Revolution in the Head

I trust that everyone had a nice Record Store Day yesterday? Good. I enjoyed mine as well, thank you for asking.

Some previous commitments kept me out of the stores until very late in the day. Because of this, I wasn’t able to complete a full trip around “The Circuit” like I had hoped, but I was still able to drop into two or three of my favorite shops and perform a customary flip through the bins. It was Red Onion Records & Books that had me reaching for my wallet on this particular day. I somewhat randomly settled on the selections below, though I easily could have doubled my pile and then some. It’s maybe a good thing that I no longer live within walking distance of this fine establishment.

Nilsson, Aerial Ballet
Harry Nilsson’s second album, released in 1968. This is an original issue and is fantastic shape. I’ve had a cd copy of Aerial Pandemonium Ballet, which is an odd studio amalgam of Nilsson’s first two albums Pandemonium Shadow Show and Aerial Ballet (confused yet?), but have always been curious to hear the original albums themselves. Fact: there isn’t anybody on this earth who doesn’t enjoy Harry’s wonderful rendition of Fred Neil’s “Everybody’s Talkin’”.

Video: Harry Nilsson, “Everybody’s Talkin’” (1969)

XTC, White Music and Drums and Wires
I’m not entirely sure why I finally opted to buy two of XTC’s first three records on this day. These records are hardly rare; in fact they are practically fixtures in the used bins. And why did I opt for the bookends White Music and Drums and Wires, but passed on the released in-between Go2? It could be because Ivan played “Statue of Liberty” at the last Heavywax and it sounded downright revelatory. At any rate, I’ve always considered myself more of a Skylarking/Oranges & Lemons/Dukes of Stratosphear XTC-fan, but that was more out of ignorance than an actual educated preference. I look forward to finally exploring their earlier, new-wave roots.

Video: XTC, “Statue of Liberty “(Live, Old Grey Whistle Test, 1978)

A brief break from the musical content to plug something that is certainly near and dear to our hearts: tomorrow, Saturday April 19th is Record Store Day (formerly defined in these parts as “every Tuesday”).

It’s no secret that the record store is an endangered species. You don’t need a blog to tell you that fewer and fewer people are buying actual LP’s and compact discs. MP3’s have their good and bad qualities, but there are still those of us who remain happily stuck in the middle ages. Our computers will never replace our stereos and those digital files will never take the place of a beautiful slab of vinyl. I’m veering into soapbox territory here, so maybe I should stop.

At any rate, should you wish to participate in this special event and you live in the DC area, listed below are some of the fine establishments, all locally owned, that deserve and appreciate your custom.

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The following stores comprise what I affectionately call “The Circuit”; they are all easily accessible from each other by foot and each offer their own unique reasons for visitng. For vinyl lovers, nothing beats a lazy Saturday afternoon stroll/pillage through The Circuit.

Som Records :: www.somrecordsdc.com
1843 14th Street, NW, WDC

Red Onion Records & Books:: www.redonionrecordsandbooks.com
1901 18th Street, NW, WDC
(10% discount on sales this Saturday)

Crooked Beat :: www.crookedbeat.com
2318 18th Street, NW, WDC
(free grab bags for the first 50 paying customers; one grab bag will contain a $20 gift certificate)

Smash! :: www.smashrecords.com
2314 18th Street, NW, WDC
(10% off all music sales this Saturday)

DJ Hut :: www.djhut.com
2010 P Street, NW, WDC
(10% of all vinyl & cd’s and a raffle to win a Numark portable turntable)

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Vinyl freaks looking for treasures that are off the beaten path are advised to find their way to the following:

Orpheus Records :: www.orpheusrecords.com
3173 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA
(currently in the midst of a going-out-of-business sale, with deep discounts of up to 50% )

Joe’s Record Paradise :: http://www.joesrecordparadise.com
1300 East Gude Drive, Rockville, MD

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Still buying cd’s? Me too. You don’t have to give your dollars to Best Buy, Barnes and Noble or Borders. The following stores all continue to offer great selections:

Melody Records :: http://www.melodyrecords.com
1623 Connecticut Ave, NW, WDC

Olssons Books & Records :: www.olssons.com
1307 19th Street, NW, WDC
(free swag and live performances from Vandaveer, These United States and Revival)

CD Cellar :: www.cdcellar.net
709 B-West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA
(new Arlington location coming soon!)

CD Warehouse:: www.myspace.com/thinkinground
3001 M Street, NW, WDC
(new Arlington location coming soon!)

Tonight marks the return of HEAVYWAX, our monthly vinyl-only dj event, co-hosted by ivaner.

Ivaner can’t be with us this evening, as he is traveling somewhere in the southern hemisphere, but I’ve asked our good friend Les, aka The Pin Striped Rebel, to help out in his absence. I’m excited to hear what gems Les has to offer. And, being the newcomer that I am, I’m hoping to get a few spinnin’ tips from a seasoned pro, to boot. Should be a fun night. For me. Hopefully for you too!

Come join!

/////////////// HEAVYWAX
/////////////// WHEN: Friday, March 14, 9:30PM-2:30AM
/////////////// WHERE: The Hotel Bar (Upstairs), The Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H Street, NE, WDC

/////////////// NO COVER

HEAVYWAX occurs monthly, every second Friday, at the Rock& Roll Hotel.

It should go without saying: one of my favorite activities is record shopping. By record, I mean, LP. By LP, I mean long playing vinyl record, of course. Getting new music in any format is exciting enough, but I’ve been concentrating much more on my vinyl collection of late. This was really precipated by two recent developments: the acquisition of a decent turntable last year as well as the recent regular dj gig, for which my partner and I have adopted a strict 33 1/3 and 45 rpm-only policy.

There’s nothing quite like the thrill of hitting the used vinyl bins. You never know what you might find. Some days you come up empty-handed; other days you hit jackpot. It’s always an adventure. I took in a pretty decent mini-haul this evening. Listen out for selections from these this Friday night at Heavywax.

Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood, Nancy & Lee
Originally released in 1968, this is their seminal and influential debut. This copy appears to be a German import. Think of a more off-kilter Johnny Cash and June Carter. I’m mostly excited that I finally have a copy of “Some Velvet Morning”.

Big Star, Big Star’s Biggest
Coincidentally, another German import collecting songs from the band’s 3 LP’s. Never seen the vinyl edition before. I actually had this collection on CD, before I ever owned and got familiar with the proper albums. Despite its relative unavailability, it’s a great overview– perfect for the unitiated. And perfect for me to cherrypick favorites from while djing. Bonus points: this is pressed on beautiful white vinyl. (Note: this actually may prove to be a bit of a hazard for cueing, but it sure looks pretty spinning on the platter at home.)

The Who, Meaty Beaty Big And Bouncy
Sensing a trend here? That’s right…another collection of singles. I actually don’t own any Who on vinyl, so this seemed an obvious place to start. The tracklisting is flawless. (Caught a bit of Amazing Journey: The Story of The Who on VH1-Classic the other night. Must remember to add to Netflix.)

The Sugarcubes, Life’s Too Good
A high school favorite. Haven’t played this in awhile and am looking forward to hearing how it stands the test of time. I’m thinking “Motorcrash”, or possibly “Delicious Demon”, might sound kinda tasty Friday night.

Midnight Oil, Diesel And Dust
I’ll stand by the trifecta of Diesel And Dust, Blue Sky Mining and Earth And Sun And Moon any day. Another relic of my high school days. I reacquired these on cd semi-recently– you know it’s a high school album when you originally had it on cassette– and can vouch for the durability of each.

Elvis Costello, High Fidelity
Been going through a bit of an EC/Nick Lowe-craze lately. This is actually a 12-inch single on the F-Beat label. From the unimpeachable Get Happy! album, of course. I’m making a habit of buying just about any EC on vinyl that I can find. I’m particularly excited to hear this because I’ve heard the British mastering is superior to the domestic. Plus, one song-per-side-12-inch singles sure come in handy when you’re djing.

Sex Pistols, Never Mind The Bollocks, Here’s The Sex Pistols
Needs no explanation. The vinyl feels nice and thick, by the way. They don’t make them like they used to, do they?