This is part 3 of my vinyl series. Lets be honest though, I'll probably talk about vinyl again at some point. Here are my tips and thoughts on buying vinyl:
Don't buy old albums new, first presses are ideal
I hate seeing this. I hate seeing someone buy an Elton John album new for like 20 dollars when you can get a used one for less than 5. Or buying Beatles albums new (and lots of people do as evidenced by Abby Road always sneaking on the top 10 most bought vinyl lists every year). Maybe its just me but I'd rather have an earlier pressing, with first pressing being ideal. Just the idea that the record has been around so long and is still playable is amazing to me. I like the cracks, imperfections, and that old unremastered sound. Having an original copy of an old record is like finding a dinosaur bone, you dust it off and admire it.
Plus it just seems lazy to up and buy a new copy. The elbow work is the most rewarding part, to be honest. I really want a Ramones album. I could easily buy a copy at any record store new but that feels cheap. Side note, one of the coolest finds I've come across is a Rocket to Russia test pressing complete with original factory papers.
However, there are exceptions. Say an original or early copies are almost impossible to find. This happens a lot with alternative bands from the 80's and up (especially the 90's when vinyl was being phased out). For example, The Unicorns are rereleasing their album Who Will Cut... on vinyl and original copies of that album are pretty rare. I'm definitely picking that shit up as fast as I can. Or something slightly more minor like a copy of Joy Divisions Unknown Pleasures (which I have an original copy of, whateves), its a hard album to get and won't show up at most places so I can see buying this one new (for the record, pretty cheap new. Around 14.99 and worth it). Pretty much what I'm saying are records that had small original pressings, cult favorites, and unappreciated albums are on the table.
Buy eccentric types of music
Something that vinyl does is that it makes music you usually wouldn't be into sound alright because of the overall feeling of the vinyl experience and how its outside how people usually listen to music at the moment. I recently bought an album by Washington Phillips and its legitly one of my favorite things to listen to, despite it being a gospel album sung by one man and his homemade instrument. I don't listen to orchestras but I will on vinyl because it just feels fancy. I hate listening to music with a non-english speaking singers but I'm totally buying a copy of Francoise Hardy's debut album next time I go to Acme. Pick up some Bossa Nova shit or something. Some Celtic Folk. I guarantee that you'll love it when you put it on. You won't like it anywhere else but this stuff will be your shit on vinyl.
Rap is great on vinyl
I guess the title of this section really says it all. Maybe its because it conjures up images of a DJ spinning wax at a club or maybe its because rap is more lyrics based which comes through on vinyl a lot more.
The cover
Album covers are important because they are going to be alllll up in your grill due to the large size of a record. What I do is imagine my future kids rummaging through my old collection and seeing a cover that catches their eye, like how Leonard Cohen's Songs of Love and Hate catches my eye. It can't look overly cheesy or two much and it always has to fill the entirety of the cover. Green Day's Dookie has a great cover! I bought it mostly because the cover is awesome. In contrast, I am very close to having all the Arcade Fire albums but I whenever I run into their album Neon Bible, I can't buy it because the cover doesn't translate that well to vinyl. The black looks like an off black, probably due to the lighted lines that border the album, but that small detail makes me unable to buy it.
Also on a related note, I prefer gatefolds. They make a record feel more put together than just a regular sleeve.
Pre-order
Vinyl preorders are fun. A lot of artists have special limited edition presses that are colored or something cool like that and become quite the collectors item. So if your favorite band is releasing an album in the future, I recommend checking to see if they have a cool deal going on. The Hold Steady announced their new album and they had a limited edition gold vinyl and they quickly sold out (I got my copy). Usually they are a bit more expensive, especially if you include shipping, but if your a fan I think its worth it. Gaslight Anthem is a band, for example, that have great deals like that. They are both releasing a picture disc with 3 extra tracks and a white and red splatter disc...pretty cool stuff.
Don't buy something that is too produced or glossy.
I usually don't like to buy vinyls from big artists on major labels because the sound is pretty produced and glammed up, which takes away that fun vinyl-y sound. Its like hey I might as well be listening to a CD. One of my favorite albums is Midnight Organ Fight by Frightened Rabbit, so when they announced a RSD release of it, obviously, I picked it up. It just doesn't add anything new by listening to it on vinyl. In my experience, you'll get this effect with more of the fad bands, say like, Smallpools or The Neighbourhood or Daughter.
Don't buy off Amazon, go to a store and save a few bucks
A lot of time, Amazon will overcharge on vinyl (shipping included) so recommend finding a nice record store. A chain most likely will have lower prices, whereas smaller stores have to overcharge to stay afloat. I bought Sylvan Esso at Acme and spent 20 dollars on it but at The Exclusive its sold for 14.99. On the flip side, however, I find that smaller stores have lower prices on used items because the store owner has to use common sense and he is most likely a seasoned collector. A recently bought one of my favorite albums of all time Passover by Black Angels on vinyl for 13 dollars, a miracle given its hard to find for lower than 20 since its a double and gatefold (am I obnoxious yet?)
Have a list of dream vinyl and never let go of them
If you want to have this be a long-term hobby, make a dream vinyl list. It'll keep you searching and interested in the format. Your heart will skip and your arms will spasm in embarrassing ways when you find one of your dream albums. It'll keep you going. Always on the look out. Just some of my dream ones are:
The Coroners Gambit by Mountain Goats, Both albums by The Drums, Go Tell Fire to the Mountain by Wu LYF, New Wave by Against Me!, The first three Hold Steady albums (I'd go bananas if I got my hands on them), Why There Are Mountains by Cymbals Eat Guitars, Zen Arcade by Husker Du (cheap!), Dub Housing by Pere Ubu, an original Rain Dogs by Tom Waits, Struggleville by Listener, Her Jazz by Huggy Bear, Blinking Lights by Eels, an original Rodriguez record, and Small Talk at 125th and Lenox by Gil Scott Heron.
20 dollar and over
If something is over 20 bucks, be sure the benefits outweigh the cost. Usually the more expensive ones are albums that are either in limited quantity (the Mowglis) or a big name artist (Conor Obert's newest is like 28 dollars). The limited quantity ones are obviously on a track to become collectors items, but you also run the risk of it becoming a bargain bin album 10 years down the line since it could be limited run because they're not a big name and will remain that way. The big price for big name artists, I find, maintain their value pretty well over time. You'll see this in older albums a lot. After the Beatles had a slew of great albums, they released Sergeant Pepper and I'm not sure but I'd say that one was probably a "upper 20 dollar album" (quotations because record prices weren't that high back then) because there's a good chance of running into early Beatles albums used but a Pepper is a pretty rare thing to find and when it is, its more on the pricey side. It maintained its value because it was probably a big hit pricey album so not everyone grabbed a copy so eagerly. Thats my theory, I could be wrong because it was a super important album from the worlds biggest band so obviously it was bought. Pretty much what I'm saying is that there's a reason some albums are priced so high. By the way, I got mine from a garage sale but it was in rough condition and the owner just wanted everything gone.
For me, I prefer minimalist vocal works
I feel that more vocal works translate better to vinyl, bangers tend to get pretty messy and don't match the ambience of what I'm usually going for. Plus a lot of the faster paced albums I have usually skip so maybe that taints my attitude a bit. Here's an example because I'm using a lot of examples anyway: I have an original copy of Passion Pit's first album,which sounds a little less glossy and not as maximalist as their second, and it's a pleasure to listen to. Their second album though is more hook laden and loud and doesn't translate that well to vinyl. Plus they were annoying and made it a double lp and its such a bitch to have to change the record after 3 songs.
Albums with longer songs
Albums with long songs are nice because where the hell are you going to go, you have to listen to them haha. And appreciate them. They're more tolerable. Out in the world, short catchy songs are ideal because the world is always hustling and bustling so your music has to keep up. On vinyl, you're stuck in a room. I bought Arcade Fire's newest and most of the songs are long and that album is amazing on vinyl. Honestly, that album is a great vinyl album. I remember buying that album, getting back to my apartment, and just dancing crazy to it. You don't mind the length of the songs because you get caught up in it.
Final note because I don't think I have another tip, my standup debut it coming up on Wednesday. I literally don't know if my jokes are funny because I've been repeating them to myself for the past month now. I'm funny conversationally, but I have my reservations about being the center of attention without having somebody to bounce off of so hopefully this works out. I don't feel like I'm nervous. It could be that I'm not thinking about the actual day or it could be that I'm just not nervous. I mean, I've done presentations in school and those usually just turn out to be me doing stand up anyway. I like feeling nervous though, to be honest. It makes you feel alive, like its great to feel something so much that your voice trembles as well as your body. I probably won't win, obviously. I'm having enough trouble just getting 5 people to come lol. It'd be nice to win that prestigious 20 dollars though, you know, just so I can pay for my drinks there aka they have pricey drinks. Eh, plus if I win I'll have two more sets I'll have to come up with by the end of the year. I'm just hoping I don't bomb.
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