Now I’m not one of those obsessed types of fellas who has to buy an LP wherever he goes, no matter the reason for, or location of, his visit, I’d just like you to understand that. That’s not me. At all. I would just like to confirm once and for all I am not one of those record collecting weirdoes.
So, anyway, there I was in Chester for the sole purpose of buying Mrs 1537 a birthday card when I found myself wandering down towards the station and Grey & Pink Records, which I probably haven’t visited for a decade. Big mistake that; the not visiting, not the visit today – that was a good thing, made even better by some very friendly service too.
After a quick 40 minute shuffle I found myself at the end of the shop with way more LPs than I should buy, so after 10 minutes of vicious deliberation I reluctantly put Uriah Heep Salisbury, Ian Hunter’s 1st LP, Roxy Music Manifesto and Joe Jackson Look Sharp! back in the racks for next time and took myself off to the counter. So here is what I did buy:
Black Sabbath: Eternal Idol
Not one I see around very much, the cover isn’t in the best condition but I wanted this to plug a gap. Plus you can see a nipple on the cover, which is top value for money in my book. After spending an exhaustive 8 minutes skimming through the tracks I can confidently say I like it, ‘Born to Lose’ particularly. I also love the story about the cover, that they couldn’t get permission to photograph the Rodin statue and so posed two models, covered them in bronze paint that they subsequently found was so toxic that it hospitalized them – now that’s rock and roll; poor sods.
Sparks: Young Girls and Beat The Clock
A band that I’ve always wanted to get into, but never quite got around to. I picked up these two 12″s from around 1980 to start my collection, because they were produced by the awesome Giorgio Moroder, Beat the Clock is on a very nifty blue vinyl/picture disc combo and the model is showing off her Gossard Glossies bra on the back cover*. I love these already, they’re ultra smart and sarcastic pop. I firmly predict these won’t be my last Sparks purchases.
The Obsessed: The Obsessed
I was astonished to see this beauty on the wall of the shop for a very reasonable price. I have wanted to get to grips with these terrifying metal ogres for years and years now**. They look the types who’d snort their dead granny’s ashes off a tombstone in the woods at midnight as a prelude to a blood-soaked moonshine-fuelled rampage … just for something to do on a Tuesday. My copy is a bit dusty but otherwise in absolute mint condition, still in the original polythene, a real snip at £20. I suspect I’ll be getting a lot of evil fun from this one.
Also picked up this week, equally accidentally:
MC5: Kick Out The Jams
I love picture discs, I remember loving at least half of this LP and I had to give my dad’s copy back to him a couple of years ago. My friend’s band, whose bassist was called James once covered the title track as ‘Kick Out The James’, it might have been funnier if you were actually there, but I laughed so hard I almost had an accident. True story.
Spacemen 3: For All The Fucked Up Children Of The World We Give You Spacemen 3
Yet another RSD 2017 release picked up for less than it was being sold for on the day – has that bubble burst folks? I’ve wanted an ‘in’ on Spacemen 3 for years now, this is their first ever recording session, used as a demo tape by them and it really is intriguing, surprisingly bluesy as well as boasting some wild psychedelic guitaring by Sonic Boom (credited as ‘The Mainliner’ here). Bear in mind this band gave the world one of my favourite ever^ LP titles Taking Drugs To Make Music To Take Drugs To.
Oh and for those of you worried about my long-term survival, I remembered to buy a birthday card too. Now I suppose I have to listen to it all.
799 Down (still)
*as identified by Mrs 1537. I bow to her superior bra recognition skills.
**okay, okay it was only really 3 days ago when HMO posted about them.
^and, in this band’s case, most accurate.
Oh! Very nice! I’m very interested in The Obsessed, too. Really love what I’d heard following HMO’s post.
I’m surprised by how few folks have Sparks on their shelves. Quality musics!
Don’t worry, I’m on schedule to review it by 2022.
A Hallmark moment right there. Holy smokes, are you sure it’s Mrs. 1537’s birthday and not yours?
I’m not familiar with any of these LPs, but the Spaceman 3 and The Obsessed are peaking my interest. I just listened to episode one on a 3 part series on black metal yesterday. It’s a podcast called The Last Podcast On The Left and it was great. Hilarious stuff but very insightful. Not sure if The Obsessed falls into the black metal category, but for the sake of argument lets say they do. I’ll be interested to hear further thoughts on that and the Spacemen 3(another band I haven’t found my way to…yet.)
Happy Birthday to the Mrs!(and get back there and grab Look Sharp!)
Nothing like vinyl shopping for birthday cards. I will take whatever reason I can to stop by. Like today is Oct 1 and I haven’t been to a shop all month. Time to rectify that.
Bewwwwbs…
Happy B’Day Mrs. 1537! (Or is that 1750 by now? Lol)
Too bad you couldn’t just get a Birthday card album. Has anyone tried that gimmick yet? I should give it whirl.
Just write ‘Happy Birthday’ across the front of a Cannibal Corpse LP, you mean?
Nice job with the shopping, you seem very focussed.
I am, once I have a mission nothing, I mean nothing, can swerve me from it.
Oh, apart from records.
I love how you go out for a birthday card and return with records too. That’s a proper shopping trip.
Kudos on the Sabbath and Obsessed! And MC5, of course.
Some great ones here, sadly not $1 per record though!
It’s true that’s a crazy deal but I don’t ever see Obsessed or Sabbath at those rates…
Kick out the Jams is on the 1001 list – I shall try to avoid having an accident when I get to it!
It’s good to be forewarned though.
So you had 50 minutes in the record shop. That left less than a minute to buy your wife’s card. I can only assume you chose the one with the most words and maybe a cute puppy on it.
P.S. Sweeeeet haul on The Obsessed vinyl. If that is an original pressing it was underpriced.
If ever an album should be treated to a re issue
I’m a very fast card shopper.
It is an original, German import copy. I couldn’t believe my luck.
Love that Eternal Idol cover. I guess it’s true that we must suffer for beauty.
Oh, I thought it was just an excuse to put some lady chest on the cover.
Nope, they’re much deeper than that. 😉
That’s just crazy talk. You’ll be telling me that Rodin guy didn’t steal the idea from Sabbath next.
Sabbath were clearly the original artists. So, only partly crazy talk.
pS. I’ve been meaning to get into Sparks for years too.
There’s a lot of that about, another friend of mine from work said exactly the same thing too.
All I can say is, lucky you aren’t the potentate of a large harem. The vinyl bills for all those birthday cards would send you broke.
A fate worse than death, I have no doubt. It was great to rediscover such a great second-hand shop so close. Years ago it was a bit too ramshackle and they weren’t particularly friendly in there, so I stopped going.
You’re close to Chester? As in walking distance?
I’ll be macho and say jogging distance, about 10 miles.
(I have only ever run that distance once, when Ronald Regan was still US president)
Impressive. Especially if Ronald ran with you.
I used to work there years ago; Chester, not the White House.
Kick Out The Jams much more than I thought
Damn fingers! I meant to say I’m finding the MC5 way better than I remember them being.
The only one I have is ‘Back in the USA’, though the one you picked up is the more famous one I believe.
The wilder one too.
A super duper bargain on The Obsessed! Pretty sure you’ll love them.
I imagine someone read my post about the reissue and sold their original to make way for it. So you’ve got me to thank basically.
Yup, some doom metal hipster type decided that if they’d gone mainstream enough for you to mention them, then were too unhip to keep.
Lucky for the shop that you’re unhip enough to want to buy it!
As I have a rare genetic condition where I was born with only 3 hips, I consider your comment to be in very poor taste!
I heard you have a terrible time trying to do the Axl Rose snakehip shimmy. A tragedy.
Which is why I can never listen to Tragically Hip. It’s just too near the knuckle.
What about Hipsway?
Nope and hip hop is a physical impossibility.
That’s actually the Little Davey Jones snake hip shimmy.
Ouch!