Today was a good day. Woke up and headed to the mall and went through the records at a Hot Topic. It was quite a horrible experience. Not the best shop to go shopping for records in but I was killing time while Rhea was busy at University. From Hot Topic I went to a Lego store and bust this; they now have ninja Lego! It’s the coolest shit ever! I would consider buying ninja Lego if I was ever going to get back into it. Which I’m not so no ninja Lego for me.
ANYWAY, after Rhea was done we headed to the Volo Auto Museum in Volo, Illinois. This place was a must see for many reasons. Price was $11.90 per person and it gets you admission to the four car showrooms (freakin’ awesome) and the military showroom (big deal). We headed in and were greeted by some rad cars including the Dragula from The Munsters, the Mach 5 from Speed Racer, The car from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and the car from the Dr Seuss movie, just to name a few.
The next showroom was full of awesome American muscle cars and they were all for sale. I was so excited and if I had a lazy $25,000 – $50,000 lying around, I would definitely have bought a new ride. This shit was wild! GTO’s, bitchin’ Camaros, Trans Am’s, Chevys, etc. you get the idea, it was amazing.
The next 2 showrooms had more cars for sale but also cars from Hollywood productions of tv and film including: KITT from Knight Rider, the Mystery Machine from Scooby Doo, the Delorean from Back To The Future, the Ghostbusters car, and the original Barris custom Batmobile which, mind you, looks fuckin’ amazing up close… I want one! There was also the General Lee from The Dukes Of Hazzard, Elton John’s piano hotrod, a Decepticon cop car from the Transformers movies, and probably the most epic car of them all; the blues mobile from the Blues Brothers. I was wrapped! My fave movie! I wanted that car.
After seeing all the amazing cars, the Volo museum also houses an antique mall. This shit has to be seen to be believed. Thousands of rare toys, comics, ornaments, furniture, statues, household items, electrical appliances, etc. all for sale! I didn’t buy anything, even though I really wanted to. It was amazing. There was just sooooo much stuff spread out through the 4 malls. By the end of it all, we were knackered and needed food.
Fratellos was the place chosen for lunch. It’s a hotdog place that makes traditional USA styled hotdogs and mate, they were tasty as! I was must fulfilled.
Spent the evening relaxing and watching Futurama. Dunno what the plans are for tomorrow but let’s see what happens.
Huntington Beach – went to a record store called Vinyl Solution and I gotta tell ya, this shop had one of the best vibes going on. I walked in and was welcomed by the owner and started in on the $1 records looking for that next album to feature in my future HEAVY columns. No luck. Further searching did have me finding a ton more great finds that I will never find on Australian shores. So many great records here. Founds some classy gems including early Nashville Pussy singles, Baby Shakes 7″, LPs by The Dragons, a Venom bootleg plus so many more treasures.
After talking with the owner about records and music, he gave me some copies of a new single by a power pop band that features a member of the US Bombs. The band is called Three Two Ones and my friend Aurora doesn’t have a record player so I can’t check it out til I get back to Australia.
After the record store, I went to Guitar Center with Nick and was surprised how many great guitars are here and so cheap too! I would love to buy one. While at the Guitar Center, next door was a Goodwill store so I went in to see if I could find any old shirts. Well no surprise here, I found a Social Distortion shirt for $2! Score! This was Orange County after all.
I tried In N Out burger tonight for the first time ever. Everyone that I know that has been to California has recommended this place to me so I figured I would check it out. They have 2 menus but only one is advertised. Nick knew the deal though and we got the scoop. I also asked them for some stickers as I am an Aussie and we don’t have this fast food place back home and they kindly obliged with free stickers and hats. Fuck yeah! Life is sweet!
The weather here has been fantastic but apparently that will change on the weekend which kinda ruins my Disneyland plans. Oh well, I did get tickets to see FEAR perform The Record live. Yes, I am excited. Also on Sunday I will catch up with my old friend, Sal, as his band Electric Frankenstein are playing at the Slidebar on Sunday night.
Wondercon on Saturday. Hoping to meet Emma Stone and Milla Jovovich (totally didn’t spell that correctly).
So after a lengthy flight, and by lengthy I mean 14 hours in one sitting, I made it. Let’s keep in mind that I awoke after 6 hours and the turbulence was freakin’ me out as per usual. Me and turbulence have never been the best of friends and this flight didn’t help mend any indifferences we have had in the past. To be honest, I fuckin’ hate it more now than I did 2 days ago.
So here’s the scoop, I got collected by my friends from the airport and we headed out for breakfast. Dude, I gotta tell ya, chocolate chip pancakes covered in butter and whipped cream is the most awesome way to start a day (that rhymed), I highly recommend it.
So after breakfast we dropped my things off and headed to the science discovery centre for the star wars exhibition. It was awesome. It featured tons of models and props used in the movie including the land speeder. I took tons of snapshots there. The only thing really missing was the speederbike, the trooper that rides them, Sy Snootles and her rebo band, and some ewoks. Still though, this star wars fan loved it. I even got to ride in and experience the Millennium Falcon. Was heaps cool. We did the whole jump to hyperspeed. You haven’t really lived til you’ve done that. Pretty awesome. Another thing that I can check off my list.
Upon arriving back to my place of stay, the gig guide tells me FEAR are playing just down the road on Saturday night. Holy bonanza, Batman. What are the chances of that happening? Well it looks like my night is sorted.
I tell ya now, it’s good to be back with my friends here.
This week Damo celebrates the return of Peta as she tells tales of her trek around the USA for the last 5 weeks. There’s talk of record shopping, gig going, beer drinking, and antics as Peta reveals all about her time there. Damo also talks of his lost ticket to the Black Angels and his never ending search in his bedroom in the hopes of finding it before tomorrow night. So far, no luck! On top of all that, you get to hear so much cool tunes on this week’s show including some new, some old and some that are just too damn good to not let pass through your ears. Click this link to listen now or right click and save as on this link to download it and listen to later on your iPods and MP3 players.
Enjoy tunes by:
Monster Magnet
Squirtgun
Gluecifer
Balance And Composure
The Subways
All Or Nothing
Touche Amore
Fucked Up
The Jim Jones Revue
The White Stripes
The Meanies
Jesus Chrust
The Black Angels
Record shopping is pretty much my favourite hobby. Wherever I go in the world, you will always find me browsing the shelves of used record stores looking for gems. While in the USA last year, out of the 110 records I bought, I managed to secure around 80 records for $1 each. This is what I love about record shopping. This post pays tribute to 10 great albums (in no particular order) that I have found in record stores over the years that cost me no more than $1. Enjoy!
1. RUSH – “Moving Pictures” (1981)
I have to be hoest, I bought this album purely for the fact it had the track Tom Sawyer on it. Probably the most popular of all RUSH songs. I personally think it is a damn good track, I love that whole bass and drums bit and then the guitars come in and go sonic as fuck. Yeah, rock! Now, I am by no means a diehard RUSH fan. In fact, my whole RUSH collection includes a whopping 3 records. This album, though, I needed to have. If you know the song, you know why it’s cool. I wouldn’t say Prog Rock is my thing at all although I do dig the sounds of Hawkwind and Uriah Heep. Yep, this RUSH album was $1 well spent (even if side B does have a scratch half way through it cos I never listen to that side anyway. Tom Sawyer only!) and here’s proof…
2. KISS – “Rock N Roll All Over” (1976)
I made a vow to never buy KISS merchandise brand new cos I don’t want Gene ever getting a cent of my hard earned cash cos a) he has enough money, and b) most KISS albums are about 50% great and 50% filler. This album though was a total score purely cos the cover art rocks and it has the songs Hard Luck Woman, I Want You and Makin’ Love on it. Those 3 tracks are defintely worth the $1 I spent on them. Yep. For those who thought it was a Paul song (and so many do), here’s the voice behind the sweet tunage…
3. CHEAP TRICK – “Dream Police” (1979)
You’d be hard pressed to actually find a second hand store in the USA that will actually charge you more than $1 for a Cheap Trick used LP. They were everywhere. Especially this album. In fact, this album is so damn good, I actually own 3 copies of it (actually, i think it could be 4, but who’s counting?). Each copy bought for $1 each. Why so many? Have you sat down and listened to this thing? It’s incredible. Robin’s voice is amazing and the guitar work is just flawless. On top of that, these guys know how to always write the perfect tune. Always. Just listen to the songs I’ll Be With You Tonight, Voices or the album’s title track. Sheer perfection. So many bands sneakily wish they were this good. That’s not me making it up either, that’s a fact. Cheap Trick are one of the finest melodic rock n roll bands to ever grace the planet. Make use of their awesomeness while they are still around creating some of the best tunes you will ever hear. You need to own this album. It’s kinda illegal not to. Enjoy the video…
4. THE WILDHEARTS – “Endless Nameless” (1997)
Technically, this album didn’t cost me $1, it actually cost me 49pence when I was in the UK in 2002. When I work out conversion rates and a percentage of the train ticket I bought to get to the city of London that day, it works out to around $1 so suspend disbelief and play along with me here. This album is pretty much the most ignored Wildhearts album in their catalogue. People just don’t seem to like it. Beside the fact the white noise that was put into all the tracks makes the album unlistenable, this heroin induced mess of a record, I believe, is one of their best. Why? Cos the songs are there. Hidden in the mix, they are there and they sound fuckin’ great! How can you honestly say that Urge, Pissjoy, and Anthem are not instant classics? Or what about their reworking of the Dogs D’Amour aptly titled, Heroin? This album is sheer audible bliss, especially in headphones. Highly recommended, especially if you’re suicidal.
5. GRAND FUNK RAILROAD – “Closer To Home” (1970)
Another gem found in the $1 bin and will always be unknown to me as to why it was sitting there in the first place. This album is all killer, no filler. I got turned onto Grand Funk’s awesomeness back when the movie The Spirit of 76 (starring Redd Kross, Devo and the hot chick rom the Wonder Years) was released and they raved about them in the film. I instantly became a fan and snapped up everything but I couldn’t seem to find this LP though and then one day, BAM! There it was, staring me in the face and needing my hard earned $1. I parted ways, brought it home and was blown away. Songs like Mean Mistreater, Sin’s A Good Man’s Brother and the finale, I’m Your Captain, were instant faves in the Damo files of rock. Do I need to mention the live photo in the middle of the gatefold sleeve? Probably not but I will… it made me jealous that I never got to witness Grand Funk’s live shows back in the day. Total rock n roll complete with possibly the second best white man’s afro ever seen to grace a stage (the first goes to the MC5′s Rob Tyner). Do yourself a favour and love this band cos you are doing yourself a great disservice by not.
6. AEROSMITH – “Live! Bootleg” (1978)
This album was a score on so many levels. Let’s look at this one in detail: a) It’s Aerosmith, b) it’s a double LP, c) it sounds fucking amazing, d) it still has the poster! and e) it’s motherfucking Aerosmith! Got it? Good! This album rules so much. The performances on this LP (that I will also throw in that it looks in mint condition, like it was never even played once!) are all tops. The choice of cuts on this album includes all the hits and more. Yeah, really, they’re all here: Back In The Saddle, Sweet Emotion, Toys In The Attic, Mama Kin, Dream On, Walk This Way, etc. It’s an incredible live album. Which is something else considering how much I usually hate live records (except this one is from the 70′s – I should confirm that I don’t like many live albums after about 1985. Once technology got better, I found that live albums started getting boring… except Iron Maiden’s Rock In Rio… that’s heaps rad). And for this to still have the poster inside, that’s like gold! I was super happy with this gem.
7. THE OUTFIELD – “Play Deep” (1985)
Okay okay, I know this is cheesy 80′s pop rock but I love it. I found this LP at a record fair and bought it cos a girl I used to know was in love with a song on here called Your Love so I got it for her as a present but someone had already found it for her. So I kept it for myself and I’m glad I did cos it’s great! So many cool and catchy tunes on here. See, if you search long enough, you will strike gold. For $1, this album was so fun and happy sounding that I found like I was ripping the dude off at the record fair by only paying the $1 for it. Score! If you don’t know the song Your Love, then click this link below. You’ll probably hate it.
8. VAN HALEN – “Van Halen” (1978)
We don’t really need to say a lot about this album cos I am sure you all own it anyway. This album is one of THE greatest rock n roll records of all time. It just is. Hey, don’t get mad with me, I don’t make the rules, history has spoken. Everything about this album rules; the songs, the solos, the vocals, the production, etc. it’s all good! Nothing to fault here. Just brilliance right the way through. I don’t need to write anymore. You know it already and for $1, this album is without a doubt not one you would pass over. I expect you’d do the same, even if you already owned 15 copies of it, this is just one of those albums. I am gonna put this on right now. Yep.
9. HOODOO GURUS – “Stoneage Romeos” (1984)
Found this on my trek to the USA last year. I already owned the Aussie version but this is the Big Time Records release and has the different cover so I figured I needed it just in case it sounded different. It doesn’t. But that doesn’t matter cos it’s still a sweet record. If you have looked over the Hoodoo Gurus then, plain and simple, you’re an idiot. You’re an even bigger idiot if you claim to like rock n roll and still overlooked this record. Why? Cos it’s awesome. Like, heaps awesome! Hell, I’d even write in capitals to show how awesome it is but internet ettiquette tells me that typing in capitals means shouting and I don’t like shouting at anyone, let alone the many strangers who will read this. Still, you need this record. Listen to these killer tunes: I Want You Back, Let’s All Turn On, Tojo, Leilani, I Was A Kamikaze Pilot, etc. The list goes on. This album has no dull moments. It’s just all good. If you don’t own it, please rectify this situation immediately then we’ll talk.
10. ZZ TOP - “Eliminator” (1983)
Around 15 years ago, back when I lived in Adelaide, there used to be this amazing second-hand record store down at Glenelg. They had thousands of second hand records, multiple copies of most and it was a haven to the vinyl junkie. I was super happy shopping there. One of the albums I picked up there for a measly $1 was a mint copy of this ZZ Top classic. I mean, let’s face it, this album has the hits on it and is a great rock n roll record from that little band in Texas who have managed to keep their original line-up in tact for their entire 20+ year career (a feat matched only by those boys from Ireland known as U2). Yep, you know these songs: Legs, Sharp Dressed Man, Gimme All Your Lovin, Got Me Under Pressure, TV Dinners, etc. This album is perfecto. A good time record with great guitar riffs. Those in the USA can find ZZ Top LPs for $1 all over the place. For some reason the American’s think this is all their homegrown Texan’s are worth. Such a shame for them but great for us record junkies. Sweetness!
So there you go. I could continue this on for a long time as I left out notables like Bruce Springsteen, Journey, Foreigner, Gladys Knight & The Pips, Bob Seger, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, and countless others. Still, this is a great start and hopefully you have enjoyed reading this little trek through the best from the bargain bins. Thanks for reading.
