AT THE RECORD STORE SERIES
Note: I’m bringing this series back for 2025, and as part of that, dusting this one off from just pver a year ago. I love seeing what people pick up on their crate digging excursions, and assume (hope?) many of you feel the same way.
P.S. The Matty C. show I mention below was fantastic. If he’s comin’ to your town, make a plan to be there!
You know that old joke about garage sales, “Everything you want and nothing you need?” I think it’s similar with records. We don’t know we need something until we see it. Then, we can’t imagine life without it.
You’re not looking for most records when they find you.
I wasn’t looking for a record sale this past weekend, either. I was on the Harmony Bar’s website, making sure I had the right date for
Matty C’s show this fall when I saw a sale happening. Tomorrow.
Ten minutes earlier, I had no idea it was going to happen. Now, I was making sure I could make it. Funny how that works.
Like the bar, the sale itself was lowkey. One small yard sign out front was the only hint that something was going on. I hadn’t been here in a while, but not much had changed. The door still creaks, as do the floorboards. The paint is the same. It still smells vaguely of beer and fried cheese curds—just as nature intended. This is, after all, the house that Rollo Steele built.
The crates were in the back room, sharing space with the regular bar stuff- it was Saturday in Wisconsin, after all. The Badger game was on TV, with people keeping one eye on the overhead screens and one on the crates. The jukebox was silent (see previous). Right next to us, a lady loudly recounted her impending divorce hearing to sympathetic girlfriends. If things went down as she described, this guy had a really bad Monday. A toddler dropped a record on the floor.
There was also a family eating lunch, oblivious to everything around them. I didn’t eat.
Four vendors had their crates set up in a U-shape. The first of the four had far and away the biggest selection and highest quality stuff. Worth noting that he had a LOT of jazz records. Not my specialty, but this would’ve been a field day for the right person. Everything was priced to move at $5 or 5 for 20 unless otherwise marked.
The dB’s Like This was the first record out of the gate. It’s a classic, and for my money, ‘Love is For Lovers’ is the quintessential pop song. I already own it, but this one was in better shape. It’s also almost impossible to find their music online (which is, I suppose, ultimately a good thing, but that’s a story for another day).
Did I really need a second copy? After spending some time in my pile, I decided I did not.
I also came across a copy of R.E.M.’s ‘Life’s Rich Pageant.’ Some of you may recall my looking for this for a while. Several months ago, I excitedly grabbed a copy at a nearby secondhand store, only to get home and realize it was a different record inside. That’s what I get for not checking. On the plus side, the (now empty) sleeve looks nice on my wall.
This time, I did check, and while in great shape, it didn’t seem worth the $125 sticker price. The show must go on. Quite a few other records spent time in my hands but were put back for one reason or another.
Below is the list that made it out the door with me.
Tom Verlaine- Words From The Front (BSK-3685, 1982)
Verlaine’s solo work is a bit of a blind spot for me. I know Television, and I know his self-titled debut. But after that? Nada. So, this was a low lift risk, and it paid off. I’ve only spun it once so far, but my early impression is that it’s on brand for him and in line with his other work. For those well-versed in all things Verlaine, I’d love to hear your thoughts on where this sits with you.
Romeo Void- Benefactor (ARC 38182, 1982)
The story of Romeo Void can be summed up in three and a half words: What might’ve been.
The band was on a rocket ride to the top, with a unique sound and fantastic frontwoman in Deborah Lyall. They had a hit on their hands with ‘Never Say Never’ and its risque (for 1982) line of ‘I might like you better if we slept together.’ All systems were go. Until they weren’t.
So what happened?
We’ve talked about it here before, but the short version is MTV happened.
Video Killed The Radio Star might’ve been the first video played on MTV, but Romeo Void was a band that would end up living that narrative.
The group had every ingredient for success; critical praise, great storytelling, a dynamic singer, a fantastic sax player in Benjamin Bossi, and an EP produced by Ric Ocasek.
They checked a lot of boxes. So what happened? MTV happened. And unfortunately, that sent labels looking for bands with a certain look. Singer Deborah Iyall didn’t fit that mold, and the band’s label made the decision to stop supporting them. The term ghosting didn’t yet exist, but looking back, it certainly fits.
Today, most people only know this track. A few more will recognize “A Girl In Trouble.” but they were so much more than one-hit wonders—a point again driven home while listening to Benefactor later that afternoon. An incredible new wave record from start to finish.
The Pretenders- Get Close (92-54881, 1986)
Get Close is the fourth outing by the third iteration of the band. And while (to my ear) it lacks some of the grit & spark of the first couple of releases, it’s nonetheless solid. Plus, it has “Don’t Get Me Wrong,” one of my favorites and one many of us contributed as a suggestion for last summer’s crowdsourced wedding playlist.
Nancy Wilson/Cannonball Adderley-S/T (T-1657, 1961)
As noted, there were a ton of jazz records, most of which I flipped right by. Cannonball Adderley always stops me in my tracks. This was no exception.
The hype sticker notes that it’s “41 mins 59 seconds of jazz!” That’s my kinda odd specificity. Couldn’t they squeeze out an extra note to make it an even 42 minutes?
Aztec Camera- Backwards & Forwards 10” EP (1-25285, 1985)
I’m not that big of Aztec Camera or Roddy Frame fan. I love ‘The Crying Scene,’ but that’s pretty much where it begins and ends. The vendor noticed my looking at the album and mentioned that this was the one where they take on Van Halen’s ‘Jump.’
Sold.
O.M.D.- The Pacific Age (SP-5144, 1986)
By 1986, OMD were on their 7th record, The Pacific Age. Produced by Stephen Hague, it bears much of his hallmark style and took the band in a more sophistipop-y direction. It was my on-ramp to the band (thanks, Columbia House!) and is also home to “We Love You,” my favorite track by the group. Critics hated it. So did the band, with Andy McCluskey calling it the band’s ‘musical nadir” and describing it as one that just doesn’t sound like them. I hadn’t heard the whole thing in probably 30 years, but I remember really liking 3-4 tracks and fast-forwarding through everything else. It can’t be that bad, right? For $5, I’m willing to find out.
John Hiatt-Bring The Family, (SP-5158, 1987)
This was in the $1 bin, which is a crime. I could’ve sworn I already had a copy1, but there was no way I was going to let this languish in any defacto cut-out bin. Not on my watch. Any record with ‘Memphis In the Meantime,’ ‘Thing Called Love,’ and ‘Have A Little Faith in Me’2 deserves a forever home. And now this copy has one.
So how about you? Found any good records lately? Have any thoughts on the ones I picked up? Share your thoughts in the comments!
