It has been over 2 1/2 years since I first visited (what was at that time) Community Thrift in tiny downtown McComb Ohio. Looks like it has changed names but otherwise looks the same as it always has.
I wonder if my old friend Terry is still stocking the shelves. Found some interesting gems which I placed up front for the next smart shopper.
Late For The Sky - this one just makes me think of the scene in Taxi Driver where he knocks the TV off its milk crate and has such disappointment. Such a sad scene in a movie I don't think people ever equate 'sad' with.
The best part of this trip was the cat running around the store. He darted away when he first laid eyes on me. But I played it cool and got him to sit for a photo. If you know anything about cat behavior (not saying I am an expert, but I have some experience), it says something that he woudl even do this. Wish I could have pet that cute cat. Maybe next time.
Winding up a very long 10 days on the road that took me through West Virginia and Virginia, my colleague and I had the very long drive from Greensboro North Carolina all the way back to Chicago. We opted to stop in Dayton Ohio for the night and take that evening to reflect on the time we spent out here; what we had done and what we learned. And eating pizza. And drinking beer. And looking for records at the Goodwill literally across the street from the hotel.
They had a monster amount of records, not the usual Goodwill 2-tier bin. So of course, I got down on my knees and looked through every single one. I had a mate with me, a local townie no doubt. He seemed to be mostly looking at DVDs and VHS tapes but he did sneak a peek at some LPs in between the phrases he mumbled quietly to himself.
I ended up finding an oh-so-fitting polka record brewed locally, just west in Pennsylvania but originally in Younstown. I have been researching WAM Records for a while now and trying to find the tie that binds to Cleveland's WRS.
Some damn fool went to work with a key on a Verve classic. I just knew before I pulled the record out of the jacket it was too good to be true. But I never would have visualized this mess.
The end of a trip, the longest I've ever spent away from my place of origin. I was lucky to find a handful of new vinyls but more exciting were the people and places. Just like my friend above with his armload of scores. I hope his visit was as fruitful as mine.
The first five Eddie Rabbitt albums (ironically, I own the sixth, albeit the Mexican version), a rare Tom Jones alternate cover and Anne Murray looking adorably cute - someone's for the taking. I used restraint, it wasn't easy!
On the way out to McComb, I made an array of stops at some old haunts and some new ones as well.
A year ago I had stopped at a Goodwill in Waseon OH (I swore it was a Salvation Army which led to great confusion on my part in attempting to retrace my steps. Good thing I have this blog to hold all the memories my brain cannot). I had seen a bizarre release there which bothered me for the full year and I hoped it would still be there. No shocker to know that indeed, it was not there at all. Probably tossed into the trash heap when no one turned up to take it home, like a forlorn orphan.
Community Thrift in McComb is one of my favorite anywhere but alas they are closed on Monday. There was probably no need to bother with the place as I know the guy that provides the supply of vinyl but I just can't help it. Anyway, I hoped I'd have a chance to stop in on Tuesday before I headed back towards home but as I drove by Monday they were open! This worked out well as Tuesday got hectic and there would have been no one for me to stop in. I didn't see anything I wanted but the old woman who has eternally watched over the place assured me that new records would be in soon and I had ought to stop back in! I thanked her and bid my farewell.
Back in Findlay the only place that came up was a Salvation Army. But when I got there, I remembered the place. Again, I checked my own blog as a guidebook to figure out what I had seen in there. I could find no entry for this shop. My previous trip was a year earlier, October 2014. Before that, I was around in the late spring of that year and this is when I had come to check out the store. I remember sitting in the parking lot before they opened talking to my girlfriend before I headed to Bowling Green. The only thing I can think is that I either never bothered to go inside, or I did and couldn't find the records (don't know that this has ever happened before). So I was going to pass it up again but for whatever reason I defied my own impulses and checked it out. Tons of vinyl!
I almost jumped on the Guess Who album over track B3 which is one of the finest and most indepth tribute songs to another artist I've ever heard. The Mahavishnu album would have been a treat if I didn't score it earlier this summer. And old Urel Albert caught my eye so I snapped some pics and added it to the DB myself later that night. Anyway, I ended up leaving empty handed (and contentedly so) but I am glad I took the chance on stepping inside when everything told me not to bother.
Now content with a few stores under my belt, I just wanted to head to my hotel for a few beers and some shut eye. But as has happened before, all of a sudden there was a Goodwill so I swerved in and parked. I swear I had checked and could not find one in Google Maps but this did look like a new store.
The place was new but the 'media' section was pretty bombed out. The books were sparse and a mess. As the vinyl usually resides near them, I felt my heart sink when I saw them nowhere in sight. Then, along the back wall, I saw a giant heap of trash amongst which was a small stack of vinyl!
And my prayers were answered - a classic barbershop record! I hoped wildly that another was further in the stack but nothing doing; still, I was happy with what I had. A trip well explored pays dividends!
A year and a half ago, I was out in McComb Ohio and I stopped at a tiny thrift store where I examined some records. After paying for my scores, I chatted with the elderly woman behind the counter who told me fantastical claims about the person that stocks the records there on consignment: "he has a barn full of records....the barn even has an elevator....he has 100,000 records". Not clear on the accuracy of her tales, but unwilling to risk the chance that they might be true and I'd miss my shot at this mythical 'barn', I left my name and number to pass onto the mystery man.
I got a call from him a short time later...I met him the next time I went to McComb about a year ago and I saw the barn. Turns out, what the lady told me was largely quite true. But there was more than a barn...there was a garage 100' away also stocked with vinyl to the ceiling. But Terry (the propietor of this empire) told me had yet more records, in a storage facility in nearby Findlay. I told him I'd stay in touch and let him know when I'd be back around his way.
That time came, almost exactly a year later. And we met up in Findlay, and I saw his records and it was epic.
I never had so much trouble trying to figure out how to photograph everything, it doesn't do it justice and it doesn't really illustrate how many records were in there. Here is some very rough math I came up with:
-4 shelves per rack
-6 boxes wide per shelf
-3 layers of boxes per shelf
-18 boxes per shelf
-72 boxes per rack
And as you can see, there are two racks with an aisle between them, so that is a gross (144) of boxes.
Terry claimed that he could get 100 records in each box, but I'll be a bit more conservative and say there are 75 in each - that would be 10,800 records. Even if there are only 50, that is still 7200. He told me he used french fry boxes because they are free and you can get them at any fast food resturant - imagine how many boxes of fries McDonalds uses in a day? And they must be like 12 1/4" wide - they are almost exactly the right size to just barely squeeze records in there without damaging them of stuffing them in.
And whatever estimate I can come up with that does not include the numerous Rubbermaid tubs in the aisle or the long wooden boxes on the lowest shelf. And up at the top were loads of 7". He told me he had just sold "30,000 45s". Again - if it was anyone else, I likely would call BS, but if you saw what I saw in that barn a year ago, and in this storage space this week...or even maybe just these pics, you know it is quite possible.
Ray Price - Love Life - one day I'll stop buying every Ray Price album I see. Currently up to 19 combined LP/7". This one is mono.
Jimmy Smith - Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf? - this one is a little dog eared with some ring wear but I'll grab just about any Verve stuff I can find (especially if its mono)
The Dave Brubeck Quartet - Bossa Nova U.S.A. - the only Dave Brubeck I ever seem to come across has been to hell and back. I suppose that's because if it was in decent shape and a decent record, it wouldn't be in a thrift store or in a storage facility in rural Ohio. Not that this one is rare by any stretch but glad to scoop it. And AGAIN - mono.
Tears For Fears - Songs From The Big Chair - When I was a kid I was so fascinated with this album. Not just for the hits but for the title of the group and the album. No way I was going to pass this up, in great shape too.
Ghostbusters (Original Soundtrack Album) - When I was real small, the kid across the street had this soundtrack on tape. We used to crank that thing again and again. Really nice shape here - this was a no brainer.
Engelbert Humperdinck - Live At The Riviera - British import version. I remember finding this on eBay a year ago and I freaked out and was about to add it to discogs when I realized it was a reissue of the Parrot live record. I have long ago nearly run out of Eng records that I don't have, I never come across them. I would have paid a few dollars at least for this, mint condition too.
I don't usually mess with 45s but when he said they were up top and I'd have to climb that rickety ladder, I knew I had to go up just for the story.
This was taken almost 20' up in the air.
Metallica - One - when I was a kid, my Uncle Rick brought me to a party at this friend's house. I don't remember the occassion or where it was but it seemed far away (probably wasn't). I do remember it was a huge mansion in a subdivision on a man made lake. My uncle has always had impeccable taste (he dubbed the Tears for Fears album above for me around this time) and always had loads of vinyl. Anyways, his friend who lived there and apparently was a big collector because my uncle called me over to see something in particular - it was the 12" version of this single. At that time in my life (around 7th-8th grade) I pretty much listened to Metallica, Slayer and Suicidal Tendencies non stop. I couldn't wrap my brain around what the hell this thing was. I had never seen that cover. It makes even less sense now because as I search I see that the 12" version was only released in the UK and/or Europe. Well way up high on this ladder were tons of junk 45s crammed in boxes but one box in particular seemed to have records in sleeves, some of them picture sleeves. While hanging onto that ladder for dear life (Terry recommended I just climb up there "It will hold you") I flipped with the other hand. This is in prime shape as well and looks like its worth near $20. Not that I intend to sell this bizarre relic of my childhood and my evening in Findlay.
Larry Carlton - Smiles And Smiles To Go - promo white label with identical B-side AND it comes (inexplicably) in the mint condition picture sleeve. I have no words for this!
Once I decided I had enough, he locked up but not before mentioning he had some more stuff in both the cab and rear of his pickup truck. So we took a good look at that stuff but I found nothing of interest.
The barbershop album Terry is holding in the first pic in this post was interesting. After I had rooted around in 5-6 boxes Terry was scolding me for jumping around here and there and said I should just pick a shelf and go through 'em one by one. I told him to pick a box and he casually pointed to one just a couple feet away from him on the floor. Wouldn't you know - that classic barbershop album was right there, first record in the case, the only barbershop I saw all day.
Somebody called him while I was hunting. I hunted a little quieter so I could try to eavesdrop and figure out the other side of the conversation. It was another guy, just like me, apparently referred by the person that had just bought the truck load of 45s. It seemed like the guy was asking too many questions, what was there to talk about besides picking a time to dig? Some people like like to hear themselves speak. I honestly considered asking Terry to give me the phone, I wanted to say "I'm sure you are a serious collector, I'm sure you've been around and seen a lot. Well, you've never seen anything like this, because it doesn't exist anywhere else. There are so many thousands of records beyond what you could ever possibly fathom you need to just make an appointment and get down here". I probably should have.
Terry only wanted $10 for all those records - I gave him a $20 and told him to keep it for his trouble. I don't know when I'll be back...if I did my job right during this last visit, it will be another year. If I come back any sooner, it will be because something didn't work right, maybe my fault, maybe not. Until then I have some serious memories, a great story and a stack of new vinyl
This picture screams of a back alley, late night, incognito record deal. Black market style.
I love finding strange things inside albums. I found an awesome sexy love letter once, here I found this odd note inside my Woodstock 3xLP.
When I first made my acquaintance (via telephone) with Terry, I knew I'd be back in his neck of the woods but honestly did not know if I would ever be able to make the visit happen. I felt like it was all a lie, or it would fall through, or maybe I would feel too awkward to meet some stranger and poke around in his records.
As the time approached and we made our arrangements over a number of phone calls, the itinerary changed from picking up some records he had 'set aside' for me at the thrift store, to maybe meeting him there, to coming to his house. And as I drove there again the negativity crept in. Would there even be anything good there? What if it was all junk? Or in horrible condition? How much did he really have? Then I pulled into the driveway and realized I had to put all that aside, because I was there and the time had arrived.
Terry met me outside and carried a box of about 15 records with him. There were a couple Engelbert records in there and some other stuff. There were two copies of 'Dream On' and I quickly texted my girlfriend to ask if she had it (she did). I was desperate to buy anything of even relative value because I was terrified at the notion of this person opening their home to me and then buying nothing because it was all junk. I scooped the Eng records even though they were doubles, something I'd never do otherwise.
He had four boxes set aside for me in the garage. Three were in the open and we chatted as he drank a Mountain Dew (something I thought unique for a man of his age) and I got to diggin'.
The fourth, he apologized, was obscured behind some junk and he left it up to me to decide if I wanted to climb in there. I said no problem and dug it out. You'll have to forgive me because I do not remember exactly what records I pulled out of these initial boxes and you'll see why shortly. I do have a comprehensive list of everything at the end of this post. After I flipped through box #4 he began to point out other boxes with greater frequency, offering to let me browse. They seemed to be everywhere, and we were still in the garage (large as it was).
I could tell that we were feeling each other out - him perhaps moreso than I, and for good reason as I was in his home. But he then did invite me 'upstairs'. Keep in mind we are in a garage, not a house. But yes, this is a multilevel garage. Even as we crept up the stairs, he pointed out stacks that lingered on the staircase.
And so far, everything was in at least passage condition, no ruined records. And a great variety but still no Mantovani or other thrift store filler. Little did I know that I had barely scratched the surface. And even at the end of my tour, I had still done little in the way of comprehensively looking through everything. It is hard to explain the vast number of records I saw, much less looked through. And it is harder still to articulate it to others, that fact not assisted by the fact that even as the writer and story teller I know that if I was on the other end of these tales I would believe none of it. All I have are some pictures to support my preposterous arguement but still I will stick with this story, because it is the truth.
As we entered the next level of this castle we encountered immediately a stack of Beatles records. I recognized a couple copies in there of 'A Hard Days Night' and also both the 'Trunk Cover' and original (with sticker removed) copies of 'Yesterday and Today'. I had no interest and despite the seeming random placement of these records, I got the idea they probably were not for sale.
As we turned about face, I saw the famed elevator of which I had been told by the proprietor of Community Thrift so many months ago. As I ventured on I would see how it was important to not only the transport of the immense stacks of records but the other wonderful items in Terry's collection - some of them quite heavy. From there I helped him clear an area to move forward and then we came to the real heart of the records in this building.
There were so many boxes and boxes of 78s I couldn't believe it. I saw endless amount of shellac records, some 1/4" thick, some with bizarre spindle holes of unknown use. I saw a file cabinet so full of records I don't know how it did not tip over. And through it all I hunted and hunted some more.
There was a bookshelf with probably hundreds of Elvis Presley records in it.
Perioically Terry would ask if I was tired and had enough. I continually told him 'no', as I wasn't, and even if I was I would have pushed myself harder. I saw a large china cabinet with an unknown number of 7" records in stacks. Another file cabinet - this one with drawer after drawer of 8-track tapes.
And in the final room, a grid of record crates probably 10' wide and taller than me.
But yet this giant building had yet another level. This one held no music - just ancient radios, Edison cylinder machines, Victrolas (some of them huge!) and even a giant cabinet stuffed with paper tapes for a player piano (buried under 8 tracks on the floor below us). I remember pulling out a copy of 'King Of Hearts' for my girlfriend and I knew we were at the end of the road. Then he asked if I wanted to see the 'other building'.
The property is this giant garage connected to the house and another smaller 'building' about 200' away. The building appears to have been perhaps a small house long ago, now it is much similar to a garage as it holds other things (mostly records, of course) but has no garage door so it could never accommodate a car. Inside corridors had been created by the sheer mass of vinyl (in their containers) which could have only taken years (decades?) to accumulate and bring inside. It was a network of small lockers like you might see at a train station (about 2'x1'). And of course the obligatory wall/grids of crates stacked up to the ceiling here and there. The dimensions inside seemed to belie the small structure seen from the outside. How could this be?
At the end of the day I had 30+ records. My initial thought to grab everything I could was silly, I had no issue in finding plenty that I would want. I sorted through and attempted to return some back to the trove to lighten my load. I came away with still 20+ including a handful for my girl.
I read Al Kooper's book many years ago and enjoyed it very much. Also, I always liked a certain Beastie Boys song which samples a track from this record. Overall that track is not representative of the album which is eclectic to say the least. Great cover and love to grab any 60s stuff on Verve or any of their imprints.
This is my poor man's (for now) version of the '#1' album which I have found a few times either slightly or totally beat, or in great condition and far outside my budget. This is essentially just a split live LP with no real collaboration (or Tom Jobim!) but it is in great condition and I grab any Bossa Nova I can get my hands on.
This is probably the biggest score for me. Not rare by any means but by far my favorite Priest album. I long felt I was suffering at its 'weak' guitar tone and rock (metal did not exist in 1977) nuances but in time I grew to love it for all of the things it is not (as outlined above) and all the things it is. This was the only damaged record I bought, it had been clearly water damaged at some point and looks like the water got to about 2-3" from the bottom - a scary thought. I never had to do this kind of surgery on a record before but I did here and I am happy for it. First I cleaned the record which was totally moldy. My home made record cleaner (distilled water and high percentage alcohol....shhh!) got that off no problem and the record plays great (must have listened to it 2-3 times all the way though all ready). The inner sleeve was totally moldy - it went into the bin and was replaced with a fresh sleeve. The jacket itself was the worst of all. The bottom seam had delaminated but there was nothing left to reglue. The seam was still intact but the back cover at the bottom had eroded away! I trimmed off what was left of that mess and used a single piece of clear tape to put it back together. Looks great and should serve me well for years to come!
Along with the two albums I already have, I feel like these four make up the most well known albums by Mr. Campbell. My fandom increases almost daily and I have eyeballed both many times before. I ran across more than a few others but held off.
The first is a compilation I do not have so that was a straight forward score. The other two are doubles but I wanted to be nice initially (as explained earlier). 'Release Me' was in the first box Terry handed me when he approached me on his front porch, and the last of the three is something you can never own too many copies of (I already have one sealed copy and another for playback. Now it has a mate).
I was urged by a friend to start collecting the Tom Jones Parrot releases and I have dove in headfirst. I put back more than a few others because I felt like I was sucking all fun out of the hunt if I acquired the entire discography in a single day! I haven't gone through them much but 'Fever Zone' is excellent and 'Tom' is pretty bad. Still eager to continue the obsession.
I have left out many minute details because I feel it is painful to even try to vomit up all that went on in the 60-90 minutes I spent with Terry. And I also wish to respect his privacy as much as possible. I will close with the fact (revealed to be late in our meeting) that in a nearby town is a storage unit stuffed with even more vinyl and presumably simpler to access and peruse. I'll be back.
Someone just unloaded about 30+ bad hip hop 12" singles. At least they are all mint condition. Almost no 'thrift store' records to speak of.
That is, except the bizarre polka album I found and subsequently added to discogs. This one will be in my dreams (or nightmares) for ages, probably should have grabbed it. I have uncovered some interesting research regarding the 'record label'/manufacturing facility/studio.
Stranded for a day in/around NW Ohio, my thoughts turned to records. After a largely disappointing trip to Bowling Green, I headed back to my hotel in Findlay to catch a nap before I finally completed the work I had come out to do, that night.
On the way down the highway to Bowling Green, I spotted this behemoth on the side of the road. I felt a twinge for optimism but immediately forgot about it as the miles went by. However, on the way back I spotted it again and jumped off at the following exit. Are records included with 'Antiques'? I'd find out, in a hurry.
I entered the complex of 'booths' and randomly chose one of the many tendrils of pathways that led through the maze. Just about 50' from the entrance, I found this motherlode.
The place was quiet, just a subtle hint of soft country music piped in to keep me company. The scents of old books, records and yes, 'antiques' was overwhelming, calming and delicious. I pulled out a Stan Getz compilation from the late 60s and felt that familliar rush of relief, knowing that I had a prize no matter what else happend. Little did I know how many more records I'd sort through that day - surely in the thousands. That aside, this first booth was the cleanest and had one of the best selections. I even got down on my knees to admire the handiwork of the record bin.
One of the many super polite and helpful employees that wander through the complex approached and asked 'So, you like records?'. I answered that I surely did, and quizzed were there more? Her answer: "Oh yeah....lots".
She ran off to get me a notepad and a tiny golf pencil to keep notes. I silently scoffed at her genorosity - the place couldn't be THAT big. Could it?
It was, and then some. I don't know how long I was in there, but I'll let the pics do the talking. After a while I got overwhelmed and I did not take pics of every single bin I sorted through, but nearly all. I pulled out a number of gems besides 'The Sound' as described above:
1) Elvis - Aloha From Hawaii Via Satellite: Many years ago, I caught some of this performance on VH-1. Already aware of Elvis at the time - and having relegated him to novelty status in my mind - I was utterly blown away by the concert. When the show ended, I departed for nearby Best Buy. My mission: to purchase the album. If they did not have it, I would purchase nothing else and my fascination with The King would wane forever more. Well they did have it, and I've since listened to it 1000s of times. I also have a DVD of the show, a Hong Kong bootleg purchased on eBay long ago, before an official copy of the concert existed on that format. However, one of the two discs looks like someone pinched it with a pliers, and put the most unique warp in the edge I've ever seen. As a result, the first 2-3 tracks on each side are unplayable - the coutour is so radical that the needle will literally jump, like a skateboarder on a launch ramp. The packaging however is near mint besides asmall tear forming in the upper seam. I paid $11 - I saw a (ripoff) copy for $40 moments later in another booth's bin.
2) Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! - I got into Joe via 'Steppin Out' and 'Night and Day' long ago. I intuited that if I liked this album so much, I'd surely like more of his work and I set out to explore. Logically I started at the beginning and downloaded this album. I took a long train ride to Western Springs a short time later where I really got to know the record - and I fell deeply in love. I long ago purchased the special edition 2x10" - to me still one of the coolest format decisions - and it was only fair that I snag this standard 12" when I came across it. The vinyl and jacket are in far better condition than the beat up old rag I got at Reckless long ago.
I also grabbed a copy of 'Colour by Numbers' for a friend. I threw it on when I got home and realized this was no joke - I dubbed it and since have already found myself a copy. I topped it off with a vintage 8x10 promo shot of Engelbert which I gifted the same friend immediately.
