Look what I found in a used record store

This week’s trip was to Vintage Vinyl in the University section of St. Louis, Missouri.  The store is both modern and a throwback, featuring CDs and DVDs but also new & used vinyl including 78s, singles and even a stack of old-school comedy records.

You probably won’t find many bargains as the owners clearly know what their vinyl is worth and there are plenty of college kids and stoners trolling around willing to part with their cash, but there are plenty of records old and new and quite a few I haven’t seen on a record shelf since back in the 70s.  I spent a fair amount of time in the folk section as well as picking through a stack of compilation and sampler albums from the 60s and 70s, but in the end these were the four that went home with me.  Nothing really spectacular but some interesting pieces nonetheless.  There were several others I would have liked to have picked up but wasn’t willing to part with the asking price, including the newest Silver Mt. Zion and Wovenhand records.

The James Walsh Gypsy Band – Gypsy (1978)

Gypsy were a pretty interesting band from Minneapolis back in the early 70s who managed to pull off the unlikely feat of releasing a double-vinyl debut album back in 1970, and on the soon-to-be defunct Metromedia label.  The songs on that album were very eclectic, blending blues rock with the Latin percussive groove of acts like Santana and the expansive jazzy complexity of Chicago into their own unique sound.  Things went downhill quickly as the label lacked the capital and know-how to adequately promote the group.  Despite two follow-up records the band was done by 1975.  After a one-off reunion show, original member James Walsh managed to put together a new group under the name James Walsh Gypsy Band and they released this record of all original material in 1978.  These are shorter songs, more in the contemporary hard blues-rock sound of the mid-70s and with less salsa and more brass than anything the original Gypsy ever recorded.  The record was released on RCA, the same label that briefly picked up Gypsy after Metromedia folded a few years earlier.  The album isn’t anything to get too excited about but I haven’t seen it in a record bin before and the 7$ price tag seemed reasonable.

 

 

John Renbourn – The Hermit (1975)

This was really the first post-Pentangle album for Renbourn, although he recorded other solo records during his stint with the band.  Renbourn had relocated to the countryside by this time, and was looking to put together some tracks showcasing his prowess at alternative and creative guitar arrangements.  The songs are pretty sparsely arranged, consisting almost exclusively of guitar with some guest appearances by Dominique Trepeau and John James.  Renbourn even notes the tunings for each track which includes both original and traditional songs, some of which are adapted from scores meant for lute and violin.  This is the original recording, the album was reissued about ten years ago with a different cover and some bonus material.

 

 

Traffic – More Heavy Traffic (1975)

United Artists was still pushing out material long after the band members had moved on to other projects, including this one after finding some success with the first Heavy Traffic compilation.  Unlike the first, this second release featured few of the group’s more well-known songs despite the “Greatest Hits” label on the cover, “John Barleycorn” being the notable exception.  Over half of the album is made up of tracks from their second studio release, as well as a non-album composition from Dave Mason.  In fact, the first four songs are all Mason tunes.  Again, nothing to write home about but I didn’t have this in my collection and the vinyl is in near mint condition so what the heck.

 

Kerry Livgren – “Just One Way” b/w “Mask of the Great Deceiver” (1980)

This is a 12” demo disc from ‘Seeds of Change’, Livgren’s 1980 solo swan-song on his way out the door from Kansas, which was recorded at the same time Steve Walsh was putting together his own solo debut ‘Schemer-Dreamer’ (both would appear on the other’s albums as well).  Livgren of course went on to a lengthy post-Kansas career both with A.D. and solo, culminating with the rediscovery of the original 1971-1973 Kansas tracks issued as Proto-Kaw, and followed by several years of touring and three new studio albums by that reconstituted lineup.  Walsh meanwhile went on to record a couple obscure rock albums with Streets before returning to Kansas and wrapping himself around telephone poles on Atlanta’s streets a couple times before finally getting clean and kicking the coke monkey off his back.  Different paths…

Anyway I bought ‘Seeds of Change’ back when it came out nearly thirty-five years ago and still have that vinyl, but these are two of the stronger tracks and for a couple dollars it’s cool to have a 12” single to add to the collection.  Barriemore Barlow plays drums on both songs and Ronnie James Dio delivers a powerful vocal performance on ‘Mask’.  Le Roux’s Jeff Pollard (the man who led Livgren to Christianity and away from Kansas) fills the lead vocal slot on ‘Just One Way’.  The other great vocal on this album is Walsh himself with a timeless version of “How Can You Live” that probably represents the pinnacle of his career.

So nothing worth putting away in a safe-deposit box this trip, but I’ve never been to this particular store before and it was fun spending a muggy afternoon browsing through dusty stacks in air-conditioned comfort so there’s that at least.

 

This week found me in Cluj-Napoca Romania at Dusty Sounds, the small record shop of proprietor Sebastian Mărie (seen on the right in the photo below, along with two of my traveling companions). 

I was hoping to score a few regional albums that may be easy to find in Romania but are more challenging to lay hands on in the States.  Turns out I got several for little more than what the cost of postage would have been had I ordered them online (I spent a total of 175 RON, roughly 40€ or $54 USD for six records).  Comparable American albums in a U.S. record shop would cost a little less, but most of these aren’t typically seen on record shelves in the U.S. so the comparison is moot.

Dusty Sounds is the smaller of two used record stores in the region, open 10:00am through 7:00pm weekdays and 11:00-4:00 on Saturday.  The selection quantity is not what you’d see in most U.S. record stores, but this is more than made up in quality.  There is a progressive rock section, something rarely seen in the States, as well as categories for weird/unusual music, folk, rock/pop, jazz, folk, classic, DJ spinners and even children’s records.  You can find everything from Yanni to the Sex Pistols.  Sebastian was more than happy to load up anything we wanted to listen to, and even recommended several albums.  We spent a bit of time comparing both common and obscure knowledge about various bands, artists and records, something I truly miss about the heyday of used and independent record stores in the seventies and early eighties.  The location is easy to miss so look for the small overhanging sign on Str. Eroilor, then duck into the courtyard and you’ll find the doorway at #31, just past the basement entrance to a skate shop.

After flipping through the stacks and promising Sebastian to drop in again on our next trip to Romania, we wandered down to the end of the courtyard to check out Vintage Audio, a small hi-fi shop run by a friend of his (seen in the photo below).  If you make it to Dusty Sounds you almost can’t miss Vintage Audio and it is open every day from about 10:00am to 5:00pm.  The proprietor there was just as friendly and enthusiastic as Sebastian, and we marveled at several stacks of old tuners, amplifiers, mixers, tape decks, turntables, boom boxes, radios and even some older mobile gadgets like an early portable television.  Anyone looking for vintage Harman Kardon, Aiwa, Technics or Imagini Pentru stereo equipment should be able to find what they need here.  There was even what appeared to be a pre-war AM analog radio set with various European radio stations preprinted on the dial face. 

 

 

Here’s the catch, judge for yourself whether this was a fruitful trip:

FORMAŢII Rock 9 (1984)

This album is listed twice here on ProgArchives; once under that band ACCENT’s discography and again as a ‘various artists’ sampler.  Both listings have minor inaccuracies which I’ll correct at some point.  I’ve seen the album listed as a 1985 or 1986 release, but the back cover indicates it was issued in 1984.  The label is Electrecord (sub-label St-Ede), which at the time was the official Romanian state label of the Soviet era.  This of course means the cover is made of rather poor quality paper, and the vinyl is thin compared to major international labels of the same era.  The clear vinyl inner sleeve appears to be a replacement for the original, but the record itself is in quite good condition and when we played it in the store it sounded fine. 

This a split-side record, with the first side containing four tracks from the Romanian heavy-prog band Pro Musica and the reverse holding four songs from the baroque/symphonic group Accent.  I don’t carry a turntable when I’m on the road so like most the other albums listed here I’ll have to wait until I get home to play the whole thing, but four of the five ratings on ProgArchives are 4 or 5 stars so I expect to find it enjoyable.  The bits we played in the store were in the spirit of mid-seventies progressive rock, a little on the heavy side but clearly complex, energetic and ambitious.

Lume Albă – Sfinx (1975)

Another Electrecord issue, this one is from 1975 and was the debut for one of the more well-known Romanian prog rock bands.  It’s also the only Romanian record listed here that has been reissued on CD (to the best of my knowledge).  Until now the only SFINX record I owned was ‘Zalmoxe’, their most popular album and one that displays the band’s interesting blend of moderately heavy rock, pop, folk and progressive arrangements.  We played a side in the store and I found it to be just as adventurous as ‘Zalmoxe’, with perhaps a bit more Moog and more prominent guitar solo work.  I’m looking forward to spinning this one in its entirety back home.

II – Iris (1987)

Another Romanian band on the Electrecord label, one of the last issued on the State label prior to the revolution that deposed the Communists and executed Ceauşescu.  This is pretty heavy stuff, I guess it qualifies as metal although the dominant sound is the guitar play of Mihai Alexandru which is quite a bit more varied and even melodic than most typical metal hair bands.  We played an old Iron Butterfly record in the store right before this one and I was struck by some of the similarities.

Rockul baroc – Pro Musica (1988)

The same PRO MUSICA group that appears on the Formaţii record.  This was their only full-length studio release, issued in 1988 although various lineups of the group had been around for a decade by that time.  The ‘band’ was basically Ilie Stepan, a well-regarded artist in Romania, and this record included performances by Gigi Pavel who had also appeared with Iris, and Christian Podratzky who is still putting out music and artwork today.  Most of the lyrics were written by former Sfinx Marian Odangiu, who would later pen the political dirge “Timişoara” which Pro Musica recorded as a de facto anthem to the 1989 Revolution.

Emerson, Lake & Powell (1985)

I don’t really even like this album but picked this up as a conversation piece.  It’s the 1987 Soviet version produced under license of Polydor by GmbH in Germany. 

Perilous Journey – Gordon Giltrap (1977)

Didn’t need to go all the way to Romania for this one but I saw it in the stacks and thought it was worth the price.  This is arguably the most well-known Giltrap album and is the original Electric Record Company (TRIX4) edition complete with black-and-white credits/photo insert sheet.  It is in immaculate condition and I’m a bit curious how it ended up where it did, but given there were several other Giltrap records in the same bin I’m guessing there’s an aging Accolade or Giltrap fan somewhere in the rolling hills of northwest Romania.

HolyMoly wrote: ClemofNazareth wrote: Have trips planned to Atlanta, Tampa, Ithaca New York and Romania in the coming weeks and hope to discover some used record stores I haven't been to before, .... I just discovered one in Atlanta a few months ago you might want to try.  It's called "Antiques on the Square" and it's in Marietta, which is on the Northwest side of Atlanta (near where I live).   The one caveat (and it's a big one) is they sell things at pretty high prices... BUT, there's a pretty good chance you'll find just about anything rare you're looking for.   The selection is quite good, but it's a shame they tend to price things in the "collector's market" range.  Still, if that doesn't dissuade you, it's a good place to look.    Best place for LPs in Atlanta is probably Wax n Facts, in the "Little 5 Points" area in the Midtown Atlanta area.  Lots and lots of LPs, and all very fairly priced.

I'm going to be in Norcross, but I know Marietta fairly well from spending quite a bit of time there in the 90s.  Both of those stores sound interesting, will definitely post here if I get a chance to visit either/both of them.

Thanks!

Have trips planned to Atlanta, Tampa, Ithaca New York and Romania in the coming weeks and hope to discover some used record stores I haven't been to before, but this weekend it was back to Vinyl Vault in upstate New York.  A weird collection this week.  I didn't have as much time to browse as I would have liked, and two of the three vinyls ended up being more novelty than anything else.  Also picked up a couple CDs but since this is supposed to be a "record" thread I'll skip those.