Records on Wheels

So today i stumbled upon a fantastic record shop in downtown Sudbury.  While from the outside (and from the inside)  its not much to talk about,  they have a huge vinyl selection of both new pressings and old vintage LP's  at very reasonable prices.

So to kick off my new tradition of souvenir vinyl shopping, i flipped through the bins for what my friend Mel described as "forever".  Can you really put a time limit on something as important as finding that perfect LP?  l suppose i should go over my standard polices on buying vinyl records.  Number one is never buy a greatest hits compilation.  If you are looking for a CD with an artists best hits to listen to in your car,  then fine go for it.  I look for Albums,  a time capsule of material that reflected an artists feelings, thoughts and influences at a give period of time.  I could go out and buy a led zeppelin greatest hits CD,  which covers their entire body of work from the first studio album of 1969 to the last studio album released after John's death in '82.  If you take an album like Led Zeppelin 3 for example, here you have the first album where Jimmy pushed the limits of his blues based riffs,  Robert took on more of an active role with the lyrics and as some people would agree,  the band defined their sound and status as pioneers of hard rock.  The riff from imigrant song is hands down one of the top 5 all time greatest hooks. 

Anyways i digress,  my second policy on vinyl shopping is that i try to find the quintessential album for any given artist.  For example,  if i was looking for a Frampton Album,  it would be Frampton Comes Alive,  or Phil Collins - Face Value...  these are not just fantastic albums,  they are definitive.

At the end of my browsing session through Records on Wheels,  i came up to the counter with three LP's  in my possession:

 Stevie Ray Vaughn And Double Trouble - Couldn't Stand The Weather
-what can i say about SRV,  he could make sounds on a stratocaster that no one can duplicate.  this album has a cover of Hendrix's Voodoo Chile that can bring tears to your eyes.

James Gang - James Gang Rides Again (the original 1970 pressing before the edited version of "the bomber" due to copyright issues)
-as a huge eagles fan,  the james gang in some ways showcases Joe Walsh at his greatest.  his riff from "life in the fast-lane"  was only overshadowed by his riff from the iconic Funk #49  on the James Gang Rides Again.  in fact Funk#49  makes me wish i could have a turntable mounted in my car because it just makes you want to roll down the highway 30 miles an hour under the speed limit.

U2 - The Joshua Tree
-hands down my favorite U2 album it has all the things that a great album needs.  Fantastic artwork, a solid and coherent track listing and of course,  it has to be produced by Brian Eno (everything that guy touches turns to gold).

Not a bad haul for small town northern ontario,  and at a total of 15$  it didn't break the bank either....