Record Store Adventures in Halifax and St John's

My girlfriend and I just returned from a week long tour of the east coast.  This was Maria's first time east of Quebec City so i made sure that we had stops in the two greatest east coast cities i know... St John's and Halifax.  I suppose we will start the trip with St John's  mainly because it is the only place i can think of where the fact that 95% of all Lamb's Amber Rum is consumed is a source of provincial pride.  A wise Newfie once said "You can always tell a Newfoundlander in heaven....  they are the ones trying to get home".  After having been to the rock a few times,  i can understand why.  This is an island of astounding beauty,  unique culture (and language)  a nightlife second to none (as long as you love drinking)  and a great little record shop in Duckworth St.. 

While the Duckworth St. name may have been made famous by the CBC program "Republic of Doyle"  which was shot at the Duke of Duckworth pub,  this little shop proved to be one of the highlights of my trip (i accidently returned twice....  oops).  Along with their extensive collection of classics both used and reissue,  they also had a very good selection of new vinyl at extreemly reasonable prices considering this shop is located on an island.  On my first visit i picked up a copy of Run DMC - Walk this way / My Addidas / Peter Piper from the used section and a brand spanking new copy of Mastodon - Hunters for a cool 24$  a whole 26$ cheaper than i have seen it before.  One cannot deny the awesomeness that is the Rev Run, DMC and Jam Master Jay and now i have a new jam to rock out to when im wearing my Addidas this summer.  The new Mastodon album has been a staple in my car for months now.  An old co worker of mine introduced it to me last fall and ive been hooked ever since....  there is only one way to describe that album and that is the word crushing...... 

On the second visit to Fred's  i did some more digging and ended up finding a copy of the Flaming L:ips - Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots and a used copy of an old Tina Turner album (Maria's Pick)  Before i get into the awesomeness of my new Flaming Lips album,  on a side note,  one of the downsides of sharing a hobby with your significant other is that it now becomes a competition as to who can pick the record store first....  i almost lost my Run DMC to her....  and my Flaming Lips too....  so i sacrificed the Turner for the greater good.....

I have had the privilege of seeing the Flaming Lips live about 3 times and they are hands down the greatest live show i have ever seen.  Wayne Coyne and crew have a passion for what they do and a connection with the people that listen that is very rare in this age in music.  every time you see the lips live,  it feels like you have shared a special and sacred experience  that is unique to all others......I still remember seeing them play do you realize live in ottawa at Bluesfest and as they were wrapping up the song and singing the lines "when you realize the sun don't go down, its just an illusion caused by the world spinning round"  the sun set on the concert.  im getting all nostalgic just typing this out lol.....

After 4 days of live music, record shopping, drinking, eating delicious animals, more drinking, and sightseeing,  we boarded a flight bound for Halifax.....  as captured above,  i finally conquered the wave in Halifax......  the same wave that won the fight on Canada day 2009..  long story,  but a very funny and drunk one i assure you all.

After a quick google search i found the place that Joel Plaskett calls his favorite record store.  Taz Records.

What the stores staff lacked in general hospitality (i found them a bit cold and unfriendly)  they definitley made up for in selection..... not only selection but also by nicely organized bins....  sorted by artist.....  and they had a huge selection.  I can't stress this enough.....  they had EVERYTHING!  they even had a section of old 78 rpm acetates... 

after the fiasco of competitive record shopping with Maria in St John's,  i decided to take a different approach this time.  I B-lined to the tracy chapman section and picked up her early nineties self titled album which Maria loves....  this distracted her while i pillaged the rest of the bins....  here is just a few highlights...

Yaz - Situation  -if you are a synth pop nut like me,  this is a must have
Bob and Doug McKenzie - Great White North.....  really a must have for any proud Canadian....  featuring Getty Lee
Sex Pistols - Never Mind the Bollocks
The Flaming Lips - Transmissions from the Satellite Heart
The Eurythmics - Touch

all in all a great haul for a great vacation.  While i hate that i now have competition when it comes to my vinyl shopping,  I love being able to share my hobby with someone who is almost as important as my record collection :)

Vinyl Junkie signing out....  for now that is.....

New year, new way to waste money

Yeah,  its been a while.  Ok a long long while.....  I tracked and lazy... mostly lazy.  I have done a fair amount of vinyl shopping in various cities over the past 6 months.  My significant other (see partner in crime) and I did a couple weekend trips to Montreal and Toronto to see family and friends, and as always,  i found some time to steer the trip slightly askew to feed my record habit.  In Montreal i managed to pick up a copy of John Lee Hooker's "Fried Chicken" and a couple other LP's that were not already weighing down my record shelf.  That little hounding escapade was disguised as a nice leisurely saturday stroll down Rue Ste Denis on the way to my favorite restaurant in the city.... Le Milsa....  conveniently,  there were no less than 5 record shops along the way....... 


We spent a weekend in Toronto before Christmas to visit our good friend Tarah and do some touristy things like get inordinately drunk, go skating in Nathan Phillips Square,  see the Christmas displays at the Hudson Bay Company etc etc...  That Saturday evening we went down Queen St west to do some shopping (clothes... ick)  and much to my pleasant suprise, every single clothing store had a vinyl section!  Finally,  a form of clothes shopping i like,  Maria can shop for things to wear,  and i can shop for more records!  Over a course of 3 or four shops i managed to grab a few gems...  Ten Years After - "Recorded Live"  featuring my favorite Ten Years After track, "I'm Going Home (by helicopter)",  while this version doesnt quite carry the same colour as the version recorded at woodstock,  its still one of my favorite jam/blues songs.  Another choice piece of wax i found was a mint copy of The Cult - "Love" and The Beach Boys - "Endless Summer"  (yeah i know, but i grew up listening to that album on cassette in the car on many many family vacations.......  there is something to say for nostalgia)


Over the Christmas break i travelled to Florida with my mom and dad for a nice week long vacation of well mainly drinking and golf,  but this is me we are talking about....  I took a drive from our resort in San Destin down the Emerald Coast to a town called Seaside, made famous as the location where the film "The Truman Show" was shot.  I found this amazing little record store in the center of town called Central Square Records.  I popped in just to browse around for a bit and ended up having a lengthy conversation with one of the owners.  I must say the staff at that store are collectors first and business second.  It was fantastic to be able to chat with someone who shared my strange addiction.  After talking music and collections for a while i picked up a copy of Grand Funk's 1969 self titled LP with the song "Paranoid" on it..  if you haven't heard this track yet.....  well you are missing out.  I also scored a copy of Primus' new album the Green Naugahyde, which, if you like weird music,  is a must have.

Anyways,  one of my new years resolutions is to post more.... So hopefully i will try to keep these updates at least weekly....