I'm another one of you in the 1000s of records categories. I buy anything that looks cool.

I also DJ, scratch, and make beats so I've got 4 Technics 1200s (2 M3Ds and 2 M5Gs) and the coveted Vestax Controller 1 turntable that has pitch settings in key so you can play notes with your samples.

I've spent so many hours digging and listening and scratching with records that it's really heavily ingrained in my family. I've found records in some of the most obscure places because I'm always on the hunt.

I'm just now putting the finishing touches on an 80s mix I've been working on for years. It's all 12" single versions of songs (with extended parts that even sound better because of the way they are pressed). So, continuously mixed the 12" versions of the base songs together and then added 100s of samples from all different types of soundtracks, video game records, etc. (anything 80s). I'll try to post it here when I finish.

Wow, overseas pressing. I've never seen that one. I did find one of the early presses with the red label and the orange sleeve. About 20 years ago I came across a bunch of new old stock Sugar Hill 12"s. No Rappers Delight or the Message but there were Treacherous Three, Crash Crew and West Street Mob 12's in there. I got doubles of as many as I could. I still think my favorite is the Funky 4+1 "That's the Joint"

The whole vinyl reissue thing going on now is a blessing and a curse. It really only makes sense to buy a new reissue if the record you're looking for is rare and expensive. For example, the Twin Peaks soundtrack just came out on reissue. Originals had gotten well over $50 so the reissue becomes a "deal". In most cases its better to hop on discogs and buy the original for less, or get lucky and find what you're looking for at a used record spot.

The other nice thing about some of these reissues is I'm seeing film "scores" (not soundtracks with the popular songs featured in a movie, but scores with the cinematic music). In lots of cases the scores were never released back in the day and lots of stuff is just now being released for the first time. I guess technically they're not reissues, but they are just older music seeing the light of day way after it was made.

I just kind of wish they'd calm down on the colored vinyl. While I've found exceptions to the rule, the colored vinyl usually sounds worse and wears out faster.

The Gremlins Score just arrived in the mail yesterday. This thing is awesome! Hidden cover art shows up when you expose the cover to sunlight and hidden sleeve art shows up if you get the sleeve wet.
https://mondotees.com/blogs/news/gremlins-2xlp-free-domestic-shipping

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Oh yeah, the half-speed mastered discs are great.

The thing about hip hop is that the 12" singles were often produced in greater numbers than the LPs. There is a long tradition of groups putting out a series of 12" singles and then the album following, sometimes years later, or sometimes not at all. I prefer the 12"s to the LPs by far! A ton of good stuff never reached LP, or the remix is better and the only place to get it is the 12".

Depending on where you live, there might not be a lot of 12"s in the local store, but they are all over the place online and are super-cheap now compared to 15 years ago. Records like Gang Starr and Big L used to always run $15.00-$20.00 a pop but now I'm seeing them for $3.00-$5.00. A lot of the DJs have switched over to digital and the newer vinyl crowd doesn't seem aware or interested in the singles so the prices have dropped dramatically. If you can get to a decent shop in an urban area they are likely to have tons and tons of hip hop 12"s.

Another thing is that shop owners don't always put the 12"s out with the other records. I was in this little shop in West Virginia of all places and asked the owner if he had any 12"s. He digs way in the back and pulls out a crate telling me "nobody buys 12"s". I pulled a very rare early hip hop 12" by "Pookie Blow" out of that crate for $5 (it's worth at least $100) along with early stuff on Enjoy records, etc.

45s are the other thing not to overlook. If you are into Soul Music, 45s are where its at. The LPs were afterthoughts.

I have LOTs of experience with Shure M44-7s because I've been using them for scratching for almost 20 years. They have great tracking and a nice loud output, plus they last forever, but I'm not sure I'd ever recommend them for strictly listening purposes.

I have a mid-level Grado stylus (either green or blue I think) that I use for listening and sampling and its noticeably better than the Shure for sound quality. Now, if you want to cut it up fresh, get the Shures, no doubt.

Anyone like the Beastie Boys?

Here are some excerpts from my collection:

Haha, yes! That's the elusive "Country Mike" album where Mike D hit is head and turned into a Country Music singer.

... reportedly

I've been digging for a LONG time and I have to say that Zappa records are just not that easy to come by, especially on the cheap. One Size Fits all may be the only one I've ever found below $10. Zappa fans are just that hard core. I've got lots George Duke records though.

Your best bet is to get on discogs.com, look up the individual records/sets, and see if they have any value. Like any collectible, only certain records have much value, and the game is changing constantly. My guess, is that those records are not that valuable because symphony music is not really "hot" among collectors. If he had a huge batch of funk 7"s you'd be much more likely to have something. That being said, there are some audiophiles that are heavily into certain presses of classical music and those types of records can be really valuable.

Yep, https://www.discogs.com/Manzel-Space-Funk-Jump-Street/release/1248059

Yes, I can confirm because I bought in on LP when it first came out.

Pretty rare! They used to go for lots more money until they started repressing them.

I was once at a Beck show (this was during the Mutations tour and he was playing pretty small venues) and people were yelling out songs they wanted him to play, so I yell out "play some Wu Tang!" and sure enough, Beck goes into playing an acoustic version of Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' Ta Fuck Wit.

Hey pinside vinyl club, check out my 100% vinyl '80s Mix.

I took over 100 records and blended and scratched them all together into a continuous, hour-long pop/electro mix. Lots of 12" singles, promos, and other rare oddball records from the 80s with video game samples and stuff like that.

You can listen to/download the whole mix here.
https://www.tablist.net/audio/jbs-jockin-80s

I also did a video for the first 3 minutes where I show all the that records I used for that segment (20 or so) so you can get a visual for how all the records are worked in.

Here's the track list

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Nice. Thanks for listening.

By the way, if anybody has trouble downloading (as opposed to streaming the file) just right click on the mp3 link and it should start downloading.

I love how record store day is now saying "support your local record store, not flippers" yet still seems to artificially limit numbers which is the main thing that drives the flipping.

There are various 2 channel mixer and switcher options out there. You may also look at what are often called "direct boxes" which tends to mean any number of things but there are some that operate as limited feature mixers. The more limited options would just have plugs in and out. "Mixers" are often going to give you volume gain controls, eqs, and the ability to adjust the mix coming from each channel. There are very cheap and very expensive routes. An "A/B" switcher won't give you the ability to mix the sounds at all, just select one deck or the other. The mixer will do everything the switcher will do, plus mix (and also add any other number of features).

The other thing you could do is buy a seperate phono preamp and feed one of your decks into that. The pre-amp will convert the phono level to a line level and then you can input your turntable into one of your receiver's line-level inputs (CD, Tape, Aux, etc.). The seperate pre-amp will probably sound better than your receivers built-in preamp anyway.

I see Songs in the Key of Life in there. Does it still have the 7" that came with it?

Also, the B-Side to that 3rd Bass 12" in nice. Derelicts of Dialect!

There's a nice drum break on the track "All Day Sucker". The track is actually great too.

Derelicts of Dialect has some really nice production work by Prince Paul.

Plus it's got the line "I got stacks of LP wax".

Hmm, not any older records I can think of but Beck's "Mutations" came with a bonus 7" when it first came out, and the Beastie Boy's last album "Hot Sauce Committee Pt. II" came with a bonus 7" (a good one too).

I've always been partial to Stevie Wonder's "Secret Life of Plants" which came with a scented LP cover!

As my English friends say "bloody hell!"

Oh my god that's sick!

Kind sir, you get a pass this time but if one more person calls records "vinyls" I'm releasing the hounds!

You have me beat! Not only in size of collection but also in tidiness. I've got 2 4x4 Expedits and a 5x5, plus a bunch on the floor. I'll have to post some pics when I get a chance.

That's sweet! It doesn't give you the volume that the Expedit (or whatever they are calling them now) does, but for heavy rotation something like that is way more convenient than the square shelves. I wouldn't mind getting one of those for my heavy rotation and new arrivals.

I don't particularly like them that way either, but like MXV, there's no practical way to store the amount of vinyl I have in the front-facing shelves. I DJ so I keep a crate near my turntables that I use to access things I'm currently working with. The front-facing shelf would be perfect for that. I also like to keep new records in a separate spot until I familiarize myself with them and the front-facing shelf would be good for that too.

They have a ton of good stuff. Check out Gentle Giant too.

I've done some of this. I'm a scratch DJ so I'll often buy really poor condition records so I don't have to devalue nice copies. You can significantly clean up a really dirty record but, in my experience, it's unlikely you'll ever get it back to VG condition.

I've always used wood glue. Make sure you:

(a) don't get any on the label
(b) don't let it dry for too long (otherwise it will get brittle). You want it to be dry, but still flexible.
(c) don't go too thin, otherwise it's harder to get off.

I'm not sure I would go there with anything really valuable but if the record is really dirty then the chances of it being all that valuable are not very good anyway. It's always improved the playback quality when I've done it. For example, I had Wu Tang's first 12" (Protect Ya Neck/Tearz) (maybe a $75 record in nice shape) that was super gritty/basically unlistenable. Using the glue method actually cleaned it up so that it was listenable. There were still some pops in clicks (especially one one side where the vinyl got some damage) but the other side turned out really well.

Where it's most useful to me as a scratch DJ is cleaning up heavily used scratch records. All sorts of dirt, sweat, etc gets in the groves from having your hand on the record (we call it "handruff") and the glue will get all that out and really clean up the sound. 50-year-old worn in dirt can be more stubborn and larger debris will physically mar the grooves so those dusty old records that have been lying on the floor don't fare as well. Anything with mold or mildew is really bad too. Good luck getting that stuff out.

Copped this at Disney World at the Haunted Mansion gift shop. It's got the actual audio track from the ride and the music on the flip.

RIP the Virgin Records store that they used to have at Downtown Disney. I scored some gems there in the thick of the downturn in the vinyl industry.

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My mess at the moment.

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And some of overlooked Co-Flow ... "Krazy Kings Too" for the eve.

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That one is good because, if I remember right, it has sound effects. I have a version with an orange cover but I like your's better.

Side A is the direct audio feed from the ride. So, if you've ever been on the ride before, this is a record of what's being pumped through the speakers in the seats you ride in.

Side B has the instrumental audio tracks used in the ride. Ghostly Music Box; Otherworldly Concerto; A Swinging Wake; The Graveyard Band.

I did some searching and Disney seems to have released this on CD starting around 1999 or so in various limited forms. This may the first time it's been on vinyl. I couldn't find out much about the picture disc on the internet (one picture and that's it). Apparently they do a lot of these limited, park exclusive releases.

There is also as storybook promo LP Disney put out in the 60s and re-released over the years but that's a different thing.

I bought a new Denon receiver recently and it came with a "Heos" speaker that you can link up by bluetooth. I run my upstairs "listening" table into the receiver in the living room and then I can put the Heos speaker in the kitchen, outside, etc.

I saw the Pirates one too but didn't buy it. I probably would have if I'd had known they had the ride audio.

Yep, that is a trusty Technics SL1200 M3D that I brought up to my living room to use for listening. I've got another downstairs in storage. I also have two Technics SL1200 M5Gs (they have +/- 16% pitch sliders) and a Vestax Controller One in the basement that I use for DJing.

Don't sleep on the B sides!

I have a show vinyl that the DJ used on the Beastie Boy's Licensed to Ill tour. It has instrumentals for the album that were not ever released and it's this really hot/loud pressing. Very few of these exist because they were only used by the band during the tour. That's probably my most prized record.

Hell yeah, you've got great range in your selections.

Heck yeah, the version of "Summer In the City" on that album is my favorite. I actually had no idea all of those heavy hitters were on that album. I was listening to Billy Cobham "Life and Times" and the Stevie Wonder anthology earlier today.

Yeah, I picked that up. It's pretty damn cool.

Love that record. It got me to dig out Jazzy Jeff's record where he samples that.

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Here's a few of my recent scoops.

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Another great record! I really like that track "Love Song" on there.

They play out a lot apparently. My mother-in-law is a big fan and she goes to see them multiple times a year.

Got this in the mail today

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My latest music project is Twin Peaks Break Beats. I'm taking parts of the score and vocal samples and making "remixes".

Thanks. That's a drum loop so I didn't set the high-hat level. You might be referring to the occasional "pop" in the right channel, but that's actually not clipping. That's from a big old scratch through the record l sampled from and I left it in because I liked it sounding gritty.

I picked up the score for season 3 (it's a separate release from the one above) and it's really good too. Some solid Badalamenti on there.

I have some more Twin Peaks remix tracks in the works too.

I put this album on this morning, checked Pinside, and saw your post.

I was listening to "Silver" off Doolittle yesterday. Popped into my head and I couldn't shake it ... "in this world of strangers there are dangers ..."

My other breakfast record this morning

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I have a couple copies of this and on one of them the image on the inside of the gatefold is felt.

The only thing I can think of is more moisture, separate, then let dry. The covers are going to be damaged any way you look at it but you might end up with wavy water-damaged art vs. the art being ripped off and stuck to the adjacent record.

Get the records OUT of the sleeves first if you try this. Water in records is BAD. They get really crackly and cleaning them is pretty much impossible (at least I've never had good success). Even using the wood glue trick doesn't help much with mildew in the grooves.

My little haul for the day. "Get On the Bus" has a Tribe Called Quest rarity on it called "The Remedy" featuring Common.

Oh, and I believe J Dilla, Q-Tip and Ali did the production on the track.

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Here's why I bought the Barry White record

Check out this picture I posted many moons ago on Pinside. You may see something familiar.

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I've been looking for this one for quite a while and finally bit the bullet and ordered it from discogs.

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Found this in my Soundtrack section. I forgot I had it. I don't think it's very good but I had to buy it for obvious reasons.

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Bastards and their stickers. Sometimes they come off, sometimes they tear the hell out of your cover.

Nice, especially the original Alien soundtrack which is fantastic.

Haha, I bought mine sealed too.

Those first 4 Bob James records are so damn good. I pretty much buy everything I see on CTI and I can't say I've ever gone wrong with that. The quality of the sounds on them are just magical. I also look for the first presses with the shiny covers. So nice.

Love this album.

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I played at least 2 tracks off that album last time I DJed out.

I also have an MJ sleeper favorite that he did with Jermaine called "Tell Me I'm Not Dreamin'"

Nice, I have a pretty hefty Jane's Addition record collection too. You've got some good stuff there (Shocking EP, Been Caught Steeling 12", Stop ", Nothings Shocking with the weird vinyl sleeve ....) I regret never buying that Porno for Pyros on Wax. I think I bought that on tape. Great album. Their second one maybe even better.

Beck has another fairly deep section in my collection (mostly early stuff). So, I've been DJing forever and I recently pulled out my copy of Odelay (the one with the poster) only to remember that I used doubles of that and scratched with it (the marking stickers were still on it). Doh! It's like a $75 record now!

Beastie Boys? That's another group where my collection runs deep (probably not in a healthy way):

(You can also see my Beck "Golden Feelings" cassette in the box at the beginning)

Picked up a portable table for scratching 7" records. It's been modified with a custom crossfader, carbon fiber tonearm, and extended pitch range. I can hook my phone up to play beats and scratch wherever I want (church, funerals, barmitzvas, etc.)

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The thing is, there are only so many records you can listen to. I've got more records than time at this point. Buying in bulk just leaves you with extra junk to deal with so you might want to think about being patient and selective.

I think the best time for vinyl was the mid to late 90s. I found so many good records for reasonable prices, or free, back then. Almost nobody wanted records. Now it's like people think they're a gold mine. I've been buying dirt cheap CDs lately.

Wish I had that record!

My problem is that I like digging almost as much as listening. I'm constantly on the lookout and it's crazy where you can find records sometimes. Luckily Mrs. JB is very patient about this. We can't go anywhere without me finding a few spots.

Yeah! So much talent.

Mr. Lif and Edan together works really nice!

I've got a unique take on this because I do a lot of scratch DJing and I'm many times harder on the records than somebody who's just playing them. Generally, I've found is that black vinyl holds up better, but that's not always the case. I think it really comes down to "it depends on the pressing." I can definitely say that I have a lot of colored vinyl has picked up pops and clicks faster, and burns out considerably faster. In some cases I've got the same record in both black and colored vinyl and the colored vinyl just wears out way faster. With some records though, the colored vinyl seems to hold up just as well as the black vinyl. Go figure.

Picture discs, on the other hand, clearly don't fare as well as normal records (black or color).

Found a record signed by the man himself today.

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Good timing. I just scooped this on Saturday with the Les McCann record.

Yep. I bought one of those line phono stands a while back and easy access to the Turntable is key. I never thought it would make such a big difference but it does.

Can't beat this for a Sunday morning.

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This is the one on that album. So good.

I would just go for all of em. I bought the Police Box Set back in the mid 90s. Probably one of the best music purchases I ever made. They've got some great B-sides. I've since gone back and picked up most of their stuff on LP, 7" and 12" single. They're brilliant. I also still listen to Sting's "Dream of Blue Turtles" LP quite a bit.

I would buy that in a heartbeat based on the cover and the label.

Had to cop it

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It's a repress of the soundtrack, which originally came out in the late 80s. Mondo did the repress with new art, colored vinyl, etc. etc. The original soundtrack has the same art as the movie cover.

I ordered direct from Mondo. Check your tracking number because mine showed up earlier than they projected.

Dude, that's so sweet! Love how he signed it "Bill S. Preston, Esq."

Got to love the James Brown influence. That drum and horn combo!

This record and their first one, "The Hurting", are always in rotation in my house. They're just really really good records. I actually think The Hurting is the one that's shamefully overlooked.

Also, it would derelict of me not to share this in relation to Songs from the Big Chair
Cash Money & Marvelous "Ugly People Be Quiet"

I have roughly 3, 5x5 Expedit shelves worth of records and I oganize a lot like a record store, by genre, then alphabetically. I have a few cubes for new arrivals and a few more for heavy rotation. I try not to be too specific with the genres either.

Yeah, selling

That's a really good era for records.

I was at Disney World shortly after that film dropped and saw this at the record spot in downtown Disney. Bizzar right? It was $30 something so I passed. One of the biggest regrets in my digging history! It was finally repressed years ago. Anyway great record, and great flick. Mr Eddie's theme is the shit.

Oh Snap! I picked up some of their records while I was in Hawaii.

^

Get em while you can. Shure announced its stopping needle production a few months back. DJs went nuts and bought up all the M447s.

Scooped a Barry White record and this

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I don't know how fast this particular styli will be gone but I know the n447s we're bought up almost immediately. The 447 series are really popular with DJs and have no real alternative so maybe yours will stay around longer.

A lot of people sleep on the 12" singles. Usually they have much better sound quality than the album version and sometimes extended intros/outros/bridges/etc. Sometimes you get a nice non-album b-side too. I go to the record stores and lots of times they're like "oh yeah, I have some in a bin in the back, nobody wants them". That's where I swoop in.

I buy new stuff too.

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I picked up the first one when that came out a few years back. So good.

I found a spot in Sheppardstown that has some gems if you know what to look for. Amazing some of the stuff I've found in strange places.