“I never had a good time in school, so Friday became my favorite day. Classes were not so bad because freedom was only hours away. In that brief period between school letting out and midnight, it’s like an extra day, the economy version of a three-day weekend. Those hours are the peak of the week for me to this day. This time period is for playing records.”
- Henry Rollins
I like how Rollins's theory about Friday evenings echoes my own theory about the evenings before summer vacation. I also like how he uses music to celebrate the end of the week. I do that, too.
I often pick out my Friday record on Thursday night, so it's already waiting for me on the turntable when I get home. When Char and I get there, I'll let Ellie out into the backyard, feed our cat Bo, and then coax Ellie back in with a treat. With everyone taken care of, I'll drop the needle, settle into my recliner (or get ready to dance around if it's been that kind of a week), and let the music play. It's glorious.
Music can serve all kinds of purposes, but for me it's all about making myself smile. This brings me to this post's topic: records that make me happy even when I'm not playing them.
This one from High Stereo Light is fun because they screened the front artwork onto the back of the sleeve by mistake. LPs seldom exit on the left, as far as I know
This is a 2010 rerelease of Black Sabbath's first record. I bought this used LP at ZZZ records, and it's in really good shape. This copy is the measurement that I'll use to explain one of favorite records.
Okay, now check out this bad boy.
This record, also from ZZZ, is so awesomely bad (ass).
According to Discogs, Stereophonic is a “...South Korean pirate label that issued poor-quality unofficial releases of Western artists' music. The records were copied directly from original pressings using a reverse-molding process, and thus will have the same runout information as an American issue (or occasionally a British or Japanese one). Their releases share the same style of using monochrome printed covers (in various colours) on thin card stock.”
Let's look at these two records side by side.
What?! Just look at that record on the right! I don't know if you would call it a counterfeit or a bootleg, but man, that is just awesome. I love how unapologetic it is. Imagine coming to the party dressed like that and just not giving a damn. If this record could talk, it would say, "Yep, I'm a bootleg. What in the hell are you going to do about it?" So sassy.
I love the murky sleeve and how flimsy the card stock is. I also like the typewriter font on the labels. It's not trying to fool anyone. Loud and proud.
But the thing of it is, this bootleg actually sounds pretty good. I'd rate it at VG. The vinyl is also surprisingly heavy. Using our kitchen scale, this LP weighs in at 150 grams. Most records made in the 80's couldn't boast that heft.
I suppose a non-collector would ask why would I buy a bootleg when I already had a legit and better looking and sounding copy? To that I'd say simply obtaining records is not why I'm in this hobby. I like the legal Black Sabbath record, but it doesn't make me laugh like the bootleg does. This isn't about making sense or saving cents; it's about having fun.
Let's try another. Hmmm... can you spot the bootleg?
I have no idea who the G-Boys are.
I do like how the Stereophonic company couldn't afford to put a hype sticker on the sleeve, so they screened a circle on the front with "Don't Stop' Til You Get Enough" in someone's handwriting. Notice they put the unnecessary apostrophe after "stop" instead of in front of "til". I'm not judging; I can't write anything in Korean.
I don't mind that my legal copy of Off the Wall was vandalized by a previous owner.
Typos and an off-center label are things to celebrate.
Here's a bootleg from Taiwan. I bought it in a downtown Des Moines vintage clothing store in the late 90's.
Fun fact: Under the S FL-18668 A you can see a 58 and a 4. 1911 + 54 = the release year (1969) and 4 represents the fourth month (April). This record turns 56 in just three days.
Other fun facts: "First Record (第一唱片) is a label of questionable legality from Taiwan, catering to soldiers (mostly from the US) stationed there. They also did sell to locals... The albums were usually pressed in batches of about 500, with no two batches looking or sounding the same (ie different covers, vinyl colors). Covers were usually recycled, meaning art for a totally different album was on the reverse side of the paper (covers were thin paper wrapped in cellophane)... Pirate pressings outsold legit pressings 5 to 1. They were sold openly in legit record stores alongside equivalent legit pressings...usually for 1/5 or 1/4 of the price of the legit copy (in 1970 a pirate LP cost around US $0.70 whereas a legit Singaporean EMI pressing of the same album cost around US $3.50)."*
*Source= Billboard article 3/14/1970.
I've got a few others, but here's my last First Record for today.
I like this record's cover because Richard Carpenter looks like he's pissed that you're checking out his sister and not him, "... Really? I'm right here."
