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Groundbreaking Theory on Sal's and GW Vinyl Offerings

I snagged a mint pair of Klipsch kg4's the other day at the local GW for $50..I was so jacked I didn't even make it to the vinyl section! :banana:
 
In my experience at the GW most rock albums are beat all to hell. I don't think a respectable record store would ever buy them. They charge $1.99 for most records in my area and sometimes $8.00 if it has a fancy name like "Santana". :D

I will buy the rock albums if I can find at least one clean side. I find that the other classical, jazz and Ez-listening records are much better taken care of by their previous owners. They don't look like frat house party records.

I look at it like this. Even at 2 Bux you can afford to experiment with some other genres and expand your horizons on the cheap.

You might want to try one of those Herb Albert records someday, He has some pretty cool tunes under his belt. :music:
 
SoundOfSound said:
I find that the other classical, jazz and Ez-listening records are much better taken care of by their previous owners. They don't look like frat house party records.
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This is what really got me back into vinyl and classical in particular. I have plenty of rock in other formats and still pick it up on vinyl if I find it in good condition and at a good price. I rarely play it.

Classical, on the other hand, is not as common but when you find it, it is usually in beautiful condition and cheap.

I started with thrift scores and then began to buy larger quantities as they became available. I now have a nice collection of wonderful music, for very little money, on clean vinyl. I am no longer on the hunt but am always watching with an open eye for an opportunity. Classical vinyl and tubes are my :music:
 
I'm listening to a minty copy of "Comes a Time" by Neil Young that I grabbed at the GW today. I missed this one back in the day. I am really enjoying discovering it now. When I was a kid, Nicolette Larson's cover of "Lotta Love" was a big hit.
 
I stop at a handful of stores weekly, some twice if I have the time. It's all about timing. A couple weeks back I scored 8 Led Zeppelin albums in really fine condition. I'm there enough to notice the Polka records and the like stay there for a long time. "Good Stuff" disappears pretty quick. That, and some people with more desirable stuff are smart enough to take it to a used store and sell them.

Like many things in life, timing is everything.
 
The good stuff is usually piled on top or right at the front so of course they will go quickly. I've had some good luck getting vinyl, but like others said its all about timing. I scored a mint Floyd The Wall for $1.99, it just put out at 8pm. There is no rhyme or reason on when stuff arrives on the shelves. Early, late, doesn't matter, if there is space, stuff gets put out. I also found out about a certain thrift store where they have their own insider vinyl picker. I no longer go there or donate at that store.
 
I am also into classical and I also find that they are almost always in immaculate condition. I bought 8 at 50 cents each the other day, included 2 box sets. One was by Herbert Von Karajan "Great Symphonies" a 6 record set. The other, a 5 record set, Claudio Arrau "Beethoven The Piano Concertos" on Philips.
 
Just to be clear, my post was an observation on the popularity of certain kinds of music, and in no way intended to be critical of Sal's or GW. In fact. I've always been a big supporter of The Salvation Army, based on my father's experience with them when he was in the US Army, stationed overseas. He believed that their efforts really went to people in need, vs. other high profile charities that better at raising funds then actually distributing them. When Katrina happened, my money went to them over all others. Let's not debate charities though -- I just wanted to say that I support both Sal's and GW, and don't expect them to control the record titles that wind up on the shelf.

Back to the topic at hand, I had better luck today! Went to another town. No luck at Sal's (they had a ton of records, but multiple copies of the usual). This particular GW had a much smaller selection, but it seemed to be a little more interesting. Got a very nice copy of Billy Joel's Piano Man, the soundtrack from Hair and a high end Ink Spotsreissue. Not quite The Wallor The White Album, but it was nice to add a couple of records to the stack. I imagine that as I accumulate more good records, I'll amass quite a few from these early collecting days that will go back to my local Goodwill. Dr. Zhivagoand John Cougar's American Foolare first on the list. I'm keeping This is Henry Mancini -- it actually has some cool songs on it.
 
Mister Mike said:
Just to be clear, my post was an observation on the popularity of certain kinds of music, and in no way intended to be critical of Sal's or GW. In fact. I've always been a big supporter of The Salvation Army, based on my father's experience with them when he was in the US Army, stationed overseas. He believed that their efforts really went to people in need, vs. other high profile charities that better at raising funds then actually distributing them. When Katrina happened, my money went to them over all others. Let's not debate charities though -- I just wanted to say that I support both Sal's and GW, and don't expect them to control the record titles that wind up on the shelf.

Back to the topic at hand, I had better luck today! Went to another town. No luck at Sal's (they had a ton of records, but multiple copies of the usual). This particular GW had a much smaller selection, but it seemed to be a little more interesting. Got a very nice copy of Billy Joel's Piano Man, the soundtrack from Hair and a high end Ink Spotsreissue. Not quite The Wallor The White Album, but it was nice to add a couple of records to the stack. I imagine that as I accumulate more good records, I'll amass quite a few from these early collecting days that will go back to my local Goodwill. Dr. Zhivagoand John Cougar's American Foolare first on the list. I'm keeping This is Henry Mancini -- it actually has some cool songs on it.
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I knew you didn't mean it as criticism of the various thrifts, nor did most of the people posting, but it never fails that if someone reports a less-than-stellar thrifting experience, we quickly devolve into bitter diatribes about how much their various CEOs make, how much they are ripoffs, how much the employees must be stealing 'all the good stuff' and so on. That's usually when the thread gets closed, but it seems sometimes people, even those who know that this happens, cannot contain their bitterness. I don't know why.

I'm glad you found some good ones! One thing I forgot to mention was that thrifting has also expanded my tastes, and thus my percentage of 'scroes'. I never listened to Easy Listening or Space Age Bachelor Pad music or whatnot, but once I started opening my ears a bit, my tastes expanded immensely. It started by experimentally buying records that were a) cheap and b) in very good condition. Great way to learn more about music, I've found.

This is a VERY small partial listing of the CDs I picked up yesterday. Still ripping; probably will be for several days.

Code: 
./Trapt - Trapt
./Crosby Stills Nash and Young - Deja Vu
./Spyro Gyra - Stories Without Words
./Collective Soul - Collective Soul
./Harry Connick, Jr. - Blue Light, Red Light
./Wynton Marsalis - Classic Wynton - A Portrait
./Steely Dan - Alive In America
./Frank Sinatra - Sinatra 80th Live In Concert
./Deodato - Prelude
./Rachel Gauk & Susan Hoeppner - Toward The Sea
./Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats
./Clifford Brown All Stars - Jam Session
./U2 - The Joshua Tree
./Various - Hear The Light Volume II
./Genesis - Genesis Live The Way We Walk Volume Two: The Longs
./Yo-Yo Ma (cello) & etc. - Made in America
./Marc Cohn - Marc Cohn
./Neville Marriner - Academy of St Martin in the Fields - Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Serenade for Strings [Philips]
./West Side Story - West Side Story Original Broadway Cast
./Queen - Greatest Hits
./Bruce Springsteen - Greatest Hits
./Various Artists - Rock & Roll '80s
./Natalie Merchant - Ophelia
./Barenaked Ladies - Snacktime!
./Bukka White - The Complete Bukka White
./Various - Grease
./Scott Joplin - The Sting
./Dave Mason - Dave Mason
./Beach Boys - 20 Good Vibrations The Greatest Hits
./Duane Eddy - Ghostrider (Great Guitar Hits)
./John Fogerty - Deja Vu All Over Again
./Counting Crows - This Desert Life
./Rush - Roll The Bones
./Harry Connick, Jr. - We Are in Love
./Van Cliburn & Fritz Reiner - Beethoven & Rachmaninoff - Piano Concertos - RCA LS 1994
./Firehouse Five Plus Two - Dixieland Favorites
./Van Morrison - Too Long In Exile
./Bix Beiderbecke - Volume I - Singing The Blues
./Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gold & Platinum (Disc 2)
./Pearl Jam - Ten
./Nylons, The - Seamless
./James Galway & The Chieftains - Over The Sea To Skye [The Celtic Connection]
./Elton John - Love Songs (USA, MCAD-11481)
./Queen - Queen - 1992 - Classic Queen
./Ahmad Jamal - Digital Works - Atlantic 1985
./Tony Bennett - Christmas With Tony Bennett
./John Mayer - Heavier Things
./Jimmie Grier - Echoes From The Cocoanut Grove

A couple years ago, much of this would not have been anything I was interested in.
 
I guess I've been quite fortunate here in Colorado Springs. Over the years I've pulled some really great finds out of the various Goodwill, Salvation Army, and ARC thrift stores. We have quite a few:yes:

Mike
 
jhtstone said:
You are very fortunate to live in the area that you do. Second and third generation automotive, middle class towns. Quite populated by a younger generation unloading Mom and Dad's, and in some cases, Grandpa's music.

I know your area very well; including the thrifts that you frequent. One of my nieces used to work at one. They are well stocked and very busy. This does not hold true for all areas. In my town, the population is sparse and the pickings are slim.

EDIT: No, I'm not really in Flint. I prefer trees to pavement.

It's all good. I have other resources that shall remain un-named. I'm good. :D
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You may be right, but I have to say that when I lived in NC, in a tiny podunk town an hour's drive from Raleigh, I still found vinyl caches.

And honest, most of the time, I find very little to nothing. I come home with a half-dozen LPs and some of them are questionable. I stumble across the occasional vintage electronics scroe, but it has been a long dry spell since I saw anything at all worth grabbing.

I guess the difference is that I do not lose hope, and I don't blame the thrift stores or come up with convoluted explanations of why my world has apparently gone to hell (not saying you do that, just pointing out that there's a lot of it in this thread).

Others have posted in this thread that perseverance and variety win the day for them as well; but it seems the nattering nabobs of negativity don't want to hear that. They kick over a rock and there's no pot of gold under it; the world must suck and is clearly out to get them. Suggest they try kicking over more rocks, in more places, and they look at you like you're nuts. I guess that is why there are winners and losers in the world. Losers aren't worse than winners; they just won't keep trying.

My sekrit watering hole may dry up before I know it, and I'll have to find something else. Many of the places I used to find reliable have either raised prices or seem to have stopped getting lots of good stuff; but I just keep them on my route and visit once in awhile in case the situation changes.

I guess I am essentially an optimist. Everything works out in time.

FYI, I stayed up late and finally got all of Friday's haul ripped to my hard drive. Here it is:

Code: 
Aerosmith - Just Push Play
Ahmad Jamal - Digital Works - Atlantic 1985
Alvaro Pierri & The Rias Orchestra - Guitar Classics 2
Barbra Streisand - A Christmas Album
Barenaked Ladies - Snacktime!
Barry Manilow - In the Swing of Christmas
Beach Boys - 20 Good Vibrations The Greatest Hits
Bix Beiderbecke - Volume I - Singing The Blues
Bob James & David Sanborn - Double Vision
Bruce Springsteen - Greatest Hits
Bukka White - The Complete Bukka White
Canadian Brass - Basin Street
Clifford Brown All Stars - Jam Session
Collective Soul - Collective Soul
Counting Crows - This Desert Life
Country Joe and the Fish - The Collected Country Joe and the Fish (1965 to 1970)
Creedence Clearwater Revival - Chronicle
Crosby Stills Nash and Young - Deja Vu
C.W. McCall - Greatest Hits
Dave Mason - Dave Mason
Deodato - Prelude
Detroit Symphony Orchestra - Paul Paray - MLP 14 Overtures by Suppé and Aube
Dire Straits - Brothers In Arms
Dmitri Hvorostovsky - Kalinka
Duane Eddy - Ghostrider (Great Guitar Hits)
Eddie Condon - Midnight In Moscow & The Roaring Twenties
Elton John - Greatest Hits 1976-1986
Elton John - Love Songs (USA, MCAD-11481)
Empire Brass - Royal Brass
Empire Brass - Royal Brass 1
Firehouse Five Plus Two - Dixieland Favorites
Frankie Ford - Sea Cruise the very best of Frankie Ford
Frank Loesser - Guys and Dolls [1992 Broadway Revival Cast]
Frank Sinatra - Sinatra 80th Live In Concert
Frank Sinatra - The Christmas Collection
Genesis - Genesis Live The Way We Walk Volume Two: The Longs
George Winston - Forest
Gipsy Kings - Allegria
Gipsy Kings - Gipsy Kings
Goo Goo Dolls - A Boy Named Goo
Harry Connick, Jr. - Blue Light, Red Light
Harry Connick, Jr. - We Are in Love
James Galway & The Chieftains - Over The Sea To Skye [The Celtic Connection]
James Galway - The Galway Collection (disk 1)
Jane's Addiction - Nothing's Shocking
Jimmie Grier - Echoes From The Cocoanut Grove
Jimmy Dorsey - His Greatest Hits
John Fogerty - Deja Vu All Over Again
John Mayer - Heavier Things
John Mellencamp - John Mellencamp
Johnny Cash - 2003 - Christmas With Johnny Cash
Joni Mitchell - Hits
Kingston Trio - 20 Greatest Hits
Linkin Park - Hybrid Theory
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Gold & Platinum (Disc 2)
Marc Cohn - Marc Cohn
Marvin Gaye - The Very Best of Marvin Gaye
Natalie Merchant - Ophelia
Neville Marriner - Academy of St Martin in the Fields - Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker Suite, Serenade for Strings [Philips]
Nylons, The - Seamless
Oasis - (What's The Story) Morning Glory?
Original London Cast Recording - My Fair Lady
Patsy Cline - 12 Greatest Hits
Pearl Jam - Ten
Peter Gabriel - Shaking the Tree: Sixteen Golden Greats
Phil Collins - Both Sides
Preservation Hall Jazz Band - New Orleans - Vol. II
Queen - Greatest Hits
Queen - Queen - 1992 - Classic Queen
Rachel Gauk & Susan Hoeppner - Toward The Sea
Ray Charles - The Very Best Of Ray Charles
Rick Nelson - Best Of 1963-1975
Rosemary Clooney - Christmas With Rosemary Clooney
Rush - Roll The Bones
Scott Joplin - The Sting
Smash Mouth - Fush Yu Mang
Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee - A Long Way From Home
Spyro Gyra - Stories Without Words
Steely Dan - Alive In America
Sting - Fields Of Gold (The Best Of Sting 1984-1994)
The B-52's - Time Capsule
The Beatles - Abbey Road
The Chieftains - The Bells of Dublin
The Chieftains - The Best of The Chieftains
The D'Oyly Carte Opera Company - The World Of Gilbert & Sullivan
The Moody Blues - On the Threshold of a Dream
Third Eye Blind - Third Eye Blind
Tony Bennett - Christmas With Tony Bennett
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve and Other Stories
Trans-Siberian Orchestra - Christmas Eve And Other Stories
Trapt - Trapt
U2 - The Joshua Tree
Van Cliburn & Fritz Reiner - Beethoven & Rachmaninoff - Piano Concertos - RCA LS 1994
Van Morrison - Too Long In Exile
Various Artists - Best Of Louisiana Cajun Classics Vol2
Various Artists - Classic Disney Volume IV
Various Artists - Rock & Roll '80s
Various Artists - TELARC's Got the Blues
Various - Blues Story
Various - Cafe Con Leche
Various (Christmas) - Twenty Christmas Favorites
Various - Classical Treasures - Guitar Classics 1
Various - Dirty Dancing
Various - Disney's Greatest Volume 1
Various - Empire Records
Various - Folkways A Vision Shared - A Tribute to Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly
Various - Grease
Various - Hear The Light Volume II
Various - It's Now Or Never - The Tribute To Elvis
Various - Pure 70s
Various - The Best Of Cajun Country
Various - Yuletide Cheer
West Side Story - West Side Story Original Broadway Cast
Wynton Marsalis - Classic Wynton - A Portrait
Wynton Marsalis Quartet - The Magic Hour
Yo-Yo Ma (cello) & etc. - Made in America
Yo-Yo Ma - Ton Koopman, The Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra - Simply Baroque II [Sony]

I don't have any special magic. I just keep looking. Maybe living in the Detroit metro area helps; maybe it doesn't. But no matter where I find myself living, I just keep looking. And I've lived in lots of different places.
 
As we move forward the wheat will be separated from the chaffe. The next generation of vinyl digger will bemoan the lack of quality Lawrence Welk, Herb Alpert and Mitch Miller albums.
 
AuralAbrasns said:
Lol, there's a guy at my local Value Village that's into vinyl big time. I don't know if he takes anything home with him but he works in the back sorting goods. It used to be that all records are two bucks, but since he started working in the back things have changed drastically. Anything that's half decent is now four dollars and I've had to pay as much as fourteen when I found a Joy Division 12".
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You HAD to pay 14....or you WILLINGLY paid 14. Big difference, nobody is forcing anyone to buy anything, as near as I can tell.
 
Vinyl collecting or finding "good" records is a hobby and it requires tenacity, timing, a thick hide and the willingness to pay. You either pay market price and pick what you want, or you pay with hours of flipping through god-awful dreck to find the nuggets for less than market price. Reading thru this thread (and others past in the same vein) tells me many of y'all aren't really cut out for this hobby. Just an observation.
 
If anyone who is serious about collecting records, don't waste your time going through SA or GW. You will waste gas money coming and going with no results. I know because I done that before. You need to buy from CL. Don't bother with the reseller on CL who list a whole bunch of records and asking $2 or $5 each. Go buy those that are selling the whole lot. You will end up with a lot of rare and good records and chances are you will probably pay less than $1.00 a copy. That's how I bought about 6000 records so far.
 
I'll tell everyone a big secret, I know I shouldn't, but what the hey. The secret to getting quality records is to pay for them. The latest and greatest Mo Fi 45 RPM LP's, high quality Classical titles, rare psych records, they all cost money, you pay to play. Do I still play the thrift card, of course, but I don't go in thinking Im going to find the 200 Gram Quadrophenia LP, I don't go in thinking I'll find sealed 1st press Bestles LP's, no I actually pay money for hi quality LP's, crazy, I know, but thats how you really get the good stuff, in all seriousness, expect to pay 25-35 and more for a quality LP, can you find a gem once in a while thrifting, sure I do all the time, but I also pay for the good stuff even more of the time. As a side note, everyone should get the new Paul Rodgers LP, it is what great vinyl is all about.
 
its all about the thrill of the hunt. After not finding anything good for a while and finally getting that "scroe" makes it that much sweeter. thats how i look at it.
 
jameswei said:
If anyone who is serious about collecting records, don't waste your time going through SA or GW. You will waste gas money coming and going with no results. I know because I done that before. You need to buy from CL. Don't bother with the reseller on CL who list a whole bunch of records and asking $2 or $5 each. Go buy those that are selling the whole lot. You will end up with a lot of rare and good records and chances are you will probably pay less than $1.00 a copy. That's how I bought about 6000 records so far.
Click to expand...

Patently untrue and I'm proof of it.
 
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