At Oranges at lemons we are replenishing and building up our stocks of vinyl again, after all, despite the convenience of streaming, our biggest selling lines are turntables, so it seems fitting to help people find things to play on them. While much of the vinyl we offer is new, unused and recently repressed we have started to offer some second hand LPs as well, and whilst we try to cherry-pick records that are in excellent condition, a few surface marks and a bit of dust aren't necessarily things to get too worried about.
Naturally, pricing should reflect the quality, but then that draws us into the vexed questions of the different pressing variants. Discogs is a valuable recourse in both regards, with the general rule being that a first pressing will command the highest price. As these are by their nature the oldest versions of any record, but where is the sense in that? What do you get for your money, and are they actually any better? Vexed questions indeed and things to mull as we go, as there are no straightforward answers...
Having just compiled a 1974 playlist featuring 50 songs from 50 years ago, it’s striking how good a year for music that was. Personally, I turned 16 and I was already an avid record buyer, scouring the weekly music press for tips, clues, insight and reviews. I would say that by most standards my tastes were already eclectic but set against that were limited financial resources. New LPs generally cost around £2.50 and concerts anything from 50p to £2.00, with the gig scene another essential element of fueling the musical fires. Luckily, there were plenty of like-minded people around and it was common to share LPs around, or amongst the tighter circle, to sit and listen together.
While only 10 things on my playlist were from contemporary purchases, I did set the criteria that I should have a physical copy in some format of everything included, reflecting a continued desire to collect and unsated appetite for music in general. In the end, it proved harder to decide what to leave out and in trying to push musical genres a bit, a few gems fell away. Whilst inclusions and exclusions are both personal preference and somewhat arbitrary, the eventual playlist does offer some great music, which we hope you enjoy, or find inspirational enough to create your own list set to your own criteria, most pertinently as a prelude for that all important visit to a record shop, with the start of a shopping list.
The good news with the albums on the playlist is that they will mostly be in reasonably ready supply and might cost you £15 to £30 each. Condition and also the ambition of the seller will be the key factors and most sold plentifully enough for there to be tidy copies in circulation.
Joni Mitchell Court and Spark, Steely Dan Pretzel Logic, Little Feat Feats Don’t Fail Me Now, Tom Waits The Heart of Saturday Night and Van Morrisson, Veedon Fleece should be bought on sight. Stevie Wonder was amidst a golden run of five consecutive brilliant LPs and Al Green was at his peak. Bob Marley was a year from global fame but his appearance on the OGWT in 73 inspired many to open their ears to the sounds of Jamaica.There are highly prized and priced exceptions of course, and Harmonia’s Musik Von Harmonia is the hot ticket in the 74 selection. Were you lucky enough to happen upon a neat copy of that on the original Brain label, you would be handing over hundreds of GBP to take it away. It just didn’t sell well on release, and therein lies the rub, as scarcity is the mother of inflation. There are two on Discogs at well over £1000.
In 74, my interest in Krautrock, or Kosmiche Music, to be a bit politer, was already well established and endures now, but however good this record is, the 2015 reissue is fine with me.I would also note becoming mildly infatuated with Gong and the Canterbury scene back in the day. That yields three more of the pricier records to seek out. Good originals of Gong’s You, with lyric sheet, the first Hatfield and the North record and Robert Wyatt’s Rock Bottom will be £50 plus and sometimes a good bit more. Here temptation lies for the adventurous listener. Gong had gone through the gears into complex, synth-led, space rock, but lost some whimsical charm. The Hatfields played very serious music with a deeply silly edge. Robert Wyatt guests and the real gem here is Rock Bottom, a curious and unique record that once embraced will stay with you always. All three have the innate ability to open up some meandering musical tributaries to explore at leisure.
Picking one other curiosity, Neil Young’s On The Beach was my own obsession that year. I loved it, but many didn’t and it certainly confounded the Heart of Gold adherents. Good original copies will probably be in the £30 to £50 price bracket, possibly more, but its status as a high priced collectors item, the result of no CD or vinyl reissue for 20 years (Neil’s choice and a story of its own), are thankfully over.
Of course, one should never overlook David Bowie. Diamond Dogs has a convoluted back story that is but a sidestep, or something to probe and question at length,depending on your predilections. If obsession pushes you to seek out a first press variant (etched matrix numbers in the run-out grooves, etc), then you could be north of £200. Bowie is the kind of artist who can easily inspire this kind of devotion, but collecting based on these principals can get very pricey with little or no sonic benefit. This post-glam world was also throwing up mavericks like Eno, developing his Oblique Strategies, Sparks, John Cale, Be Bop Deluxe, King Crimson and others pushing into interestingly arty territory. The British pub rock scene was on the rise.
Patti Smith debuted and penned lyrics for Blue Oyster Cult. The energy of Detroit was meeting the scuzz of Manhattan and the New York Dolls were already burning out. All offered counterpoint to the epic guitar sounds of Robin Trower and the plaid shirted wonders of Rory Gallagher. The fumes of musical revolution were already in the air.
So, choose an emporium and get shopping. If you can see things before you buy them it improves the odds. All prices above are offered as guides only, so do your research. Vinyl is surprisingly resilient and even after 50 years should sound great if it has been treated decently. Expect superficial marks, pops and clicks, but be cautious of anything that looks more seriously disfigured, watch for warps and mottling, as mildew is not your friend. Most retailers will give you a chance to try something, or return or exchange if really unhappy. We certainly do! Bring us your wants list....
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