cd

#1151: An Egg of a Deal: End of August Scores

RECORD STORE TALES #1151: An Egg of a Day: End of August Scores

I have a coworker whose parents recently passed.  This is always sad, but the time came for my coworker to purge her mom’s music collection.  Periodically when this happens, people come to me to ask my opinion.  Essentially, she wanted to know:  “is there anything here that I shouldn’t take to the local Beat Goes On because it might be worth more?”  She didn’t think much of her chances, but wanted to be sure.

“Sure, I’ll pop over and have a look,” I said.  “I can’t promise you anything but I can at least have a look.”

That was good enough for her.

“I bet I find a bunch of Lawrence Welk!” I joked to Tim Durling and Jex Russell.  You know the kind of record collection I mean.

Indeed, I did find Lawrence Welk in the very first box of vinyl.  I had a laugh and kept digging.  To everyone’s surprise, I found things that might indeed have been valuable, and they had no idea how it got into that collection.

First of all, she had a really nice stack of 78s.  Big Crosby was the first one I saw.  I have no idea on value of 78s, but this were stored well and all seemed in good condition.  It might have been my first time handling a stack of 78’s like that.  They are thicker than an LP, and much heavier.  They require a special stylus as well as a turntable that can go up to 78.  I used to have that equipment.  She even had a cylinder, whether Edison or a competing brand, that was out for professional appraisal.  So, this collection I was looking at had these formats:

  • LPs
  • 45s
  • 78s
  • Cassettes
  • 8-tracks
  • CDs
  • and one cylinder

Pretty wild scope.  The genres were all over the place, from easy listening and country (the usual suspects) to disco, jazz, oldies, and even progressive rock and heavy metal, as you’ll see.  This, I did not expect.

Then I spied an album called Egg.  Something about it jumped out at me.  I flipped it around and there were black and white photos of long haired guys jamming.  That struck me as out of place in this collection, so I set it aside.  Somebody looked it up, and it can sell for easily over $100.  Everyone seemed really impressed by my ability to sniff this out.  I am no expert, folks.  Not at all.  But it looked out of place, which is why I took a second glance.  It turns out Egg were an English progressive rock band, and the album was released in 1970.  Very surprising, but they felt that this one find justified me coming over and looking at their records, so I was happy.

Original price:  $6.99

I found some things I wanted for myself and made an offer.  I left with the following titles:

  • Guns N’ Roses – “You Could Be Mine” 1991 Geffen cassette single.  I own it on CD, but never on cassette.  Why not?  In this day and age of owning everything on every format, why not?
  • The Best Of ZZ Top 1977 Wea Music cassette.  A staple, but one that I somehow have never owned before on any format.  Stone cold classic compilation.
  • John Williams and the Boston Pops – Pops In Space 1980, Philips, made in Holland.  This contains music from some of Williams science fiction classics:  Superman, The Empire Strikes Back (which was brand new in 1980), Star Wars, and Close Encounters.  I haven’t seen this one before.
  • Oscar Peterson – The Trio – Live from Chicago 1961 Verve/1986 Polygram CD.  My second Oscar Peterson score this summer.  You rarely find Oscar in the wild, and never this one.
  • Johnny Cash – His Greatest Hits, Volume II 1971 Columbia 8-track.   This was the Cash album I grew up with in the car with my dad, albeit on cassette.  This cartridge is in great shape, and resides in a bright red shell.  This is my first red shell 8-track tape.

When I called my dad to tell him of my musical scores, he was surprised at the 8-track.  While he clearly remembers that Cash album, he asked me “Do you have anything that plays an 8-track?”  This is a common question that we collectors get.  No I do not.  I don’t have a way to play a Minidisc, a DAT, or a DCC either but I would love to have some in my collection.  My collecting desires are no longer strictly just to have music to play.  Now I collect music I can’t even play too!  Just to have a piece of history.

After we completely examined the collection and left some advice, I departed with my treasures.  Since we were in the neighbourhood, I decided to visit the old Toys R Us/HMV store.  There, I finally decided to pick up Iron Maiden’s Powerslave on vinyl, edging me closer to completing the 1980s collection.  Now, all I should need are the first two Di’Anno albums (I think).  Powerslave was $36 and hard to pull the trigger on, since I can distinctly remember a time when Sam the Record Man was swinning in new copies for $6.99 each, and that sticks with you.  I finally have it now.

A successful Saturday.  Time to listen to some music!

Ooh! Aah! Do you wanna see some Def Leppard CD Rarities with @RockTheseTweets and @2Loud2OldMusic?

It’s always a special night when I see something on the show from a guest’s collection, that I never saw before and want very badly.  That happens periodically…but on this show, it happened on every round!  This was a classic “random and chaotic” Grab A Stack of Rock episode and one of the most exciting to date.

First of all:  thank you to John T. Snow of 2Loud2OldMusic for powering through illness to be here on this night.  “I didn’t want to miss this,” he said, referring to the mighty Def Leppard collection of megafan Chris Preston.

Second:  thank you to Chris from @rockthesetweets for sharing your awesome collection with us!  The “oohs!” and “aahs!” from John and I were audible multiple times in this show.  Chris had CDs of many varieties:  3″, Japanese 3″, promo, French, German, US, video…so many kinds.  Not shockingly, he also had one track that seems to be exclusive to a promo CD for “Action”, that I do not have.  I anticipated that would happen.  Adding it the “wantlist”.

John had some cool bootlegs, singles, European releases, and plenty more stuff that made Chris and I jealous.  There were some live shows he had from the mid and late 1990s that are highly desirable.  He also had recordings from earlier times, such as the Pyromania tour and the Pete Willis/Frank Noon years.

As for me, you know I have Japanese imports, including two that the other guys didn’t have.  I also had some singles from the Hysteria era to show, a 24k gold Mastersound CD in mint condition with original jewel case, and my original CDr that provided the live tracks heard on Def Leppard Rarities Volume Four, with the original cover I made on my parents’ printer back in the day.  This is the original CD that Def Leppard used for music on that collection.

I can’t thank these two diamond gents more for doing this show with me tonight.  Definitely some of the best stacks of rock ever seen on this show!

Next week:  Deep Purple Album Ranking with Ryan Gavalier, Sunday Sept 1 at 8:00 PM EST!

Def Leppard CD Rarities with @RockTheseTweets and @2Loud2OldMusic

GRAB A STACK OF ROCK With Mike and the Mad Metal Man
Episode 68: Def Leppard CD Rarities with @RockTheseTweets and @2Loud2OldMusic

This has been a meeting long in the making.  For years, I have admired the music collection of Chris from MyRockAndRollHeaven on Twitter.  In particular, Chris is a Def Leppard collector, and I believe his collection is one of the best in the world.

Finally the stars have aligned, and we have Chris tonight on Grab A Stack of Rock.  Since his collection is so massive, we decided to narrow it down to rare Def Leppard on CD.  Singles, Japanese imports, EPs and more will be shown tonight.  Joining us as co-host will be fellow fan and collector John Snow from 2Loud2OldMusic!  He is currently in the midst of a Def Leppard review series, so this lines up perfect.

What will we see tonight?  The rarest of the rare Leppard on CD.  Don’t miss it.

 

Friday August 23 at 7:00 P.M. E.S.T. / 8:00 P.M. Atlantic.   Enjoy on YouTube or on Facebook!

VIDEO: Deep Purple =1 Super Deluxe Box Set Unboxed by Mike and the Mad Metal Man

Here it is: One of the biggest rock album events of the summer! We have the Deep Purple =1 Super Deluxe Box Set in hand, and we go through all its contents. Have a watch.

VIDEO: “Bang!” It took Mike 35 years to get this rock CD…

Some albums just fall by the wayside.  Here’s a CD that came out 35 years ago, and I just never got around to.

This album, from a new hard rock band, was on my radar due to involvement from some people in the circles of Bon Jovi.  It was scarce in these parts, either unseen on the shelves of local stores, or left sitting in favour of other purchases.

Another thing about the summer of 1989 is that there were few quality record stores at the cottage 35 years ago.  Now, I just have to find what I want on Amazon, and new music is on its way to me while I wait for it on the front porch.  Absolutely amazing.  Tell that to 17 year old Mike in July ’89!

 

#1141: 100 Years Old and Counting! Weekend Report – Parties Complete, CD Re-organizing Continues

RECORD STORE TALES #1141: 100 Years Old and Counting!
Weekend Report – Parties Complete, CD Re-organizing Continues

It’s official!  Grandma turned 100, and she had not one but two parties.  Seems appropriate given the circumstances!  It was a whirlwind of a weekend and difficult to sum up.

Friday afternoon began with a reunion of cousins!  I have not seen Cousin Geoff in over 10 years and I swear he is still growing.  I gave him a big hug, and the chitter chatter did not cease for the entire time.  It was like no time had passed, even though we had so much to catch up on.  He’s now a dad with two kids.

That day, we had a birthday party at the home for Grandma.  She was fashionably late, as is her right.  She received some nice gifts and plants, but was not impressed with her letter from King Charles.  The plants she got from people she knew meant a lot more than the King.  I am sure that Charles is now weeping at this rejection.  He certainly tried!

Funny thing about 100th birthdays.  They are very difficult to find cards for.  In fact, Grandma received three identical cards due to lack of selection!

We had a barbecue for family that night, and resumed the 100th birthday party the following day.  This party was for family only, which didn’t stop a couple people from the old folks’ home from trying to gatecrash!  I can’t say I blame them.  The food and cake were incredible.  The cake was probably the best I ever had, while I also stuffed myself with six sandwiches.  By the end of the celebrations, I think I was as exhausted as Grandma.  But that wasn’t the end of the weekend for me.

Who knew that a 100th birthday party would be so exhausting?  I’ve never even met a centenarian before, let alone partied with one.  I can tell you that centenarians like cake.

As for me, I had CDs to file.  I bought a third shelf, assembled it, and began filing.  I am done A and B, moving onto C.

It feels good to have all of A and B on shelves again.  I keep finding the odd A and B within the rest, but we’re getting closer every week.  I’m going to buy a couple more shelves in the near future, but here’s what the situation looks like this week.

I have also repaired my Metallica Live Sh*t box set lid.

It’s not perfect, and you can see the glue from the inside easily, but it’s solid again.

Things are finding themselves in order again, though it will likely take the rest of the summer to get everything organized again.  Which is good, because when Grab A Stack of Rock returns for its 3rd season in the fall, I’ll be really ready to grab stacks of rock once again – in alphabetical order!

Next party:  mine!  Join us Friday at 3:30 PM EST. Let’s keep it rolling.

#1121: A Look at the New CD Section at the Old Toys R Us Store [VIDEO]

 A sequel to #1119:  The Olde Toys R Us Store Sure Has Changed…

 

RECORD STORE TALES #1121: A Look at the New CD Section at the Old Toys R Us Store

Lo and behold!  CDs have joined their vinyl brethren at the Toys R Us Store!

They are filed with the same lack of attention and care, but they have arrived.  Deluxe and super deluxe editions?  Yes.  Deleted items?  Also yes.  Value?  Sometimes?  The prices were scattered from deals to ripoffs.

Pricing is a problem across the board, but keep in mind, they did beat the Beat Goes On across the street on some vinyl pricing on last visit.  It’s hard to tell if some prices were real or a mistake.  On vinyl, the new Beatles single, for example, on black 7″, was $32 bucks.  The same price as their cheapest Iron Maiden long-player.  They wanted $130 for their Whitesnake Still Good To Be Bad box set.   Other boxes, like Thick As A Brick by Jethro Tull, were moderately priced in the low $30s.

Joining the CDs were DVDs, Blu-rays, and TV series box sets.  They had picture discs and collector’s editions.  I just hope the section continues to grow, and improves in execution, instead of withering on the vine.

For a detailed look at everything I scored at the Toys R Us music section, enjoy the short video below!

 

 

Mike and Aaron go to Toronto: The Complete Series + More

If you weren’t following back from 2012 to 2019, you may have missed all the Mike and Aaron Go to Toronto excursions!

From 2012 to 2015, Aaron and I went to “Taranna” every year to go hunting for CDs, records, books and more.  We always made our regular stops:  Sonic Boom, BMV and Pauper’s Pub.  Some years, we hit up shops like Kops Records, Paradisc Bound, and Moonbean for coffee.  I missed 2016 and 2017 to go to TF Con in Toronto instead.  There are only so many dollars!  Aaron and I returned in 2018, at the behest of my late mother-in-law, who was dying of cancer.  “Go with your friend,” she insisted.

After her passing, Jen and I decided to spend the summer of 2019 at the cottage.  We were not able to go at all in 2018.  We made up for lost time, but in 2020 the pandemic hit!  Aaron and I were not able to return to Toronto together since.

I always documented and edited these trips into videos.  I recently compiled all these videos (and some bonus stuff) into two live streams that you are able to watch below!  Both streams have bonus footage!  The first has a musical unboxing from Aaron.  The second stream has a brand new chat with Aaron that you have never seen before!

Aaron and I will be returning to “Taranna” in 2024.  Watch this space…

#1114: Music Groups / Party Poopers

RECORD STORE TALES #1114: Music Groups / Party Poopers

They say it’s not about size, but I do have a pretty big music collection.  I guesstimate at around 6000 CDs at present.  Because my goal in collecting music is to acquire physical copies of “all the official tracks” by the bands I like, I do have a lot of rare discs in my collection.  Primarily, Japanese imports with bonus tracks.  I don’t go out of my way to buy multiple copies on multiple formats (though I still do) and I don’t shell out big bucks for anything if I already have all the tunes.  I don’t buy cassette reissues, I don’t worry about vinyl variants.  I just want a physical copy of “all the official tracks”, be they remixes, live, or whatever.

Because I have so many rare CDs, twice in 2022, Tim Durling asked me to guest on his show Tim’s Vinyl Confessions.  We did two episodes on rare CDs (#351 and #390).  I showed off a number of my imports, but because my music is so scattered around the house (a whole other story), I missed a few.  Some I didn’t even think of.  I mean, I could have grabbed every Japanese import in my house, but instead I grabbed a few dozen of the closest ones with obi strip intact.  They just look cooler that way.

Fast forward a year to summer of 2023.  While relaxing one Saturday afternoon at the cottage, I was ambushed by Tim and John the Music Nut, as they tried to coerce me into buying some Y&T CDs.  Their methods worked, and I ordered Black Tiger, UnEarthed Vol. 1, and the DVD On With the Show.  However, Tim was flabbergasted when the subject of “Go For the Throat” came up.  “You need the 2006 reissue of In Rock We Trust,” cautioned Tim, “because, aside from the Hear N’ Aid CD, it’s the only place you can get that track on CD.”

“I have Hear N’ Aid on CD,” I responded.

“WHAT?”  Tim was absolutely floored, flabbergasted, and perhaps a little betrayed that I had never brought this fact up before.

Hear N’ Aid, of course, was a project produced by Ronnie James Dio in 1986 to raise funds for famine relief in Africa.  It was released on cassette and LP, with a 7″ and 12″ single too.  There was a documentary on VHS, and sources report there was even a very rare CD single in Japan (found on a Japanese music auction site).  In 1986, there was no compact disc release.

This changed in 1994 when a limited Japanese CD was released overseas. It was deleted again shortly after.

“Mike…that has to be one of the rarest CDs you own!  Why didn’t you show it off on my show when we did rare CDs?”

The Music Nut concurred that it was very hard to find on CD.  It didn’t occur to me.  I acquired it for about $15 many years before, from “Gum Chewin’ Conrad”, a customer of mine at the Record Store who always sold Japanese imports (no obi, unfortunately).  I also had a cassette (in a Thunder Bay landfill now) and vinyl, but the CD was the only thing they cared about.  A few days later I posted about it on Facebook, and Reed Little from the Contrarians immediately jumped into the comments, remarking on my rare treasure.

There must be some issue with record labels and estates, considering the artists involved.  The Hendrix estate is already a tangled affair, and there was a Jimi song on the album (“Can You See Me”).  The album also contains rare live Kiss, Scorpions, Accept, Dio, Rush and Motorhead.  The song “Stars” recorded by the supergroup Hear N’ Aid, had members of Motley Crue, Dokken, Journey, Dio, Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Quiet Riot, Twisted Sister, Blue Oyster Cult, Queensryche, Night Ranger, W.A.S.P., Y&T, and solo artists such as Ted Nugent and Yngwie J. Malmsteen.  Even Spinal Tap were involved.  You can imagine, this must be why Wendy Dio has struggled so long trying to reissue the album.

In recent months, I began dipping my toes into the murky world of Facebook discussion groups.  The best, by far, is Jamie Laszlo’s Let’s Get Physical.  I enjoy the Rock Candy Magazine group.  I also joined a couple Facebook CD collector groups.  The experience was, to say the least, mixed.

I discovered one property that I will declare as an axiom:  there is always a party pooper in any Facebook music discussion group.

Disclaimer:  When I collect, I don’t care so much about value.  I care how much I spend for music I want, but not resale value.  I am also not an audiophile and tend not to get along well with diehard audiophiles.

I decided to post my Hear N’ Aid CD in the Rock Candy music group and see what the reaction was.  My caption was “Some folks say this is the rarest CD that I own,” which is 100% true.  Folks do say that.

There were over 500 reactions, and only two negative comments.  Negative comments, sadly, are as constant as the north star.

“It’s not that rare,” said the first Negative Nancy.  “There are copies on Discogs right now for as low as $50, and there are 17 copies available.”

Thanks.  Go buy one, then.

The other Negative Nancy wasn’t happy with the sound quality on the CD.  He complained there’s a low hum throughout the disc.  He showed me some kind of graph.  I told him I was very happy with my disc, and I enjoyed listening to the music and never noticed a hum.  He told me I never really listened.

I get it, everybody wants to say their two cents.  Most people were very cool and posted pictures from their own collections.  From about 500 reactions, there were about 10 to 15 people who owned the album on CD.  Most had vinyl, cassette, the single, or a VHS tape.

I left one CD collector group immediately, when all the comments were either focused on value or sound quality.  I stayed in another group, despite two weird comments.

“Crappy pic…more disc, less face next time,” said one guy who couldn’t read the title and never heard of the zoom feature.

“This CD is mastered from the LP,” said another guy who had no evidence for his claim.  “Wendy Dio doesn’t own the masters and the reissue will also be taken from vinyl,” he insisted.

Weird folks in some of those music groups, I’ll tell you.  The audiophiles reminded me of dealing with those types in my Record Store days.  Guys who could hear things I never could, and get angry because I couldn’t.  Music collectors are by and large an amicable group of nerds, but there’s always one or two ready to rain on your parade.

 

 

 

 

“Hella” Great Show? Too Much Music Part 3 on Grab A Stack of Rock!

A huge thank you for watching this show with me last night!  It so happens that John and Henry in the comments are currently buying Alice Cooper albums, and I showed off a few of ’em on this show.  In other timely circumstance, I also had on hand a rare Slash CD, in time for Slash to put out his new video on the same day, for “Killing Floor”!  Lots of great stuff happening in music right now.

In this episode we also looked at the very obscure “Vinyl Disc” format with a release from the Hellacopters.  We dove into huge chunks of Deep Purple, King’s X, Faith No More, and Marillion.  Indeed, when it came to Purple and Marillion, we ran into live album after live album, which simply have not received the time and attention they deserve.  Why?

Too much music.

I hope you enjoyed this show!  Look for a new episode of Rock Daydream Nation featuring John Clauser and myself this weekend, and a live episode of Grab A Stack next Friday.  Cheers!