5th of July Pickups

As I mentioned earlier, I am indeed leaving D.C. and headed back to Minneapolis. Vinyl-wise, I'm excited to do some digging at my old favorite shops. But I'm quite sad to be leaving CD/Game Exchange, which I've mentioned a number of times on this very blog, mostly because I tend to go there and find great stuff all. the. time.

So, despite the heat today in D.C., I biked on over to CD/Game Exchange this afternoon and found out there was a 20 percent sale going on. You didn't have to tell me twice, and I left with seven great albums, five of which are pictured above.

Here are the pickups:

• Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass -- Going Places
• Frank Sinatra -- Strangers in the Night
• Ella Fitzgerald and the Tommy Flanagan Trio -- Live, Montreux '77
• Kiss -- Alive (!!)
• Talking Heads -- Speaking In Tongues
• Black Giants -- Compilations of jazz featuring Armstrong, Ellington, Davis, Monk, Gillepsie and more.
• Ella Fitzgerald -- Newport Jazz Festival, Live at Carnegie Hall '73

Now, I realize Kiss is way out of place on that list. But, I used to have Alive on TAPE when I was younger, and as I was looking over the sleeve and the full-color photo book that came with the record I knew I was going to buy it that very moment. Who could pass that up, honestly?

Anyway, once again, CD/Game Exchange pays off. It'll be too bad when it's no longer a short bike ride away. But, I plan to keep talking about how great it is here at least until I leave -- truth be told, I almost bought a store T-shirt today, but opted to buy more records instead of the shirt. It was the best choice, I imagine.

Hopefully sometime this week I'll have a great, thoughtful opus on D.C. record stores before I leave -- but, honestly, I report and write for a living. This blog, the more work I put into the writing and so on seems more and more like work every day. To that end, it might not be so great, or thoughtful, this opus I'm talking about. But, I hope to have something. Until then, I'll be listening to some great jazz, big band and 70s-80s glam rock/new wave to pass the time. Sounds good to me.

Hi. I'm Jake, and I'm a vinyl addict. (Hi Jake)

"Just when I thought I was out... they pull me back in."

So, it's not Godfather-worthy, mafioso stuff here, but I had been taking a break from buying records at the pace I had been since I had been spending quite a bit of money and Record Store Day drained me of valuable cash reserves.

Well, that lasted until Friday, when I picked up the new Black Keys album 'Brothers.' Then, today, since Emma's in Florida, I figured I'd go check out CD/Game Exchange in Silver Spring. I hadn't been there in a while. Kinda missed it.

But I wasn't sure I was going to buy anything. That was, of course, until I got inside. Right away I found a copy of The Beatles Magical Mystery Tour in great shape, complete with 24-page color booklet and for $8. Wasn't going to pass that up.

Then nothing else really caught my eye. There were a few things, here and there, but nothing I felt I had to get right then and there. That was, of course, until some guy came in with a stack of vinyl he was selling to the store that I overheard Sam (manager) describe as "some great stuff." As I made my way to the counter, I found a stack of records that weren't even priced yet.

Ultimately, I ended up with Jimi Hendrix Electric Ladyland (complete with the controversial and rare UK cover art featuring 19 nude women which is described here) in mint -- and I mean mint -- condition. That was $16, but totally worth it. Then I found The Specials' self-titled first album in great shape for $10. (Sam also mentioned that The Specials are from his hometown in the UK and used to hang out by his grandma's house, but at 12 years old he was too shy to say anything.) Great pickups.

So, what started as a trip just to stop by ended with three great finds at a good price. And that's really what's great about CD/Game Exchange. I've been to too many places where they stock a lot of new vinyl, or there's so much that it's overwhelming and there's really not that joy in finding something you didn't expect. But a few times in a row now, I've gone into CD/Game Exchange and found nothing but greatness. I recommend you try it out if you're around.

ALSO: Apparently the Takoma location has vinyl marked down and, perhaps, a bigger selection that Silver Spring. I haven't been there, but probably will make a point to check it out soon.

In praise of CD/Game Exchange (Again)

I realize I've written a lot about Silver Spring's own CD/Game Exchange here, but as long as they keep giving me reasons to do so, I'll keep doing it. This time, it (again) involves technology, some great deals/finds and me finally getting my hands on The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan that I've been looking for since... well, since I started collecting records.

It started Thursday morning when I got a direct message on Twitter from Sam at CD/Game Exchange letting me know they had some new items in. This, of course, was less than a week after Record Store Day, during which I spent way too much money on records and had pledged to take a break. I was going to pass it up. Then Sam, who later told me he had saw a post of mine about searching for Freewheelin', said they had that record in, and he'd hold it for me for a day or two.

It was a matter of hours -- after work, to be precise -- and I was biking over to CD/Game Exchange to take a look at the new acquisitions and pick up Freewheelin'. I know it's like a broken records (PUNS!) but this is yet another example of the benefit of small, independent businesses, particularly record stores, and the wonders of technology. The end result? Some great new records, and one I had been looking for for far too long.

Thursdays' pick-ups (pictured above):

• Santana - 'Amigos'
• Elvis Costello and the Attractions - 'Imperial Bedroom'
• Bob Dylan - 'Nashville Skyline'
• Bob Dylan - 'The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan'
• Eric Clapton - '461 Ocean Boulevard'

Crate diggin' in the new world redux... In praise of CD/Game Exchange

Getting back to our more regularly scheduled blogging, it dawned on me today that I've neglected to praise Silver Spring, MD's own CD/Game Exchange enough in this blog. The story of how I came to realize this ends with me returning home after a day of work with the albums above from Stevie Wonder, The Beatles, Grateful Dead, Doobie Brothers, Lou Reed and Jimi Hendrix, but there's more to it than that.

Monday night, I saw on the store's Twitter account that it had gotten some new 70s rock vinyl in stock. I inquired, natch, and was told there was some 60s rock as well, including Beatles, Hendrix and Doors. Well, that peaked my interest. Unfortunately, I had to work the next day -- it's a give-and-take relationship, with work funding the collection while work gets in the way of the collecting. So Sam at the store made an offer: he'd hold back some of the new arrivals if I could come in some time that day before 8 p.m.. My response? Absolutely.

I eventually made it to the store after work, and there was a glorious stack of vinyl waiting there. And there were some great finds, some of which I bought (listed above) and more that I'm sure would've disappeared rather quickly if just thrown out there. While looking and buying the records, I got to talk with Sam there a bit. I mentioned how I was from Minneapolis, just once, when he'd been to First Ave. as a roadie. He added that since everything closed earlier, they later went to a "huge gay club" -- "they served beer, so it was good" -- which I assume was the city's (in)famous Gay 90s.

But it was nice experience, and first time I really got a sense for the people behind the counter, so to speak, even though I'd been to this shop a handful of times. The stores I frequented in Minneapolis were big, with a lot of employees and customers and I never really met anyone working there, and that's understandable. But this little shop right outside the District of Columbia has some great records there, especially if you follow its updates on Twitter and/or Facebook and get in on some of the early stuff.

It's especially impressive considering records aren't even what they specialize in -- by that I mean they sell all kinds of stuff. I heard someone ask if they sell Sega Dreamcast games today (yup, Dreamcast, man), and I'm fairly certain I've seen some Super Nintendo games/hardware around. There are also used CDs, tapes, skateboards, T-shirts, stickers, books... and it goes on.

Really, it's just a great place in my mind, and I always appreciate a store willing to let customers know what's in stock before you head over -- something that's especially unusual when it comes to used records, since stores aren't the best on keeping updated inventory. D.C.'s Crooked Beat Records is probably the best I've seen (and they ship!). Oh, and that store's Twitter page is here.

Anyway, as much as I enjoy an hour or two on a Saturday hanging out at record stores, it's great to hear from the store when some new stuff comes in and just swing by too. Being able to hear from the people who run it is an added -- and equal -- bonus, and I look forward to getting to know more about the store and the people. In the short-term, though, I'll be checking CD/Game Exchange's updates on new merchandise, and I'd recommend you do the same.

Saturday buys... Greatest Hits edition

If it's the weekend, I'm probably either headed to, returning from or at the record store. Today, I stayed close to home and checked out Silver Spring's CD/Game Exchange, a favorite of mine for random used records and for the fact that it's close by.

And it paid off. Here's what I picked up:

Simon & Garfunkel -- Greatest Hits
Clapton, Page and Beck -- White Boy Blues 2xLP compilation
Cat Stevens -- Greatest Hits
Neil Young -- After the Gold Rush
The Byrds -- Greatest Hits
Santana -- Borboletta

That's it for now. It's sunny and 73 (!!!!!!) in Washington today, so any further posts are not on the to-do list, to say the least.

Crate diggin' in the new world

In the first post on this blog I touched on the irony of blogging about collecting vinyl records. Today, another very 20th-21st-century moment.

Sitting at this evening I saw on Twitter and Facebook that Silver Spring, MD's CD/Game Exchange had some new vinyl in stock. In this case? Unnamed Hendrix and Led Zeppelin.

Being that the store's a short walk/bike/drive away from Wax Fanatical World HQ here, I decided I had to check it out. I'd been regretting passing up on the Led Zeppelin since I was at Smash! on Saturday. On I went. Short story shorter, I got Led Zeppelin II and IV in perfect (I mean perfect) condition for $8 and $12, respectively. That's what I call a good deal.

This case just shows a strange scenario: For me, vinyl is great, and I dislike MP3s except for their ability to catalog and mobility. But that doesn't mean technology hasn't had been a huge help with the collection. I've been back in touch with a friend from high school who collects vinyl and blogs about it. I follow various vinyl/music blogs and record shops on Twitter such as the Vinyl District, Music TAP and D.C.'s Crooked Beat records. Not to mention, it can help find some great records.

Now, go get your Twitter/Facebook/social media/crate digging on.