Mikael79

I went to Amoeba once, with about an hour to kill, and that proved to be a huge mistake. I was so overwhelmed, I didn't buy anything. An hour is about enough time to go through a few letters of vinyl, let alone the whole store.

Why So Blu?

Yeah, I almost went this weekend but forgot that it was the last weekend before christmas and the freeways and stores are a mess. I'll wait until next weekend to go and dedicate an entire day to it.

Supermallet

The trick with Amoeba is to look for a few items you know you want. If you browse with nothing in mind, you'll spend the rest of your life there, and most of your cash.

Dan

My daughter has taken a liking to our vinyl collection. She keeps pulling out my "Thrice - Alchemy Index" set, and she keeps poking at "The Antlers - Hospice" because I left the plastic wrap on it, and she likes how it feels. That's the one she's touching with her pointer finger in this picture.

Geofferson

^ Nice

Supermallet

A friend of mine from out of town wanted to go to Amoeba, so of course I had to pick up a few items for myself:

Aretha Franklin: Aretha Now (original issue)
Joni Mitchell: Hejira (original issue)
John Coltrane: Live at the Village Vanguard Again! (reissue)
Duke Ellington: An Explosion of Genius 1938-1940
Diana Ross/Marvin Gaye/Stevie Wonder/Smokey Robinson: Pops, We Love You (12" single)

And then I went on discogs and ordered the 12" single of Let's Go Crazy backed by Erotic City (Prince, obviously).

Rocketdog2000

I still have all my original 12", 45's, as well as a few imports, from all the singles released off of Purple Rain. I was a bit mad for Prince at the time.

The extended version of "Let's Go Crazy", which was also the one featured in the movie, is still my preferred version of the song. Lot's of great b-sides from these singles, too. "Erotic City", of course, being one of his all time best, but "17 Days", "God" (particularly the instrumental version) and "Another Lonely Christmas" are all pretty ace, too.

Supermallet

I kind of avoided Prince's 12" singles up till now, because I knew I'd want all of them once I got one.

CRM114

I picked up a few items:
Television - Adventure
Television - Foxhole 12" red vinyl
Days of Heaven soundtrack $1
Dylan - Street Legal (this album is pretty brutal)
Jenny and Johnny - I'm Having Fun Now (clear vinyl)

Joni and her meh pickup band with Pat Metheny and Jaco Pastorius.

islandclaws

Oddly enough, I almost always leave empty handed when I go with an agenda. If I want it, they're out of it.

But when I go and just browse for a few hours? Goodbye, Ben Franklin and some of his twins.

Supermallet

What I usually do is I say, "I'll get two jazz records, two rock records, and two soul records" or something like that.

islandclaws

Dropped into Factory Records in Costa Mesa today. Man, that place is seriously the size of a dressing room, but Dave has some very choice stuff at great prices.

Scored a first pressing of Type O Negative - Slow, Deep and Hard that had "WHBC 6/10/91" in marker all over the front, back, both sides of the label, and both sides of the insert. Obviously an old radio station copy. Luckily, was able to get it off the cover and back with alcohol, and they aren't so bad on the insert. Kinda sucks, but for $12 that's a fucking steal.

Also nabbed The Three Amigos soundtrack, Butthole Surfers - Brown Reason to Live on red vinyl, and a live Samhain bootleg record sourced from a recording in 1986.

CRM114

Bought a near mint copy of Revolver (stereo) with the black Capitol label to go with my mono copy. $20.

Also got:
King Crimson - Beat $3
King Crimson - Three of a Perfect Pair $5
Blondie - Parallel Lines $1

van der graaf

My favorite Amoeba moments are finding things you never think of looking for, and they're dirt cheap. Over the last year I have gotten on vinyl:

Egg - Civil Surface (for $12.00)
East of Eden - Snafu (for $15)
Colloseum - Daughter of Time (ORIGINAL VERTIGO SWIRL) (for $5, this is easily a $100 album or so to prog collectors).

I have gotten other stuff by chance at good prices, too, I just cannot think of what they are at the moment...

CRM114

I bought a second pressing (1958) of Cookin' with the Miles Davis Quintet for $3 over the weekend.

Lone Wolf

Has anyone heard of Self? Fat Possum released Subliminal Plastic Motives on vinyl for the first time for its 20th anniversary.

van der graaf

Just scored on another Amoeba find tonight: Quatermass (early prog/hard rock) UK LP reissue from 1975 for $15. Usually goes for about $40-60 or so (the original UK release usually goes for about $300-400).

Why So Blu?

I ordered some throwback dance Dead Or Alive from some 3rd market sellers:

Geofferson

Picked up some old vinyl over the weekend:

Fleetwood Mac - Mystery to Me, Tusk
Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley
To Live and Die in L.A. OST (Wang Chung)

Supermallet

Tusk. I love that album so much.

Why So Blu?

Love that soundtrack!

Rocketdog2000

They had a couple of minor radio hits with "Cannon" and "So Low" off this album, which was also their debut. They released a handful of others over the years, but none sold as well, or did much of anything at radio.

Subliminal Plastic Motives was a decent album, but very of it's time. It came out independently in '94, but got picked up and re-released by a major in '95, which is when it really took off, and was promoted through '96. Saw them on tour for this album, and they were pretty good live, too. I was actually thinking of picking up the vinyl, myself. Mixes alternative rock with elements such as power-pop, hip-hop beats, jazzy piano, dense, complex arrangements, and triggers/samples. Kind of a mixture of Weezer, Beck, Ben Folds Five and a little Beastie Boys.


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Paff

Quarterly record show went down this past weekend, and I got a decent haul:

Blondie - Plastic Letters
XTC - White Music
The Who - Tommy
The Beat - S/T
Peter Case - The Man With the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar
Transvision Vamp - Pop Art
The Buzzcocks - Another Music in a Different Kitchen

Only the Blondie and Buzzcocks records were over $5, they were $8 and $20 respectively.

CRM114

Ever check out Camper Van Beethoven's cover of the album?

Lone Wolf

Sorry, I guess I phrased that wrong. I've been listening to them since around 95 or so. I'm just happy that Subliminal Plastic Motives got a release. Definitely worth picking up.

From their facebook:

"peeping out the sElf - Subliminal Plastic Motives test pressing today. FYI, the album was mastered by Bob Ludwig close to 10 times originally for the compact disc. the final result being, to my ears, very harsh, tinny, & compressed. this was no fault of Bob's, as he was under direct orders to make it sound like a smiley face rock EQ.....but I've always loathed the CD version. the vinyl, however, is cut from his VERY FIRST mastering, & it is phenomenal. i am hearing this record for the first time. you guys are in for a treat!"

I would love to see Breakfast With Girls get a rerelease. I think its the better album and it sells for over $100 on vinyl now. If you like Self I'd recommend Break Out The Battle Tapes by Wired All Wrong. Its a side project between Matt Mahaffey of Self and Jeff Turzo from God Lives Underwater.

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