There are many such examples in a year spend tirelessly scouring dusty flea markets, attending packed Record Shows, or carving out time while travelling aboard for work or pleasure. The HUNT for vinyl is never-ending! But there are SIX special vinyl records that stand out in a year where I added 1420 records to my expanding collection (almost quadrupling it in one year vs. previous 35 years of selective collecting).
Top Six Vinyl Record Finds of 2012:
1. English Beat, I Just Can't Stop It (Sire, 1980)
The actual vinyl is in just VG+ condition, but what distinguishes this from all the rest is that the cover is autographed by each of the six band members (corresponding to the silhouette of their faces in iconic cover). Are you kidding me?? My All-Time favourite LP signed by my All-Time favorite live Band!!! I did not have the pleasure of witnessing the signing of the LP, but possessing this copy is the next best thing!
Funny thing is that I almost foolishly passed it up. After a long day of discovering a new Retail used vinyl store in east end of Toronto, I stopped by Sonic Boom and found this unique record. I hesitated due to the $15 price tag and the fact that I had just that day purchased a Near Mint copy of the same record. I left the store without purchasing it late Saturday night.
When I got home, doubts started to surface surrounding my decision to pass on this one-in-a-lifetime signed album cover! What the heck was I thinking? I blame it on hours of record hunting fatigue in a new store! I asked my wife her opinion on the matter, and she was unequivocal! ARE YOU NUTS? I must mention that she does not share the same degree of passion for vinyl records as I do. But on this topic she was quite adamant. I immediately called back Sonic Boom the following Sunday morning, to learn that it was not there! Oh No!!! Was it sold or misplaced? I had to find out! I drove in a panic, covering the distance in record time. I rushed to the Ska/Reggae section, initially could not find it, but after frantic searching found it wedged behind the display record. How did it get there? Who cares! I OWN IT now!!!
2. Television, Marquee Moon (Elecktra, 1977
This record has assumed legend status over the years. Original CBGB darlings, Richard Hell leaving over conflicts with Tom Verlaine, universally critically praised LP, but a dismal commercial failure. Hence the difficulty in finding any vinyl copy of this landmark recording. Very few purchased this record! I vaguely remember seeing a copy at the community public library that I worked as a teenager. My good friend and work buddy Santino Bellisario has confirmed seeing the elusive record at same library. How did we miss this post-punk masterpiece with quasi ‘American Gothic’ cover art? It was under our nose and had no idea of the greatness we were dealing with!
I was even told by a vinyl record aficionado that it would be next to impossible to find one (outside of a few for sale on internet, which I refuse to purchase). Well, lo and behold! I informed my favourite Retail used record store owner that I was looking for this record. Presto! He found a Near Mint copy by November from one of his regulars selling vinyl. I paid $20 for my second most prized vinyl find in the past year! I have already listened to this record multiple times straight through without skipping a single song. Even after 35 years, this LP is like no other, with unique singing, poetic lyrics and stunning dual guitar playing. The title track is a stunning 10 minutes long and was released as a single over two sides! This album is simply a masterpiece!
3. New Order, Movement (Factory, 1981)
I am proud to say that I purchased all the original New Order records when they were released, all domestic releases and Extended Play singles, including famous 'Blue Monday' with the unique but so expensive package that nearly bankrupted Factory Records. Well, that is what I assumed. I always thought that the EP titled 1981-FEP313-1982, with the stunning 'Temptation' single, was the first record. However, I learned this past year, via Wikipedia, that I was in fact missing their all important debut album. This p***ed me off. This was amongst my favourite bands during the evolving synth dance music explosion of the early 80s. And I wasn't even aware of their debut LP!
It was only by pure luck that I stopped at a small boutique highbrow downtown Toronto record store, and reached down at the hidden back of the 80s music boxes. There I found a pristine collectors copy, listened to it thoroughly in the store provided turntable and gladly paid the $30 cash for this hard to find copy with the simple artist cover. What makes this record a delight is that it marked the transition for the surviving band members of Joy Division (formerly Warsaw) to the newly incarnated New Order. The German WWII motifs in the band name selections were no accident. The sound is early industrial, dark and de-humanized. Sounds a lot like Joy Division. Was this record a homage to Ian Curtis? Perhaps, but it marks the final chapter. This debut record sold few copies, like Joy Division LPs at the time. Which makes it highly sought-after. And I now own a copy that appears to have been played but once or twice! How lucky!
4. The Undertones, All wrapped Up (Ardeck, 1983)
Don't let the bizarre, disgusting album cover turn you off to what is arguably one the best all-time single and B-side collections of any band. Even the band distanced themselves from the creative 'genius' who thought it would be a good idea to dress-up a lovely model in various types of meat and shrink-wrap it on her body. What the heck was he (it could not have been a she) thinking? Yummy, sausages around her neck? Just in case she gets hungry!
The 30 songs included in this double record collection span four albums from the Irish power punk/post-punk band. There are 13 singles on the first record (with original 45 covers nicely depicted on inner sleeve) and 17 B-sides, including all 4 songs from the Teenage Kicks EP that caught the attention of John Peel. The first two LPs featured driving, relentless, machine-gun anthems that rivals anything by the Ramones. The songs were generally about girls, sex, chocolates and cars. Typical Irish teenagers trying not to be drawn into the 'Troubles.' The vinyl is a UK import in Mint- condition. Needless to say, this Ardeck record is very rare find in Canada! I stumbled across it at an October Toronto Record Show, and paid a very fair $15 for the double LP!
5. Skrewdriver, All Skrewed Up (Chiswick, 1977)
What a great story surrounding this unique record! I discovered a local flea market with a massive vinyl record collection. I mean massive! It took me 5 separate visits from 10am-5pm to get through the 100,000+ vinyl buried in nooks and crannies. It was a labyrinth maze but a record hoarder's heaven!!
The most fascinating find over the 5 visits was a record in such decrepit shape that I initially passed up on it. But the cover was so unusual and band name so intriguing that I returned the following weekend to pick it up. The record was in such poor condition, that I was not expecting to be able to play it. It looked as if they used it as a Frisbee on concrete pavement. Deep surface lacerations, and oil stains in one corner. Where the heck had this record been? If only it could talk! I cleaned the vinyl with 50% alcohol solution, and held my hands to my ears as I placed the needle to the vinyl. To my outmost shock, the record is playable and the intense static between songs only heightens the appeal of this surprising outstanding original punk record on the famous UK Chiswick label. In addition, the 13 track LP can only be played on 45 rpm! The price was FREE as even the owner felt bad about the terrible condition of the record.
Strange history with Skrewdriver. They stopped recording completely after the debut LP release.....until 1984, when they were resurrected as an extreme White Supremacist skinhead hardcore band. The original lead singer, Ian Stuart Donaldson, died in a car crash in 1993 under mysterious circumstances. Definitely not my cup of tea, so to speak! But the first version of the band recorded an original punk rock LP that stands up surprising well!! Good luck finding a copy!!!!
6. Plastic Bertrand, An 1 (Vogue, 1978)
Who is Plastic Bertrand, you may wonder? A Belgian musican who released one of the most recognizable new wave classics, "Ca Plane Pour Moi." What you don't recognize the song? Perhaps you may have heard the English version of the same song popularized by Elton Motello? No, how about the Damned? Still doesn't register? The song is "Jet Boy Jet Girl." REALLY! Listen to the two songs side-by-side and try convincing a music patent judge that they are different.
Although the melody is identical, the lyrics couldn't be any more different. The French version is gibberish (my wife is French Canadian and is very familiar with the artist and song), while the English version was well .... a little controversial. Judge for yourself:
