I scored a $900 for free and bought 770 records in less than three weeks...
Hi everyone. I apologize for the infrequency of this newsletter but life has been rather busy these past couple of months. My day job's music festival in June was canceled due to COVID-19 and we instead produced a 5 hour online concert of sorts that took up a lot of time, probably more than if we'd had the festival, ha. That premiered last week and I had to clear over 40 songs to be used in the show which was a first for me. It feels good to have that behind me and get my summer back, whatever that means in these crazy times.
First, let me tell you two quick stories...
I bought 600 records from someone that lives just three miles from me. I saw a poorly drafted Facebook market post with some interesting looking records on a Friday night and sent a message immediately asking if I could come over in the morning to look through. I never heard back and could barely sleep that night. I woke up at 6:30 am with a reply from the seller who said I could come over at 7:30 am and I was there on time before anyone else in my house was even awake. It turned out his brother just passed away and he was mentally ill and a hoarder with supposedly thousands of records in Cincinnati. This gentleman had brought some back to Nashville to try and sell and help out his sister and Mom unload some of this collection. I skimmed through and noticed several great records and multiple copies of each, all in very good condition. Long story sort, I bought all 600 and have been sorting and selling them very quickly. I still have plenty to list for sale and that has been keeping me busy.
Second story. I've been buying albums from a local contact for about six months now and even introduced him to some friends who started buying as well. He kept telling us he had 4,000 records to sort through and sell and we kept telling him we'd love to look through them and buy whenever he was ready to sell. Well, he finally sent us a message saying he was moving and they were selling their records for $3 each and invited us to come shop before anyone else was allowed to. I bought 150 records the first day then went back again and bought about 50 more, ha.
This leads me to the title of the email subject line...in the corner of this sale were piles of records they were giving away free because they were scratched. After I finished buying my records I decided to sort through them just to see what was in the stack. For my birthday I used my gift money to buy a Record Doctor VI cleaning machine and that thing can make records that look unplayable actually sound decent so I figured, they are free, I'll take them home and clean them up and see what happens.
I noticed this odd looking flesh colored album with a guy completely covered in paint and the words "Felt" on the cover. I flipped it over and read that the guy was from Alabama (my home state) which was enough for me to take it home. I finally looked it up this weekend and the last copy on Discogs sold for $900. Turns out this is a rare psych rock album from 1971 released on Nasco Records (which is a subsidiary of Nashboro Records, one of my favorite gospel labels) and people pay $300+ a couple times a year. My copy is not clean enough to sell for $900 and I don't know if I will sell it or not. It's actually a pretty interesting listen and I'm partial to anything creative that was released from my home state of Alabama that doesn't have the overuse of the letter Y in the band name.
So...what better way to start the song list than with Felt?!
Felt - The Change
Thankfully this album has been reissued and can be found on streaming services. The album has a bluesy psych feel to it as the 10 minute song here conveys. Again, they were from Huntsville, AL, where I grew up. The idea that my hometown produced a rare blues psych album is wonderful. Everyone is familiar with the Muscle Shoals sound so knowing this took place in Huntsville is even better. And to bring the album full circle for me, it was recorded here in Nashville where I now live. All of that being said, there's no way I can sell this album...
Tommy James & The Shondells - I'm Alive
I bought two copies of the classic LP, Crimson & Clover at the same garage sale as I scored the Felt album. While listening, the song I'm Alive caught my ear and I couldn't help but think this would make a great song to be included a movie. Imagine the hero walking down the street with this song blasting behind them. Maybe Scorcese could branch out from the using the same Rolling Stones song and use this one instead.
Andrae Crouch & The Disciples - Too Close
There is an antique store near me that sells records, so naturally I visit often. They had an outdoor tent sale and there was a guy with a bin full of 45s. I bought 22 for $20 and sold one for $40 later that day. One of the 45s was this Andrae Crouch picture sleeve with Christian People as the A Side and Too Close on the B Side. I actually prefer this song and can't wait to throw it into a gospel mix soon. I can't find a version on streaming services but did find on YouTube!
Betty Harris - I'm Gonna Git Ya
This was another 45 I found in the tent sale bin...Betty Harris' Can't Last Much Longer/I'm Gonna Git Ya on Sansu Records released in 1967. I wasn't familiar with the "Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul" until I spun this 45 and I'm glad I took a chance on it. Wonderful female R&B/soul songs with that hint of New Orleans jazz we all know so well. I can't wait to spend more time with Betty's catalog.
Kelso Herston and The Funky Guitar Band - Steel Guitar Rag (Funky)
When digging through piles of common 45s, I look for two things...an interesting looking label and odd song titles. This 45 had both and I took a chance. Recorded on Music Row here in Nashville back in 1971, this song takes the steel guitar and uses an effect to make it...funky. Kind of psychedelic, kind of funky, but a lot of fun. Play this one loud.
That's probably enough tunes for now...thanks for reading this far and please forward this to any friends looking for new music recommendations from something other than a robot.
FYI - I updated the Apple Music and Spotify playlists with the songs listed above for one easy listening experience.
Also, don't forget about the podcast Aaron Calling where I call my oldest friend (also named Aaron) to get nerdy on our weekly record purchases. Apple or Spotify!
Stay safe.
Hartley