We drove down to see Abbey at Western Michigan University where she is an RHD. After a harrowing ride through Chicago and almost being rear-ended by a semi, we arrived in KZoo. We got the campus tour and a tour of Abbey’s apartment.

Of course she had an area for her records and player. With some albums on the wall even.

Psychedelic Furs and Smiths. There was also a Bowie and I think that black one was Alt J. Nice Abbey!

As any music lover would do I rifled through her collection. I was astonished to see Kiss “Love Gun” in there. Abbey reminded me that I had given her that one when she got her record player years before. Yoink. I asked if she played it, and she laughed and said no. Didn’t seem her style.

Before I got the end of her bin I had recovered a couple more items that had been passed on and were now returned to the fold.

“Kiss – Love Gun”

This was a Meijer Super Store cutout bin special. I liked it though. It was my first Kiss album. There are better Kiss albums, but I welcomed it back.

“Genesis – Duke”

This one, which is basically a Phil Collins album with Genesis backing him, is the only Genesis album I will ever own. I think actually I have bought this within the last year, but the one I bought is pretty rough. This one was mine and it was in good shape, despite being played to death.

“Jethro Tull – M.U. The Best Of Jethro Tull”

This one is white and almost impossible to see, so the above is a close-up. I think I got this in the midst of my hardcore Tull phase, and even though I probably have all of these on all the vinyl’s that I now own it had to come back with me.

“Angel – Helluva Band”

This one is mysteriously missing the record cover, but man, this one I got during high school and two songs on here changed my life. “Feelings” and “The Fortune”. I got almost all of the other albums and none are as good as this one. They hit all the right cylinders on this one. Awesome.

Greg Giuffria went on to have his own band which I think I probably owned for a short time. But this one is awesome and it’s nice to have my original back, cover or not.

Last but not least is the last 45 that I ever bought back in the day.

“David Bowie/Mick Jagger – Dancing In The Street”

I was insane for Bowie at the time and I couldn’t pass it up. Horrible video, song is not that great either, but some gimmicks just get you despite yourself.

I asked Abbey about record stores in the area and she told me we would have to go downtown to do that, but as we went back and forth to the hotel and school I noticed a store we had to check out that Abbey never noticed.

We went there on Saturday. From the outside I wasn’t sure about it, but you could see a rack of new vinyl on the wall inside.

Once inside, I was glad we stopped. They had a huge wall of new vinyl and racks and racks of used vinyl. All plastic wrapped and reasonable priced. In the window in the shot above you can see the 2 new Prince albums and the Death From Above 1979 album. Nice.

I was so wound up inside I forgot to take any pictures, but I walked out with some vinyl.

“Jethro Tull – Minstrel In The Gallery”

I have this, but my copy is pretty scratchy and for $4.99 I couldn’t resist.

“Jethro Tull – Too Old To Rock And Roll: Too Young To Die”

I have never owned this one before. So it was a nice find for $2.99.

“The Honey Drippers – Volume 1”

I owned this once. I think it might have been Robert’s first foray into something outside of Zeppelin and it was just $1.99.

I got the in store stamp program card punched and turned it over to Abbey.

If you are in the area, I recommend this store. It was cool.

So it was a nice trip, and there was music involved too!