Weekly Vinyl Thrift Shop Haul
Having that physical connection with the music I am listening to is as important to me as the music itself. I love vinyl; I’ve been collecting for nearly a decade and have built quite the collection for myself. I try to limit my new purchases to no more than two a month — sometimes it’s more like ten — but I shoot for two. In order for me to get my needed fix without breaking the bank, I make my way to local thrift shops and garage sales. I do this at least once a week; usually, it’s far more than that.
I love crate-digging. Most of the time I wind up empty-handed. I spend hours flipping through old Christmas records, Barbara Streisand’s hits, and every Barry Manilow album ever. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gone past her Greatest Hits album; it haunts my dreams. Sometimes I can go weeks without finding anything. I’ll happily buy doubles or triples of records I already own, just because. I’ll snag a few albums I’ve never heard of due to the artwork. Even if I never listen to them, vinyl is typically only $1 or less at most thrift shops. This is a fun hobby, but I’m out there to find the rare gems. I’m not expecting to find a sealed copy of Yesterday and Today, even though that would be spectacular.
Endless Flipping
Vinyl has come back with a vengeance. It’s become harder over the past five years to find anything worth my time, but then there’s that moment where it happens. My finger glides over another sing-a-long record only to find behind it Pet Sounds by the Beach Boys, or Darkness on the Edge of Town by Springsteen. My heart drops, and my adrenaline starts to pump. I hope and dream that the rest of this stack is littered with this stuff. Sometimes it is, sometimes it’s not. It’s about the hunt, but it’s always nice to come back with a trophy.
A Diamond in the Rough
This week wasn’t even close to my best haul, but I am happy with it. For $7 I got myself a handful of great records. A few of the sleeves were a bit worn, but the vinyl itself was clean and still played well. The Miles Davis album is near mint. I’m not the biggest fan of jazz, but every now and then it’s what my soul needs.
I was very excited to get the three Skynyrd albums. I’ve only ever found two of their albums over the past decade, so to find three in one stop was pretty awesome. Snagging big-name bands like this out of crates is super rare. Lynyrd Skynyrd is a universally known and loved name; anyone digging who sees that name will almost instantly grab it. You have to be in the right place at the right time. Thankfully I was.
I also got one of if not my least favorite Elton John album. I will probably never listen to, but it’s in great shape and helps fill in my collection. I have no idea who Tom Grant is, but you can’t deny how great that cover is; who doesn’t like to see a cat playing a keyboard? I’ll probably toss that on once I’m done listening to Miles.
