January Record Shopping in Arizona, Part Three.

OK, we're back on track here. After we left PDQ, we headed for Phoenix, stopping at the Zia in Chandler. It's a big-ass store but I didn't really find a ton of stuff. Here is what I did find.

V/A - Summer School (1987)

This was - and I have no regrets about this - one of the more expensive records I bought on this trip. That's not saying much, but it does say that I was willing to spend 10 bucks on this because I've never seen it before. Such a great movie.

Dave Pratt and The Sex Machine Band - The Worst of "The Wild One" Dave Pratt Volume Three: Turbo Mother (1986)

Local Tempe, Arizona morning DJ goofball. Red vinyl!

Champagne Explosion - Champagne Explosion (1978)

I dunno. It's called Champagne Explosion and the first two songs are called "Action is Tight" and "Sexy Changes." I'm intrigued.

Dolly Parton - Just the Way I Am (1972)

Dolly comp of early material released on the Pickwick label. Cash grab alert!

Dolly Parton - The Great Pretender (1984)

Hellooooo Dolly.

Exude - "Boys Just Want to Have Sex" 12" (1984)

Karaoke-level keyboard synth jam with dudes singing about how they want to have sex. Trying to figure out who these maniacs are.

After the big Zia we headed to the Revolver Records in Tempe, which was a cool little shop, but just didn't have a ton of what I'd normally be looking for. I did pick up a few good ones, though:

Madonna - Who's That Girl (1987)

Scooped this for some reason. Gotta gas up my wife's Madge collection!

Whodini - "Freaks" 12" (1991)

Whodini in '91. I don't think I'd ever heard this song. This isn't "The Freaks Come Out at Night." This is awkward.

Young Black Teenagers - Dead Enz Kidz Doin' Lifetime Bidz (1993)

Been looking for this forever. Got a gold-stamp promo edition with the hype sticker still on the front. Now I gotta find their first one.

Michel'le - Michel'le (1989)

I'm pretty much down to buy any early Ruthless release for three bucks. 1989. What a year. Think I may have picked up another Michel'le record on this trip. Look out for it!

We left Revolver and went to a place called Tracks in Wax, that was a cool little store on the inside:

But, the prices were outrageous. Shit like Men at Work's first album for seven or eight bucks. Just total garbage. This picture sums up a lot of it:

Hot dealz! Thanks for the hookup!

So we left there. I bought nothing. Next we went to Stinkweeds in Phoenix. Nice, hip-to-Pitchfork store but the prices were a little high, and they didn't have a ton of stuff I wanted.

Bobcat Goldthwait - Meat Bob (1988)

It's not like I'm even really a Bobcat fan, but this was in good shape and cheap. And the cover is frightening.

Barry Louis Polisar - I Eat Kids and Other Songs for Rebellious Children (1975)

I found one of this wonderful kook's other records when I was in Philadelphia a few years back and it was equally wacky in its approach. So I felt I should get this one.

Marlene Hershey - Merry Christmas Melodies (196?)

Private-press Christmas album out of Pennsylvania. Gonna treasure this one in 11 months.

Next up: a few more places and some rap 12"s!

January Record Shopping in Arizona, Part Two.

This is actually part one. I realized/remembered after trying to make sense of the photos I had - and then matching them to the multiple bags of records - that we had actually hit two different Zia Records in Tucson in the two days previous; I just hadn't remembered to take photos and I bought more on those trips than I realized. The timeline doesn't ultimately matter, but I guess I like to keep it straight for posterity.

So this is the stuff I bought on those two trips. I don't have photos of the Zia stores, but instead I offer up a picture I took (above) during the tail end of our trip, of a record I don't ever recall seeing before this weekend (though I probably have): Jim Steinman's Bad for Good. My brother showed me the cover during one of our first stops and then I kept seeing it at at least every other store we went to. That happens sometimes. For me, for this weekend, it was that record. I guess it has something to do with Meat Loaf. The records I bought, as far as I know, have absolutely nothing to do with Mr. Loaf.

Marshmallow Overcoat - Alive 7" (1989)

Very into this one. Local Tucson Doors-esque psych/garage rockers on white vinyl - one side 33&1/3, one side 45. It's on Dionysus Records, natch. Here's "Won't Go Away/Walking in This World."

Gas Huffer - Integrity Technology and Service (1992)

Wasn't even sure this one came with a comic, and boom: there it was, in the sleeve. eMpTy label.

Rick Porter - Truth of Lies (197?)

"The Potpourri Singer." Private press on the Potpourri label and also contains a copy of his extensive press kit.

The Black Watch - Short Stories (1989)

College rock with violin on what appears to be the band's own label. Got a Michael Penn vibe to it.

Blood on the Saddle - Poison Love (1986)

Punky chug-a-lug that feels very SST. Need to figure out more about this one. Looks cool.

Two Crisp Bills - Because of the Music (1979)

These guys are both named Bill. Private press and they went all out on this one. Great cover.

Radiance - He Loves Me So (1977)

Private-press religious LP out of Seattle. Back cover is where the pictures of children show up and it gets a little creepy. I've now got both a Washington Private Press and a dedicated Religious Private Press section in my collection - this album qualifies for both! I've got some big decisions to make.

Michael Quatro - Bottom Line (1981

Suzi's brother! His interests include disco and never wearing a shirt.

DC Star - DC Star (1982)

Picture disc from a Baltimore rock band who appear to be pretty incredible. My copy still has the original price tags on the back, as well as the original receipt from 1982. Keeping that shit intact.

Rap Reiplinger - Poi Dog (1978)

Hawaiian comedian who comes off like a real weirdo. I have one of his other records. It's all very Hawaii-specific and I don't get many of the jokes.

Jean Michel Jarre - Magnetic Fields (1981)

Sort of had my eye out for this one for a while. Haven't listened to it yet.

V/A - Homegrown (1977)

San Diego-area rock comp to benefit the local United Way. From what I can tell.

Richard De Vos - Selling America (1967)

Folks, he's here to talk to you about Amway. I collect records like these because they terrify me.

Joy Rose - "Sexual Voodoo" 12" (1987)

12" disco-rap from '87 that is ready to put a spell on you.

Dolly Parton - Bubbling Over (1973

I just saw the cover for this for the first time like a year ago, and I've been keeping an eye out. Finally found it. What a piece of work.

Dolly Parton - New Harvest...First Gathering (1977)

Another one I didn't have. Looks farmy!

Carol Hensel - Dancersize (1980)

Includes the original instructional pamphlet! Bonus! This ain't Jazzercise, you pussies. We're going hard.

Madonna - "Dress You Up" 12" (1985)

Guys, my wife's record collection is getting really great. Plus you know I'll get down for a Madonna 12" remix from the 80's.

Ralph Harrison - Fee Spirit Movin' (1972)

Just a guy taking his guitar for a ride in his dune buggy.

Servant - Shallow Water (1979)

Christian rock group whose members all lived in a 40-person commune outside of Grants Pass, Oregon. I'm gonna keep an eye out for more from this group, because it feels weirdly culty and I'm intrigued.







Phew. Still so much more to come. Next up we begin to think about starting to head to Phoenix!

January Record Shopping in Arizona, Part One.

I had a big birthday recently, and I decided to visit my brother in Tucson, AZ, as a little vacation treat. We, of course, spent the better part of two days hitting all the record stores in Tucson, and then most of the ones in Phoenix. It was a whirlwind but I'm gonna do my best to remember how this all went down.

The first big trip we made was to PDQ Records & Tapes, which shuttered its doors in 2011, only to reemerge at the tail end of 2014. We'd been there before, but I guess it must have been at least 5 years ago. My brother wasn't even positive it would be open, but boom: there it was. All this stuff had been sitting in a locked up building for four years:

I remembered getting a weird vibe there last time, and when I started looking through records and a lot of them weren't priced, I thought it might be one of those situations where you have to bring stuff up to the dude and go through the awkward exchange of him quoting a price way over what you're willing to pay, and then telling him you don't want it, and it's a waste of time for everyone. I did end up having to do that once, but the guy quoted me very fair prices on the 7"s I was asking him about and all the LPs I got were priced, so it ended up not being an issue. I did have to bring a small pile of 7"s up, but he was fair across the board on 'em and I didn't have to put anything back.

But seriously: I'm begging you to price your vinyl.

Here we go:

Billy Idol - "Don't Need a Gun" 7" (UK, 1986)

At some point in the past few years I bought the US 12" of this which has a few sweet remixes on it. This one's just got an album cut on the B-side, but it's the UK version with a gatefold that opens up to a sultry pic of Billy blazing a cig.

Billy Idol - "Sweet Sixteen" 7" (1986)

One of my wife's friends was making fun of me for liking Billy Idol. To be clear: I'll go to the wall for Billy any day of the week. Don't come at me with that shit.

Billy Idol - "Flesh for Fantasy" 7" (UK, 1984)

Import single for a song I think we've all fucked to once or twice.

Men at Work - "It's a Mistake" 7" (1983)

I collect Men at Work records casually, and it's great to find them because they put out a ton of B-sides and live tracks on their singles. I have the 12" of "It's a Mistake," it's got three non-album tracks, and this 7" has another non-album track, "Shintaro."

Men at Work - "Overkill" 7" (1983)

Hey, it's one of the greatest songs to come out of the 80s! B-side on this one is a non-album, mostly instrumental cut called "Till the Money Runs Out."

Men at Work - "Dr. Heckyll & Mr. Jive" 7" (1983)

The B-side on this one is a live version of "I'd Like To," a Ron Strykert-sung deep cut off Cargo.

Hitting Birth - "Hallelujah" 7" (1993)

Always love it when I find Portland records when I'm not in Portland. I remember this band having a hot buzz when I was a NW teen, but I never saw them live, which was apparently their strong suit. There are a few different versions of this record - this one's on pink vinyl. B-side is "Mayberry LSD." Juxtaposition alert!

Prince - "Delirious" 7" (1983)

Man, I was excited to get this for three bucks. The cover on this folds out into a poster that has a 1999 calendar on one side (with a triangle denoting Prince's birthday) and the little dude in a sultry pose on the other. Plus, this has a non-album B-side called "Horny Toad" that is exactly what I expected from that title. Strong all around.

Prince - "Alphabet St." 7" (1988)

Pretty sure I've got this on 12", 7", and cassette single now, all in a clear cover with a sticker. I hope I inspire you.








Those were all the 7" singles I got. Here's a few shots of where we were pulling 'em from:

On to the 12"s.

"Macho Man" Randy Savage - "Hit the Floor" 12" (2003)

Macho Man's album was only available on CD, and from what I can tell, this is the only vinyl release of his storied rap career. Best part: there were two, so my brother and I both got one. Wishing I had the CD of the album! The thing's become a bit of a collector's item. I actually wonder if these have, too... This song is just pure trash, btw. But the acappella versions on here are sure something.

2 Deep - "I Didn't Do My Homework" 12" (1990)

Cold Chillin' label. Man, this thing just reeks of 1990. This is the promo version and it has a radio edit and a six-minute "Long Version" on the flip.

Vicious Trouble - Vicious Trouble 12" (1990)

Gambled on this being rap and won. This has three songs on it, but it's not exactly a single - it's three different tracks, all remixes, none of which seem to ever have been released in their proper versions. These songs are a little JJ Fad for 1990, but it's fun.

Kid 'N Play - "Rollin' with Kid 'N Play" 12" (1989)

If we're being honest, Kid 'N Play are a pretty rough listen sometimes. But man: the cover on this one was worth the two bucks.

Grand Daddy I.U. - "Something New" 12" (1990)

Cold Chillin'. Promo version with a remix on the B. This is song is dope.

Daddy D - "Luv on a Dub" 12" (1995)

"Queen Latifah presents"! Man, I am amassing a weird little Daddy D collection, and every record I get, the more I realize what a roller coaster career he had. This was definitely his big push.

Icey Jaye - "It's Just a Girl Thing" 12" (1990)

Took a chance on this one being rap and won that one, too. This is on the new jack-ish pop tip but also sounds like it should have come out in '87, on a Fresh-Prince-but-female major-label swing and a miss. Remixes galore here, all with egregious sampling violations. It'll never be that good again.





Oh, and I also bought this flexi put out by a Tucson dude running for office. I can't find anything about it - can't even figure out what year it's from. This is private press at its finest, folks.

Next up: we go other places!