Share a record/CD-buying sob story

After discovering Half Man Half Biscuit, I found that most of their albums were only available second hand at hugely inflated (1) prices. It took me two years to get all the albums (2), after which I paid well over odds for the Editor’s Recommendation and Saucy Haulage Ballads EPs. About three months later, Probe Plus put out the And Some Fell On Stony Ground... compilation which contained both EPs and a lot of other hard to find tracks for about a quarter of what I’d paid (3).

(1) Still cheap for the quality of the music, mind.

(2) I own, but have never played the debut. For me, it’s like Hard Times was to Desmond from Lost; it’s nice to know that, even if they never put out another record, tgere’ll Always be more out there for me to hear if I choose to.

(3) I still bought it and Ordinary To Enschede is one of the greatest tracks they, or anyone else, has ever recorded.

 

Back in the mid to late 80's I used to hit the yard sales every weekend looking for LP's. One Saturday I got to one, look around without seeing any LP's and drop my usual "do you have any records for sale?" line and the woman says "hold on a minute". She goes into the house and brings out around a dozen LP's. After all this time I only remember one; a 2nd state butcher cover. I ask her how much are they and she says $1.00 each. I only had a $20 bill and for some reason, I kept looking around at the other stuff they had while holding onto a few of the LP's, trying to appear casual about my incredible find. When I finally decide it's time to get out of there I hand the woman the $20 bill and wait for her to bring me my change. All of the sudden a different woman comes out of the house and grabs the LP's out of my hands and says the records aren't for sale. If I hadn't found one the year before at a yard sale where records were 2 for a quarter, I would have been more crushed than I was.

 

I got into records late in high school, and inherited my parents classics such as an unopened Bob Marley and Wailer Exodus Lp, original Rubber Soul, S and Gfunk collection. Added about 200 other indie records including The Microphones Blood, early original Death Cab Lps, original Elliott Smith Lps, etc. Went through a minimalist phase and gave them all away. I brought my record crates to a party of my college friends and said "devour." Got back into records five years later, and I'm not that said about the loss for the most part.

 

Not me, but a friend of mine, 30 years ago, bought an original 3LP Metal Box - Public Image Ltd and left it on the bus, on the way home from the store... And never saw it again....He still hasn't got over it

 

Why do I keep reading of MFSL gold discs breaking? I have had quite a few for decades and never had a problem. I'm sorry to hear of your misfortune.

 

I was at a general second hand goods store and came across a box of 45s which were $1 each.
One of them had a plain paper sleeve and labels that looked like they had been scribbled and doodled on in felt pen by a 2 year old.
Found out much later that it's actually a very rare early Flying Nun release with an intentionally bad home made sleeve which is worth around $400-500.

 

I bought Tiny Tim complete Reprise recordings, which was and is OOP. It was damaged in the mail and had its corner slightly crushed and the digipak was cracked. I kept it anyway. I love the set.

 

LOL.....that happened to me when I was 11 or 12 with Dobie Gray 's Drift Away 45. Left it in my grandmother's car while going swimming at my aunt's house one hot summer day. Warped beyond belief!

 

And to think - I single-handedly put that guy’s kids through college.

 

I know exactly where you're talking about, I found a few used CD's I wanted one being a Bowie RCA and he's like ooh I know what that is that's a rare one there and started looking it up on Discogs, I told him if I wanted to shop online I could have done it myself and not bothered to come in to his store then walked out. Never been back.

 

Vegas is an easy place to get screwed over. I bet I know what store did it too.

 

I was at the Pasadena Record Swap some years ago and overheard someone say they just got 600 clams for an original "I Am the Hillside Strangler" (Child Molesters) single. I had traded an original copy (received from a band member with whom I worked at the Licorice Pizza warehouse in the early '80's) in a couple months earlier to Amoeba thinking I did well getting 60 clams credit. I immediately asked Don Bolles (Germs drummer) what that single goes for, "600 or 700" was his answer. It still hurts to think about it.

 

Many years ago, before YouTube and the internet, I found an album by Popol Vuh that I was unfamiliar with, and a 1972 copyright. It was an import and money was hard to come by in those days, but after scrounging around for a day, and trading in some albums, it was mine.


It turns out that there were two Popol Vuhs, the German band who scored all of those Herzog movies in the 70’s we all know and love, and a Norwegian symphonic prog band who changed their name to Popol Ace the following year. Guess which band my new album was from.
It’s not like it was a terrible album, I just don’t care for symphonic prog.

 

New member, first post. Not a sob story but a funny one.

When Kiss 40 came out a couple years ago, I went to Best Buy on day of release to get the CD (as I've done with all Kiss new releases the past 30 years- I'm a big fan). I get out to the car and unwrap the CD - and I can't get the case open. Now I have hundreds of CDs and have never had a problem opening a CD case, unlike some newbies. I tried for 10 minutes. Thought maybe it was some new tech or something, but no just a standard jewel case.

So I go back in the store to see Customer Service. I was terrified the kid behind the counter would pop it open and think what's with this crazy old dude with the Kiss CD. Fortunately, he was just as perplexed as I was. Eventually he got it open but not without destroying the case and probably scratching the disc. He said just to grab another one off the shelf.

That was really strange as there was no visible sign that anything was wrong with the case yet it would not open. It's like it was super glued shut or fused together.

 

I had no choice. It wasn't priced.

 

Moon Dog!

 

Some years back, I picked up a copy of Elvis Costello & The Brodsky Quartet Live at New York Town Hall promo CD on ebay. Then I burned a backup copy and dropped off my original on the desk of a friend at work who I thought would enjoy it.

A couple days later I asked my friend what he thought of the CD and he said "What CD?" Apparently someone had picked it up taken it away before he saw it. Dang!! The nerve of some people...!

[As a consolation, at least I still have my backup copy....]

 

I remember seeing this release on the new import shelf at Rhino Records, at the old Westwood Blvd location.

It was way too expensive for me back then...

What’s the general collector’s price now?
Has the metal tarnished on some, or all, copies?

 

I knew of but had never seen a vinyl copy of INXS - Dekadance. It was released only a cassette with a flip top, cigarette case type of packaging. There were 500 pressed to vinyl for radio DJs. These go for $300 +. To my surprise about 2 yearsback, one turned up on Gumtree 2 suburbs away listed for $10. The guy had a few other records listed for the same price so i figure he wanted to get rid of these & make a few bucks. I'd set it up with him, as he was away for the weekend, to meet up on Sunday afternoon to pick it up. Saturday morning he messages me to say he's been offered $50 so I told him I'd match it. Come Sunday afternoon, 20 minutes before i was due to meet him, he pulls out saying he had been offered $150 and was withdrawing the sale to auction it on ebay. Not seen one since.

 

I was on holiday in America and got hit on the back of the head with a Nickleback CD whilst walking to the record shop

 

I had some lowlife roomates back in the 80s, the lease was in their name, I rented a room.
I had a breakup with my girlfriend at the time, was kind of torn up and spending a lot of time with other friends, not staying in my rented room in that apartment. My rent was paid, but I guess my absence made the roomates afraid I was gonna ditch out with no notice, leaving them holding the bag on rent. Well as consolation for themselves they decided to steal a few of my albums. I stopped by the apartment for something, noticed the missing albums, and as a result moved the f_ck on out of there exactly as they had speculated I would. I'd of paid rent and stayed otherwise. The only record among them I remember now specifically was my original copy of "The Wall". To this day I haven't had it again on vinyl. At the time I was working for a buck or 2 an hour above minimum wage, and records weren't particularly easy to replace, too much clubbing needing to be done on a tight budget.

 

Bought a compilation CD a few years back and was quite excited about it. It had quite a few hard to impossible to find tracks on it.

Put in on play in great anticipation only to hear that it was some unknown sessional band covers of all the songs.

 

Always a bad sign when there's no price sticker. On my travels ..discovered this neat shop, nothing really great, but noticed the records had numbers on them like "3" "7" 12" .. all pretty low numbers. Taking them to the desk, the owner brought out the vinyl, but wanted way more, when i pointed out the stickers..he said they were a code to locate discs. Yeah! Right ..anyway passed.

 

Reminds me of Holden Caulfield and Little Shirley Beans but at least in your case not so bad.

 

I would have walked right out as soon as he said that! What a jerk. In a retail store, everything should be clearly marked or that's what happens. Not a good experience at all and I can't imagine anyone ever going back. Sorry to hear you were treated like that.