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Cheap used LP's: They're still out there!

I often read or hear people complaining about the sky-rocketing prices of used LP’s. Albums that used to be available for a coupla bucks (or even in the dollar bins) now selling for twenty or more. I can’t speak for the rest of the country (or world), but that’s not true here in the Northwest.

For instance: Twice a year or so Music Millennium in Portland has a sidewalk sale, selling thousands of LP’s for $2 each. MM opened it’s doors in 1969, and after all this time has kept it’s counterculture vibe intact (you can almost smell the patchouli oil ;-). To make room for incoming LP’s, the store marks down some $5 albums to $2, and it’s not all junk. Yesterday I found the following LP’s, all in VG+ or better condition (many Mint/unplayed):

- Gordon Lightfoot: Summer Side Of Life.

- Ry Cooder: Jazz (backup copy).

- Cindy Lee Berryhill: Who’s Gonna Save The World?

- Linda Ronstadt: Simple Dreams (backup).

- Barbara Streisand: Live Concert At The Forum (engineered by Bill Schnee).

- Maria Muldaur: s/t (backup).

- Buck Owens: Best Of Vol. 2.

- T Bone Burnett: Trap Door (yet another backup copy),

- Mark O’Conner: Elysian Forest.

- The Dave Clark Five: Glad All Over (mono).

- The Rumour: Max.

- 10cc: How Dare You!

- The Ben Vaughn Combo: Beautiful Thing.

- Barefoot Jerry: Southern Delight (drummer Kenneth Buttrey’s name should be familiar).

- Beethoven: Missa Solemnis, Bernstein conducting The New York Philharmonic.(2 LP’s).

- and for a buck: Joe Ely 12" promo 45 of "What’s Shakin’ Tonight?"

 

$31 out the door, about the price of one new-release LP.

 

128x128bdp24
bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
9,494 posts
 

@larsman: Yeah, The Rumour were great. Graham Parker's albums with other bands aren't nearly as good as those with them. And then guitarist Martin Belmont went to work for Nick Lowe, playing in his band for quite a while (he was with Nick when I saw the latter live in the late-90's). English (and Welsh) musicians are an incestuous lot. ;-)

I used a Discwasher from the time it was introduced in the mid-70's (before that it was the Cecil E Watts Disc Preener. How's THAT for an English name!), then got a Nitty Gritty when it was introduced in the 80's. But it was the VPI RCM that finally gave me LP cleaning I was satisfied with. I now use an HW-17 in conjunction with a DIY ultrasonic. I don't buy LP's in less than VG+ condition, but ALL used records can use a good cleaning. 

qdrone
1,039 posts
 

Try Estate sales

MFSL BREEZIN by George Benson

ORIGINAL DIRTY MIND by Prince

Both Mint

$ 2.50 a piece 👍

larsman's avatar
larsman
1,764 posts
 

@bdp24 - sorry, just saw that post. Yes, Welsh musicians are most certainly an incestuous lot; were you ever into the Man band and the other related Welsh hippie/psychedelic musicians from the 70s and 80s? I was, very much, and got to see Man several times; they liked playing in San Francisco, where they often jammed with their hero, John Cippolina... 

kennyc
1,198 posts
 

Garage sales, used good stores, used book stores, eBay.

bdp24's avatar
bdp24 OP
9,494 posts
 

@larsman: I was unaware of Man when they were active. It wasn’t until their drummer Terry Williams became involved with Dave Edmunds (another Welshman) that I learned of them. I don’t remember them coming to the Bay Area (I lived in the San Jose area until mid-’79).

I saw Cippolina live once in ’68 (when he was in Quicksilver), at a small club in Sunnyvale. A local San Jose hero---Jim McPherson of Stained Glass (two albums on Capitol Records)---joined Cippolina in Copperhead, whom I never saw or heard. I’ve been meaning to get their debut album. Jim died quite a few years ago, but Stained Glass drummer Dennis Carrasco is still around. In 1967 I was in a band with his brother Bobby.

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