Been planning this trip for a long time. A week long journey that starts in Phoenix, then ends here. I was going to take a bus but that didn’t work out, so I flew between cities. Record City was very conveniently placed, as I am staying (and working) near the convention center. I loved the look of the place from the outside, and knew it would be my bag.
This shack has a hell of a lot of records crammed inside! They had tons of autographed memorabilia also, all over the walls. They had a ton of used DVDs for sale and they put some empty cases to good use. I’ve never seen anyone do anything like this but I’ve thought about it many times. People are stupid or lazy and they leaf through the vinyl with one hand and leave the stack leaning forward when they are done. Or it might tip if they don’t leave a gap at the back. They jammed these in there so it is impossible. Always drives me nuts when I see stacks leaning forward and I always try to fix them when I see it that way.
Didn’t find much in the jazz bins. At the end of the jazz bins were some unmarked but assorted additional jazz. Found some interesting stuff in there. The two below both are relevant to my interests. The first for the addition of Kenny Burrell on guitar (looks like there have been many reissues of this); the second because it is live. Decided to pass on both.
I kind of wandered around the store, couldn’t find much of interest. Did see a copy of Ascension (it was $80, don’t know if it was Edition I or II) and Interstellar Space, don’t know if I’ve ever held a copy in my hand before, for either. A lot of Coltrane in general, but mostly live albums and compilations. I was just about ready to go when I spotted something from a few racks away, in a section I wouldn’t have bothered with. I paid a whopping $3 (cover is kind of beat but vinyl looks mint) for an Italo-House classic I’ve loved for probably 20 years. It was in the front of the stack or I wouldn’t have seen it, and I certainly wouldn’t have looked. I first discovered this in a Bobby D mix many years ago – I sat down one day to figure out what it was, he only plays a minute or two in the mix. No brainer on this one. Glad I scooped it.
