Friday, May 08, 2009

Is anybody still into vinyl?

Record albums, that is.

I've started sorting through my crap in anticipation of the Giant Yard Sale From Hell*, and I found a bunch of albums in a cabinet behind the couch.

Yeah, I need to clean more often.

Anyhow, I've got, like, a hundred record albums from the eighties. Styx, anyone? How about some nice Pat Benatar? Billy Joel?

I've got some older stuff that I may have inherited from my sister Ditzy - Rita Coolidge, Crosby, Stills & Nash, the Beatles, etc.

And I've even got some stuff that I'm pretty certain belonged to my Dad - Doc Severinsen, E. Power Biggs. (What? You've never heard of E. Power Biggs?! He was a famous organist!)

Some of the stuff is inexplicable - The Statler Brothers? Really? Tony Orlando and Dawn? And I thought Yma Sumac only existed in crossword puzzles.

There is some stuff that I simply cannot part with. The 1776 soundtrack, for one. Oh, and "Free to Be You and Me" - that was some revolutionary shit back when I was, like, ten.

Here's the thing - I know from my experience at other people's garage sales that people will actually flip through piles of old records - I'm not sure if anybody ever actually buys any, but I've seen creepy-looking middle-aged guys flipping through them - so there is hope. I guess I'll just put them in a pile, mark it 25 cents each, and see what happens.

And if a great big pile of record albums ends up at the thrift store after the yard sale, so be it.



*originally I was just going to cart everything over to the Sal Army, but I need to fund my lawn mower.

6 comments:

Unknown said...

I love vinyl, but has to be 78s and usually 1950 or older.

A piece of advice that I wish I would have taken when I moved into my house: stop dragging around the crap. Once you get crap into a house, it doesn't leave...so really think carefully about bringing the second waffle iron with the frayed cord that you plan to fix up someday and stuff like that. (It will still be in a closet seven years later, that's what I'm saying.) The stuff I should have gotten rid of is now cluttering up my attic and basement and reproaching me.

listie said...

Yma Sumac? I know I had one of her records waaaay baaaack.

There's at least one store here that sells vinyl, so maybe you could unload them all at once to a vintage record store.

And, Bridgett's right: get rid of the stuff. Do not haul those half finished projects to your new home, unless you've got a really big basement.

SoundStageDirect said...

Is anyone still into vinyl? Of course, many, many people, it is all about sound quality (plus you actually own a material thing-unlike a download) Before marking those Beatles records for a quarter, you should find out what they are worth, they are a premium collectible (depending on what you have)

I can help, if you need it :O)

Best Regards,

Robert Benson
(920) 287-7190

www.buyvinylrecords.net
www.vinylrecordappraisals.com
www.collectingvinylrecords.com
http://collectingvinylrecords.blogspot.com
http://collectingvinylrecords.musicstack.com

Anonymous said...

Get a manual push mower! http://www.lowes.com/lowes/lkn?action=productDetail&productId=289834-53393-26143&lpage=none

Cheap and you get a good workout. I can't wait to get one when we move.

I say, unload what you can at the garage sale, and post the leftovers on Freecycle. Freecycle is a little better than donating because you know the person who picks it up wants it and will hopefully use it, and the stuff won't just sit in a thrift store forever.

rockygrace said...

Thanks for all your advice, guys! Robert, I'll definitely check out your sites - thanks for stopping by! None of these records is in "mint condition" - most of them have been listened to a lot* - so I'm not sure how much they'd fetch.

And I've looked into push mowers, but evidently they're best for small lawns. I'm going to be mowing 10,000 sq.ft. (IF I get this house)(oh PLEASE let me get this house), so I'm not sure if I have the arm power for a manual. But it sounds like fun!

*Yes, evidently, even the Statler Brothers albums got some play. I am baffled.

Unknown said...

I have a reel push mower, but I have an itty-bitty yard. I like it because it's super low maintenance (get the blades sharpened every couple of years and otherwise nothing) and I don't have to worry about whether I remembered to get fuel so it's ready to go whenever I'm ready to go.