Spring Break Record Shopping, Part Four: Dope Burger/Singles Going Steady - Seattle, Washington.

Settle in: This is going to be a beast of an entry.

I wouldn't normally bother to mention where we ate lunch while on our mission, but Dope Burger deserves some recognition. Plus, I failed to take a picture of Singles Going Steady, so this image being more pertinent to the post doesn't hurt.

We rolled into Seattle around 1, and made a point to go straight to Singles Going Steady, because the last time we were in Seattle and stopped by, we got there too late and the place was closed. Didn't want to make that mistake again. Plus, we anticipated wanting to spend some serious time in there, so we were budgeting for that, as well. Glad we did. But, before I get to that, let me say my little piece about Dope Burger.

Singles Going Steady is right in the middle of this little strip full of restaurants in Belltown, so it was a perfect place for a mid-day fuel-up. After parking the car and paying the meter, we glanced around, saw a couple of cafes and a burrito joint, and then noticed Dope Burger. We walked up, took a look at the menu hanging in the window, and I immediately noticed that they had a vegetarian burger called the Super Mario. Needless to say, that sealed the deal. Pocaroba and I both had the Mario, and I have to say, it was exquisite. Just look at this beast. Fries were not included, but we got an order to split, and they were great, too. I'll be going back there as soon as I can.

But you're not here to read about my culinary exploits. So: Singles Going Steady. These folks take their punk rock (and the accompanying lifestyle) very seriously. The place is packed with well-organized CDs and records, including a huge 7" section. They also have DVDs, VHS tapes (all either punk/rock-related or cult/psych/horror stuff), and, if you so desire, back patches with which to adorn your stinky, spike-clad jacket. Rarely do you see a store with a dedicated "Crust" section, but these guys have one. And it is not small. We stayed there for at least two hours, and probably could have put in another one if we weren't on a schedule. We walked out with a ton of shit.

Me first, and then Pocaroba.


Dwarves - "Way Out!" 7" (2000)

Dwarves Come Clean-era picture-disc single that features two album cuts and the b-side "There She Goes Again," which is about - you guessed it: feminism. Seriously though, this is a cool little record, and apparently a limited-edition one, but I didn't have to pay much for it. And that's never a bad thing. Apparently I'm just full-on buying Dwarves records now. Yikes.


My Name - "A Woman's Touch" 7" (1991)

I've always thought My Name's track "Hold On" from the Teriyaki Asthma series is a great, great song. But I'm starting to think that none of their other stuff sounds like that. The two tracks on this bad boy (the b-side features the non-album jam, "My Wife") are more slap-bass rock than insanity-fueled mayhem, and I guess that's cool. If nothing else, it's still a blue-vinyl 7" on the C/Z label from the early 90's, and I got it for a buck. Good enough for me.


Icky Joey - "Marron, Marron" 7" (1991)

Speaking of bands who have awesome songs on the Teriyaki Asthma compilation... It's amazing that I didn't have this 7" yet, because I love the shit out of Icky Joey. There's actually an interesting story behind this record, which I'll let Pocaroba tell in his section. As for the music, there's four songs on this thing, and three of them are on the band's sole album, Pooh. Same versions, even. The other one, the title track, is not on anything except this 7". And I'm pretty sure they meant "Maroon."


V/A - Teriyaki Asthma, Vol. II 7" (1989)

Speaking of Teriyaki Asthma and My Name... Jesus. Not sure how I had such a C/Z day at this place. This is, in fact, the 7" that has My Name's "Hold On" on it, as well as tracks from Amorphous Head (the slightly ass-rock "Lonely Lonely"), Hullabaloo (the grungetastic drawl that is "Kill Your Parents"), and the mysterious Pitbull Babysitter, who, from what I can tell, used this comp to release their only song ever, the instrumental funk-bass/metal-shred guitar number, "The Head Talks Cheese." Red vinyl and in sweet shape.


Crackerbash - "Jasper" 7" (1991)

Hey, I actually bought a single not on C/Z! Though it's on eMpTy, and that's almost the same thing. The important thing is that Crackerbash is a cool-ass band, and "Jasper" is arguably their defining song. Why I didn't already have this 7" I don't know, but I own the shit out of it now. Features two non-album b-sides ("Aluminum Siding " and "Leaving") that are both solid tunes, and a recording quality that matches the photocopied look of the cover. It's good stuff.


Talking Heads - The 1975 CBS Demo Session (2010)

This is a weird one. It's clearly a bootleg, but it seems pretty new (that 2010 date I got from discogs makes sense). The cover appears to be hand-silkscreened, and on the back, it says "This fan club LP is limited to 500 copies. This is number ____. Mine has "242" written in paint pen on the line. I'm wondering if this is a reproduction of an old bootleg or something? Whatever it is, the music is awesome. These are the sessions that "Sugar on My Tongue" and a few other early cuts that ended up on Sand in the Vaseline came from. Mint green vinyl.


Fugazi - Fugazi (1988)

I've had Margin Walker on vinyl and 13 Songs on CD forever, but I've never owned a proper copy of this on wax. I'd been waiting to find an original (not the remastered version) used, and I finally did. Took longer than I thought it would. Dischord is always repressing their stuff, so it's not like this is rare, but it's getting tougher to find the standard pressings of these records. Glad I finally found this one. Though I think I still need to get Repeater and Instrument.


All right. On to what Mr. Pocaroba picked up for himself:


Fitz of Depression - Fitz of Depression 7" (1989)

Wow, I loved Singles Going Steady. Tons of awesome 45s at very friendly prices. This is Fitz' very first 45 from 1989 and I got it for 6 bucks, which was the most I payed for a single 45 on our trip. Fitz of Depression never struck me as a super popular band back in the 90s but their stuff is somewhat difficult to come by these days. They are basically a high-tempo indie rock band, although they would probably consider themselves garage rock or some nonsense like that. Either way, finally I can say that I own a song called "Tons of Poop." My future children will be so proud.


V/A - Pigs Suck 2x7" (1995)

This is probably my very favorite find of the whole trip. It was one of those rare moments where you're flipping through the records and your heart does the little flutter, that rare flutter when you find something you really, really, really want. A friend of mine bought this in high school and let me borrow it for a while back in the day. I taped it and used to listen to it constantly. This got me into Mankind? and also had songs by Capitalist Casualties, Masskontroll, F.Y.P., and Spazz, all bands who I was, and still am, really into. Capitalist Casualties' rendition of "Greedy Bastards" is in my top 10 punk songs of all-time list. It is astounding. I have honestly never seen this compilation in person since I gave it back to my friend in 1996. Needless to say I jumped on it 15 years later. The 12 dollar price tag felt steep at the time (I am a monumental cheapskate) but I got over it as soon as I got it outside.


The Peechees - "Cup of Glory" 7" (1994)

I used to eyeball this in the old Kill Rock Stars catalogs as I always loved the cover artwork and found the Peechees to be a serviceable outfit. Hopefully this will be a serviceable 45. Either way, it will look cool to whoever is flipping through my 45s. Which is basically nobody.



The Stuck-Ups - "Last Chance" 7" (2003)

This is on my old friend Jonny Black Rebel's Jonny Cat Records so I couldn't say no. I also thought the band name was pretty sweet. I'm assuming it's some dirty Portland Satyricon punk.





Icky Joey - "Marron, Marron" 7" (1991)

This is a true story. Before our trip Wock and I both declared our intentions on buying this 45, which neither of us had ever seen in our lives. As luck would have it, I found one here for 2 bucks. I gloated. Then, about 10 minutes later, I found another. Further inspection showed that one of them was on red vinyl. Needless to say, I went home with the red vinyl copy and Wock was lucky enough to get the black. We are both winners. If you have never listened to Icky Joey then you are really missing out. I have always found their sole album "Pooh" to be way better than it should be.


Junkyard Dogs - "Good Livin'" 7" (1994)

This one was purely for aesthetic purposes. I have the songs but Wock talked me into this lovely picture disc 45 using the 5 dollar price tag as a selling point. Now that I'm really looking at it I have to thank him. It is pretty awesome and a fascinating footnote in 90s NW rock history. The B-side has 2 songs that were not on the vinyl release but were included on the CD. What sense does that make?


Godzik Pink - "Nursery Lime" 7" (1998)

I saw this band years ago and was fascinated by them. They play really odd instrumental tunes that don't seem to work but do. Musician-wise, they are extremely proficient and I just never understood how they came up with these songs. I bought a demo tape of theirs which had a song called "He Hits Her." I later titled a song of my own "She Hits Him" as a play on this. This 45 has a version of "He Hits Her" and 3 songs I have never heard before. And its on Sympathy for the Record Industry. Color me stoked.


Volumen - "Erika" 7" (2004)

I bought this simply because it was on the Wantage label and it was 2 bucks. End of story.







Mr. California and the State Police - Untitled 7" (2003)

I bought a record of this guy's on our last trip to Portland and figured it was fate to find another one. Mr. California creates casio-based punk tunes (which is apparently a thing), usually topping out at 20 seconds, that feature some sort of offensive content. I'll take it. The inside claims it is 201 of 300. Nice. There is actually a song on here called "Untitled," which technically makes it the title track. How clever. The promise of a 20 second casio-punk song called "Hockey Fights" has me on the edge of my seat.


The Duloks - "(I'm Gonna Follow Your) Star Trail" 7" (2007)

I picked this up due to the fact that I was going 45 crazy and the cover art was too fascinating to pass up. I had no idea what the music was going to sound like. I looked it up online and there is a video for the song. There are drums, a poorly played casio keyboard, and a singer, old school-Olympia style (although apparently they're from England). I also found out that this 45 is some sort of limited thing with only 300 out there which makes it even better. It's in a pretty sturdy cardboard case and comes with a little comic about the band. Not bad for 2 bucks.


Kent Brockman - Crustcoreviolence 7" (2000)

Let's be honest. I bought this because it is a hardcore punk 45 by a band called Kent Brockman. The packaging is pretty fancy for a punk band with an odd gatefold design which opens to the 45. Not bad for a little punk record from Germany. Oh yeah, did I mention that they are a German punk band called Kent Brockman? That makes the whole enterprise much more interesting to me for some reason. They lyrics seem to be the run-of-the-mill angry punk stuff, though, which is odd to me given their silly name. Oh, those Krauts!


Defiance - Burn 7" (1995)

Defiance are a mainstay on the Portland punk scene and I was glad to finally pick up something of theirs. It is on Consensus Reality (the label of the guy from my heroes Masskontroll) which really sweetened the deal. It has a lyric sheet and pictures of spiky-haired guys looking scummy. It is also contains lyrics about throwing bricks through rich people's windows. I can't wait to get angry to this.



Starved and Delirious/Svart Snö - Split 7" (1997)

Starved and Delirious are a 90's female-fronted Portland punk band that I already have another 45 of. I had picked up that one because I recognized their name from my old crappy high school punk band's show flyer. We had played a show in Eugene in '96 that had a bunch of other groups on the bill (it was a 2-day event). I have no recollection of them playing but always thought their name was pretty awesome. Or maybe they played on day 2 which would explain me not remembering. Who knows? Anyways, seeing the Consensus Reality label on this just made me feel even better about myself.


The Öbliteräted - Insanity 7" (1997)

I was already in the mood for old NW punk and when I saw the Consensus Reality label I went for it. Holy mackerel I liked Singles Going Steady.






Up next: Easy Street, Queen Anne style.

Spring Break Record Shopping, Part Three: House of Records - Tacoma, Washington.

When we rolled up to Hi-Voltage, we looked across the street to where Tacoma's House of Records, our second planned stop, has been for years, and this is what we saw. My heart sunk, until I saw that faded cardboard sign in the window, which seemed to be pointing to a new location. I couldn't read it from across the street, but it gave me hope. We did our business at Hi-Voltage, walked across the street (these two places are literally right across the street from each other), and saw that, indeed, they had set up shop at a new spot.

And, best of all, it was about two blocks away. We threw our Hi-Voltage purchases in my trunk, strolled down the street, made a quick left, and there we were. The new spot is not nearly as visible as their old one (it's off the main drag) and it might be a tad bit smaller, but they've managed to retain almost all the dusty charm of the old building. And I think they've been there for a while now. Can't remember what they said, but I think it's been around a year. So, it's broken in, though it feels like a slightly compressed version of the old place. It was close quarters before, and the new digs are no different. But if that's going to stop you from shopping at a record store, then you need to rethink your life choices, princess.

Anyway, House of Records/Turntable Treasures is an awesome place. It's almost exclusively vinyl, which I love. No wasted space. They've got this slightly confusing filing system that actually makes it fun to dig, but they also seem to know their stock really well, so it's not hard to locate something you're looking for. I couldn't find any Faith No More records, but I asked one of the dudes there, and he took me right to the one LP they had. I was impressed. Plus, they have a huge stock of used turntables, of all shapes, sizes, colors, and vintages. And, their prices are, for the most part, reasonable.

This was still at the beginning of our trip, so I didn't go too crazy. But here's what I picked up:


Helloween - Keeper of the Seven Keys, Part I (1987)

While this record isn't too tough to track down on eBay, it's surprisingly hard to find in the wild. So, needless to say, I was excited to see it. I got even more excited once I confirmed that it had the original inner sleeve and that the vinyl was in sweet-ass shape. I love this album, and I'm so glad I have a solid copy of the LP now.


Prince - "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" 12" single (1987)

House of Records always has a fat selection of Prince 12" singles on hand, and I don't know if I've ever left without buying one. This purchase filled a conspicuous hole in my Prince 12" collection: not only is this probably my favorite Prince song, but the b-side, "Hot Thing," is also one that I love the shit out of. And, the 7" version of this single is one of the first records I ever bought for myself. This 45rpm 12" features the full six-and-a-half-minute album version of the title track, as well as three versions of "Hot Thing": a single edit, an extended remix (with additional vocals), and a dub version. So great.

Here's what Pocaroba left with:


A Flock of Seagulls - "Who's That Girl? (She's Got It!)" 12" single (1985)

Ah, a 12" for a truly terrible song. Fascinating. My Flock collection grows.







A Flock of Seagulls - "Heartbeat Like a Drum" 12" single

See the above description.







Red Rockers - Good as Gold (1983)

The Red Rockers have a song called "China" that I have had on a comp of rare early 80s singles and it has always been one of my favorite songs. I have never seen an album of theirs in person and couldn't pass it up for 5 bucks. These guys had an awesome song and video on Columbia Records. They must have thought they were going to be huge. Poor bastards.


Next up: We roll into Seattle for a Dope Burger and some crusty, crusty punk.

Spring Break Record Shopping, Part Two: Hi-Voltage Records - Tacoma, Washington.

Pocaroba and I had planned to wait until Wednesday to do our record shopping, but we were eager. So, instead, we set out early Monday morning, making it to Tacoma a little before noon.

Our first stop: Hi-Voltage records, which I apparently keep misremembering as a place that I can find good records at semi-reasonable prices. Yes, there are some decent LPs to be found at Hi-Voltage, but their prices are ridiculous.

My favorite example from our last trip: A copy of The Doors' Morrison Hotel, priced at 30 dollars, and stickered as "mint original." Most record nerds will tell you that "mint" should only be used if it's alongside the word "sealed," and while I don't subscribe to that rule religiously, I do know that a record with visible scuffs on the vinyl and a hole punched through the cover is not even in the ballpark. They also had a Doors bootleg that I recently got for $15 priced at $50. Yikes.

Anyway, Mr. Pocaroba and I each managed to find one thing that we wanted that wouldn't leave us financially crippled before we even got started. Me first:

Busdriver - Cosmic Cleavage (2004)

I have been looking for this for years, and I was very happy to finally have found it. This is the Busdriver record that I am the least familiar with, and I'm looking forward to spending the following weeks, months, and years cuddling up to it. Even if you're not a fan, you've got to respect that album title/cover art combo. Don't you?

Now Pocaroba:

Smashing Pumpkins - Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness (CD, 1995)

You know when you really want to buy something at a place but the prices are ludicrous? That was my feeling at this place. I found this on the budget wall and closed the deal. I've been looking to get this album on the cheap for years (I used to have the tapes) and this seemed like the time.

Next up: we attempt to go to the place across the street and are temporarily foiled!

Spring Break Record Shopping, Part One: Green Noise Records - Portland, Oregon.

If you were hoping that this week would welcome the return of Stallion Alert to our usual format, well, you're out of luck. You may have to wait another week or so to hear my opinions on OK Computer. I know, I know: the internet is in desperate need of another blog post about that record. But, we have more pressing issues at hand, like the marathon record-shopping binge that me and Pocaroba went on last week.

We had planned on another expedition to Tacoma/Seattle for the middle of the week (new readers can catch up on this now-established tradition here and here), but it turned out we couldn't wait to get going, so as a warm-up, we decided to hit the always-awesome Green Noise Records here in Portland a few days before we drove north.

So, let's break down the haul. We'll start with what I picked up, and then I'll let Pocaroba tell you, in his own words, what he grabbed.

The Stallions - "I Love the USA" 7" (1996)

I can't remember exactly how I came across this blog post a few weeks ago, but needless to say, I was intrigued by a band called The Stallions. I made a mental note to look out for their stuff, but didn't really think it would happen. Then I came across this gem, pressed on red vinyl and featuring a song called "Heartpunch." I can't explain how happy that made me. I'm not the hugest garage-punk dude, but this is cool shit. For so many reasons.


Homostupids - Night Deacon EP 7" (2010)

My Homostupids collection doubled with this purchase, and I felt great about that. Pink swirly vinyl, and all the fuck-all noise you can handle. This EP contains six songs, clocks in at about nine minutes, and centers around two songs with identical lyrics (about blowing a bus driver, of course), "Wearing Sammy" and "Swearing Sammy." My wife's new least-favorite band.



Mike Watt - Ball-Hog or Tugboat? (1995)

I've had this weird special-package edition of this on CD for years, which I always thought was pretty cool, but I found out at Green Noise that there was something cooler: a 2xLP version of it pressed on clear blue vinyl. Oh, it's pretty. It's got a notch cut out of the top left corner, but it seems like a lot of them do (my CD copy had this too), so I don't care. Besides, listening to "Piss-Bottle Man" makes my troubles melt away.


Sweep the Leg Johnny - Sto Cazzo! (2000)

When it comes to albums that I thought I'd never own on vinyl, this one was working hard to secure a place on that list. It never shows up on eBay, I'd never seen it in a store, and it was the only full-length of theirs that I didn't own on wax. I was beginning to think it didn't actually exist. And then, boom: there it was. Used, in awesome shape, and at a price that I had absolutely no beef with. Oh, and it's got a different cover than the CD. We'll get to this band eventually, but if you've never listened to Sweep, you are really missing out. Unsung math-rock heroes of the late 90's/early aughts. I mean, come on.

I also picked up a promo CD for Frank Black and the Catholics' "I Gotta Move" that features an interview with him, and this shirt, which speaks for itself. Both were a dollar.

Now, I'll turn it over to Pocaroba, so he can tell you what he scored.

Spazz - Crush Kill Destroy (1999)

The original pressing of this is beyond expensive and I was hoping to find the recent reissue in my travels. Well, it turns out I found it at our first stop. Good thing too as I didn't see it anywhere else. If you're not familiar with Spazz you should be. The play ridiculously fast and complicated songs about kung fu and skateboarding. People call the subgenre of punk they play "powerviolence" which I have always thought was stupid. Can't it just be punk? Whatever. The record is blood red and comes with a sticker on the front that says "Now With 50% More Pants Shitting." Classic. This record is one of my favorites from the trip.


Capitalist Casualties/Hellnation - Split LP (2009)

Speaking of things I was stoked to find, I was hoping I would come across this on my trip. Capitalist Casualties has got to be one of my favorite punk bands and I was excited to see that they had gotten back together to release a new album. Well that was a couple of years ago and I just never found. Of course, Green Noise had one and I happily scooped it up. The songs on the Capitalist side are exactly what I was hoping they would be. Insanely fast and angry. That's the good stuff. People label them "powerviolence" too which is even stupider when one realizes that Spazz and Capitalist Casualties sound nothing alike. The subgenre-ing of punk is a pet peeve of mine. Can you tell? I have never heard of Hellnation before but their side is not bad. It's a little screamy for me but I'll take it. Also, this gets the award for best use of Kim Jong-Il on an album cover. Brilliant.


V/A - Dangerhouse, Volume 2: Give Me A Little Pain Compilation (CD, 1992)

This compilation collects more rare songs from the classic Dangerhouse singles and compilations from the late 70s. It basically has the other halves of the singles that were featured on volume one. The Avengers, Eyes, Black Randy, X, The Weirdos and The Dils are all here. It makes me happy.


The Last Hard Men - The Last Hard Men (CD, 1998)

I can't believe I finally found this. I have been eyeballing this album for years but was never willing to throw down serious cash on it. I happened to stumble upon it in the dank, poorly lit attic area of Green Noise. It had a $1 sticker on it. These are the joys of music collecting. So basically Sebastian Bach, Kelley Deal, Jimmy Flemion from The Frogs, and Jimmy Chamberlain got together in '98 and recorded an album. Seriously. And this is it. I can't wait to hear how terrible it is.


Positively Negative - "For God and Country" 7"

4 song 45 from a 90s Seattle punk band. I bought this awesome comp of NW punk back in high school called "We Are All Guilty." I used to listen to it constantly and became fascinated by most of the bands on it. I have made it habit to follow pretty much all of the bands on that compilation and buy their stuff if and when I can find it. Positively Negative are one of those bands.


Capitalist Casualties - "Planned Community" 7" (2000)

This is on 6" vinyl which is a first for my collection. I have these songs from a CD compilation but was excited to find the original. These are somewhat epic for the band, clocking in at 2 minutes. Apparently there is a version on red vinyl. Mine is on black. Better keep my eyes peeled...


Mankind?/Dirt - Split 7" (1994)

I got into Mankind? through a friend in high school who let me borrow a punk comp he had (we'll get to that later) but could never find any of their releases. Imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon this. The cover and the clear red vinyl make it a real winner. I have no idea who Dirt is. Just so you know.


Whorehouse of Representatives/Toxic Narcotic - Split 7" (1996)

I had a Whorehouse song that I love on that "We Are All Guilty" comp and even wrote them a letter at some point (I think I have their response somewhere). Female-fronted 90's Seattle punk.


North American Bison - "You're Making Me Look Like An Asshole" 7" (1993)

This band was also on my "We Are All Guilty" comp. Even though their song was never one of my favorites I couldn't pass it up when I found it. The title and the maroon-colored vinyl didn't hurt, either.


Whipped/Inhumane - We Need Our Wars Split 7" (1999)

You guessed it, both of these bands were on the "We Are All Guilty" compilation. This record was one of my favorite finds as I have wanted it for years. Both of the bands were some of my favorites from the comp, especially Inhumane, and I always wanted to own this. It's on clear-red vinyl. Apparently punks like red vinyl.


Next up: We get in the car and drive in a northly direction.

Record Shopping in Philadelphia, Part Two.

So as I was leaving Repo Records, I asked the clerk if she knew of any other record stores in the area. She pointed me right around the block, where I ran into what you see up there: the Philadelphia Record Exchange. It was hard to tell what to expect from the outside, and when I went in, it was still tough to make any sense of it. The place wasn't a complete mess, but it seemed like only pockets of it were organized. There were signs hung from the ceiling to denote genres, but I found out that they were only loose guidelines.

I found a fat box of 7"s near the entrance, camped on those for a while, and then strolled around the store and flipped through some of the 12" singles near the back of the store, which were kind of a mix of dance and hip hop and whatever else had found its way in there. Then, almost exactly as it had happened at Repo, I spotted some stairs. I headed down, and here's what I found:

Turns out all the rock was down there. Mostly 60's/70's/80's stuff, but I actually came across a copy of Hazel's Toreador of Love down there, which I thought was pretty random. The other side:

Again, I found myself overwhelmed. I could have spent a day down there. I gave it a good go, but I didn't end up looking through half the stuff. At this point it was almost 7:30, and I wanted to hit one more shop before I called it a night. I only ended up grabbing two things from the Record Exchange:

Rottin Razkals - "Oh Yeah" 12"

Don't think I've written about these dudes before, but if you've never heard these mid-90's Naughty By Nature prodigies, you are missing out. Dope hip hop that, as far as I know, got mostly overlooked. This single contains songs that are on their album, but it features instrumentals and a cappella mixes, too. Nothing too mind-blowing as far as that goes, but I'm happy to have it.


Homostupids - Cat Music 7"

This may be my favorite thing that I purchased on my trip. So many great things about it. First off, the band is called Homostupids. Second, the single is called Cat Music. Third, the entire thing is about two minutes long, and contains three tracks. Sample lyric: "One more fuckin' prune/ Rat's ass/ Rat's ass/ Give me a balloon." Also: there appear to be horns on it. I really can't say enough about this record. It is just tremendous.

Like I said, I wanted to hit one more spot before I called it a night. I was hoping to make it Long in the Tooth Records, which I had been told was great, but after calling there, I found out they closed at 8, and I wouldn't have time to make it. So, I went to my next option, which was farther away, but open until 9: Beautiful World Syndicate.

It was a mile walk from where I was, which put me two miles away from my hotel, but I was feeling ambitious. I brisk-walked over there and made it by 8, which gave me plenty of time to flip through the store's thick selection of records. As a first-time customer, it's hard for me to know how much rotation goes into their New Arrivals section, but it was the most expansive one I've ever seen. Six or seven rows across, and so deep that I could barely reach the back of it. And I'm not a little dude.

Their 7" section was equally huge, and packed with all the obscure punk you could ever want. I had heard of very little of it, though I actually saw a few Portland bands in there, which was cool. Bottom line: they had a ton of cool shit. They also had a bunch of slightly overpriced jazz/reggae/world LPs, which is the hipster bullshit you can expect from a place like that, so that's fine. I gave it a good 45 minutes in there, but was starving and had to walk the two miles home so I headed out before they kicked me out. Here's what I got:

Schoolly D - "Another Sign" 12"

They used to play this video on Bohemia Afterdark when I was in high school and for whatever reason, I thought it was cool as all get-out. Not your typical Schoolly D song, but his flow sounds dope on this track. I picked up a lot of rap singles on this trip, didn't I?




USAISAMONSTER - Citizens of the Universe

Definitely my most random purchase of the trip. I thought the cover was awesome-looking, and the homemade appeal of the whole thing (the artwork appears to be silkscreened) kept me coming back to it. I sampled a little bit of it on the turntable there, and it sounded just weird enough to work. I've barely listened to this thing, but I'm looking forward to getting to know it.


The Doors - Mr. Mojo Risin'

Bootleg record that appears to include both live performances and interviews, and also seems to have been released while the band was still together, or, you know, before Morrison died. Haven't had a chance to listen to this one yet.





The Doors - Weird Triangle

Hey, I'm into Doors bootlegs right now - can you tell? Didn't plan on buying both of these, but I couldn't get one and not the other, and they were both just too good to pass up. Haven't had a chance to play this one, either, but I'm looking forward to it. Only has five songs on it, so I'm really curious to see what the deal is.


And, that was that. After I was done there, I had to walk two miles back to my hotel with two fat bags of records under my arm, and then I had to haul these damn things back with me on the plane. But it was worth it. It's always worth it. Philadelphia, you were good to me. I just wish I would have had more time.