How high will you go to get that vinyl

[Jim_W]

I treated myself and paid £100 for a mint copy of Storm In Heaven by Verve.

Was it worth it? You betcha.

Worth every penny.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I treated myself and paid £100 for a mint copy of Storm In Heaven by Verve.

Was it worth it? You betcha.

Worth every penny.

Though I'm happy I bought mine in 1993.

 

[Jim_W]

Thanks, BBB. I don't know if these discogs listings clarify things or muddy the waters even further! Either way it does seem pretty scarce, especially the US copy; I read that 1,000 were sent to radio stations in the US which I think must be about right because stereo signals would not transmit, although the radio stations were gradually getting new equipment. I looked at the popsike listings too and it seems to go for very decent money: £200-£300. I still remember listening to a stereo record on a primitive stereo for the first time: it was pretty mind-blowing at the time. When I went to university I had two suitcases; one had clothes in and the other had a cheap stereo with tiny speakers and a bunch of records. Needless to say, I unpacked the stereo first.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

I agree about Discogs, but it's probably the best general source we have, and it's constantly being updated.

I'm not surprised about the 'stereo' story, I'm pretty sure when I moved to London in the early 90s, the hi-fi was connected pretty soon after arriving.

 

[Jim_W]

Having said that I do collect records, but my collection is only a result of having bought the records to listen to the music; this has often meant buying less than pristine copies of rare records and buffing them up so they're listenable. Some of my favourite lps are a bit battered, but for me that's part and parcel of collecting and, if I'm honest, I enjoy the challenge of restoring impossibly rare records that have been bashed about a bit or neglected; sometimes they're beyond repair of course or I'll need to find a better copy as and when. Anyway, I like the ruin in things, but many don't. Fair enough.

Tell me about the restoring of battered records? I am interested in finding out more.

I'm sorry if I gave you the impression that there was a magic formula which would bring scratched, warped records with inner-groove distortion back to life: there isn't. You can't get rid of those things of coursse; you can though clean dirty, gunked-up records and glue and clear tape sleeves back into some sort of respectability.There are various methods of cleaning records, from the professional machines to a bit of liquid soap and lukewarm water...youtube will help you here. Once I've cleaned mine I use a spare stylus (I have loads of 'em for different record conditions) and see what happens; the sylus will further help to remove some gunk from the grooves. Maybe give it another clean, play it again and, again, see what happens. You're either left with a record that is ok to play or one that is beyond help. this is really only appropriate for rare records rather than big-selling items where you can easily find multiple copies and choose a decent VG/EX/Mint copy.

I can't pass on records that might be ok if they're rare and I want a copy; they might look awul, but providing there are no really deep scratches, I've found from experience that you can usually clean them up and get a decent sound from them...at least good enough to listen to it. Just don't put your best stylus through it!

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

Jim

I'm sure I had some discussion with you about Twinkle in the past. Did you see that I've located a vinyl copy of Twinkle - Golden Lights on the RPM label? I wasn't 100% sure it existed, in fact, I was starting to convince myself it didn't, but I've located one in Japan, and I've also noticed a sale on Popsike, so it definitely does.

 

[Jim_W]

Yes, I was going to comment on your Twinkle post, but I dunno... just forgot. Soz. I still sing her song,'Terry' about a biker who rides off like a madman and kills himself on a motorbike when I hit 100mph; that and 'Born To Be Wild' of course. Ha!

No idea about 'Golden Lights' though, apart from a pretty dreadful Smiths cover. The sleeve picture looks lovely though; I always rather liked her. Is it just a single or an lp?

What fascinates me is why you are interested in her?!! She's a pretty obscure 60's chanteuse who had a couple of hits; at least that's all I know. Whatever, nothing beats finding a copy of a record that has a magical significance for some reason.

I'll youtube her this afternoon and see what comes up.

 

[BIGBERNARDBRESSLAW]

It's a compilation album. I only know a couple of tracks, but you know what it's like, you kind of get obsessed with owning something that you've never seen.

 

[Jim_W]

It's a compilation album. I only know a couple of tracks, but you know what it's like, you kind of get obsessed with owning something that you've never seen.

Oh yes, I understand that, especially where records are concerned. There's a million of 'em I'm still hoping to find...cheap. Hope you like it when you finally get hold of it; better still, I hope you love it and sleep with it close by!! I would!

 

[thescarletpronster]

It appears that there were in fact US mono retail copies: compare this version (MONO printed on rear sleeve along with US address at the bottom) with this version (UK printer, Polydor UK address). I'd imagine copies sent to radio stations would be marked 'promo', like the US stereo promo version.

NB: I know nothing about this release, just did a quick search on Discogs.

[Edit: oh goshdurn it, now I see that Big Bern got there first.]

 

[Jim_W]

That's what I remember about the initial reviews of 'Waiting For The Sun'; the Doors had sold out and become a teeny bopper band purveying bubblegum pop. 'Hello, I love You' in particular got some heavy flak which I can understand but it's a pretty good dumb pop song. I like the lp though and think it gets better with age unlike some 60's records. Nobody did theatre like Jim because he was the Lizard King and he could do anything. Er.