February 19, 2006

What am I going to do with all these records?

I've got stacks of things like this from my parents' house:

Records

ADDED: A taste of the liner notes:
Ray Coniff has developed a completely new and refreshing sound in the field of popular music. His sparkling rhythmic treatments, with a vocal chorus used as a section of the orchestra singing syllables rather than words, were one of the freshest new ideas in popular music since the early Forties.

Yes, enough of your damned words. Give me syllables!

And:
Millions of dancers and big-band fans all over the world have been wild about Harry ever since he started blowing his magic horn. This album of exciting new tunes shows why. The swinging danceable beat is there. The Music Makers' characteristic precision and power are there. And, thoughout the album, there is the joy of music making that keeps the sound of Harry's band always fresh and new.

"Fresh" and "new" were big buzzwords back then, apparently. And if you're still wondering Harry the $#@* who?, you have to scour the fine print to find the last name of the man -- Harry James -- who had the insouciance to pose for the album cover in a short-sleeved shirt. Were those hairy arms supposed to serve as a mnemonic device?

Meanwhile, Ray Coniff not only put his last name on the cover, he kept his photograph to a small black and white shot on the back. We get a picture of a nice lady -- sort of an Austin Scarlett look alike -- miming the concept "memories" and modestly swathing her probably not hairy arms in super-fuzzy lavender mohair.

19 comments:

Bionic 1 said...

Here ya go.
http://www.moremusic.co.uk/links/sell.htm

chuck b. said...

Oh, man, Ann. I would love to have your problems.

What do you do with those records? You play them at your condo-warming party, that's what you do with them. Put out some good rum and vodka and lots of fruit juices.

chuck b. said...

Or, you play them at your house-selling party, and you give them away as party gifts as the guests depart. They won't be able to say no.

C said...

Notwithstanding chuckb's wonderful suggestions, put them on eBay or something similar. DJs and collectors spend hours, days, weeks, months, and years perusing eBay and record store basements for some of the gems that are likely hidden in your stacks of unwanted records.

The beauty of this for the seller is that each and every person is looking for something different. As opposed to more recent music, there is no such thing as a record that no one wants; there is no such as thing as unpopular vinyl.

chuck b. said...

Or maybe you pick a three or four of the best album covers and have them framed to hang in your new bathroom.

MadisonMan said...

Give them to your neighbor's kids, have them sell them on ebay, and give you 20% of the proceeds. Or there's a place in Middleton that sells on ebay for you.

Are there still used record stores in Madison? Maybe you can take them there too.

reader_iam said...

Ah, Harry: "You Made Me Love You"! (Of the many versions of I have of that song "sung"--and by some of my favorite girl/torch songers) I think his instrumental is the best version of all.)

Because "I've Heard That Song Before" (and James' version made me love Jule Styne), I personally would never part with the Harry James.

I'd buy it from you, though ...

Oh, sheesh, Ann ... you've picked my musical meme for the evening. (And since the rest of the family is away, I can wallow in Big Band/swing at top volume as much and long as I want.)

Let me see ... where is it? ... ah, here! I'll start with him backing Doris Day on "With A Song in My Heart" ... then move on to the two referenced above ... and then ...

Seriously, Ann, are the albums in good shape? Gotta list?

Maxine Weiss said...

Do you have anything by Les Brown? Perry Como? I'm also looking for the Ed Sullivan Christmas album, as well as the Lawrence Welk, and David Rose Christmas albums. Don't throw out the vintage/retro Christmas albums, ever!

Mel Torme recorded an album "This Is Mel Torme" in 1978 that I want and can't find anywhere.

Also: Doris Day, Helen O'Connel, Jo Stafford, Margaret Whiting, Eleanor Parker...all recorded popular songs that are hard to find. You'd be surprised at the demand for your stuff!

Peace, Maxine

reader_iam said...

Maxine!! A woman after my own heart!!

One of the biggest thrills for in the late '70s for me was seeing the touring show of 4 Girls 4 (Rosemary Clooney, Margaret Whiting, Helen O'Connell, and Rose Marie) at The Playhouse in Wilmington, DE, which at the time was often used as a testing ground for musicals, revues and so forth. My parents were regularly hired to play in the pit for such things, and this was no exception, so I got to meet the ladies on the first night I went. Talk about turning me into a puddle in the Hotel du Pont.

That one, I paid out of my allowance to see a second time (the only other time I did that back then was for Jesus Christ Superstar, a few years earlier).

Ahhhh ...

And Mel Torme--and that particular album--is beyond amazing.

reader_iam said...

Sorry, Ann--this is a dangerous topic to introduce around me. There's a good chunk of me born 30 to 40 years too late. I'll stop now.

kimsch said...

eBay

Jennifer said...

On www.gemm.com (best site for selling or buying LPs), the two albums showing average about $10 to $15. I'm not sure what kind of treasures are buried mid-pile though. I recently sold a screwball album for $60+ and some of them go in the hundreds.

MadisonMan's idea is a good one. Do you know anyone who does Amazon or eBay sales?

knox said...

old album covers are so cool

brylun said...

Is Kay Kyser's "Alexander the Swoose" among them?

Ann Althouse said...

Maxine: I was just going to say that the bad thing is that there are so many Christmas albums in here!

Mostly it's dance music and mood music. Many of the covers convey an image of adult sexuality that just doesn't seem to exist anymore. I'll have to do some more photographs to show you what I mean.

I guess I'll have to do eBay...

Unknown said...

"Many of the covers convey an image of adult sexuality that just doesn't seem to exist anymore."

Too true. What is "adult sexuality" today? Is there such thing? It seems to be all about overgrown adolescent hormone driven rooting.

Or maybe I'm just not looking at the right album covers...

Maxine Weiss said...

I get it: Something like that old Burt Bacharach song "Wives and Lovers" ----"Dim all the lights, pour the wine, set the music.....time to get ready for love".

That song is the greatest....."For wives should always be lovers too, run into his arms the moment he comes home to you...."

"Hey little girl....."

Wives and Lovers....one of my favorite songs!

Peace, Maxine

Maxine Weiss said...

IAM: All those Girl Singers! Too many. I forgot to mention Dinah Shore (Was she black?), ahem, June Christy, Helen Merrill, Julie London--(the poor man's Peggy Lee), Anita O'Day, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, and Carol Sloane.

All those underrated cocktail/lounge singers!

Peace, Maxine

chickelit said...

You can also convert them to Mp3 files using software bundled into MAC OS called Sound Studio All you need is a working turntable and a cable which you can get at Radio Shack. You can edit out pops and scratches.

Believe it or not, not everything is available digitally.