heart Full of Blues - Record of the Day

So I'm listening to this album right now actually and I was just going to tweet it and be done with it but I kept on listening and decided that it merited it's very own blog post.

Everybody knows B.B. King, no big deal really, but sometimes it is worth revisiting the old standbys. I came home from work today defeated and tired and feeling really bad about the state of everything. So I made a cup of tea and searched our admittedly disorganized library of records for Nina Simone.... thinking that only a woman could understand exactly what I am feeling.

Well, I didn't find Nina, I stumbled across Mr. King and thought to myself, "now what I really have here is a case of the blues" and anyone can understand that right? I put it on. I sipped my tea. I don't really feel much better but I do feel less alone. Isn't that the magic of good music?

These Records are in Every Store and at Every Yard Sale.

Occasionally now that I have let the world know what a record collecting freak I am I will receive a donation from someone trying to get rid of mom's or dad's or grandma and grandpa's record collection (see above).

It's really fun to dig through hundreds of records in search of gems in the comfort of your own home. In addition to the donations a still spend quite a bit of time sifting through the records at shops, yard sales, and goodwill. Wherever I am there is always at least one copy of the following albums.......

1. Linda Ronstadt - Simple Dreams
2. Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson - A Star is Born
3. Chuck Mangione - Feels So Good
4. Some variety of 1950's era Christmas music
5. Something by Sergio Mendes

I'm sure there are more but these are the heavy hitters. Why is this?

You too can Wear Bob Dylan

Friday nights at our house are our time to unwind. We tend to sit around with a few good friends, a bottle of wine, maybe a game of Uno, and a big stack of records.

Towards the end of the night things tend to get a little silly. Recently we discovered that with a little creativity you can be part of your favorite album covers. This look courtesy of Bob Dylan and The Rolling Stones. Halloween costume?

Newest Sarah's Records! Mulatu Astatke :)

Record of the Day - Glen Gray's Greatest!!

When you have a rather large record collection you tend to forget exactly what is there. Records are big and a little cumbersome, it's not like your ipod where you're constantly scrolling through reviewing everything in your collection.

This weekend we discovered, or more re-discovered Glen Gray. It's classic big band stuff and perfect for making dinner, having a little wine, and sharing a slow dance with that special someone. If you're a Mad Men fan you may remember the "Song of India" from an episode a season or so back. So grab a glass of wine, have a listen, and drift back to simpler times. As for me, I'll be organizing some records...

Glen Gray's Greatest!
Capitol Records
http://www.discogs.com/Glen-Gray-Glen-Grays-Greatest/release/3061416

And what did I buy......

4000 Holes!

We had so much fun on our trip to Spokane! Hopefully we will be doing more record store visits like this in the future. I will be posting pictures of what we bought soon!