Savers [Las Vegas NV]

I was perfectly happy to check Nevada off my list with my visit to Record City.  But that night I wanted to have a few drinks and selected the Huntridge Tavern at my watering hole.  After a couple fairly wild bus rides I found my way and what do you know - there was a Savers in the same strip mall! It was a half hour before close so I'd be remiss not to stop inside and see what they had to offer.

They didn't have much in the way of LPs but they had a ton of 7", tons of picture sleeves.  Too many to go through so I just took a glance.

Two 80s classics here - of quite different genres.

File these under 'actors pretending to be singers'.

The one on the right (Bob Welch) I considered buying because I've always loved the song, but I didn't want to sit with it at the bar (which was dumb).  The second one I thought was interesting as it is clearly foreign - the kicker is that someone recently paid $80 for this!  Just the fact that this has been sold 8 times says a lot.  Looks like Anna-Frid Lyngstad is one of the four members of ABBA and everyone knows they have a devoted following.

So the next night - my last night in town - I rushed back again to grab it.  I already knew at that point I'd grab some others as well.

I could see immediately that someone had been meddling in the past 24 hours! My heart raced because I could not find this damn 7"! So I took a deep breath and figured I'd just go through every single in the bins because who knows what else I might find.  There must have been at least 150 of them, it was interesting because I even found a few doubles (or triples!).  So it must have been someone's collection.  It took a while but I did the deed and did eventually find what I was looking for - and then some!

Believe it or not I actually had even a few more than this but I did a catch and release on a handful.  Here is the breakdown:

Deniece Williams - Let's Hear It For The Boy

Couldn't pass on the picture sleeve.  I am a fan of Niecy, grabbed an LP a couple years ago in Grand Rapids.

The Sanford/Townsend Band* - Smoke From A Distant Fire / Lou

Classic track.  I put a quick video on Vimeo a few years ago in tribute.

Bob Welch - Sentimental Lady / Hot Love, Cold World

One of my favorite songs ever.  RIP Bob.  This will go well with the Mexican import I snagged in Kentucky a ways back.

The Kai Winding Orchestra - More / Comin' Home Baby

I have the original (or at least earlier) issue of this single which I found in a Goodwill in Orlando, and the LP which I got in Canada.

Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki / Anoko No Namaewa Nantenkana

Funny because I only know this song from Kai's cover on the same Canadian LP I just referenced.  I knew this was the original and it was too odd to find both of these singles together not to grab them both.

Stevie Wonder - Sir Duke

Came across a bunch of Stevie singles and kept hoping I'd find this one.  Then the song came on the radio in Savers.  A little while later, I found this.  Sounds unbelievable, but it is true, I promise.

Stevie Wonder - Part-Time Lover

Grabbed this strictly for the instrumental B-side.  What purpose was that supposed to serve?

Steve Winwood - While You See A Chance

What a classic track.  Reminds me of childhood.  Wish I found the picture sleeve, but alas I did not.

Don Johnson - Heartache Away

Novelty, couldn't resist the picture sleeve.

Santo & Johnny - Sleep Walk / All Night Diner

What a classic, looks like this is the original issue from 1959.

Bruce Willis - Respect Yourself

See my comments regarding the Don Johnson single above.  Fun fact: when this came out in grade school the video was on all the time.  Also my dad was a big fan of Moonlighting.  I always thought Bruce Willis smirk was cool (still do) and I used to try and imitate it when I was a kid.

John Waite - Missing You

Pretty played out song, but again, could not leave the picture sleeve behind.

Steve Winwood - Roll With It

Same motivation as the John Waite single.

Rodney Dangerfield - Rappin' Rodney

What an atrocious piece of garbage.  Can't believe it is the promo.  The cover makes me want to vomit.  What does a dirty shirt and little sunglasses have to do with hip hop?

And of course Lars Berghagen & Anni-Frid Lyngstad - En Kväll Om Sommarn / Vi Vet Allt, Men Nästan Inget .  I just listed this for $40 OBO  I was able to peel the Savers sticker off no problem which I was worried about.  There is another sticker, so old and dry its ready to fall off.  It says 'Hirsch's Skivor' which means 'Hirsch's Records' and is/was a record store in Denmark.  This didn't come out until 1971 but the store had been around a while, here is a photo I found from the 1960s.  Wish my time machine had some fuel!

Savers [Fargo ND]

This was maybe the most run down Savers I've been to, at least from the outside.  In a shady darkened parking lot, their neighbor had moved out.  Not sure who Savers got this building from, it is huge and the exterior looks like hell.  I've also never seen that slogan 'The Thrift Department Store" before that I remember.

Inside the familliar old record bin was filled with childrens books.  Heartbroken, I went to glance at the Pyrex and they actually had a few pieces.  I did grab one (its been a long time since I saw anything worth buying).  I wandered back towards the front to check out.

And what do I see at the counter? A magazine rack half filled with vinyl.  Maybe only 15 LPs in there but still worth a very brief dig.  That Bright Productions polka record was nice to come across, that is something you'd only find way up north round these parts.  I must have added nearly half of the Bright Productions/Roger Bright releases to discogs myself so it was nice to come across one in the wild.  I left it behind as I don't prefer German polka (I prefer Polish, even though I am German, and not Polish).  Glad I got to swing through a quick stop and check ND off my list!

That makes state #29!

Attleboro Attack!

I visited Rhode Island a while back on a personal getaway with my dad.  I actually had business plans to travel to Seekonk which is just across the border from Providence.  This was great because I knew I'd be able to check Massachusetts off my list.  But flights to Boston were much cheaper than Providence so I flew there.  I ended up not looking at any records in Boston proper (there were no shops in South Boston near where I was staying, and I got into town late).  But during my initial drive from Logan airport to RI I decided ahead of time to stop in Attleboro as I saw they had a Goodwill and a Savers right near each other, and it was all on my way.

First up was Savers.  Ah yes, the familiar, comforting old white wire rack that they have at every shop in the country (and beyond!).  I'd have scooped that Paul Revere record in a second but alas the jacket was empty.  Saw a fairly rare Engelbert vinyl and seeing some legit Chicago polka this far from home was very nice indeed!

After that it was just down the road to Goodwill.  They had a unique sign with a strange logo that I had never seen before.  But inside, same old stuff.  Nothing of note except for a very obscure 45 with a personalized autograph from the artist.  I did snag a CD for the rental car, an extremely worn copy of Candlebox debut.  The CD was mint but the insert was yellowed with age.  A really great album - that I seem to have accidentally left in the rental car! Well that is $3 down the drain, unless you figure I had $3 worth of enjoyment giving that album a spin while I drove around Massachusetts.  I think I did.

This is now state #27! I don't think I've hit a new state since I went to Connecticut almost a year ago! Vermont, New Jersey and Delaware are killing me.  I should have had a shot at Vermont during my trips to NH but never had time or was close enough.  It will be nice to tackle the entire east coast.

St. Peter's Gate (and four year anniversary!)

Had a hell ride down in Hazelwood just outside of STL.  I was staying in St. Peter which is about 10-15 miles away if memory serves.  I spent about 14.5 hours working and driving on day #2 but day #1 was just a 5 hour jaunt down to my destination.  This of course left room for some further exploration of Missouri and plenty of time to dig in St. Peter!

First up was a St. V, one of the nicest I've ever been to.  Spacious and well organized and with a wealth of records....from Brazil! And Panama? Yes indeed!

Videos hosted on blogspot never worked in the past but looks like they've made some upgrades.  Check out this South American gold below.

                                          

Did some kind of copyright legal crap prevent Mr. Ocean from singing his hit as written?
I should have bought this just to confirm, now it's driving me crazy.

I haven't stopped into a Savers in a while but there was one almost spitting distance from St. Vincent.  Found the same old wire wacks of vinyl that I've seen in every other store around the country.  This bin featured some more ethnic music as well as a friend who perused the racks alongside me.  Didn't pull anything out of there but had fun taking a gander at things.

A virtuoso? Whoa...I don't think most people even know what a taragot is (I didn't)

Proud to knock out another year with this blog! Up to almost 350 posts and 1900 photos! It's been hard work but a ton of fun and I have no thoughts of stopping anytime soon.  Upward and onward!

Savers, Franklin Park [RIP]

Very sad news which I luckily caught in time to make one last trip to a shop that has been particularly kind to me.  It was pretty remarkable to have a legit thrift store in my hood and I'm proud to say I took good advantage of it.  I documented more than a couple trips there but there were many others that didn't turn up much.

I first visited almost exactly three years before they closed.  I scooped a garage sale type find which I don't regret because track B2 is such a classic.  It is funny that back then I wasn't even clear on what 'Savers' was and went in totally on a whim.

Made a very brief post about a visit just a few months later when I grabbed a pretty beat but important vinyl that I'm still glad to own (especially for the price).

That fall I am very grateful that I did not pass on a bizarre disco record.  Even if not totally listenable, an important collection piece to have in the inventory.

Early the next year is when things really started to pay off for me.  I hit pay dirt with a duplicate of my barbershop quartet magna carta and grabbed two Chicago polka records that I still hold dear.

Just when I thought things couldn't get anymore outrageous, I found a bevy of rare vinyls, too many to buy all at once, so I grabbed what I could.  Still can't believe these scores.

So that is eight whopping records from one shop, even if the first couple are pretty minimal in terms of rarity, etc.

When I found out about the close and read the story above, I made plans to get in there that last week.  So I rode down there one day after work.

Then I got inside and saw that they had modified hours, it was about 7pm but they had closed at 6pm.  So my last shot was to get in there on Good Friday.

I wish this epic had an exciting ending.  I had to elbow my way into the bins with a lady digging through the DVDs.  Besides a mint copy (still in shrink, original inner sleeve) of Roger's third (if it had been mono I'd have bought a duplicate) and a weird promo (there were actually two copies), the place had been picked through pretty good.  Rest In Peace, Savers FP.  You'll will be missed.

Savers [Providence RI]

Knocking Rhode Island off my list feels like a legitimate accomplishment.  Perhaps it is irrational, while strangely logical in my warped brain, that the smallest state would be the last state I would visit.  I got into town in the afternoon with plans to leave the next day via train for New Haven.  I only had a couple hours to get out there and find something before it was time for dinner and then bed time.  Of course, I had done my homework well ahead of time and knew I had a Savers within walking distance.

The east coast had gotten hammered with a blizzard the weekend before.  It had warmed a bit so the roads were clear but I found my path totally obstructed with heaps of snow on the last stretch of Branch Ave as it crosses route 95.  So I alternated between running in the road (which is basically a highway at that point) and tromping through the snow, which was not quite hard enough to support me most of the time so I’d fall through.

I finally arrived and darted inside and found the records immediately.  I grabbed a couple platters for my knees as the ground was wet and I only had one pair of pants for my 4 day trip.  I found absolutely nothing of value and got the hell out of there.  Onward and upward, to raw clams and local beer.

State #25 - COMPLETED! 

Savers, Arlington Heights (and a couple other old haunts)

This Savers has eluded me for a few years, it is just too far out of the way to force me to get up there and I don't get that way for work often enough.  Finally made time on a lazy Sunday in my mom's borrowed car as I housesit for them while they were away on vacation.

I trudged through the bins while another fellow was at my elbow exploring the collection of CDs.  He largely stayed out of my way so I didn't pay him much mind.  I initially found a Lil' Wally reissue from his later era when he moved to Miami Beach.  You can tell by the Jay Jay Records address moving from South Kedzie Ave. to Florida, and more entertainingly, the rear jackets always display a large selection of 'stuff' that he sold.  There are many parallels one could make between Lil' Wally and Master P and this is yet another.  Check out some of the cool stuff.  

There wasn't even any other polka records and I was getting disheartened.  I was on bin 5 of 6 when I struck gold! I found another Bob James record I do not have and I have already run through it a couple times.  Some of my favorite side men here, just a classic record.  But when I grabbed it, I opened the gatefold and found an empty paper inner sleeve.  This scared me - of course I still had to check inside the jacket, but I immediately became pessimistic (this record didn't belong in a Savers anyway) - would I find nothing? No, I did find something - the record, in great condition AND in the original CTI inner sleeve.  Doesn't get any better than that? (Actually it does, I found a piece of Pyrex I need so I was really flying high).  As soon as I stepped out of the way, my friend the CD collector stepped in preventing me from getting a good shot.  I waited and eventually got one but I figured I'd make him a Z-list celebrity first.  As soon as he was done he walked off, with a cart in tow overflowing with clothes.  Hope he got some scores too.

So we headed back towards home and figured we would make a couple more stops.  First up with The Shelter, where I have actually found some Bob James (a promo, no less) and a couple other interesting platters.  Things have been getting worse record-wise at the Shelter for quite a while.  All that is left is a tiny, shoddy bookshelf in the corner of the store, not the beautiful dual bin they once had (or even the multi-cube shelf, they are not on configuration #3).  I hope it found a good home.  There was nothing but junk and with every flip the whole thing would sway and I worried it would topple over.  I actually moved that Jack Jones album to the end, it is all Bread covers and very, very mildly interested me.

                             

After that we were going to check out Kenneth Young resale.  I witnessed some of the wildest shenanigans in a thrift store ever, back on the 4th of July weekend in 2015.  But alas, it is no more.  RIP - glad I got to check it out.  

After that, we were headed to the WINGS resale shop which I checked out once before long ago.  But Google Maps was confusing me and I missed my turn.  As I cursed and looked for a way to turn around, I was upon Savers in Hoffman Estates.  I checked out both before on a trip - and I had found some nice scores in Savers that time, and I don't think I had been back.  I had high hopes.  

However, I found nothing except an array of the most beat up AND overpriced Pyrex ever.  And the above, still in it's box.  I almost bought it.  But I left it behind and moved on - one good record per day is enough for me!

{N(o) H(elp) [(N)eeded, (H)a!]}

Had a whirlwind early week headed out east to run through Portsmouth New Hampshire.  I flew from Chicago to Philly on an early flight where I laid over on the final leg to Manchester.  I could have flown direct with United (my preferred carrier) but they wanted double the price which was well outside the reasonable limits my employer allows.

My colleague picked me up at the airport and we made a few stops before he deposited me in Exeter where I was staying the night.  In search of food and beer (the usual suspects), I checked my phone and found a thrift store within walking distance.  I called to confirm they had vinyl and got the green light.  So I headed out.

It was about a mile I think and I came upon Wonderland Thrift in part of a strip mall shared with an Auto Zone and some other varied businesses.  I was just outside Exeter - in Stratham.  I found the book section quickly enough but my tunnel vision somehow backfired on me and for a few moments I became frantic wondering 'where are the records??'.  

Then I came upon them, right under my nose.  I found a large contingent of not only Canadian musicans/vinyl, but specifically French Canadian.  I remain very intrigued by a private press release from the east coast of Canada which I added myself to the discogs database.  For once I did turn back a Ray Price album with some trepidation; my real regrets are saved for the Verve release I left behind.  Freddy Fender has one of the best heads of hair I've seen around - is his music as good? I still do not know; I left his debut behind.

Besides the decent vinyl selection, their incoming donations sat in a true landfill just inside the front door.  Crucial times!

I stopped into BK and munched a chicken sandwich up with a glass of water, then stopped into an EXCELLENT deli next door to Wonderland called Great East Butcher Company.  I got a Reuben to go along with a 4 pack of Moat Mountain Oktoberfest brew.  More importantly, I got some awesome intel from the cook, Donavan: he told me he had been the sous chef at a place in Manchester called Republic Cafe and that I should check it out.  I made a mental note and thanked him and headed back to my hotel for a relaxing evening with the above bag of consumables and some trash on the idiot box.

The next morning my colleague picked me up at my hotel and we headed out to Portsmouth to conduct the business that brought me there.  Afterwards, he drove me back to Manchester where I had another room for the night, this time one with a 24 hour shuttle to the hotel.  But before we left town, I had him stop at the Savers in Porsmouth where I checked out their wares.  Nothing doing - not much to see.  They had stuffed the upper tier with magazines so they basically had half as many records as every other Savers in the nation.

I think I got back to Manchester about 5pm - we had to make another stop and also paused for a bite to eat.  I was feeling tired but I knew it was my only chance to get out and hit up whatever I could while I had time.  There were a Savers and a Goodwill but it would end up to be at least a 5 mile round trip.  So I took an Uber to the Savers and figured I'd walk back.

At my second Savers of the day I found a much neater, tidy bin stuffed with platters.  It was here I made my bones in New Hampshire: two Roger Miller records.  The first totally new to me, the second an alternate cover of an album I scored last summer in Florida.

I've seen these signs in Savers a handful of other times, it's usually some archaic and comical junk they have stashed like bricks of gold.  This time it looked like they only had one.  I can't imagine what they wanted for it...I can only laugh as I only paid $1 for mine.

I trudged on towards Goodwill, beginning to think I had bitten off a bit more than I could chew.  It wouldn't be fair to complain about jet lag on such a short flight(s) but I had never really recovered from getting up at 4:30am on Monday.  But I had far to go, despite the fact that dusk was setting in and it was getting cold.  But as I walked down Route 28 I saw something so far out of the corner of my eye I can only credit divine intervention or perhaps the years of experience and intuition I had developed.  I saw the marquee for a comic book store in the distance in a strip mall.  I was at least 1/8th mile away so I could see nothing but the sign but I knew that sometimes comic book stores carry vinyl.  I don't have any experience with such a store to attest to that but again: intuition.  Not wanting to walk down there for nothing, I checked my phone and jackpot - they have records.  So I crossed and headed down the ramp.

Newbury Comics is much more than a comic book store or a record store, or even the sum of those parts.  They have tons of books, magazines, memorabilia, T-shirts and more.  But I care about none of it, not even the 'more' - I was there for vinyl.

I flipped through their discs, many of them new and sealed and didn't find much.  I did have the slightly awkward moment of checking my parcel of Roger Miller records at the counter when I entered.  As I refused a bag at Savers, they were bare so the clerk was very confused initially and wondering if perhaps I wanted to sell them.  It was only a few minutes after that introduction that our relationship concluded as I retrieved my country classics and moved on.

My last stop was of course Goodwill.  They had one of the nicest record bins I've ever seen in a Goodwill, or anywhere.  This would be a joy for anyone to have in their home.  I wanted to discard those old box sets into a bonfire or a trash compactor as they worked hard to destroy the otherwise flawless aesthetic this wonderful bin shared with the world.  But alas, it is just a container and what matters is the filling of that sandwich, which was of course rubbish.  

Goodwill Manchester

Very odd...they had these 2 boxes stuffed with LPs in heavy cardboard sleeves.  I can only guess that they came upon a big load of unsleeved albums and made the investment themselves to pretty them up for prospective buyers.

Not desiring a repeat of my awkward moment in Newbury, I abandoned my vinyl leaning against a rock outside while I shopped.  I was scared someone would steal or otherwise deface my $2 of property but thank goodness, they were safe after the 7 minutes I spent inside.

I only wanted to get back to my room so my pace became hurried, I was hungry and tired and once again, had overdone it and pushed myself harder and futher, for reasons I never knew and still don't.  But the universe was not done with me, and I laughed uproariously as I saw the sign below right on my path, just a few blocks from my hotel.

I'm not sure if I should be grateful or sad, but I found the one in a million sign pasted to the front door.  Don't know if I'll ever be back in Manchester (or New Hampshire in general), but if I am, I'll make a stop.

With all possibilities of thrifting or digging through records exhausted, my mind moved to its usual places: food and beer.Something inside my screamed to 'take it easy' and go next door to 99 (a regional restaurant/bar, I had just been to one in Albany a few weeks previous.  But I still wanted to heed Donavan's advice from the day before.  Somehow, I got it together and hailed an Uber.  

I had some saganaki and a couple beers at Republic and found it to be a wonderful place that I think would excel in a number of larger markets outside NH.  But those couple beers were good so I had three more.  After 5 beers, I made some friends at the bar and we headed over to another night spot called Cotton where I had two martinis.  Surely this is where I went off the rails....not to be outdone, we went to yet another bar close to where I wanted to eat my dinner (the saganaki was just a snack).  I somehow muscled down a couple more brews in a daze where I was discussing baseball (!!!) with a townie.  I walked over to the Red Arrow Diner where I mashed in some kind of mess that was supposed to be 'prime rib' in alot of gravy with potatoes (should have had an omelette).  I was able to hail an Uber with 1% left on my cell phone battery and got to bed about 11pm - my alarm was set for 5am.  6 hours of sleep should have been enough but you never sleep very well when you are that drunk.  When I got up, I felt like I had taken a 5 minute nap. Somehow I dragged myself down to the shuttle and through security before I enjoyed two flights (the second in the middle of three seats, the first where I had to take a brisk walk to the lavatory when the nausea hit Defcon 2 (it was a false alarm, thank god)).  

I made it back in one piece, barely and slept double digits of hours that night, recovered and lived to tell the tale.  Hope you enjoyed it.