I've washed thousands of disks and the best and most inexpensive way I've found is to sponge them off with a 50-50 mixture of distilled water and white vinegar. It cleans off the most rugged thrift store gunk and leaves no residue, since both liquids are distilled. You can spend more, but you can't get cleaner than that.
I took two pair of sock
Warm water with a drop of soap
Two towels (static free)
Wore one pair of socks in-side out
got one wet
spun and cleaned the records on one side
Placed down
Flip and clean
Swap socks (because they were wet)
Slid records into sleeves I blew dirt and stuff out of.
Worked fine. Next time I'll do the water and vinegar
How about water and rubbing alcohol, I would think that there wouldn't be any residue or damage. I've noticed water spots in the center area of the records. No problem though
I guess the only thing I wanted to add here is more about my journey and how I learned about certain styles of music that maybe I would not have under a different change of events.
First off the two books which completely changed my outlook were called Incredibly Strange Music Vol 1 and Incredibly Strange Music Vol 2.
These are really the record hunters guides if he or she is wanting to learn about all the music that the buyers that get inventory for the record shop have left in the thrift stores.
There is a whole group of albums that for a long time most were not interested in. For the real truth is, most are not interested in this type of music now! LOL
BUT!
This music exists and there is a type of culture here which is enjoyed by many. For me being really a diehard rocker it is really the farthest type of music that I ever thought I would be into. That is just kind of how life surprises you. At some point your musical styles end up being changed in a direction that you never thought you would go in. I guess it comes from being a lover of music and trying to have an open mind large enough to not be afraid of new styles. Much of this thrift store music is what is left over after the classic rock has already been picked out. Much of this music ends up being very close or it exactly the music you hated your Parents playing. It is nerdy and square and sometimes boring. At times these finds can take you to places musically which end up being super weird. The strangest part of the experience is when you find out that you like this stuff. You actually feel it in your heart that some of this older music is who you are.
The style is the farthest away from the cool music we are taught to like on current MTV. This music has almost a feeling of being part of your very own personal archive, of saving it for history. The truth is though that the stuff is so out there, no one wants it and it will never make a comeback. These disks are the lost puppies of the musical world and were giving them a home.
This is very close to the old lady down the street who has 20 cats. She somehow sees it in her heart to maintain these creatures for the sake of "the cause".
Later after listening to this strange music which you thought was not cool you start to find out that maybe it is cool after all. The Mike Pattons of the world, the musical genius that lives in the mind of these entertainers is getting off on really anything which has some imagination and thought put into it. You find out that there is this whole musical universe that is very close to the edge of not existing and falling through the cracks of time never to be seen or more importantly heard again.
The record companies will never reissue it again and the reality is, because of the lasting quality of vinyl that we get mini time capsules that allow us to revisit another time in the world. The amazing thing to think about is that never has a generation of people ever had that chance.
Sure we had written music to go back and study but we never had actual sound recordings of 50 or 60 years in the past to study, think about that for a while.
There were a LOT more different types of music in the 50s than there is now. Rock has paved over the world and turned it all into one big musical mini mall.
So when you start going way past the George Shearing records and start liking and playing Heino records often, then you will know your an insider to the club and not outside looking in. The real amazing thing is the look your super cool friends give you when they come over for coffee one morning and you throw a record like this on. The look in their eyes when they finally realize that your not joking and this is the musical direction your now taking....................PRICELESS.
So for the Metalhead it is cool to find music from Mike Patton which can reflect the exposure level to old music which we ended up from getting exposed to from large record collections or searching thrift shops. We end up finding that old soundtracks, like the Theme to The Godfather, which we though may have dropped through the cracks, are still cool even today. The realization that we may not be so strange after all and that it is just the quality of classic music making it through time into the future and living again due to the timeless quality it has.
All my thrift store slumming ended up being in Southern California and I started to find these very limited records. Just some dreamers who wanted to have some of their music out in the world. These records were in small numbers and put out by clubs or small musical groups and were not connected with the big record companies in any way. This site has some Mp3s to listen to, if you have the time.
They came out with a DVD and I read a new album called The Director's Cut number two is soon to be released. When you find out who he chose to be in this underground super group, you will understand why these guys are so fantastic. It will be interesting to learn what old songs Mike has found to bring back into the world of pop music!
I went to an antique store this weekend and bought some records for $2 each. It probably wasn't the best deal in the world, but my local Goodwill didn't have any records at all.
I looked on Craigslist but anyone that had a collection of records was very far away. They all wanted me to drive to their house to look through their records, but I cannot drive that far.
I have yet to find anywhere that will sell their vinyl for 25 or even 50 cents each.
I guess that I just need to look around a little more.
To get records for a quarter apiece, you have to buy whole collections without cherry picking. If you want to pick and choose, it's a buck or two a disk.
Depending on where you live, there are some record stores in metropolitan areas that have great vinyl collections. In Northern California, the Amoeba and Rasputin in Berkeley are worth hitting up. The other Amoeba and Rasputins I've visited aren't even remotely within the same category, and their vinyl collections are literally less than 1% than what the Berkeley stores have. There are also several other genre-specific vinyl record stores within walking distance of the Berkeley Amoeba and Rasputin. The SF stores on the Haight are okay but not that great IMO.
In the Sacramento/Davis region, Records is one of the most legendary record stores in all of the United States. That's where the cover was shot for DJ Shadow's Entroducing, and you can hear him talk about how amazing the place is in the following clip (as well as how most of the samples from Entroducing were based off of records he discovered there). Records likely was one of the places that helped lay the foundations for Quannum Projects and Solesides (DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, Latryx, Lyrics Born, etc.).
As for cheap? Depends on what your budget is. Used vinyl usually is not that pricey. You'll find singles between $1-5, and albums between $5-15.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/records-sacramento
I would be extremely surprised if places like New York City and Boston didn't have similar treasure troves.
Depending on where you live, there are some record stores in metropolitan areas that have great vinyl collections. In Northern California, the Amoeba and Rasputin in Berkeley are worth hitting up. The other Amoeba and Rasputins I've visited aren't even remotely within the same category, and their vinyl collections are literally less than 1% than what the Berkeley stores have. There are also several other genre-specific vinyl record stores within walking distance of the Berkeley Amoeba and Rasputin. The SF stores on the Haight are okay but not that great IMO.
In the Sacramento/Davis region, Records is one of the most legendary record stores in all of the United States. That's where the cover was shot for DJ Shadow's Entroducing, and you can hear him talk about how amazing the place is in the following clip (as well as how most of the samples from Entroducing were based off of records he discovered there). Records likely was one of the places that helped lay the foundations for Quannum Projects and Solesides (DJ Shadow, Blackalicious, Latryx, Lyrics Born, etc.).
As for cheap? Depends on what your budget is. Used vinyl usually is not that pricey. You'll find singles between $1-5, and albums between $5-15.
http://www.yelp.com/biz/records-sacramento
I would be extremely surprised if places like New York City and Boston didn't have similar treasure troves.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
