Half Price Books on the West Side has changed it’s setup in the record section a little bit. There are now 2 plexiglass cases for high dollar records.

that smaller sized album in the front is “The Clash – Super Black Market Clash” price tag: $75. I used to have the album called “The Clash – Black Market Clash” and it was awesome. I loved all the dub and I’ve written about that one before. They re-released it as SUPER Black Market Clash later and I’ve never seen the original again. I miss that one.

Cassettes (those are new) and the 45’s and 8-Tracks have been given bins and are treated a bit better than the pile they were in before.

I was record shopping today, and as I flipped through the discount records, a couple came over to the records and it was clear that they hadn’t looked at records in a very long time. They marveled at the records that were available, and I got a kick out of the way they shopped. She was in the higher letter bins ahead of him and she kept showing him albums that she found interesting, he gave them a cursory look and went back to his own bin.

“Look babe, Jethro Tull”.

“Uh huh… ”

“Hey, Neil Young, you like Neil Young, right?”

After the 5th time she did that he told her to stop and that he would get there on his own. They flipped through all the records from A to Z and the guy even looked though the “discount” records, probably 30 minutes of looking and they walked out empty-handed. I wonder if they even have a record player between them.

Then there was a guy who bought a new record from the section on the end of wrapped new releases. There was something there that was old that he long windedly told the clerk he was going to display and never play. “No one really plays these records anymore do they?”

After I went through the discount bins I warily went through some of the bins of “non-discount” records. Across from me in the Jazz/Blues section was a guy who was pulling out the records and inspecting them with the light from the front window. He was making damn sure that there were no scratches, or at least what condition the record was in. Several times I heard him grunt/chuckle and slide the record back in and put it back in the bin, clearly disgusted. He left with a few treasures under him arm.

We are all hitting the vinyl harder these days it seems. They are coming back. Still, there are varying levels. Me, I’m a starter still. Dalton who has hundreds of records already is looking for a more distinct set of diamonds in the rough, and there are probably DJ’s and radio hosts and assorted others looking for that special album to play on their show.

I was amused by the conversations.

I caught myself snorting a couple times when I came across some old stuff that was ridiculous.

I hope no one was listening to ME.