Had my first trawl around Shrewsbury for a while today... Depressingly predictable: Could have bought enough Dido CDs to build a mid-sized extension to my house which I would then have had to tile over with Robbie and Westlife CDs. Worst wander around I can remember for a while. Saw literally nothing I could imagine anyone wanting to buy.
Did you make it to White Rabbit records upstairs in the indoor market ? Or the oxfam music shop ? They are the best places in Shrewsbury
I heard a rumour White Rabbit have dropped all their CDs but didn't have time to check today. Yep, checked Oxfam but they have scaled back their CDs too... Have had a few half decent titles from them in the past.
That Dido CD is a regular I see too - along with Madonna's Music CD. As you suggest, I could tile my garage roof with them (a la Neil Young). Did manage to grab a 1997 Verve Master Edition (20 bit digital transfer) of the classic Getz/Gilberto CD in amongst the Dido/Madonna junk pile yesterday. Only 50p too.
Went to a open fair in a town nearby and there was a charity stall (Dogs rescue or something) and there was a box with DVDs and CDs: 4 for 1 euro. So I grabbed: - Bon Jovi s/t (1984-ish French issue) - Bon Jovi New Jersey (another Made in France release) - Bad Religion A Walk (4-track single from 1996) - Bob Marley Lively Up Yourself. Now that is mysterious. There is barely a mention on Discogs, and it seems that maybe it is a bootleg. The tracklist seems very random and the back cover mentions "This album contains tracks that are re-recorded."
Dropped by Chepstow on the way to my mum's yesterday and had some good finds: Howard Jones - Human's Lib (West Germany Target CD, They do still exist in the wild!) Eddie & the Cruisers - OST (1983 US Scotti Brothers CD) Ocean of Sound 2CD (I bought David Toop's book when it came out, will be nice to listen to the CD) Gregory Isaacs - Boom Shot (Shanachie/Koch) Cowboy Records Vol.1 2CD Perlman/Mehta -Saint Saens, Sarasate, Ravel (DG) George Winston - Summer (Windham Hill) also good news in my home town, lots of the shops are having clearouts (like 3 for 49p) so hopefully some new stock soon.
Spoke to WR on FB today - CDs are ditched! He said what's left is all I have, not to be replenished! Shame that.
picked up a few bits today - 5 for 2 quid The Essential Bob Dylan (2 cd) Introducing the Verve Jazz Masters - various Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1995 jobbie) Machine Gun Fellatio - Paging Mr. Strike Puccini - Tosca (Caballe, Carreras, Wixell, Sir Colin Davis) - this one is sealed and from the Philips 50 Great Recordings 2001 series, 24-bit jobbie. looks like this one might be a flipper..
Three today at £1 each: • Various artists – And the Times They Were a-Changin' (1998): Dylan covers • Public Enemy – It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back (1988): my first PE album! • Bill Evans – Portrait in Jazz (1960): still shrinkwrapped
few bits today, from various shops Beatles Red/Blue - £3 a pop. both in tip top condition - inserts untouched! 93 jobbies Vampire Weekend ~ Contra - 99p Congo to Cuba ~ various - £1. looks good this one Fumiya Tanaka ~ International DJ Syndicate ~ mix 3 - £1. no idea on this one. looks interesting I noticed in a particular Cancer Research today that the prices have gone up. minimum 2 quid a throw. most £2.50. double cd's £3.50/£4 a go. triples were a fiver. crazy pricing structure. must be shop specific, as my local CR charges a quid across the board
Are they the same masterings? I've got CentreDate ones. I understand they're the same as the old Factory CDs, but with a different edit of She's Lost Control on Substance (from memory), as the original had a dropout. I think that fix was also done to later Factory CDs. Top tip, rip JD Substance, then re-order it chronologically and burn it. The "Appendix" approach they took to keep consistency with the original vinyl release is rubbish, and disrupts the flow badly.
A pound each from three different shops: Sheena Easton - The Lover In Me (presumably that was Prince) Linda Ronstadt and Aaron Neville - Cry Like A Rainstorm, Howl Like The Wind (very appropriate for today's weather) Zubop - Hiptodisiac (not a clue, looked groovy) Passed on a couple of Led Zep CDs, one I already have on LP and another that was rather worse for wear. Dithered over a couple of budget Yardbirds comps and a few other things before dwelling on my already groaning shelves and stepping away!
From the same shop I just got Clannad's 'Celtic Cellection'. Only four tracks shared on the two comps, so this one's a nice complement to the first. £1. Just to show how high Oxfam, Lancaster, is pricing its CDs, they've had a copy of The Travel Agency album, 1968 - the Chrome Gold issue from 1999 - since before Christmas. You'd expect something like that to walk straight out of the door, but the asking price is £4.99, and unsurprisingly, it's still there.
One Cancer Research near me did something similar. But it was similar to the old BHF artist specific scheme, i.e., The Beatles £2.50, Phil Collins 50p (sorry Phil). I think Paul Simon had one CD at £2.50 (Graceland), another at £1, and a third at 50p. Graceland is good, but run of the mill CD copies do not sell for £2.50.
A few months back I threatened to post some pictures of charity shops on Bristol's Gloucester Road, as it was a nice day and I had a camera with me here are a few, this is the bottom end of the road and it's about a five minute walk between the first and last, there are many more shops further up, but I rarely venture that far. Salvation Army, never been in so no idea if it's any good, but I doubt it, they sell coffee. Shelter, not been in for ages, but very poor music selection last time I visited. Cancer Research, used to be great for picking up Hi FI and AV, nowadays very over priced, makes Oxfam Music seem cheap.
Young Lives For Cancer, no idea haven't been in for ages, St, Peters, I got some interesting CDs last year and a few books, appears to be well hit by people which suggests it's good, CD prices are okay. Amnesty Books, get some good stuff in, books aren't cheap, but not silly, records are expensive. Marie Curie, I have seen some decent vinyl in there, but very overpriced, notice another one that thinks it's a coffee shop.
Brandon, I have zero recollection of this one, maybe it's used to be something else, the Christians LP in the widow is £5, not a good sign. Cats Protection, seem to be orientated towards women's clothes. Tenovus, nothing in my experience. British Heart Foundation, a forum favourite, but this one is a bit disappointing. If the weather holds and I remember to take my camera I might do Cotham Hill next, it has an even higher density of charity shops.
Incidentally, if anyone is planning a visit to Bristol, the above shops are all on the main bus route that stops just past the Salvation Army and there are also 4 record shops in the same vicinity.
I'm going to go on a road trip around England's charity shops. I've been in about 7 charity shops over here since the new year. Not a thing worth buying. They closest was Tame Impala's Lonerism. I opened it up & there was an elvis CD inside.
while CDs and DVDs even Blu Rays are getting cheaper and cheaper I have noticed of late that some UK Charity shops in my area on the south coast of England are getting sillier re pricing old vinyl LPs one a Heart Foundation shop used to sell albums for one pound - now it's two or three even four pounds....even for budget priced LPs Woollies originally sold new for about one pound fifty pence - and these are often in poor condition now ! a Hospice Charity shop had an Elvis RCA Camden album and wanted TEN UK pounds for it... often these now more expensive LPs are in very poor condition
Even 30+ years ago I never had any luck in charity shops, which is probably why I mostly stick to boot sales, much more my domain, but I've always known people who have found tons in charities, some of it is down to pure luck, being in the right place at the right time and some down to just hitting them regularly, there's also those who get "out the back", just two weeks ago my brother was in one of those pictured, I'm not certain which and somebody dropped off a bag of CDs, he asked if he could see them and bought several Reggae, Beatles and Floyd CDs for 50p each, I probably walked past the shop at around the same time, you just need to persevere and a bit of luck. I reckon you could hit 50+ charity shops in a day trip to Bristol, can't guarantee you'd find anything, but it would be a good forum post.
I should have mentioned that the Salvation Army has some Roger Whitaker or similarly unwanted LPs in it's window, only £2.99.