Foo Fighters have always enjoyed putting out limited and rare b-sides for their hard core fans, but finding them all can be a big frickin’ problem. To solve this minor dilemma, they compiled the whole lot of cover songs as an album for Record Store Day 2011 and dubbed it Medium Rare. The vinyl included thirteen songs from various EP’s, singles and soundtracks. The CD version, which was released as a companion to Q Magazine subscriptions, was missing the Prince cover of “Darling Nikki.”
As cover albums go, the songs are over the spectrum including numbers from Prince, Joe Walsh, Husker Du, Paul McCartney & Wings, Cream, Gerry Rafferty and few others. The whole album sounds great and gets held together by the Foo Fighters enthusiasm for the material. Taylor Hawkins vocals sound stellar on “Life Of Illusion” and the guitar solo on “Baker Street” is a genuinely glorious bit of ragged string bending.
Thing is, trying to get a copy.
Record stores sold out of this a very long time ago and I’ve only seen one copy in the used bin of my favourite record store (or any other for that matter) once in the last four years. Discogs seem to have the most reasonable prices in the resale market with asking prices in the $100.00 range for either of the CD or vinyl.
On the other hand, e-bay resellers have sealed copies with asking prices that balloon to nearly $250.00 for a CD copy and over $500.00 for the vinyl. However, those high prices are by no means an average, and if you have your eyes open you should be able to snag a copy for under $100.00.
I think the best bet might be to hope for a limited re-issue at some point. The market is certainly there for it, let’s hope Grohl and co. decide it is worth doing.
Love it or loath it the 90’s punk revival didn’t go mainstream because of Nirvana, Sonic Youth or any of the other champions of noise from 89 to 93. The exact day it started was February 1st 1994 with the release of Dookie, and it was a monster. It sold 10 million copies in the year following its release and has sold another 10 million since. It was fast, it was fun, it was angry, and it was everywhere! It was the kind of record you knew would be HUGE on a single listen, and believe me, that isn’t an easy thing to say as a critic. Arguably, Dookie may even be the greatest air-guitar record ever!
So from a vinyl perspective, it is an obvious and essential part of the collection, but what is available and where the hell do you start?
Well believe it or not, your options are quite limited. You can find a used copy from 1994, of which a dump load of unofficial copies were also released, or you can buy new and there have only been three “official” re-releases since 2008. The first two are re-issues printed in the US and Europe on black 180 gram vinyl and are still widely available.
The last one is slightly more interesting than the others. It is a limited edition green translucent vinyl that had only 1000 copies printed and were sold exclusively at Hot Topic stores in the US. While the limited Dookie sold out long ago, most Hot Topic vinyl is sold under $30.00. Resellers are asking over $50.00 for the green vinyl now. Of course, if you have a giant whack of cash, you could buy an original 1994 green translucent vinyl or autographed copy for several hundred dollars on the resale market… but … um… that’s a bit out of my price range.
If you are looking to get a copy, your best bet is still the 2008 180 gram version which sounds great and can be purchased at very reasonable prices at all the usual places.
A while back I wrote a piece about treating everyday like Record Store Day. Thing is, while I don’t really want to endorse one retail place over another, a good deal of the “new” collectible vinyl I have gotten my hands on has been through Newbury Comics. I get an e-mail, I check out the price, and then decide if it is something I REALLY want.
However, like RSD itself, it does come with its detractors. There are those people who would argue that having “special” “limited” “collector” or “variant” editions of records raises prices, causes delays in arrivals of new releases and is an overall cash grab. Generally speaking these limited run records do cost a couple bucks more than the common black vinyl editions. There is also the question of how many variants are needed for a single record. Between 2009 and 2014 there were no less than nine official re-releases of Bleach by Nirvana in 180 gram vinyl and in almost all the colours of a rainbow (blue, green, yellow, red, maroon, white and clear). Two of these colour choices came from Newbury itself and both quickly sold out.
Still, for me the question is, does the vinyl sound good, and is it giving me a unique fan experience. I don’t go to e-bay resellers who charge way above market after the fact, but I do find it interesting what people will charge for what is essentially scalping records instead of tickets. Of course my ego plays a part as I find it cool to see something I bought for $20.00 have a new asking price of $100.00 and that only 749 other people on the planet own a copy.
At other times, it gives me an opportunity to buy something I wanted to get, but in a different form. In fact, with music moving more towards a digital medium I think a bands best chance to make money from their “true fans” (those willing to spend money for their music) is to provide them with a variety of formats and “special” opportunities to receive their music in a unique way. The other thing is they do make awesome gifts for those hard to buy for people. I gave a copy of A Charlie Brown Christmas in red and white split vinyl to a very happy friend.
So you see this is where Newbury Comics comes into the picture. For a couple years now they have been offering music fans a chance to get “limited edition” vinyl. The prices are competitive with most record stores for the same records that sit on their shelves and the shipping cost is quite reasonable. To date I’ve never had problems with any of the vinyl shipped to me. As for sound quality, I’ve played Big Star’s #1 Record gold coloured variant against the recent 180 gram edition, and I found both items sounding great… in fact, I’d lean more towards the gold variant as it “seemed” to have a bit of a warmer tone.
Anyway, new items seem to hit the market every week, and the choices are pretty eclectic ranging from the Coltrane to Nirvana and points in-between. Check them out, you might find yourself signing up to the old mailing list and buying something from time to time. Just don’t be too disappointed if it gets sold out before you get your shot. It’s happened a couple times to me and caused a slight bit of teeth grinding and cursing. But then again, that’s all part of the fun of getting something worth having.
Some links to past vinyl releases I wrote about that came from Newbury.
This was a 7” I had a friend pick up for me on Black Friday/RSD 2014, but I only got it yesterday. It was nice to spin.
“Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere” – Neil Young & Crazy Horse
Was having a bit of a difficult beginning to my week after visiting a cemetery to pay a visit to… well, anyway, it got me very reflective. This song and the next popped into my head.
“It Makes No Difference” – My Morning Jacket
Out of context but the sentiment and conclusions loan themselves to mourning, so I just wrapped myself in a cocoon of sad music for a couple days and rode the whole thing out.
“Like A Daydream” – Ride
RSD 2015 find. It was a glorious day and now I’m spinning it… it’s going to be another great day!
“Dumb” – Nirvana
Was reading the interview with Francis Bean last week when this song came up and was popped right into my head.
“Bohemian Like You” – The Dandy Warhols
Another RSD 2015 find, although this song wasn’t on it… just wanted to hear it after playing the earlier album.
“Stratford-On-Guy” – Liz Phair
Another interview I found myself reading, it was interesting to hear her perspective… on so many different things.
“The Denial Twist” – White Stripes
Yes! Get Behind Me Satan was released on vinyl – finally! It will be spinning later today.
“Milk Cow Blues” – The Kinks
The b-side to “You Really Got Me” which was another of yesterdays finds.
“Ride On Josephine” – George Thorogood & the Destroyers
Currently spinning on the turntable, I’ll have a full story on this later in the week.
“State Trooper” – Bruce Springsteen
What can you say about the Boss and Nebraska? Dark and desolate it leaves little room for hope…
“Brass Buttons” – Gram Parsons
Such a beautiful frickin’ tune from a soul that left us way to soon.
“Singer Not The Song” – Alex Chilton
B-side to “Jesus Christ” on this RSD release, it just smacks of sarcasm.
“No Cities To Love” – Sleater-Kinney
The only thing I bought yesterday that had nothing to do with RSD. It sounds a 1000 times better on vinyl.
“Funplex” – The B-52’s
Another fun and sarcastic bit from the band that always makes me smile.
“The Meaning Of Soul” – Oasis
I just had to slip this in for no other reason than I felt like it.
“Superstar” – Sonic Youth
You don’t realize just how creepy this Carpenters classic is until you hear the Sonic Youth version. Spine tingling!
“The Cabbage” – Teenage Fanclub
I so badly want this record on vinyl. One of my favourites!
“When My Baby’s Beside Me” – Kelly Willis
Say what you want, it’s a great song that holds its own even when it gets a little ‘countrified’.
“You and Your Sister” – Chris Bell
Because it is a great song that I just had to put in… no other reason.
Such a great frickin’ driving song if you want to get yourself a speeding ticket… by the way, I don’t recommend the ticket…
“Hoover Dam” – Sugar
I had a review half written called “the Return of Peanut Girl,” but I never finished it. Anyway, Copper Blue sounds awesome on vinyl and you can find it at your better record stores.
“Deathly” – Aimee Mann
Any excuse to put Aimee Mann on a playlist is a good excuse. Still haven’t heard back from her… I’m guessing she doesn’t read my blog.
“Coming Home” – Leon Bridges
Soul music has a new champion and his name is Leon Bridges. Keep your eyes open folks, this guy is for real!
“Sliver” – Nirvana
Still bummed about missing my shot… maybe another will show up in 10 years.
“You Really Got Me” – The Kinks
After the disappointment of the new Van Halen live, I couldn’t even bring myself to play one of their songs. So here is something way better.
“The Lovecats” – Tanya Donelly & Dylan In Motion
Donelly is awesome and the Cure are awesome, so getting two for the price of one. Now if Robert Smith could cover “Feed The Tree” we… just kidding.
“Someplace” – Nick Waterhouse
He hasn’t put Holly out on Spotify, so I went with “Someplace” from his first record. I will be talking about Holly in the upcoming weeks. Spoiler – it is AWESOME! Buy it here!
“Ain’t Messin’ Round” – Gary Clark Jr
Just because I wanted to stay in that rockin’ soul vibe.
“My Mind Is Rambling” – The Black Keys
A seven inch split is coming out in Record Store Day of the Black Keys and Junior Kimbrough, so I thought why not throw a Black Keys cover of Junior just for the hell of it. Besides – it fits.
“Touch Me I’m Sick” – Mudhoney
Turns out fictional band Citizen Dick (see movie Singles) is releasing “Touch Me I’m Dick” for RSD 2015. Can’t wait to hear it! Anyway, here is the original song that led to that play on words.
“Everyone Knows” – Joan Jett & the Blackhearts
Jett has a double album being released for RSD, so I put her in the mix… because she is a rock god and I need no other reason.
“Machine Gun Blues” – Social Distortion
I am so looking forward to getting my hands on that first Social Distortion record next Saturday.
“Alex Chilton” – The Replacements
Another 7” being released this weekend is reason enough… I miss Chilton.
“Back In Your Head” – Tegan & Sara
Um are you picking up on a theme that surrounds a certain date that has rare vinyl being released.
“Runaway” – Del Shannon
I’ll be doing a review on this guy soon.
“I’d Run Away” – The Jayhawks
Read a rather depressing article on these guys recently. Awesome band that can never seem to catch a break…
“The Cuckoo” – Kristin Hersh
Leader of the Throwing Muses and incredible singer/songwriter in a varied solo career (check out Hips & Makers if you need proof) she also has a 7” of “The Cuckoo” coming out on RSD.
“Brass Buttons” – The Lemonheads
Yep. A split 7” of the Lemonheads and the original Gram Parsons tune is arriving on Saturday.
“Jesus Christ” – Big Star
Only reason I put a Christmas song on a April playlist is because of RSD… irony is, the original release of this song was on a record that had nothing to do with the holiday season either.
So I put myself on a few mailing lists so that I don’t miss something cool when it comes out. Hence when Newbury Comics put out a limited run of the Strokes Room On Fire last week I scooped it up before it sold out the next day… it hasn’t even been shipped, yet e-bay re-sellers are already asking over a $100.00.
Just yesterday morning I received an e-mail from Newbury Comics about a split coloured (pink/Blue) 7” of Sliver/Dive by Nirvana. It wasn’t two hours old when I got to it…
e-bay resale has two listed already for over $95.00.
Now you can still get a regular black 7” for around $15.00 which is pretty cool, and you can still grab the 2011 Record Store Day Nevermind Singles Box set for just over $60.00 through discogs or e-bay.
The 2011 set has 4 10” discs and is basically a vinyl replica of the CD singles with b-sides included from the Nevermind era. It is a pretty cool set, but damn, the pink/blue is pretty sweet looking. Oh well…
Something about the bass line in “Love Buzz” that at times seems both sinister and fun. Then the guitar kicks in and you can’t decide which instrument to ‘air-play’ to, and when you finally decide, you find yourself doing vocals and tearing your throat apart in a vain attempt to capture that fierce Cobain voice. I could listen to this over and over like a demented 13 year old and never see myself getting sick of it.
2. “Kid With Crooked Face” – Bob Mould
A long time ago, I saw Sugar play several times. I was always blown away by how Mould can convey image and emotion with a dry vocal competing against his fierce (and very loud) guitar work. He’s also the guy that convinced me to have a pair of ear plugs in my pocket at a concert… my ears were ringing for two days after I saw Sugar for the first time.
3. “The Simspsons Theme” – Green Day
Well I couldn’t very well talk about the Lego Simpsons house without sneaking in this wonderful bit of Green Day noise.
4. “The Way We Were” – Me First & the Gimme Gimmes
Most people think of Streisand when they hear this song. Instead I get killed by the heartache and laughter of the late great Gilda Radner. I think she would like this version too.
5. “In The Heat Of The Moment” – Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds
Noel Gallagher is one of those artists I will purchase without even hearing a song. He just has that dependable rock’n’roll sound that gets me humming in whatever setting I’m in.
6. “Listen To Some Music” – BMX Bandits
Glasgow band has fun with a jangling low-fi house party sound. Would love to see them live, but the Atlantic Ocean provides a small barrier between me and that little dream.
7. “Spider-Man” – The Mr. T Experience
I must have listened to a 100 different versions before I picked this one. You would think I would get sick of it… but no – I just wondered where the hell the Ramones version went.
8. “Lampshades On Fire” – Modest Mouse
Like the song, but if I see a lampshade on fire, I’m reaching for a frickin’ extinguisher, not dancin’ around.
9. “Panic In Detroit” – David Bowie
This is a preview – I will soon be writing about a special vinyl acquisition and I couldn’t wait to play something from it. Here’s a picture – I just hope it sounds as good as it looks.
I’ve been a fan of Travis for years, but the weird thing is, I couldn’t tell you much about them other than the Brit-Pop connection and that I have always enjoyed them. It’s like they have been stuck on the mellow side of Radiohead’s The Bends, and continue to dwell and explore that place.
12. “Lego” – The Maccabees
The band with a religious name that doesn’t follow any religion – but can write a pretty decent tune involving Lego… well ok… as usual my wit has escaped me.
13. “Delinquency” – V Twin
Another Glasgow band said to be the “Next Big Thing” falls short. Still, like Teenage Fanclub before them, they write some great tunes. Only problem is finding their stuff.
14. “The Hardest Button To Button” – The White Stripes
Seeing as I wrote about Elephant only yesterday, I figured they should hit the mix today. Besides it gave me another opportunity to include that Simpsons/White Stripes video.
15. “Elevator Operator” – Courtney Barnett
Due to my fascination with vinyl I don’t often talk about new artists, but damn, this song was too good to pass by without putting it into the mix, ask me in a month if I feel the same way about the album.
16. “Tin Soldier” – Small Faces
I was always a bigger Faces fan than the Small Faces, but in recent years I’ve gone back to discover that when these guys were at the top of their game, they were every bit as good as the Kinks and Who… which is about the biggest compliment I can give.
17. “The Letter” – The Box Tops
It’s hard to believe that Alex Chilton has departed this place; even harder to believe he was only 16 when he recorded and had a #1 hit with this song. He certainly doesn’t sound like a kid.
18. “Free Again” – Alex Chilton
Because I was in the mood for Chilton, I could help but throw this on right after the Box Tops. It is an awesome song in its own right. The album can still be purchased from Omnivore. For a good laugh, you can see how much Chilton hated lip-synching.
19. “Sundown” – Gordon Lightfoot
A prize find at last year’s RSD, I’ve spent many hours since mellowing by the window reading books and listening to this record.
20. “Echo Beach” – Martha & the Muffins
One of my favourite songs from childhood, it convinced me I really didn’t want to grow up. Unfortunately, responsibilities have a way of making such proclamations sound rather silly. Still, I would rather be at “Echo Beach” on a mid August evening than in front of a computer in March. It was a long winter.
I wonder if any album ever recorded for so little has returned so much?
If the myth is true, those “500 American dollars” have generated a whole frickin’ industry around one record.
Since it first hit the market in 1989, Bleach has gone on to sell 1.7 million copies and is Sub Pop Records biggest seller to date. So how much vinyl is out there?
Well, according to discogs, at least 60 vinyl versions have hit the streets worldwide since ’89. It is super easy to find a new copy at any time. However, recently some pretty cool editions have hit the North American market. Sub Pop released a Deluxe 180 gram double white vinyl gate fold edition back in 2009 that includes a live performance from 1990. Going through chat rooms, it seems that a few of these had complaints about skipping. Personally speaking, my own copy sounds fantastic, so I would just keep the receipts if you’re interested in pursuing one. Discogs has it listed at $34.10 and e-bay vendors are trying to get $100.00. Which is funny because it can be had brand spanking new for about $30.00 at Amazon and local retailers.
The other edition that has started selling for outrageous amounts of money is the most recent release that was put out in limited fashion by Newbury Comics just last year. Two editions of the re-mastered Bleach, one is a clear white splatter while the other is a maroon black splatter, were released in quantities of 750 each and hand numbered. Again, it sounds absolutely fantastic, but the re-sale market is crazy for these. Discogs has the clear/white selling for 61.43 and the maroon/black at 74.98. E-bay on the other hand is asking $100 for one or $150 for both.
Of course, if you are off your rocker nuts with money to burn… the coloured vinyl (specifically the aqua) released by Sub Pop in 1992 can and does sell for over $500 a pop.
Other colours can be had for less… which is kind of a relative term when you spend hundreds on a single collectible record.
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