Is ebay still the best place for it?

Like many people of a certain age I've returned to vinyl and recently acquired a Technics SL1200 and new amp. I've really noticed the improvement not just in sound but also in my relationship to the music I listen too. I always suspected that MP3s were the fast-food of music - great if you're on the go but not really something you want to sit down and spend any time over - and the past couple of months have confirmed that.

Anyway, the next stage of re-engaging with my music is to get a decent pair of headphones, not the inner-ear 'voices in your head' type, but a big old pair of cans that keep the speakers a good distance from your ears so the sound fills the space inbetween. Will be used with a comfortable chair and a nice glass of red.

My budget is around £75. Any suggestions?

Well, RSD 2012 is almost upon us.

Despite being an avid collector, I have never taken part in the festivities, and due to financial restraints and other logistical barriers, I'm unlikely to take the plunge this year too, however...

I love the idea of Record Store Day, I really do, but the exclusivity it promotes slightly irks. I frequent record shops on a fairly regular basis, as I'm sure do many others on this here blog, so I get irritated that artists/record companies release things that can only be purchased in store on a particular day, and if you can't/won't bother to queue up, then you either miss out or have to pay inflated prices on eBay. That these items get listed on eBay soon after, if not on, RSD is another annoyance, in the same way that concert tickets sell out and appear there at gross markups. Genuine fans can't always get their hands on exclusive items on the day, and end up paying a high price (after competing against other fans for the privilege). Despite my misgivings, I have actually done this and will probably do so again because there are certain items that I want, and there's no other way to get them.

So is RSD something to rejoice? Or is it just another way of ripping off genuine music fans?

Hearing chart music blaring from the speakers in a cafe t'other day, I said to myself, y'know what, I'm getting really fed up with this digital, MP3, compressed, sound that most music has nowadays. It's horrible.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2094590/Steve-Jobs-listened-viny...

For one day, next weekend, all music on BBC6 shows to be vinyl only.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/mobile/entertainment-arts-16330702

Just acquired, with Ortofon Red 2M cartridge. The loft has been raided and the kettle's on!

I picked up a copy of Songs in the Key of Life a couple of weeks ago for 50p at a car boot sale, sans the EP, naturally, but in excellent condition. When I went to play it this afternoon for the first time I noticed that side 4 is pressed on the back of side 1 and sides 2 and 3 share the same disc.

At first I thought that it was just a labelling mistake but no, this is the way it's pressed. Is this a common mispressing, an artistic statement or have I actually bought something from a car boot sale that's worth more than the usual quid?

Can't find owt on t'internet, can anyone shed light on this? Ta in advance.

Someone in the US sent me this the other day. I'm not sure I fit precisely with any particular stage but there are some comments that resonate :

Stage One: The Casual Music Fan

The Casual Music Fan picks up an occasional record here and there but doesn't spend more than $20 or so in a three-month period, if that. Prefers either classic rock standards sticking out of the first few rows of bins at chains like Half Price Books, 180 gram reissues of Bob Dylan LPs, and if young and adventurous buys the new Arcade Fire on vinyl in order to impress college chicks (although listens to the mp3s he downloaded ten-times more than the actual record). Probably owns a copy of "Thriller." Never buys 45s. May refer to records as "vinyls."

Stage Two: The Music Fan

The Music Fan buys and listens to records on a semi-regular basis. Unlike the Casual Fan music is an important part of his life, but it's not a priority. The Music Fan likes to play records in the background while doing other things and in order to set the mood when company comes over. Thinks he owns an impressive collection of around 50 LPs and some singles. Equally content with all formats, but prefers vinyl because of its aura of hip authenticity and something he read once about it "sounding warmer than digital." Thinks his subscription to Rolling Stone, listening to the local alternative radio station, and occasionally glancing at Pitchfork keeps him up to date whenever anything relevant bubbles up from the underground. Probably had a pony-tail back in high school.

Stage Three: The Avid Music Fan

The Avid Music Fan is a lifer. Not only is music a priority, it's a necessity. This is where the sickness takes root. Depending on finances spends anywhere from $50 to $400 on records a month. Listens to records daily. Understands what abbreviations like KBD, OOP, NWW, NWOBHM, and PACS mean and might drop them in conversation. Used to know what SSLD means but wonders if anyone is going to remember it in ten years. Has the inner sleeves of LPs oriented either with the record facing out for easy access or with the record oriented vertically for protection; never both. Owns a lot of 45s and may have more singles than LPs. Checks music websites or message boards daily. Would prefer an original but is OK with a reissue as long as it is well-done. Has probably beat off fantasizing about a female musician at least once.

Stage Four: The Record Collector

The Record Collector's life is consumed with acquiring records. Not only has a trade list, but has other noteworthy collector's trade lists memorized. Actively seeks out former band members, heads of labels, and old collectors for leads on dead stock. Has either met or knows someone who has met Rob Noxious in person. Receives unsolicited correspondence from Fahad Naban. Knows the market value of all relevant genre rarities. Might have the popsike app on his iphone. Can look at any rare UK single released "in the years of anarchy, chaos, and destruction" and tell you if it's a ***3/4 record or a **** record. Would sooner open up a leper foot washing business in his living room than allow a reissue to taint his collection.

Stage Five: The Record Hoarder

The Record Hoarder is a rare case in that it takes a lot of resources to go beyond the Collector stage, but they are out there. Their dwellings are veritable treasure troves of great records, but they can never find what they're looking for due to the sheer overwhelming volume of it all. Every available square inch is taken up with some sort of record shelving unit and records are still haphazardly stacked all over the floor. Whenever you mention an amazing record you have just discovered the record hoarder will almost always own a copy. Unlike the Collector who paid half a month's wage for it he probably fished it out of a bin for $0.50 years ago. Buys multiple copies of the same record with only vague intent to one day sell or trade but can't bring himself to let go of any of them. Unlike the other ranks of record collecting, is so far gone that he can't deescalate and move down to the lower level. Needs to either get rid of everything or will never get rid of anything. Sleeps on a makeshift pilllow made of rolled up Bomp mimeographs. Owns nearly as much embarrassing junk records as mindblowers and likes it that way. Would probably make at least half a million if he decided to ebay his stuff but never will. That's the way the sickness goes.

Now I know that, for some, the answer will be last week but for the rest of us that have mu desire to buy any more vinyl, can you remember what the last vinyl album you bought was? It's one of those things that probably didn't seem momentous at the time so you could be forgiven for not being sure. For me, I think it was the first Carlene Carter album that I bought in a little ship on Music Row in Nashville in 1991. I don't think it had ever been released in England, and I didn't even know it existed (the Internet was still some years away) I nursed it through the rest of my trip and back home before I could listen to it (along with all the cds I bought because I didn't even have a portable cd player back then).

Article in our pointlessly parochial Edinburgh paper today about collectible Scottish bands:
http://www.scotsman.com/news/Why-being-acceptable-in-the.6830033.jp

While I can understand that Belle and Sebastian has always been collectible - solid band, nice attention to packaging - you can see any Glasvegas or Biffy Clyro investment sinking faster than a Scottish bank.

I'm also amazed to see that Teenage Fanclub vinyl is so unpopular. If that's the case, why can I never find a copy of Songs From Northern Britain? Case in point - two on eBay, average price £100
http://goo.gl/D2Pwv
There's definitely an argument to be made that mid-90s vinyl is perhaps the most collectible, because they were pressing so little of it.

I can remember a mate buying Tigermilk in Coda when it came out and then being astonished to find out it was worth £150 only a couple of years later. Fast forward a few years and it's re-released on CD, LP instantly halves in value.

I have an almost complete collection of Stone Roses vinyl (about 50 records, 50 CDs) that I built up in my student days and I'm under no illusions as to its investment value - probably about what I paid for it.

Does anyone here own genuine 'investment vinyl', and if so what is it?

Much of my pocket money was spent on acquiring these rare and deliciously illegal artefacts.

I wonder where JR is now........

At least my tears have dried on this final missive now.....

nicely edited clips of vinyl lovers on film! (sorry if we've had this before)

Ode to vinyl from Mennomail on Vimeo.

So I've been looking into buying a new system for my music, but I need to be able to play CDs, vinyl, and an iPod, and this is proving harder than I had expected, so I thought I would seek the advice of the Massive.
I've got a budget of £300, so nothing fancy, but it should be enough for one unit and a pair of speakers.

Is there anything out there that plays CDs, has a USB port for an iPod, and an aux input for vinyl?
Help is greatly appreciated!

While you can find almost anything via iTunes or Spotify or wherever, sometimes a blog like this reminds you that out there somewhere exists a very odd seam of stuff that won't ever reach people's ears (often with good reason, mind you).

Anyway, look at this for a labour of love. This chap finds obscure vinyl, rips em to mp3, scans the label and writes up whatever he knows.

http://lordofthebootsale.blogspot.com

Pat Phoenix: Coronation Street Monologue (1962)

The Beejays: My Boyfriend's Back (complete with charming letter from the label)

And so on...

A record shop near me has just come into possession of 1500 mint condition country albums after a bloke died.

Recently another shop had an impressive collection to sell of a bloke who had cancer and wanted the money.

As the years advance there will be more of this. It could be a golden age for those looking to start or add to collections of classic vinyl. One shudders to thing of how much will end up on the rubbish heap too.