The Record Shopping Round-Up (Sept '23)
An obsessive list of my recent vinyl haul with a litany of links to explore + upcoming record fairs & music events in October
“So, what’d you get?”
It’s one of my favorite questions to answer. I absolutely love talking to people about record purchases. There’s a sense of joy and pride within the record collecting community over the vinyl records you find on your quests. Sometimes, it’s a record you got because the price was right. Sometimes, it’s a deep cut you’ve heard of and stumbled upon randomly one day. Other times, it’s a recommendation from the shop owner or vendor. And once in a while, you find a white whale - that rare record you have been searching for, for years. The chase, the dusty digging and record flipping, combing through stacks, crates, and shelves, all in the name of making that ultimate discovery: record shopping is thrilling, to say the least.
September was a big month for record shopping. There were so many record fairs that happened in one particular weekend that I “needed” to extend my traditional birthday shopping binge from one afternoon to two days. Here are the 26 new records I got, categorized by origin of purchase and complete with links to the albums and the vendors, because apparently, I’m also a Virgo.
Top Row Left: Various Vendors
Metallica - … And Justice for All from Mono Records, who graciously let me trade some Queen, Herbie Hancock, Specials, and Black Flag records for this one. As you can see, my Metallica copy is beat to shit, or as John from Mono said, “It’s super metal.”
Dead Kennedys - In God We Trust, Inc. EP was scored from an evening celebrating Pharaoh Sanders with my mix engineer buddy Ellis (hit him up if you need something mixed in Atmos) at the Philosophical Research Society. The irony of finding an Italian pressing of a punk record at a jazz event in a place known for the studies of spirituality and mysticism is not lost on me.
Plastic Bertrand - An 1 from Permanent Records. This LP features that one awesome song “Ca Plane Pour Moi” from National Lampoon’s European Vacation, The Wolf of Wall Street, and so much more.
Top Row Middle: Various Record Fair Vendors
Ozzy Osbourne - Diary of a Madman from All Day Vinyl, who hosted the Sunset & Vinyl Record Fair.
Leonard Cohen - Songs of Leonard Cohen from Record Safari. Haven’t listened to it, but it was a ‘nice price’ at $5. Hype sticker with the shrink!
Pleasure - Joyous from WeShare Records at the Highland Park Record Fair. Ever since Jazz Dispensary reissued this album, I have been dying to get my hands on an OG copy of this jazz-funk masterpiece.
Top Row Right: CD Trader in the San Fernando Valley
Orquesta Akokán - Orquesta Akokán is the incredible debut album from contemporary Havana, Cuba salsa / mambo band. It is also Daptone Records’ first Spanish language album.
Violent Femmes - Violent Femmes. I once karaoked “Blister in the Sun” at a tiki bar in Portland, OR and everyone started dancing in a circle around me, so I had to get this ‘84 repress.
Middle Row Left: Various Discogs Vendors
Los Iracundos - Self-Titled, Compilation, and Felicidad Felicidad from Tesoros Bolivianos. Los Iracundos are a 1960s Uruguayan rock band with ballads. I kept seeing them pop up on my feed and after listening, fell in love.
Iggy Pop - Zombie Birdhouse and Kamasi Washington - Heaven & Earth from Toran717. Kamasi’s album has been on my list for a VERY LONG time, especially since seeing his Heaven & Earth contempoary jazz tour at the Ace Hotel in 2018. I’ve been diving deep into Iggy since the Cruel Summer Festival this past June, and I wasn’t familiar with this one, but the price was right.
Frank Albert Sinatra & Antonio Carlos Jobim - Self-Titled and Jim James, Teddy Abrams, & the Louisville Orchestra - The Order of Nature from HumanheadNYC. This is the Sinatra bossa nova album with Brazilian musician Antonio Carlos Jobim. Meanwhile, Jim James’ latest solo album was a mix of new songs and rearrangements of old ones with the Louisville Orchestra, and it’s gorgeous.
Middle Row Right: Amoeba Records Hollywood’s Big Latin Sale
Fania All-Stars - Rhythm Machine. For some reason, I inherited only the album sleeve of this record from my parents’ collection so I never gave it a proper listen. That is, until to my wonderful wife put “Ella Fue (She Was The One)” on our Save the Date Wedding Playlist. Just another reason why I married her.
Hector Lavoe - Comedia. I touched on Hector Lavoe in the first issue of First Pressing. Comedia is one of his most famous albums mainly because of his ten-minute jam “El Cantante,” which also happened to be his nickname and the title of the Lavoe-biopic starring (checks notes) Marc Anthony and Jennifer Lopez?!
Jim James - Tribute To. James’ debut EP of George Harrison covers. Not Latin, but when in Rome, right? (For the record, I never think about the Roman Empire.)
Tipica ‘73 - En Cuba Intercambio Cultural. In 1973, numerous members of Ray Barretto’s salsa band left to form Tipica ‘73 over a difference of opinion in making their music sound more Cuban. This is the result and it’s great.
Jerry Masucci Presents: Super Salsa Singers, Volume 1! This album has been a white whale for me for quite some time. Look at that insane cover! A compilation featuring the best of the New York salsa scene in the 70s.
El Salvador: Música y Ritma Con La Orquesta Casino y Orquesta Hermanos Flores. I don’t know anything about this album, but I have alway wanted to explore the music of my cultural background. In honor of my father Sal’s birthday today (he would have been 71), I’ll be playing this one on repeat.
El Gran Combo - Aquí No Se Sienta Nadie! Another album I’ve never listened to but my mother recommended them as another great Puerto Rican salsa band and it was signed by band!
Bottom Row Left
Olivia Rodrigo - GUTS, a birthday gift from my sister-in-law, brother-in-law, and nieces, which is amazing because this album RULES. If you haven’t listened to it yet, what are you even doing? “vampire” is a masterclass in songwriting, and I’ll die on that hill.
Los Tipicos Corraleros De Majagual - Self-Titled is a gift from my best dude Mark. I’ve never heard of this album, but Mark knows my tastes, so I’m excited to spin it.
Bottom Row Right from Tunnel Records in San Francisco, CA
The Beatles - Help! (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) and Celia Cruz y Willie Colón - Only They Could Have Made This Album. Some excellent $1 finds from apparently the most western record store on the planet since it’s a block away from the coast.
October Record + Music Events
Say hi to Jason from KulturaInk at the PCC Flea Market (TODAY - 10/1)
Dance at Mosaico Presents Salsa Erotica with DJ sets by El Marchante and Del Caribe (10/5)
Or, watch The Last Waltz at the Grammy Museum (10/5)
Then, go to the Grammy Museum’s Opening of their Hip-Hop 50th Anniversary Exhibit (10/6)
Shop at Amoeba’s Vinyl BOGO Sale - Buy One Get One Free (10/7)
Check out the new location of The Los Angeles Record Fair (10/15)
That’s it for this issue of First Pressing. Thanks for sticking around, and hope to see you at the next one.
Until then, happy spinning :)
Kadrian
P.S. So, what’d you get this week?
That "Super Salsa Singers" album was the first one that caught my eye - it really is a cool cover! Also, I heard that the Metallica album is a great listen!
Nice haul!! Ça plane pour moi!! Now you can pogo and chantez en français!!