***** Official Vinyl LPGuys Thread***** (1 Viewer)

We talk about vinyl LPs, music on vinyl, and stereo equipment that pays vinyl, where we find vinyl, what we found that was vinyl and assorted vinyl-related topics and advinyltures.

A little over a year ago, we were flooded and I lost about 70% of my vinyl LPs. They were mostly boxed up and stored in the garage, most had not been opened for a decade or more.

This week, I decided to hook my stereo and turntable back up. Now I'm opening the boxes to see what I have left. So far a pretty nice combo of treasure and wtf. 

I thought I'd share a dozen or so at a time as I unpack. Maybe it will generate some conversation and/or memories.

Not only are my tastes eclectic, sometimes I would buy or inherit a collection and never had time to cull. Some of these I have no explanation for why I acquired them and carted them around the country for 20 years.

Box One

Traffic- John Barleycorn Must Die
I was thrilled to find this. One of my all-tiem favorites. Unfortunately it has a bad scratch on side One. Rest of the record plays great, but I found one on Amazon and ordered a replacement. This was one of the first 20 albums I purchased and still one of my all-time favorites

Doobie Brothers - Toulouse Street
I recognize a lot of the songs and they were okay/pretty good. Need to give it a listen, but looks near mint.

Elton John Blue Moves
Probably Elton's worst album. Definitely his most soulless. ANyubody wanna trade? Its in good shape

Barbara Streisand - My Name is Barbara / Color Me Barbara / The Way We Were (Quadrophonic)
She was never my cup of tea. Can't say that I ever really gave her a chance. This one's like new, so I threw it on the turntable to see what old me thinks.Old me thinks young me was right. While the talent is indisputable, I freaking hate it. For trade

Mamas and the Papas - Farewell to the First Golden Era
Always a fan of these guys.

Linda Ronstadt Hasten - Down the Wind 
Used to really like Linda, I imagine I still will

Nancy Wilson - Hollywood My Way
Don't remember ever listening to this. I like Nancy, but I'm not a fan of the 40s-50s standards included. The vinyl appears unplayed and the sound is superb. Her rendition of The Days of Wine and Roses is superb. But some of the selections, like My Shining Hour leave me flat. The studio band and production are flawless. 

America - Greatest Hits 
never really bought any of their albums, as everyone else did and played them incessantly. Good stuff, but unsure if its been long enough since hearing it to saturation.

Mason Williams Hand Made
Good folk type stuff. Admire more than enjoy

Asleep at the Wheel - Texas Gold
Excellent Texas Swing/Country, sometimes like satire, sometimes the real thing. Extremely talent group was peaking when I was in college and Progressive country was really progressive and a thing. Large ratio of drinking songs (Let Me Go Home Whiskey, Johnny Walker Read, Tonight the Bartender is on the Wrong Side of the bar @Homer J Simpson ) Lots of good memories

Ray Charles / Harry Belafonte - The Greatest Ever
Interesting old Coronet realease sounds really good, right? Not really. Not at all. Some decent tunes, but may I never hear Belafonte sing Anabelle Lee again. Ugh

Blue Moves was terrible.  Elton John was Pop's biggest star in '75.  He came out with this dud in '76 and he was basically finished as a pop star. He still had success but never the previous level.

Hasten Down the Wind is good.  Linda discovered (and covered) Warren Zevon.

cosjobs said:

Linda Ronstadt Hasten - Down the Wind 
Used to really like Linda, I imagine I still will

Click to expand...

My favorite "rock" torch song is on that

ETA: And i think Barleycorn, and Chris Wood multi-insttrumentalism on it, was the last time i tried to convince my ol man that rock wasnt just spoiled no-talents poundin out noise. didn't work, still wouldn't

They used to put music on siding?

learn something new every day.

RokNRole said:

They used to put music on siding?

learn something new every day.

Click to expand...

Good one?

Box TWO

Kansas Two for the Road - Never a fan. Still not. But looks unplayed, let's trade

Shaft -- performed by Soul Man and the Brothers - actually very good

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Damn the Torpedos - Damn Good

Best of Lonnie Liston Smith -

George Thorogood & the Destroyers - self titled - great hard rock

The Band - Stagefright -phenomenal

Folksongs of the Louisiana Acadians Vol. 2 - excellent

The Golden Rock Hits of Jerry Lee Lewis - big fan

Moody Blues - Days of Future Past/ in Search of the Lost Chord/ On the Threshold of a Dream - Not a fan

Bay City Rollers - Dedication / Greatest Hits - meh

Judy Collins - Wildflowers - good for seducing hippie chicks back in the day

Jeff Beck - Wired - very good, but liked his first two the ebst

Bonnie Raitt - Give it Up - I like her, wife loves her

I've got my turntable back up and running. Going to set it up in our downstairs rec room area. I have a bar down there and we had a fireplace put in yesterday and a new TV for Christmas. Ordered a 18" deep wood island type thing that's going to go on a wall with the turntable on it, so I can sit in the basement, listen to records by the fire with a drink from the bar. Can't wait t0 have it all set up.

Anyway, is this the official Turntable/Vinyl guys thread? Search function didn't return much. My collection includes great stuff passed down from  my mom (Beatles, Stones, Bowie, Zeppelin, Neil Young), random stuff from my dad from the same Era and then indie stuff from the 00s to present that I've bought. It's like the 80s and 90s never happened, because of tapes and CDS of course.

Great Thread!!!

While shopping estate sales looking for items for my kids apartments, I impulse bought this  I had no idea what I had, but for the price I figured it was worth a chance.  Rather to be lucky than good, the needle is in very good condition and after a couple of YouTube videos I have the speakers fully rewired and the sound is AMAZING.  It even has an AUX so I can play the iPhone.  Estate Sales are GOLD MINES for vinyl, with the typical price around 2 to 3 bucks an album and if you are there on the last day in the afternoon, deals can be made for less.  At one sale, there was a box of almost 50 water damaged albums where the ring appeared intact and just sludge on the vinyl.  I negotiated down to $15 for the box, Goggled up how to clean them and all but two work perfect.  Estate sales can be found here   I have it set for 10 miles within my zip and almost every weekend I can find something nearby.  I started a list in Excel, pasted below and have added some since, including Billy Squier, Don't Say No.  I will be at another sale tomorrow and hope to add to the collection.  As an aside, I had a HUGE collection that my mom inexplicably sold at a garage sale   I am about 50% of the way to having my favorites from that collection.


Artist


Album


Aerosmith


Get Your Wings


Alice Cooper


Love It To Death


Alice Cooper


Billion Dollar Babies


Aretha Franklin


Greatest Hits Vol II


Bad Company


Buring Sky


Barbara Streisand


Wet


Bee Gees


Spirits Having Flown


Bee Gees


Best of Bee Gees


Bee Gees


Cucumber Castle


Bee Gees


Main Course


Billy Joel


The Stranger


Billy Joel


Piano Man


Billy Joel


Glass Houses


Bob Seger


Beautiful Loser


Diana Ross


An Evening With Diana Ross


Diana Ross


Farewell


Elton John


Elton John


Foreigner


Double Vision


Gene Pitney


Greatest Hits of All Time


George Harrison


All Things Must Pass


George Harrison


Read All About It


Grand Funk Railroad


Closer to Home


Heart


Heart


Heart


Live


Hooters


Nervous Night


Jefferson Starship


Red Octopus


John Cougar Mellencamp


Scarecrow


Kansas


Leftoverture


Kiss


Alive


Led Zeppelin


Presence


Led Zeppelin


The Songs Remain the Same


Led Zeppelin


III


Led Zeppelin


Physical Graphitti


Led Zeppelin


IV


Led Zeppelin


Houses of the Holy


Led Zeppelin


II


Paul McCartney


Live


Phil Collins


No Jacket Required


REO Sppedwagon


hi Infidelity


REO Sppedwagon


You Get What You Play For


Ring Starr


Rugo


Robin Trower


Bridge of Sighs


Rufus & Chaka Kahn


Rufus & Chaka Kahn


Santana 


Inner Secrets


Stevie Wonder


Songs in the Key of Life


Styx


Pieces of 8


Styx


Cornerstone


The Beatles


Second Album


The Beatles


Greatest Hits 3 Albums


The Isley Brothers


The Heat is On


The Moody Blues


Seventh Sojourn


The Rolling Stones


It's Only Rock N' Roll


The Rolling Stones


Flowers


Various


Animal House Soundtrack


Various


The Music People

Northern Voice said:

I've got my turntable back up and running. Going to set it up in our downstairs rec room area. I have a bar down there and we had a fireplace put in yesterday and a new TV for Christmas. Ordered a 18" deep wood island type thing that's going to go on a wall with the turntable on it, so I can sit in the basement, listen to records by the fire with a drink from the bar. Can't wait t0 have it all set up.

Anyway, is this the official Turntable/Vinyl guys thread? Search function didn't return much. My collection includes great stuff passed down from  my mom (Beatles, Stones, Bowie, Zeppelin, Neil Young), random stuff from my dad from the same Era and then indie stuff from the 00s to present that I've bought. It's like the 80s and 90s never happened, because of tapes and CDS of course.

Click to expand...

it is now

I just listened to the new Tribe Called Quest album on vinyl (late Christmas gift).

I love that Moody Blues record.....

Scored big today at two estate sales.  For an average of $2 each, I got:

• Journey -  Escape
  
• Quiet Riot - Mental Health (one of my all time favorites)
  
• Bow Wow Wow - Last of the Mohicans (couldn't resist for a buck)
  
• Queen - The Game
  
• Billy Joel - An Innocent Man
  
• SGT Pepper Lonely Hearts Club Band (double album)
  
• Boston - Boston
  
• Boston - Don't Look Back
  
• The Knack - Get the Knack 
  
• The Police - Synchronicity II
  
• Stevie Wonder - Signed, Sealed & Delivered
  
• Donna Summer - Bad Girls (double album) She was all over Detroit Radio in the late 70s/early 80s so another couldn't resist buy
  
• Men at Work - Business as Usual
  
• Michael McDondald - If That's What it Takes
  
• Yes - Fragile 
  
• Men at Work - Cargo
  
• The Cars - Greatest Hits
  
• Yes - Going for the One
  

I just bought a new u-turn orbit turntable for $179 plus $20 shipping with my winnings from my fantasy championship this season.

The turntable Arrived last week and I was in Greenwich village the Sunday before and picked up four new records to test, first one in was squeeze east side story, the first moment I cued it up, I was hooked.

I was transported to 1983 and my first experiences of listening to music.

I am now officially obsessed.

hit two estate sales over the weekend and picked up 50-60 records for $40.  Just getting the hang and feel of what will spin again and what I want to collect, as I already have over 2000 cds and 50000 songs in the cloud.

but I loved discovering new found music like Jackie Gleason presents music for lovers, I didn't even know he was into music and a quick search revealed he put a ton of these out.  The one I picked up was from 1952, I doubt it was played in 40 years.  I cleaned it up with a spin clean system I picked up at Amazon for $40 and it sounded nice.

Also found a copy of Artie Shaw's moonglow that was 60 years old and sounded mint.   Found gems from billy Joel, meatloaf, bob jovi, average white band, Jackson Browne, jimmy buffet, and Michael Jackson.  But the ones I really have enjoyed are music I never heard, like herb albert and the Tijuana brass, going places.. what a fun record.

This hobby is going to be a little nuts, how does everyone conrol the self from buying tons of stuff?  I can't go down that road again...  any tips on managing your purchases?

mphtrilogy said:

I just bought a new u-turn orbit turntable for $179 plus $20 shipping with my winnings from my fantasy championship this season.

The turntable Arrived last week and I was in Greenwich village the Sunday before and picked up four new records to test, first one in was squeeze east side story, the first moment I cued it up, I was hooked.

I was transported to 1983 and my first experiences of listening to music.

I am now officially obsessed.

hit two estate sales over the weekend and picked up 50-60 records for $40.  Just getting the hang and feel of what will spin again and what I want to collect, as I already have over 2000 cds and 50000 songs in the cloud.

but I loved discovering new found music like Jackie Gleason presents music for lovers, I didn't even know he was into music and a quick search revealed he put a ton of these out.  The one I picked up was from 1952, I doubt it was played in 40 years.  I cleaned it up with a spin clean system I picked up at Amazon for $40 and it sounded nice.

Also found a copy of Artie Shaw's moonglow that was 60 years old and sounded mint.   Found gems from billy Joel, meatloaf, bob jovi, average white band, Jackson Browne, jimmy buffet, and Michael Jackson.  But the ones I really have enjoyed are music I never heard, like herb albert and the Tijuana brass, going places.. what a fun record.

This hobby is going to be a little nuts, how does everyone conrol the self from buying tons of stuff?  I can't go down that road again...  any tips on managing your purchases?

Click to expand...

In general, I try to get to the sales early for the "street number" which gets you a place in line when the door opens, if I can see a good number of albums in the photos and/or if they have details on them.  If there is someone from the sale co. milling around before the door opens, I'll ask where the albums are.  Inside, I try to get there first and grab anything I think I even remotely want to buy and step to the side to take a second look.  Typically, I put back like one out of three albums grabbed.  If there are a few I was on the fence about, I show back up on the last day of the sale and try to get them 10-cents on the dollar.  

Not a great haul today, but got a few more at an estate sale.  Put back a few too (three Pat Benatar LPs).

• Soundtrack to Saturday Night Fever (I'm 48 and hang with mostly over 50-year olds, so this will go over well at parties)
  
• Golden Earring - Something Heavy is Going Down
  
• Bob Segar - Stranger in Town
  
• Air Supply - Greatest Hits   Why not have some MOM from the past
  

One of my all time worst calls was selling all my vinyl, thinking it would all be on cd one day. YouTube's vinyl recorders help but still a lot of missing pieces. ?

I just came across a ton of it.  We were starting to clear out a home my folks just sold and somebody told the caregiver to toss the records he had found.  Trash man was coming by.  The only reason I caught it was because I went out to my car and saw the stack.  Just sitting there out in the street.  Trash truck was literally two houses away, ha!

Anyway, I have 3 I'm keeping.  Some Beatles' 45.  Simon and Garfunkle.  And a Sinatra one.

My question is the approximate worth of two soundtracks I would like to give away:  "West Side Story" and "How the West was Won".

Thanks.

Rodrigo Duterte said:

I just came across a ton of it.  We were starting to clear out a home my folks just sold and somebody told the caregiver to toss the records he had found.  Trash man was coming by.  The only reason I caught it was because I went out to my car and saw the stack.  Just sitting there out in the street.  Trash truck was literally two houses away, ha!

Anyway, I have 3 I'm keeping.  Some Beatles' 45.  Simon and Garfunkle.  And a Sinatra one.

My question is the approximate worth of two soundtracks I would like to give away:  "West Side Story" and "How the West was Won".

Thanks.

Click to expand...

Pretty worthless because there are so many around. If they are mint maybe $10-20, otherwise a buck or two, maybe. Most important is vinyl condition, then jacket condition. Can you see any scratches or imperfections on either?

Post what else was in the cache and I'll let you know if anything is of paricular value

P.S. Things you have never heard of are the most likely to have value

I remember a big audiophile friend of mine (the kind who bought hand-made equipment that would get shipped with a lengthy personal note from the manufacturer) told me that the ultimate piece of music ever recorded, quality-wise, was the original Casino Royale (60s) soundtrack on vinyl.  

cosjobs said:

Pretty worthless because there are so many around. If they are mint maybe $10-20, otherwise a buck or two, maybe. Most important is vinyl condition, then jacket condition. Can you see any scratches or imperfections on either?

Post what else was in the cache and I'll let you know if anything is of paricular value

Click to expand...

Thanks for that.  I gave the soundtracks to the old man next door, it made his day.

The rest of these are mostly names I don't recognize, save for a bunch of Joan Baez.  I think I'll just drop it all off at the local vinyl shop and get whatever.

i own quite a bit of colored vinyl (meaning augmented platters, not AA artists  ) - mostly of the punk/new wave/goff genres 

one thing i've noticed is how the demand/price fluctuates ...i haven't really researched in awhile, but last check (back some five years ago) was showing a gradual rise back to respectability - most are 25+ years old, so i figure sitting tight, in regards to selling, is the prudent move. 

We purchased a restored 1957 Motorola console back in January and am just loving it... the tube amplifier still sounds fantastic.  

Like a lot of you, we've gathered up decent collection in the last few months from a combination of the flea market, old parents' collections (including a bunch of Beatles and Stone's Sticky Fingers (w/zipper)), and the local record shop.  I've found some fun obscure stuff, but the albums I'm listening to the most are the dozen Bob Seger and Jackson Browne albums that I found in the $1 bin at the record shop.  Other random favorites right now are:

• Blue Oyster Cult's "Some Enchanted Evening,"
  
• Jeff Beck's "Wired" and "Blow by Blow,"
  
• Wings' "At the Speed of Sound" and "Band on the Run,"and
  
• Marvin Gaye's "Live at the London Palladium."  
  
• Oh, and it's very cliche, but "Frampton Comes Alive" really is kick ### start to finish.   
  

There's a bunch of stuff I'd like to add to the collection, but the only two that I'm really dying for are (i) an original Def Leppard EP (I bought one back in '93 and can't find it anymore  :(   ... the reissue from this year's Record Store Day will tide me over if necessary), and (ii) Def Leppard's High 'N Dry... such an underrated album and really their last album that was made for this format (Pyromania and Hysteria set the standards for the CD).

Vinyl records are actually big with audiophiles and they are printing a lot of new records.  It is a niche market, but the demand has been growing pretty fast and manufacturers are having a tough time to keep up.  Purest like the idea of no compression or digitalization and like the sound that vinyl provides.  The only problem is revords today are made from digitally master recordings.  

OC Zed said:

We purchased a restored 1957 Motorola console back in January and am just loving it... the tube amplifier still sounds fantastic.  

Like a lot of you, we've gathered up decent collection in the last few months from a combination of the flea market, old parents' collections (including a bunch of Beatles and Stone's Sticky Fingers (w/zipper)), and the local record shop.  I've found some fun obscure stuff, but the albums I'm listening to the most are the dozen Bob Seger and Jackson Browne albums that I found in the $1 bin at the record shop.  Other random favorites right now are:

• Blue Oyster Cult's "Some Enchanted Evening,"
  
• Jeff Beck's "Wired" and "Blow by Blow,"
  
• Wings' "At the Speed of Sound" and "Band on the Run,"and
  
• Marvin Gaye's "Live at the London Palladium."  
  
• Oh, and it's very cliche, but "Frampton Comes Alive" really is kick ### start to finish.   
  

There's a bunch of stuff I'd like to add to the collection, but the only two that I'm really dying for are (i) an original Def Leppard EP (I bought one back in '93 and can't find it anymore  :(   ... the reissue from this year's Record Store Day will tide me over if necessary), and (ii) Def Leppard's High 'N Dry... such an underrated album and really their last album that was made for this format (Pyromania and Hysteria set the standards for the CD).

Click to expand...

That's very cool. The sound form old tube amps is really like nothing you hear today.

But be warned, if you have any good vinyl stereo recordings from 60s-up, you will destroy the stereo and possibly the fidelity playing on a consumer system of that age. While the tracking force on the tonearm may destroy the grooves for high fidelity,on a system of that age you can be assured the tone arm will tack regardless of album condition and it will pla a lot of things  that would be unplayable on a more sophisticated system.

I hope my point is clear. I'm not trying to be a snob, but I want to help ensure you retain some pristine grooves for the proper system, if indeed you have some pristine grooves. 

Hold the lp to light and inspect. If there are little/no scuffs and no scratches, this might be a vg++ to mint vinyl and it would be a shame to put it on an old-school low to mid end setup. LPs are old school analog. The single continuous groove sends the sound from the needle to the cartridge to the pre-amp then amp for output to the speakers. Current audiophile or prosumer or even middle range setups will track at a very light force, the needle barely penetrating into the groove to capture all the detailed goodness in the groove, without damaging the groove itself, so it plays just as well the next time. A heavier tracking force, like the older units, may put a force of 3-5 grams on the stylus to penetrate the grooves. This they do and do it well, but the downside is that with that force, it is physically degrading the interior of the grooves because of the pressure it is exerting.

Don't stop doing what you are doing. But if you find some vinyl uou think is top quality, set it aside for when you upgrade your system

otb_lifer said:

i own quite a bit of colored vinyl (meaning augmented platters, not AA artists  ) - mostly of the punk/new wave/goff genres 

one thing i've noticed is how the demand/price fluctuates ...i haven't really researched in awhile, but last check (back some five years ago) was showing a gradual rise back to respectability - most are 25+ years old, so i figure sitting tight, in regards to selling, is the prudent move. 

Click to expand...

The punk period LPs are at a good market price now. Colored LPs don't matter near as much as the content and original jacket covers. The best thing about colored LPs is that most bought them as collectibles and hardly ever played them, so lots are still available in prostine condition.

cosjobs said:

That's very cool. The sound form old tube amps is really like nothing you hear today.

But be warned, if you have any good vinyl stereo recordings from 60s-up, you will destroy the stereo and possibly the fidelity playing on a consumer system of that age. While the tracking force on the tonearm may destroy the grooves for high fidelity,on a system of that age you can be assured the tone arm will tack regardless of album condition and it will pla a lot of things  that would be unplayable on a more sophisticated system.

I hope my point is clear. I'm not trying to be a snob, but I want to help ensure you retain some pristine grooves for the proper system, if indeed you have some pristine grooves. 

Hold the lp to light and inspect. If there are little/no scuffs and no scratches, this might be a vg++ to mint vinyl and it would be a shame to put it on an old-school low to mid end setup. LPs are old school analog. The single continuous groove sends the sound from the needle to the cartridge to the pre-amp then amp for output to the speakers. Current audiophile or prosumer or even middle range setups will track at a very light force, the needle barely penetrating into the groove to capture all the detailed goodness in the groove, without damaging the groove itself, so it plays just as well the next time. A heavier tracking force, like the older units, may put a force of 3-5 grams on the stylus to penetrate the grooves. This they do and do it well, but the downside is that with that force, it is physically degrading the interior of the grooves because of the pressure it is exerting.

Don't stop doing what you are doing. But if you find some vinyl uou think is top quality, set it aside for when you upgrade your system

Click to expand...

Thanks. Excellent to know. 

A bit off the current thread theme, but  if I didn't snooze and lose at an estate sale this morning.  I got to working and lost track of time and ended up around 15th in line.  There were several Talking Heads albums in the pics that were gone when I got my hands on what was left.  I did walk away with Bob Marley & The Wailers Live for a buck, so it wasn't a complete loss.  

Decent score estate sale shopping this morning.  For $1 each, I got:

Rappers Delight & The Message (ft Grand Master Flash) - The Sugarhill Gang

Ghost in the Machine - The Police

Foreigner 4

Love Sinks - J. Giles

Street Songs - Rick James

Captured - Journey

Songs From the Big Chair - Tears for Fears

Living in Oz & Success Hasn't Spoiled Me Yet - Rick Springfield (for my wife)

To Live & Die in LA Sound Track - Wang Chung (I had an 80s flashback that this we cool, we'll see when I play it)

Get Lucky - Loverboy

I'm seeing fewer and fewer at estate sales and what they have tends to be 50s 60s schlepp like Mantovani, Jackie Gleason and Hawaiian stuff. 

cosjobs said:

I'm seeing fewer and fewer at estate sales and what they have tends to be 50s 60s schlepp like Mantovani, Jackie Gleason and Hawaiian stuff. 

Click to expand...

Have you tried Estatesales.Net? Typically, any sale with records (at least around here) will have Record Albums in the list of items and a picture of at least one album to give an idea of what is there.  Today's had the J. Giles and Journey albums, along with a Pat Bentar album I didn't buy in one of the photos (next to the stack).  We skipped the sale with the Herb Alpert album in the photo.  I will usually paw through the 50s stuff too in case there is a Christmas Classic (like Bing Crosby) in there.  

2Young2BBald said:

Have you tried Estatesales.Net? Typically, any sale with records (at least around here) will have Record Albums in the list of items and a picture of at least one album to give an idea of what is there.  Today's had the J. Giles and Journey albums, along with a Pat Bentar album I didn't buy in one of the photos (next to the stack).  We skipped the sale with the Herb Alpert album in the photo.  I will usually paw through the 50s stuff too in case there is a Christmas Classic (like Bing Crosby) in there.  

Click to expand...

I still see lots of 5060s xmas, but a long time since I've seen the blues, jazz or rockabilly I'm looking for