We have those guys in the States also…they take hours inspecting every single cd and then don’t buy any.,.
There's a bloke like that near me. I encountered him a few weeks ago, taking forever over the CD contents and getting in everyone's way while he did so. I cleared off and check out some other chazzas; when I returned, he was still there, in the same position!
Perhaps he's autistic or has a learning disability? (is that still the correct term?) I do occasionally see men, mostly in their twenties, accompanied by what appear to be their carers, in charity shops, checking out each CD and DVD individually. Saw one guy in a CeX with two carers, he bought more than a dozen DVDs.
This is an occupational hazard. In my experience they are usually thin, scraggy, aged men in baseball caps who seem to read every word on the sleeve of every CD, before doing likewise with the DVDs which are generally stacked annoyingly close to the music. Like Siegmund I tend to check out other shops and hope they've gone by the time I return. If not I just barge in front of them which generally scares them off.
Got a really good little lot today, my best in a while, which is why I haven't posted here for a while. I haven't been getting anything special, but there are a couple here that just never turn up in charities, especially in a 90s indie lot! Veruca Salt - American Thighs Money Mark - Push The Button Gong - Continental Circus Richard Thompson - Henry The Human Fly Mazzy Star - Among My Swan Miranda Sex Garden - Madra and also these great Ealing Comedy DVD box sets. I haven't seen these films in a long time. £3 for everything.
In addition to the Enja CDs they had a bunch of early ECMs, same deal with the smooth cases. Three copies of The Köln Concert for some reason, even though they were obviously all from the same donation. Two were missing the encore, so must have been pretty early CD issues of that one.
I love The Man In The White Suit! As well as being funny it’s quite a decent meditation on the social impact of disruptive technology and the subsequent resistance it faces. Plenty of lessons for the internet age and beyond. I really should try some other Ealing comedies too. I never really look at the DVDs, but a set like that would be very nice. I’d also love a Marx Brothers collection.
Gong is hard to find in the charity shops, but Continental Circus is a real rarity! And Henry The Human Fly is hard to find - as it's out of print it usually goes for about £20 used. It could do with a re-release really. I don't know if it's because RT doesn't like his vocals on it. It's a great album though. Those two would have made my month, especially if found together!
I was very happy to see Henry The Human Fly fall out of the bag totally unexpected! I love the album and have the original LP. I can imagine it getting a vinyl reissue at some point. It's been reissued a few times on vinyl and CD over the years. This CD is on the Fledgling label from 2004. No bonus tracks. I've never heard Gong...
If you've never heard Gong, this probably isn't the recommended place to start as it's a fairly obscure soundtrack from early in their career (although some editions have bonus live tracks). If it gives you a taste for more, look out for any of the Flying Teapot trilogy (FT, Angel's Egg and You) which are usually considered their best, Camembert Electrique, or a compilation.
This one does have the live stuff and is listed as 'unofficial' on Discogs. It looks it, just because it doesn't have a barcode or copyright details. There really are some greedy swines on Discogs. Gong - Continental Circus
That's the one with a 27 minute version of Flying Teapot that (as far as I know) isn't available on CD anywhere else (and which, for me, would be of even more interest than the actual album). An even better find! (And as you can see from Discogs, it's pricey to buy).
I don't understand Discogs's policy regarding "unofficial releases." Some they allow to be sold, others they block.
27 minutes of Flying Teapot? That's pretty epic. How many cups of tea can one feasibly have in that time?
You do know that Daevid Allen got the inspiration for the Flying Teapot trilogy from The Rutles, who had been turned on to tea by Bob Dylan? "A year later the Rutles were caught up in another scandal. In the heady atmosphere of San Francisco of the mid sixties, Bob Dylan had introduced the Rutles to a substance that was to have enormous effects on them: Tea. They enjoyed its pleasant effects, despite warnings that it would lead to stronger things, and it enormously influenced their greatest work, Sgt. Rutter's Only Darts Club Band. The release of this album, a millstone in pop music history, contributed greatly to an idyllic summer of bells, flowers and tea drinking. But it was not to last. Under questioning Dirk refused to lie to the British press and admitted to not only taking tea and enjoying tea, but biscuits too. The press, always envious of the Rutles, leapt at this opportunity to have it both ways. They grabbed the wrong end of the stick and began beating around the bush with it. In the ensuing confusion many pop stars were arrested for using and possessing tea. Nasty himself was busted by Detective Inspector Brian Plant, who brought his own to be on the safe side. There was an immediate outcry against this police persecution. The Times carried a full page ad calling for the legalisation of tea, and the general feeling was that police should stick to their proper job of collecting bribes from photographers and protecting the Royal Family from their subjects."
A few finds over the last couple of days: Rodney Crowell - Diamonds & Dirt 50p James Taylor -Mud Slide Slim And The Blue Horizon 50p Simon & Garfunkel - The Collection (5CD+1DVD) £2 Quite pleased to get the S&G box today - it contains their 5 studio albums (with bonus tracks) and the Central Park DVD in individual card sleeves in a hardback box. An instant (and compact) S&G collection for £2!
Don’t think so: he’s always alone and habitually rude and awkward, for which some people give him an (undeserved imo) pass because of his age (late seventies, at a guess).
I absolutely love Henry ….. RT at his quirkiest. And I like his vocals here, though I can understand why he doesn’t. Imo, they suit the material perfectly.