Vinyl Blotter, Vol. 1

I go to record stores a lot. If you know me, you know this. There is a singular rush I get, the thrill of finding that perfect record, when I walk in the door. Sometimes I'm looking for something specific, but more often than not, I go in with an open mind and see what I find. The following are some of this week's finds:

1. Hymie's Records
Hymie's Records, off of E. Lake Street, has been in business for as long as I've been alive. But in exciting news, they just opened the doors to a new location, 5 blocks away from their old store. I never went to their old store, but their new one already has that disheveled yet organized feel every record store worth its salt should have. Large, vintage speakers spewing warm, vinyl goodness all over the store from a Pro-ject Debut II turntable (the one I have!) and vinyl spills out every nook and cranny. How did I not know this vinyl utopia existed? For one, blame my recovering, sheltered suburbanite self, -- I'm just now discovering the plethora of great record stores not named Cheapo we have in this city (Treehouse, Roadrunner, Shuga, etc etc.). But the well-stocked Hymie's may be my new favorite. It's not really in a trendy part of town, which I think suits records stores just fine. They should be a destination, not a place you stop off at on the way to Chino Latino. Hymie's will now be a regular  destination for me. Great selection, great vibe, great prices. Where have you been all my life?

2. The Rolling Stones "Beggars Banquet" @ Hymie's

Most Rolling Stones albums in record stores today come from the unfortunate period in many great 60's/70's bands: the 1980's. Nothing is ever really in stock from bands' heydays either because people smartly hold on to these albums or because finding them in good condition some 40 years hence proves to be a difficult task. But my new favorite record store happened to have this album today, to my delight. At first, I thought it was some sort of bootleg -- the album art I'm most familiar with looks like this:

So I was confused when I saw the spare "Beggars Banquet" album staring at me. Apparently the toilet graffiti cover was nixed by record execs (the fools) and the spare, White Album-ish cover was chosen for the original release instead. Beggars Banquet comes from my favorite period of the Stones' career and kicked off a run of albums (Let it Bleed, Sticky Fingers, Exile on Main St.) over the course of four years that may be paralleled only by the Beatles (Rubber Soul through Abbey Road) and Led Zeppelin (Led Zeppelin through Zoso (or maybe Physical Graffiti if we're feeling charitable)). It's bluesy, it's country, but most of all, it's rock.

3. B.B. King "Back in the Alley: The Classic Blues of B.B. King" & "20/20: Twenty No. 1 Hits from Twenty Years at Motown" @ Hymie's
If you visit me at my apartment (please do!) I will be occupying one of two rooms: the living room or my bedroom. Really, besides the bathroom, that's all my apartment has to offer. But I have a record player in each room. In the living room, you'll find my Pro-ject turntable (with a Grado Green cartridge), my custom made (thanks Dad!) transmission line floor speakers, and my Pioneer (soon to be replaced with a Marantz!) receiver. This is the good system. In my bedroom, you'll find an old receiver, bookshelf speakers, and a donated record player (thanks Uncle Herb!). I reserve the bedroom system for older records that I can just play in the background. Well, this is the room the B.B. King and Motown albums were headed for. Until I listened to them. "Back in the Alley" has some really great music on it, from "Paid the Cost to be the Boss" to "Lucille," a song written about his beloved guitar. The Motown album has classic singles from the Jackson 5, Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, and Stevie Wonder. I might put it next to my Supremes Anthology for when I'm feeling all Motown-y. Point of this entry: sometimes the cheapest, "throwaway" records are really the hidden jewels, ready for the big show (the living room player) kind of like Wilson Ramos.