More adventures in vinyland

I created a music category because I write about it often enough and I'm going to write more posts about collecting vinyl records. I decided that my new vinyl hobby is better for the environment than buying CD's. Yes, the decision to buy records preceded my green rationalization, but its still most likely true. Buying used vinyl has a lower environmental impact than a new CD and at least some people think that, despite the problems with PVC, a new record is less damaging than manufacturing a new CD. Digital downloads have the lowest environmental impact, but I actually care about sound quality.

Anyway, back to the music. I was in Bloomington/Normal and headed for Waiting Room Records after reading about them online. But, I found that North Street Records down the block is the real place for vinyl.





I spent a while browsing around their huge collection and found several albums by New Riders of the Purple Sage. I remembered that one of my favorite local musicians Bill Laymon was a member of the band at one time so it caught my attention. They're a California country/roots jam band that sometimes included Jerry Garcia. Bill's not on this album but its still pretty good. The inside cover has a cartoon about the Adventures of Panama Red.

I also found an album I never heard of by borderline country star John Prine. Any Prine is good Prine and I wasn't disappointed when I got it home. Modern folk legend Steve Goodman plays on most of the songs too. Excellent album from start to finish.

North Street had several MC5 albums re-released on vinyl. They're one of those influential bands popular with music lovers that aren't as well known as they should be. I first heard of them when Rage Against the Machine covered their song Kick Out the Jams on their last album. I should have heard them years earlier on WYMG if syndicated classic rock radio wasn't so determined to drive the same 100 songs by the same two dozen bands into the ground over and over again.

After much thought I picked "Babes in Arms" which claims to have only been previously released as a hard to find cassette tape. Its an album of "rare out-takes, mixes, re-mixes, uncensored versions, private demos" that make up a kind of "best of" collection. What finally sold it for me was the white vinyl pressing. How could I resist that?





Someone accused me of listening to a lot of what she referred to as "stoner music." I really don't know what that's supposed to mean. Is that a red oak leaf on the MC5 album cover? Next time I'll write about getting jazz records in Chicago.