What is the oddest way you have acquired a record?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by pc-Ray, Nov 1, 2018.

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  1. pc-Ray

    pc-Ray Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    USA
    Hello all! This is my first thread...

    So, what is the oddest way that you have acquired a record?

    For me, the second thing that comes to mind is getting Alfred E Newman's "It's a Gas" bound into my copy of Mad magazine. I'm not sure flexi-disks should count, though. (You decide.)

    However, I got an actual 45 RPM copy of the fine hit "Leader of the Laundromat" in a box of potato chips. (Old Dutch brand, as I recall.)
     
  2. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I found a Salsoul 12" of Sing Sing by Gaz, a record that has been sampled a lot, in the middle of the street along with a couple of other disco 12"s in excellent condition. They can't have been there long as I'm sure some kids would have frisbeed them before long.

    Also an old Club Ska 67 original LP in the back of a charity shop in the middle of a pile of dross about to go in the bin.
     
  3. Celebrated Summer

    Celebrated Summer Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
    I got bootleg Beatles albums in the mail I'd never ordered.

    When I was 14, I sent away for some Beatle stuff that was being sold by a mail order company. About a year later, records started arriving with no explanation. First I got a white label/white jacket album of a Beatles' 1966 Japan show. Then came similar packages that included the two full Shea Stadium shows that were used to make the Hollywood Bowl album. Then there was an album that compiled rare songs from their solo years.

    This was circa 1979, long before you could email anyone. I tried calling the company, but there was no working phone number. I wrote them and received no response. All of this might sound like a great thing -- who doesn't want free albums? Unfortunately, I had parents who were really down on me being so heavily into music, and when these records kept coming to the house, it caused arguments ("We know you secretly ordered them! You need to study more! How did you pay? Tell us the truth!").

    Anyway, I kept the albums. Unfortunately, I sold them in the 1990s, but that's another story.
     
  4. xios

    xios Senior Member

    Location:
    Florida
    I found a mint UK Sinatra "Wee Small Hours" and a mint UK Mitchum "Calypso Is Like So" in a trash dumpster outside my cheapo student apartment in the 1970's.
     
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  5. matthew2600

    matthew2600 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Colorado
    Back in my college radio days, this guy called me up saying "Hey, I'm moving out of town. I used to work for Virgin Records, I've got all this stuff I need to give away." So then he drops off boxes and boxes of new promo vinyl and CDs, I had dozens of copies of the original 2LP Massive Attack Mezzanine in my kitchen for months. When friends came over, I would ask if they wanted a free copy of Massive Attack Mezzanine basically. Great album, I should have saved them all in hindsight maybe, I literally could not give them away at the time of release.
     
  6. Cachiva

    Cachiva Forum Resident

    Location:
    Houston, Texas
  7. TheWalrusWasPaul

    TheWalrusWasPaul Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    A local radio station was running a promo in 1985- 10th caller won as many top 20 albums as they could name in 10 seconds. As a naive 15 year old I told my parents I was going to win this competition, promptly called and was the 10th caller and won around 7 LPs, most of which I still have. Never did one of those things before or since. I still can't believe how it happened and why I was so sure I would win.
     
  8. pathosdrama

    pathosdrama Forum Resident

    Location:
    Firenze, Italy
    Many years ago, I hosted a night radio show with another guy. It was a hell of a time, and the show was populated by lots of guests and friends who often ended up staying all night. One of these guys was a weird dude, an ex junkie who had been living for a good 25 years in a buddhist retreat. At the time, he was just getting back into the real world and so he kept asking me lots of questions about current music. One day, he came asking for a band named Franz Ferdinand, which he heard on the radio. I offered to make him a CD with the album, and he loved the music. He seemed to be very grateful. Some weeks after, he disappeared again.

    Some year later, I ran into him walking on a street. He told me he was going to put all of his vinyl and turntable in the trash bin, so he insisted about me getting them as a sort of compensation for the CDr I made him years before. I got a decent turntable and a good hundred of Italian LPs from the 70s in the space of 15 minutes, nothing super rare but a nice collection.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2018
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  9. If I Can Dream_23

    If I Can Dream_23 Forum Resident

    Location:
    United States
    Nothing too odd (though I suppose I could make something up). :p

    Probably the "oddest" was winning a record back at the summer fair/carnival when I was younger. Pop three balloons and win a country and western record of your choice!

    I can't even remember what the thing was anymore!

    Why couldn't those fun summer fairs of yesteryear give out copies of Led Zeppelin IV? :laugh:
     
  10. Andrewb

    Andrewb Claiming squatter's rights

    Location:
    UK
    I'm glad you asked this because a few years ago I was on a whale watching cruise, watching a small pod of minke whales as they gathered in the waters off California when, out of nowhere, a whale broke surface right near our boat and (I know you'll find this hard to believe) but it rose up out of the water and passed me a copy of the Orange Juice album You Can't Hide Your Love Forever which it held gently in it's mouth. I can only think it was dropped overboard by a passenger on a cruiseliner passing somewhere nearby because it was in near mint condition and played perfectly after a light cleaning!
     
  11. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    One of my favourite ever albums.
     
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  12. uncarvedbloke

    uncarvedbloke Forum Resident

    Location:
    UK - SOT
    Walking down an alleyway in my local town a couple of years ago I spied a pile of vinyls on top of a waste bin. A Led Zep 2, Sgt Pepper, Best Of Cream and best of all - a spiral Vertigo Black Sabbath (sadly knackered) Christmas came early :)
     
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  13. groundharp

    groundharp Maybe your friends think I'm just a stranger

    Location:
    California Day
    I guess the creature didn't want to part with its copy of Whale Meat Again by Jim Capaldi?
     
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  14. Retro Hound

    Retro Hound Forum Resident

    Location:
    Pittsburg, KS
    A guy I know sells office furniture and supplies and travels out of town once or twice a week up to a little over an hour away. He's not really into music. He was meeting with someone out-of-town and saw a bunch of albums and just struck up a conversation with the guy as to why he had these around the office. Turns out he was going through them thinking of selling them. My friend said he knew someone who would be interested and told me about it next time he saw me. I got the out-of-town guy's phone number and called him and ended up buying about 200 albums for $250 sight unseen. When they arrived I couldn't believe that so many were NM and VG++. Lots of jazz. Lots and lots of it were really good jazz. He had said there was Rolling Stones and Beatles in there, but there was one Rolling Stones (Get Your Ya-Yas) and some solo albums from 3 of the Beatles but no albums from the band, but I really couldn't complain. Santana's first two albums, Paul Butterfield Blues Band albums, and lots of other great stuff came from that purchase.
     
  15. breakingglass

    breakingglass Forum Resident

    Location:
    Atlanta

    These were awesome! in that little blue (?) circle was imprinted a numeral 1-5 telling you which song was on you box. I only wanted 1, 2, and 5. Great photo of the brothers too.
     
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  16. elvotix

    elvotix Forum Resident

    Location:
    Marlton, NJ
    winning The Velvet Underground and Nico Mono LP on the boardwalk in New Jersey for .25 cents. I was 14, and picked it because I knew who they were, and was a Warhol fan. Place a quarter down and spin the wheel, your choice if your number comes up.

    finding the Stooges Fun House and Todd Rundgren's Runt LP, both still sealed, and leaning against a wall in a medical warehouse where I worked, was 21 years old. Did not own the Stooges LP, so I was thrilled. Already had the Runt LP, but this was the alternate release.

    finding opened copies of King Crimson's In the Wake of Poseiden and Elton John's Friends leaning against a fire hydrant in downtown Philadelphia, in the middle of the afternoon.

    Still own them all.
     
    Last edited: Nov 1, 2018
  17. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    Really good first thread. Welcome to the forum pc-Ray.
     
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  18. Floyd Crazy

    Floyd Crazy Senior Member

    My neighbour came around to ask why the water was off in are street,then started to say sorry for the loud music she played why spinning on her exercises bike,i mentioned I played vinyl loud so I didn't bother me.
    She said vinyl I have a pile of it on my front porch going to the dump later today.
    I said can I have a look she said just take it save me a trip. I grabbed the heavy pile and came home amazed all thanks to a burst water main! 47 albums for free,including first issue ELO Out of the Blue and second
    Issue WYWH, Pink Floyd and some early Who and a bunch of other gems some I kept some I traded and some I sold for £80 cash back so far. God bless the water company,happy Crazy..
     
  19. Christian Hill

    Christian Hill It's all in the mind

    Location:
    Boston
    I broke down in Houma, Louisiana and was at a convenience store trying use a payphone (well before cell phones). I noticed a 45 record sitting alone on a shelf with the bread. It was the Bubble Puppy's Hot Smoke & Sassafras. I've had it ever since :)
     
  20. citizensmurf

    citizensmurf Ambient postpunk will never die

    Location:
    Calgary
    Is trading weed for an album odd, cuz I did that with a desperate friend a few times back in high school. He wasn't too bright because ended up sharing the pot with me, but I kept the music.
     
  21. Jack

    Jack Senior Member

    I stuffed a copy of E Pluribus Funk down my pants at a Sears store. Walked out smiling.
     
  22. mark winstanley

    mark winstanley Certified dinosaur, who likes physical product

    Dropping stuff off at the local rubbish tip.
    Climax Blues band - I love you
    Judie Tzuke - stay with me til dawn
    and about five other singles all in perfect condition.
    I never bought singles, but I had an old gramophone for my 78's and it had the drop down thing. So it was pretty cool
     
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  23. Man at C&A

    Man at C&A Senior Member

    Location:
    England
    I got Bob Dylan's first album and The Great Otis Redding Sings Soul Ballads from a vacuum cleaner shop for £2 each. They belonged to the owner who decided to sell them in his shop. They were well played and worn. I've replaced them since.
     
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  24. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Score!
     
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  25. Fullbug

    Fullbug Forum Resident

    Location:
    Seattle
    Live Peace in Toronto, found abandoned in a laundry room.
     
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