Garage Sale Records
After having lunch with Petra, we stop at a nearby Goodwill store for a quick look inside. Of course, there is a bin of vintage records and of course I make a bee line for the bin.
Petra smiles. So, that is why he wanted to stop into the Goodwill!
Big surprise...
The bin contains three rows of records, each stacked thick with a couple of feet of possiblities. In the first row on the left, I quickly score a double album set of Neil Diamond, Double Gold on Bang Records.
The sepia toned cover - or is it faded gold? - is composed of a slightly enlarged Benday pattern, like a monochromatic Roy Lichtenstein painting or a Warhol. The dot pattern is slightly raised making the album cover tactile.
Pretty cool. Neil Diamond is a guilty pleasure, nothing I dared listen to back in the day, but now, why not?
No risk of possibly appearing cool anymore!
A few minutes pass and a guy steps up to the bin and starts rifling through the right hand row of records. I recognize him, but can't place him. I ask him if he is looking for anything special and he looks up, recognition in his eyes. I suddenly recall who it is. It's George, who has a record garage sale out of his Highland Park house periodically. I went once, by chance, and found some great records, including a couple of Michael Bloomfield solo disks. I make a mental note to check my database to see what else I found there. I remember it was a great sale. Apparently, George has these sales quite frequently,in warmer months, but I don't know when. I quickly give him my card, with my email on it, and ask him to please let me know when his next garage sale is!
He promises to put me on his email list.
George goes on to explain that he has about 15,000 records in his garage and needs to weed them out, that is why he has garage sales. I ask him what he is looking for today, and he says, this and that.
We chat for a few more minutes and then George leaves the store. We are both smiling about our encounter.
Back to the bin, I tackle the middle row, or what I shall now refer to as the motherlode! Not for everyone, but I find some interesting records, at least for me.
There is a sealed copy of Willie Nelson's 1982 Grammy Award winning album, Always On My Mind. He also covers Whiter Shade of Pale here.
There is Don McLean's 1976 Solo double album live set.
There is the Righteous Brothers' This is New! from 1965 on Moonglow Records. In really good playing condition.
There is Duane Eddy's Twangy Guitar - Silky Strings that includes Unchained Melody and Love Me Tender.
Swee-eet.
There is Tommy Roe's 1966 Sweet Pea album that includes the title track hit as well as a a kind of pop rock cover of the Stones' Under My Thumb and a sappy version of the garage rock classic, Wild Thing, written by Chip Taylor, Angelina Jolie's uncle. It is a mono disk, and probably worth more than the $1 I pay for it. (It seems to be selling for about $15 in good used condition online). But, I am not buying it as an investment - no, no, no.
I just want to hear what he does to these classic rock tracks.
This record is a lot of fun.
There is also John Klemmer's Touch, a classic 1975 jazz rock fusion record with Klemmer's sax and Dave Grusin on Fender Rhodes keyboards. In a beautifully designed cover by Norman Seeff.
Finally, there is the Bee Gees' 1971 classic 2 Years On, on yellow Atco. One of my favorite Bee Gees songs, Lonely Days, leads off side two.
I nee-eed this record.
Of course, I can't resist any of these. And the price is very right.
So, stop in to your local Goodwill and look around - and check out your neighborhood garage sales, like George's.
You never know who you might bump into, or what you might find.
For instance, upon leaving the store, we bump into my sister, who we haven't seen for a while.
And then, down the block, Alison, who we had just been talking about.
You see, her dog and my dog are buddies, too.
I still (59 now) love a great garage sale, even though I've spent way too many hours rummaging through endless boxes of petroleum waste to ever want to admit. What I truly miss, were the days of the remainder bins, which could be found in just about any department store, electronics store, furniture store, etc. The sheer volume of classic, obscure, unusual, and sometimes downright laughable pieces of vinyl that were unearthed for less than $1 still boggles my imagination. Most of what you find now, are bins with discs that were produced specifically for the "cutout bin" but are not actually cutouts. Yes, there was plenty of mob activity surrounding cutouts back in the days of vinyl, but a hungry vinyl freak either wasn't aware, or if they were, didn't give it a thought.
Just a sampling of new, sealed albums that I came across, all for less than a buck, and many, considerably so (5 for a $1 sales etc.)
James Brown-Think (on King)
Easybeats 1st two albums scored on the same day, at the same place, for .50 each.
Dr. West's Medicine Show & Junk Band (Norman Greenbaum-Spirit in the Sky-) odd little jug band's only album, but a personal favorite because my guitar teacher taught me several of the songs.
Every Kinks LP up to and including "Arthur" at 3 for a buck.
!st Moby Grape w/ Doc flipping the bird in front of the washboard.
Louie & the Lovers-Rise (great album)
A libraries worth of great R&B and Soul, from early Doo Wop to 70's funk. I discovered so many greats (Howard Tate, James Carr, Bettye Lavette, Chris Clark) and filled in missing albums by the more well-known.
Not to mention a boatload of VA albums, which, of course, introduced me to an endless array of artists that would keep me searching for years.
I ended up spending 30 years working for a local music distributor as a buyer, and as a store manager. Can you say "enabler?"
I truly admire those hearty souls that brave the endless disappointment of the garage sale blues, and I wish they could all spend a day in a 60's/70's department store armed with a couple hundred bucks and a two-wheeler.
Thanks for your blog...it keeps people like me from feeling like misguided relics. Happy hunting.
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Thanks for your wonderful comment. Glad I can help....
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Happened upon your blog today. i think i go to the same goodwill in EB, NJ. Found some cool stuff there. one of the guys that works there once solicited me for his record sale when i was buying a bunch. i imagine he gets first pick of the good stuff.
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Great site and love your eclectic taste in music!
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