Post Record Fair Digging

I took a few days off last week and amongst the things I wanted to get done was record shopping at the local opp shops. I wasn't too enthused about this, I was mainly doing it out of convenience. Do I need more records? No. Do I have an impulse drive to get more records? Not at the moment.

The truth is, the record fair really made me reassess what I'm doing with my records. Fellow Dollar Brander -M has constantly got at me for having records for the sake of having records. What is the point of having something if you never play it? If it just stays in a shelf collecting dust? After the record fair and seeing how much the records I own are being sold for (not bought for), I started to take stock. What couldn't I part with? What would I sell or swap?

With this in mind, I went record shopping. I purposely went to the opp shop that I hadn't been to in months, possibly a year. I played it cool. I circled the box like a shark circling prey. I held a few vintage tavern shirts against my chest; convincing myself I was here to buy pub-wear. Not records. I thumbed through some old books. The records could wait. I looked through the vintage glasses looking for a particular glass I'm always trying to find. No, records and I, we're not talking at the moment.

But the moment someone else walked into that room the thought hit me: They might look through the records before I do! Never mind the fact that all day people might have been rifling through that box and picked up untold gems. But for some reason I felt a slight panic as that person filed into the room. I tried to rush over the old ENZA apple box without looking hurried. Like a stilted shuffle. Like the sugar-water addicted alien off Men In Black. I was awkward.

As I flicked over the titles, the familiar chant in my head, "Got it, got it, got it, James Last, got it, James Last, James Last" - when suddenly...!

Besser & Prosser - Dark Wind/Spring Rain

As far as cover art goes, this is what I'm looking for. Look at that design! David Kent did an incredible job. But what it is? Well, it's basically Jonathan Besser and Chris Prosser going ape shit on the violin and piano. Maybe some of it is over my head but some of it I really mess with. In certain movements they're beating the crap out of the violin, or playing it with paper under the strings or strumming the piano strings inside the piano. It sounds like the sound track to this mental black & white art film my brother took me to when I was about 11 or 12. What the hell was it about? I dunno. But I liked it.

Naganuma's Practical Japanese

I picked up this tidy little 10" strictly for the cover art. Holy shit man, look at thing! Gold.

Jesse Colin Young - Light Shine

I know what you're thinking: Hillbilly Blues. A) you're right B) nope, that's it. But for some reason, nestled in between all the crap house songs and the slightly cross-eyed cover photo there is a beautiful piece of music. Now the question is: Can I keep this just for one song?

Run D.M.C - Walk This Way

If this was made these days it would be titled "Run D.M.C featuring Aerosmith" but it was made back in the day I guess. I debated whether to get this but then I thought about the fact that it had an instrumental on the B side and also the cultural significance of the single. I mean, it was the first ever proper rock/hiphop crossover song. Right? Right? I saw that one BBC documentary, you can't fool me.

Tour Of Duty Soundtrack

Fellow Dollar Branders, answer me this: There were about three or four volumes of the Tour of Duty soundtrack cassette tapes released back in the day. But for some reason I have only been able to find one album on LP. Are there other volumes on vinyl or what? Also, smartypants, was this the first time a TV shows soundtrack was turned into a chart-topping album (ie: Music From Sopranos, Greys Anatomy Soundtrack etc)? I'd love to know. Either way, this record was coverless but features a great Janis Joplin voice break and I'm sure that it's the same sample used on this song (that shit cray).

Laurie Styvers - The Colorado Kid

Truth: I bought this for the cover. Talk about bunnyish. But it turned out to have two great songs on it, very sampleable. Apart from that, it's mighty forgettable. Oh well.


I took them up to the counter and the guy said $1 each. My wife was like "Did the price go up? They used to be 50 cents?". Yup he reckons. Now, here's where things have changed. I really couldn't care less. $1 was a bargain compared to the $55 Richard Clayderman records I'd seen at the record fair the weekend before. Bring it on! So I got them.

Fast forward to the next day and I picked up Steely Dan's Royal Scam and the self-title Rikki Lee Jones album for 25 cents each. That's the karma for not haggling over $1 records I think.


Thanks for reading. Bonus mix:


Run D.M.C
Laurie Styvers
Jesse Colin Young
Naganuma
Besser & Prosser
Tour of Duty

PS: Turns out I was wrong about that Fat Joe sample. Oh well, next time.