The 7 Latest Additions to My Record Collection

AT THE RECORD STORE SERIES

May 15, 2024

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Note: This series is back for 2024. I love seeing what people pick up on their crate-digging excursions and assume (hope?) that many of you feel the same way.

This weekend, my little suburb held its annual city-wide garage sale, which I celebrated by…going to the record store. But before that, I made my way around town, hitting some driveways and proudly skipping others.

Garage sales are funny; it’s usually the same general kind of thing; there are plenty of DVDs from ~1995-2010, some (once aspirational) camping equipment, kids' clothing shot glasses, and beer steins.

In Wisconsin specifically, you’re bound to find cross-country skis and…a lot of beer steins (seriously, why do people buy these?!). There’s also a 110% chance that there will be at least one giveaway shirt from a Bucks game. At this point, I am convinced that Gruber Law is single-handedly keeping several T-shirt companies afloat. IYKYK.

I also want to shout out the dudes who had an open cooler and were offering beers to anyone who wanted one (“We’re all out of soda!” Lol. Sure.) and the ~~diabolical geniuses~~ savvy entrepreneurs selling Girl Scouts. Look, as someone who spent most of their childhood shopping in the husky department, this is a dangerous time of year, okay? Let’s just say it worked out for the best that no one had Lemonades or Caramel deLites in stock.

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Records are a rarer commodity, though judging by the sales I hit, it’s clear that owning at least two Ray Conniff records was a state law at one point. Maybe they came with the beer steins…I dunno. When you find them, they’re not always in the best shape and look/smell exactly how you’d expect them to after spending the last twenty years in a Midwest basement next to a pair of cross-country skis.

But when you strike gold? That’s a great feeling— doubly so when they’re priced to move.

All of that aside, I found a handful I was excited about between yard sales and the store. No one will consider these holy grails—and none of them are Ray Conniff releases—but at least a couple have been on my list for a while now. Spending the weekend playing them was great, even if I had no cookies to eat…

Below is the list of what made it back onto the street with me.

TV on the Radio- Young Liars EP

I have been enthralled with this band since ‘Staring at the Sun’ was used to close an episode of TV show Entourage.’ I wrote about their track in the early days of this project, noting, “In the scene, the characters are on a private jet getting ready to take off into an unknown future. There was an underlying tension and uncertainty as the characters all looked at each other almost as if to ask, “well, now what?”

Listening to the song, I was asking the same thing. Not because it was bad — it absolutely isn’t — but because I kept expecting it to break wide open. But it never does. It builds and builds but stays at the same level. Like a wall of sound, but waist-height.

I’ve had no issue finding/owning their work on CD, but this is the first time I can remember seeing this release (or any of them, really) on vinyl out in the wild. Grabbing it was never in question.

R.E.M.- Fables of the Reconstruction

Long-time readers may recall my being thrilled at finding a copy of Life’s Rich Pageant at a local resale shop. I once ranked it as the band’s #2 record, and in the rush to get it out the door and onto my turntable, I couldn’t be bothered to check what was in the sleeve. So what was in the sleeve? Not Life’s Rich Pageant, that’s for sure. Not even an R.E.M. record. That’s what I get for not looking, I guess. At least the sleeve looks nice displayed on my wall.

Coming across the band’s third studio release, the first thing I did was quietly gasp1. The second was to check what was inside. It was there, and now it’s here, playing as I type this. I’ve been slowly working to collect R.E.M.’s entire discography and am now the proud owner of #6 on my list. On a side note, the opener, “Feeling Gravity’s Pull,” is one of my favorites by the band.

The Police- Outlandos d’Amour

As with R.E.M., I’ve decided that I’d like to own The Police’s entire discography on vinyl. I’ve also decided that I’m going to do it as I come across them. Sorry Discogs!

Outlandos isn’t my favorite record by the band (take a bow, Ghost in the Machine), but it’s up there.

As a debut, it’s solid. This was a band that wanted to be punk but quickly realized their ability to actually play instruments got in the way. So we got bottle blond hair and a new wave record instead. Sure, Roxanne has been a staple at karaoke night ever since, but we also got “Next To You,” “So Lonely,” and “Can’t Stand Losing You” in the bargain.

And tracks like “Born in the 50s” and closer “Masoko Tanga” gave us early warning that this band wasn’t going to be afraid to experiment. Which, if you think about it, is kinda punk.

The Police- Regatta De Blanc

I mean, I am trying to get their entire catalog as I find them, and it was right there, so….

Four down, Zenyatta Mondatta to go.

The Pretenders- Learning To Crawl

Last time around, I picked up Get Close, so why not continue the theme?

I spent many years on night shift doing cabin cleaning work. It is every bit as tedious and demoralizing as you might imagine. One of the ways to make it more bearable is to be in good company. The other is to play good music while you’re slogging through it.

I’m sure there’s an easier way now, but we used to rig up a radio to play through the PA system. The Pretenders got picked often and were popular, with each record being a safe bet. To this day, I can’t hear “Message of Love” without being transported back to those days (and into those aisles). That’s not on this record, but all-timer “Middle of the Road” is, along with “Back on the Chain Gang,” the underrated “Show Me,” and of course, “My City Was Gone”-- home of one of the slinkiest basslines ever (compliments of Tony Butler of Big Country fame). All of that is followed with an endearing cover of The Persuaders’ “Thin Line Between Love and Hate,” featuring Paul Carrack, of all people, on keys & backing vocals.

Can’t say I miss that work, but I sure do miss the people I spent all those nights with.

INXS- The Swing

The Swing walked through the door Shabooh Shoobah had knocked down. While some of it sounds of it’s time—it did turn 40 not too long ago, after all— it’s still solid, IMO. It probably doesn’t hurt that Daryl Hall (yes, that Daryl Hall) sings back up on “Original Sin.” Massive mainstream success would come a year later in the form of Listen Like Thieves. This was the beginning of a new, more polished sound and the end of a more controlled sound for at least the next several records.

Simple Minds-Once Upon A Time

Simple Minds often gets kicked into One Hit Wonder territory, which is a shame. Given the outsized success of “Don’t You Forget About Me,” this is understandable but also completely inaccurate—this record alone had three tracks that charted in the US (with a fourth, “Ghost Dancing,” charting in the UK ), including “Alive And Kicking,” and (my personal favorite) “Sanctify Yourself.”

Once Upon A Time is the band’s seventh record. With its sophisticated sound—we’re a long way from “Promised You A Miracle” here — and pop appeal, it’s a record I think would’ve sounded great in the Shermer High Library. It probably would’ve been nice to have on as you wrote an essay about “who you think you are,” too.

…and some CDs too!

I came across one sale with a lot of CDs. Like a lot lot. They were priced to move at 10 for $5. They also ran out of change, which meant I spent a whopping $2 for the lot. If the past is precedent, at least one of these will meet its end trapped in my car in the summer heat. But in the meantime, they’re some nice adds.

Pearl Jam- Rearviewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003: Seems easier than lugging around Ten, Vs. Vitalogy, etc. And it rips. The only skip for me is “Black.” Absolute hard pass. Yes, I know everyone else loves it. Nevertheless.

Jimmy Buffet- Songs You Know By Heart: If wearing cargo shorts year round and moving to transition lenses didn’t seal my suburban dad status, buying this surely did (Worth noting that the couple selling these had a Salt Life sticker in their truck’s back window. Also worth again noting that I live in Wisconsin).

Gin Blossoms- New Miserable Experience: “Allison Road” alone is worth the price of admission. It's one of the early 90s’ most underrated pop songs.

Duran Duran- Decade: Lost in all the hair spray and Nick Rhodes’ guyliner is the fact that this is an extremely talented group of musicians. I will never not like this band.

Warren Zevon-A Quiet Normal Life: The Best of Warren Zevon: If you see Zevon going for .50 you are legally required to buy it. I don’t make the rules.

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So how about you? Found any good records lately? Have any thoughts on the ones I picked up? Share your thoughts in the comments!

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