I've been camping out in record stores and collecting vinyl my entire life. It all started with a copy of Destroyer by Kiss. I couldn't have been much more than five years old and I spent hours staring at the image on the cover, which excited and frightened me in equal measure. I made money when I was a kid by mowing lawns, picking up trash and babysitting. I'd save all that money for a yearly trip my family would take to Boston for March break. All my money was spent on records. Now my collection is somewhere in the neighborhood of 45,000, which makes moving house a dreadful, backbreaking enterprise. I’ve found some real gems through the years. I've pulled a few out to share with you.
Leona Anderson, Music To Suffer By
I bought this one based on album title and artwork alone. Found it at a record store in Denver many years ago and have never seen another copy since. Turns out it's a bit of a rarity. I've tried for years to find information about Leona Anderson, but have come up with nothing. Best I can figure, she was a woman with a lot of money, who loved music, but couldn't sing to save her life. Listen if you dare.
Lee Hazlewood, The NSVIPs
My friend Andy turned me on to this one. He used to run a great record store in Ottawa. He'd put stuff aside for me and set me up with rare bootlegs. He had a hunch I'd like this record and he was right. It's one of my favourites of all time. I was already a fan of Lee Hazelwood's, but for some reason, this record eluded me. It's a real obscurity. I meet fans of Lee's all the time and when I mention this one, they're always stumped. It's his second album and was released in 1964. Each song is preceded by a mind-blowing story. The songs are equally strange. But I could listen to Lee read the phone book. I love his voice so much. I've seen this record go for $200 on eBay, but it doesn't pop up all that often. It's a tough one to get one's hands on, so shout out to my pal Andy for hooking me up.
Harmonica Frank, Swamp Root
For some insane reason, my grandfather used to play this record for me when I was a kid. I just thought it was funny in those days. Now I see it as an important document. It was recorded in 1959 and not only are Harmonica Frank's hillbilly rap skills on display, he also beatboxes toward the end of the song! In my mind, he's a hip-hop pioneer! I searched for decades for a copy of this and finally found one at a pawn shop in New Glasgow, N.S., about 15 years ago.
Serge Gainsbourg, Histoire de Melody Nelson
This record is a masterpiece and a bona fide classic and when I saw an original pressing in mint condition for sale in one of the kiosks that line the Seine in Paris, I snatched it up. It was quite expensive, but I had to have it.
Elvis Presley, Are You Lonesome Tonight (laughing version)
I found this in Paris also. I think I found it in a shop called Crocodisc. It's one of my regular stops when I'm there. It's a gold mine! In this version of one of Elvis's signature songs, he changes the lyrics in the second verse to, "do you gaze at your bald head and wish you had hair." The joke only serves to crack himself up and for the rest of the song he struggles to keep it together, but mostly he fails. I challenge you to listen to this without at least cracking a smile. It's a cure for any bad mood.
Darryl Strawberry, Chocolate Strawberry
Darryl Strawberry was the bad-boy right fielder for the 1986 World Series champion New York Mets. He had a reputation for being distracted by his extracurricular activities, which included making a rap record. I remember reading about it at the time and searching for it for years. It took about 13 years or so, but I finally found a sealed copy at a shop called A-1 in New York City. I still haven't broken the seal and it is displayed proudly and prominently in my living room today. I consider it a real showpiece.
Related links:
Allow me to reintroduce myself: Buck 65
The Sample: Buck 65's "Zombie Delight (Buddy Peace Remix)"
Record Store Day: Hip-hop and rap treats and exclusives
Record Store Day 2012: Grant Lawrence's Top 10 Record Stores in Canada