Where do you start with horrible music ? There's so much of it out there ...
seemingly more each and every day. And how do you define horrible? Some
genres that I can't even listen to (death metal, noise rock, giant swaths of
rap) have rabid fan bases.
Anyhow, I originally published a list of my selections for the ten worst songs
of all time about five years ago when BadCatRecords was still hosted on the old
Geocities website. The list is heavily geared to my teenage listening years
(mid-70s through the early-'80s which means I've ignored decades of equally bad
material. I may have to expand the list to a top-20 at some point.
So the original list got quite a bit of traffic, including comments from a
couple of the artists represented on the list. I actually found that kind of
funny - the thought a rock star would take offense at my comments and take the
time to let me know they thought I was a lowlife tool was actually pretty funny
... When Geocities shut down I essentially forgot about the list, though a
couple of months ago I mentioned it to some friends who expressed interest in
it. Sadly Geocities is gone, but I found the old HTML code on a computer and
I've reposted the list And as an added bonus, in case some of you haven't
encountered these wonderful selections, I've added links to YouTube clips of the
songs. Enjoy !
These aren't in any particular order, but they all have a special place in my
heart. Bad, bad, bad ... so bad there's actually something endearing to each of
them.
Gary Wright "Dreamweaver"
This one came out in 1976 and I clearly remember it getting all kinds of media
attention based on the fact the track didn't include a single guitar - it was
all synthesizers. Cutting edge technology it was. The only problem is the
song sucked and the synthesizers set a new standard for cheesy. You actually
had to wonder if the keyboard guy had fallen asleep during the recording session
and accidently fallen asleep in the keyboard. Okay, that sounded mean and
snitty. I'll tell you that I saw Wright open up for Peter Frampton and in a
live setting he was actually pretty entertaining - wasn't as keen on the flight
suit-styled costume, but what do I know.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5WrD-fAzx4
Buckner and Garcia "Pac-Man Fever"
As was pointed out to me by one of the performers, I've never written a million
seller, so who cares what I think about this song. It came out at the pinnacle
of the video game crazy and it was insidiously catchy and equally annoying.
The funny thing is it was actually one of the highlights off of an album of
similarly oriented songs ('' and ''). Regardless, unless you like what sounds
like an Atari being strangled, I'm not sure why you would bother. The clip
has the pair lip synching the tune on Dick Clark's American Bandstand. Even
Clark seems befuddled by the tune.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kEGSFk-vCqU
Starland Vocal Band "Afternoon Delight"
So these guys were Washington DC natives and this song made them billionaires -
I read somewhere the song still generates substantial royalties for the writers
(though they make upwards of $200,000 a year off of 'country Roads'. So
'Afternoon Delight' was cute and commercial and 100% nauseating. The thought of
two folks sneaking off from work to engage in a little hanky-panky wasn't bad,
but the smug, nod-nod, delivery was thoroughly irritating. The video for the tune
was hysterical - those little looks (think they're long since divorced).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fz1ex78QeQI
Rupert Holmes "Escape (The Pina Colada Song)"
Seriously, what is there to say about this song. Everything about it was
annoying. I can't even look at a frozen drink without thinking about this
musical nightmare. And again, I'm sure Homes is enjoying more royalties on
a monthly basis than I'll ever earn across my entire career.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YrDEJfdEaUE
Chris DeBurgh "Lady In Red"
I remember being dumbfounded that this song got airplay. DeBurgh had one of
those voices that just struck a chord with me - the guy sounded like he had his
manly parts stuck in a vice grip while he was being slowly strangled. It was
truly painful to sit through this hideous ballad; made worse by the fact my
local radio station played it and play it and played it. And for those of you who
think I'm being a complete a**wipe, I'll even admit that the live version of this
tune is at least listenable (still don't like it).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iFcuN2zI3u0
Donna Summer "Love To Love You Baby"
I liked the late Donna Summer. She had a beguiling voice and I was always
impressed by her demeanor. That said, her commercial breakthrough was
horrendous. I remember it being scandalous when released. All of the bumping
and grinding was an affront to morals and society. The fact of the matter is
those orgasmic sound effects were about as sexy as listening to that fat guy
farting in the third toilet stall. There was nothing even remotely sexy about
the performance. Summer sounded like she was hurt and needed medical attention
- and not the kind of attention Dr. Love could provide. The only thing worse
than the single was the seemingly endless extended play version. As reflected
on a television performance, the live moans were positively painful to hear.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsIzw94NiJs
Kiss "Beth"
Kiss are great when they are being Kiss. Kiss are not great when they are
trying to be a top-40 commercial band. Kiss are even less great when singing
sappy ballads like this aberration. The best way to describe the song was that
it sounded like Gene Simmonds was choking on his tongue. "Beth, gasp, gasp
...."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHkojuUSDO8
Debby Boone "You Light Up My Life" ()
To be fair, including this one is a little bit like the class bully picking on
the nearsighted science nerd. This song is so bad in so many ways. The fact
that it sold a billion copies just goes to show you how deep some of this
country's problems are. Is there such a thing as a flatulent pop song ?
Well, if so, I'd nominate this piece of insipid navel gazing crappola. This
one is bad as in bad - not bad as in so bad that it is good. I can actually
imagine this playing non-stop for all the souls in purgatory.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b07-yKnKRMQ
Paul Anka "You're having My Baby"
Another one where it's hard to know where to begin. Musically the song was
horrendous with a melody that made chalk-on-a-blackboard sound good; a lyric
that was simultaneously sexist, cheesy, and embarrassing. Hard to imagine any
woman wanting to hear this one ... hard to imagine any potential father daring
to play this for his pregnant wife, or partner and yet it was a monster hit for
Anka. Even more puzzling, I recognize I'm not looker, but even in his prime
Anka was exactly a stunner.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFHWl-ZyRAg
Morris Albert "Feelings"
What makes this one so special is Albert's voice - I've always though the guy
sounded like he was being strangled with piano wire. Concepts such as being in
tune and following the melody were completely ignored.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Q3CZNKgnNE
And as a bonus selection ...
Paul McCartney and Stevie Wonder "Ebony and Ivory"
So I'll give the pair credit for trying to make a difference - the sentiments
were certainly nice ... tolerance, racial harmony, cooperation. I'll vote for
all of them. On the other hand, couldn't they have wrapped it up in something
with a little more energy and enthusiasm ? 'Ebony and Ivory' sounded like
something a whack job on an extended dose of tranquilizers might have cranked
out while tied to his dinner chair. Literally sleep inducing ....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M3WFLm6qO9o
Wednesday, October 23, 2013
TYPICAL BORING MORNING COMMUTE
Normally when I Get on the morning commuter bus, I'm pretty drowsy and don't pay
a great deal of attention to my fellow commuters. For some reason I was more
awake this morning than normally. Two curiosities caught my attention.
There was a guy sitting in front of me reading a newspaper. That in itself
wasn't a big deal, however I was curious to see the newspaper had Chinese print
(well, it had Asian print). Even more surprising were all the "page 3" girls
displayed throughout the paper. For anyone who hasn't hear the term it refers
to English tabloid newspapers that feature a scantily clad, or nude woman on the
third page of the newspaper. Anyhow, this guy didn't seem to have any problem
enjoying that feature of the paper. In fact, I watched him fold the paper this way and that so he could focus on the articles. Luckily for him the woman sitting next to him was zonked
out and didn't seem to notice.
The next thing to capture my attention was this oddly familiar clicking noise.
I turned around and saw it was coming from a middle-aged woman who was seated
right behind me. She was clipping her fingernails on the bus. It was like she
was picking her nose, or wiping her butt, however it was just a bizarre thing to
see with her nails jumping all over the place. I suspect the guy sitting next
to her wasn't all that happy with her morning hygiene routine.
Makes you wonder, what are these folks thinking.
a great deal of attention to my fellow commuters. For some reason I was more
awake this morning than normally. Two curiosities caught my attention.
There was a guy sitting in front of me reading a newspaper. That in itself
wasn't a big deal, however I was curious to see the newspaper had Chinese print
(well, it had Asian print). Even more surprising were all the "page 3" girls
displayed throughout the paper. For anyone who hasn't hear the term it refers
to English tabloid newspapers that feature a scantily clad, or nude woman on the
third page of the newspaper. Anyhow, this guy didn't seem to have any problem
enjoying that feature of the paper. In fact, I watched him fold the paper this way and that so he could focus on the articles. Luckily for him the woman sitting next to him was zonked
out and didn't seem to notice.
The next thing to capture my attention was this oddly familiar clicking noise.
I turned around and saw it was coming from a middle-aged woman who was seated
right behind me. She was clipping her fingernails on the bus. It was like she
was picking her nose, or wiping her butt, however it was just a bizarre thing to
see with her nails jumping all over the place. I suspect the guy sitting next
to her wasn't all that happy with her morning hygiene routine.
Makes you wonder, what are these folks thinking.
Tuesday, October 1, 2013
AND I'M NOT EVEN POLITICALLY INCLINED ...
I'm not particularly political, but as a middle aged, middle, class, white guy, I've always kind of leaned to the Republican side of the equation. I'm conservative in terms of finances and I'm probably more conservative in terms of lifestyle choices than I'd like to think. I'm also a government employee who likes his job. Over the years the government has paid me well. They've provided me with a benefits and retirement program that most people would kill for. I've been given education opportunities. They've allowed me to travel. They've given my opportunities to make a difference. They've allowed me to work with some amazingly capable and dedicated people. So, yes I'm prime Republican recruitment territory. And in the past I've frequently voted Republican. The thing is, I can't do it anymore. The Republicans have fallen victim to their own personal agendas. They've allowed a small group of fanatics to basically take over their agenda and in doing so they've lost the rank and file that followed the party line. Like spoiled three year old kids, they've thrown out the concepts of collaboration and cooperation that made the country great in favor of my-way-of-no-way. I see them willing to sacrifice the very people they are suppose to be helping in order to further their own personnel agendas. Do they care about you and me? Hell no.
There's certainly plenty of blame to go around. Obamacare seems like a nightmare
waiting to happen. It is complex and will take years to work out the kinks. I understand the Republican dislike for the program. That said, it is the law. They are required to uphold the law. If they want to gut the program, they'll get their turn when they win control of the government. For the time being, their attempts to gut the law by taking down the entire government are simply reprehensible. Furloughing millions of federal employees; many who live paycheck-to-paycheck, is not the way to do it. As I said, the Republicans will
get their shot someday, but given their current behavior and unless they figure out how to return to a more moderate and mainstream approach, it won't be with my vote.
RAINBOW RECORDS, NEWARK DELAWARE
Basic Information:
Name: Rainbow Records
Location: 54 E. Main St., Newark, DE 19711
Website: http://www.rainbow-online.com/
Location: Grade B: I stumbled across this place a couple of years while walking around Newark, waiting for my wife to check out some local stores. It's actually hidden down a side alley and easy to miss. Street parking along the main drag (25 cents for 12 minutes, so bring quarters).
Staff: Grade B: Three staff members were in the store, but were busy talking to each other and left me alone to poke around. That's fine as far as I'm concerned.
Inventory: Grade C So I'm guessing the store has about 3,000 LPs and a small inventory of CDs. The albums are divided into "old stuff" and newer material (I have to admit I had not heard most of the newer stuff - Divine Destruction doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy. Anyhow, about 60% of the small store is devoted to used books.
Pricing: Grade B-: I'm kind of torn on this one. Their focus is clearly on contemporary acts with many of those releases carry rather expensive prices. I'll readily admit many of those contemporary acts were unknown to me, but I did recognize a couple (High Llamas) and I've seen vinyl pressings for far less. Someone must also have been reading a price guide for 60s and '70s LPs since some of those carried surprisingly high prices - Aesops Fables for $20; Beatles LPs priced at $10 and up, etc. At the same time there were some bargains to be found in the bins, especially when it came to lesser known bands. Good examples - spent $4 for a Brown Dust LP on the collectible Family label and $4 for a Ronnie Hawkins solo LP on ATCO.
Facility: Grade C: The place is small - imagine a one bedroom apartment and you'll have the right size (and that includes both the music and book sections). They've made the most out of their limited space, but it is cluttered and if there are more than a handful of people in the store at any one time, it gets to be a bit claustrophobic. Most of the LPs are in conventional bins so it's easy to get to them. The inventory organization was a bit of a mystery. Anything 50s though early '90s appeared to be in one area without respect to genre. LPs were roughly alphabetical, but you found country, pop, rock, soul, etc. all mixed together which made for some interesting discoveries. They also has some "discounted" LPs under the bins and a small area with new inventory. Somewhat cumbersome, but not a big deal. My biggest complaint though had to do with the volume of the in-store stereo system. They were playing some lame AOR album and while the music wasn't great, it was loud; not just loud, but mind-numbing loud. I might have stayed longer, but I literally started to get a headache and didn't want to look like an old geezer (even though I am), by asking them to turn it down.
Damages: Again, I probably shouldn't document this, but I picked up about 20 LPs. For the most part, I bought a mixture of '60s and '70s pop, rock with a couple of interesting soul titles thrown in the mix. The single most expensive item was a new, six LP boxed set by The Stark Reality "Acting, Thinking, Feeling." I know could have found it cheaper (saw it on Amazon for $20 less), but what the hell - support your local record store. Total cost was $265
Name: Rainbow Records
Location: 54 E. Main St., Newark, DE 19711
Website: http://www.rainbow-online.com/
Location: Grade B: I stumbled across this place a couple of years while walking around Newark, waiting for my wife to check out some local stores. It's actually hidden down a side alley and easy to miss. Street parking along the main drag (25 cents for 12 minutes, so bring quarters).
Staff: Grade B: Three staff members were in the store, but were busy talking to each other and left me alone to poke around. That's fine as far as I'm concerned.
Inventory: Grade C So I'm guessing the store has about 3,000 LPs and a small inventory of CDs. The albums are divided into "old stuff" and newer material (I have to admit I had not heard most of the newer stuff - Divine Destruction doesn't sound like something I'd enjoy. Anyhow, about 60% of the small store is devoted to used books.
Pricing: Grade B-: I'm kind of torn on this one. Their focus is clearly on contemporary acts with many of those releases carry rather expensive prices. I'll readily admit many of those contemporary acts were unknown to me, but I did recognize a couple (High Llamas) and I've seen vinyl pressings for far less. Someone must also have been reading a price guide for 60s and '70s LPs since some of those carried surprisingly high prices - Aesops Fables for $20; Beatles LPs priced at $10 and up, etc. At the same time there were some bargains to be found in the bins, especially when it came to lesser known bands. Good examples - spent $4 for a Brown Dust LP on the collectible Family label and $4 for a Ronnie Hawkins solo LP on ATCO.
Facility: Grade C: The place is small - imagine a one bedroom apartment and you'll have the right size (and that includes both the music and book sections). They've made the most out of their limited space, but it is cluttered and if there are more than a handful of people in the store at any one time, it gets to be a bit claustrophobic. Most of the LPs are in conventional bins so it's easy to get to them. The inventory organization was a bit of a mystery. Anything 50s though early '90s appeared to be in one area without respect to genre. LPs were roughly alphabetical, but you found country, pop, rock, soul, etc. all mixed together which made for some interesting discoveries. They also has some "discounted" LPs under the bins and a small area with new inventory. Somewhat cumbersome, but not a big deal. My biggest complaint though had to do with the volume of the in-store stereo system. They were playing some lame AOR album and while the music wasn't great, it was loud; not just loud, but mind-numbing loud. I might have stayed longer, but I literally started to get a headache and didn't want to look like an old geezer (even though I am), by asking them to turn it down.
Damages: Again, I probably shouldn't document this, but I picked up about 20 LPs. For the most part, I bought a mixture of '60s and '70s pop, rock with a couple of interesting soul titles thrown in the mix. The single most expensive item was a new, six LP boxed set by The Stark Reality "Acting, Thinking, Feeling." I know could have found it cheaper (saw it on Amazon for $20 less), but what the hell - support your local record store. Total cost was $265
Sunday, September 22, 2013
UPDATE ON BLUE GROOVE SOUNDZ
Blue Groove Soundz
5852 N Washington Boulevard
Arlington Virginia 22205
(703) 270-9075
So here's a post-script to my original write-up.
As mentioned I bought a bunch of LPs right before Christmas and was frustrated to discover a bunch of them had skips. Of the ten LPs I bought, literally five were flawed. Anyhow, I
took them back and because I was in a rush, didn't have time to find replacements. The store clerk was nice enough to gave me a gift certificate for the value of the returns. So some eight months later I finally got around to going back and the first thing I did was see if they would honor my gift certificate. Eight months is a pretty long time so I was skeptical they would accept it. Anyhow, I had the original sales receipt and the certificate and the store clerk agreed to honor it. Kudos to store.
Other comments:
- They now have a designated parking space for customers on the side of the building (1 space).
- The store is as small as ever, but has way more stuff packed into it than the last time I was there.
- They are rearranging the layout, moving the check out desk to the side of the store, though it won't make much difference given the limited overall space.
- Prices are still very high - common garage sale LPs are listed at $8 - $9 and higher (if I could charge similar prices on my inventory I could retire).
- They mix old and reissues together, so look closely when you pick something up.
Saturday, September 21, 2013
TEN FAVORITE "OLD" SONGS I STUMBLED ACROSS THIS YEAR
As part of BadCatRecords website I listen to lots of obscure bands and here's a list of songs that have stuck with me over the past year. They're not in any particularly order, but all ten managed to worm their way into my head where they spent way too much time taking up what little valuable space I had left at this point in my life.
Feather
What You Will (Steve Woodard) - 2:23
ON album full of prime country-rock tunes, this one came as a major surprise. While it slotted perfectly in he group's country-rock leanings, this one was wrapped up in a much heavier rock arrangement, including an intriguing set of "kiss-off" lyrics, a great melody, nice harmony vocals, and one of the album's best guitar solos. This is one of the tunes I would have tapped as the single.
Feather
Along Too Long To Be Lonely (Mike Collings - Roger White) - 3:45
Another track off the "Friends By Feather" LP, this one was a heavy pop tune with more hooks than most entire albums contain, 'Along Too Long To Be Lonely' definitely had top-40 slapped across it. Imagine the kind of song Mark Lindsay and the Raiders always wanted to write and you'd have a feel for how good this one was. It sounds even better when cranked up to maximum volume on the stereo. Geez, I simply can't shake the double timed chorus out of my head.
Fleetwood Mac
Future Games (Bob Welch) -
I always liked the weird, slightly ominous Southern California vibe Bob Welch brought to the band - kind of a rustic precursor to the Buckingham-Nicks era sound. Regardless, 'Future Games' was one of the most commercial things Welch ever wrote. While it took a minute to kick into gear, once it got some traction, the song revealed a beguiling melody, some tasty Kirwan lead guitar, and wonderful harmony vocals between Welch and McVie. Could have been a hit for the band with a bit of support. Welch certainly thought so, re-recording the track for his 1979 solo album.
Patto
Turn Turtle (Ollie Halsall - Mike Patto) -
One of those English bands that deserved a far better fate than they were given ... With Mike Patto sounding like he was about to explode, sexual frustration has seldom been wrapped in such a catchy tune ... Always loved OllieHalsall's rollicking keyboards and the bouncy female backing vocals "la lal la la la ..." were mesmerizing - turn turtle, play dead ...
Timebox
Poor Little Heartbreaker (Ollie Halsall - Mike Patto) -
I've always found it hard to believe 'Poor Little Heartbreaker' was relegated to a 'B' side. Kicked along by Halsall's screaming Byrds-styled guitar, this was a killer rocker with a slightly West Coast psych-ish feel. The liner notes describe it as "Definitely a late Timebox track, Halsall having switched to electric guitar/this early "punk" track closest to Boxer sound." Not sure I agree with the punk description - yeah it had that angry edge, but the sound was simply too sophisticated to be considered punkish.
Johnny Jenkins
Walk on Guilded Splinters (Dr. John Creaux) - 5:23
Dr. John's version was the one I grew up with and as much as I love it, this version may be even better. Kicked along by Jenkins sandpaper voice and Duane Allman on dobro (Jenkins and Pete Carr on guitar), this song simply oozed backwoods soul. The irony is that as good as Jenkins performance was, in recent years the song's rhythm track has fueled the song's rediscover. Powered by Allman Brothers Butch Trucks on drums and Jai Johnny Johnston on percussion, the song's been sampled by scores of songs including Beck's 'Loser', Blackalicious' 'A to G', Oasis 'Go Let it Out', and a bunch of others. None of the samples come close to the original performance. Capricorn tapped the song as a single, but didn't seem to have a clue how to market it. I've only seen promo copies of the 45.
Feather
What You Will (Steve Woodard) - 2:23
ON album full of prime country-rock tunes, this one came as a major surprise. While it slotted perfectly in he group's country-rock leanings, this one was wrapped up in a much heavier rock arrangement, including an intriguing set of "kiss-off" lyrics, a great melody, nice harmony vocals, and one of the album's best guitar solos. This is one of the tunes I would have tapped as the single.
Feather
Along Too Long To Be Lonely (Mike Collings - Roger White) - 3:45
Another track off the "Friends By Feather" LP, this one was a heavy pop tune with more hooks than most entire albums contain, 'Along Too Long To Be Lonely' definitely had top-40 slapped across it. Imagine the kind of song Mark Lindsay and the Raiders always wanted to write and you'd have a feel for how good this one was. It sounds even better when cranked up to maximum volume on the stereo. Geez, I simply can't shake the double timed chorus out of my head.
Fleetwood Mac
Future Games (Bob Welch) -
I always liked the weird, slightly ominous Southern California vibe Bob Welch brought to the band - kind of a rustic precursor to the Buckingham-Nicks era sound. Regardless, 'Future Games' was one of the most commercial things Welch ever wrote. While it took a minute to kick into gear, once it got some traction, the song revealed a beguiling melody, some tasty Kirwan lead guitar, and wonderful harmony vocals between Welch and McVie. Could have been a hit for the band with a bit of support. Welch certainly thought so, re-recording the track for his 1979 solo album.
Patto
Turn Turtle (Ollie Halsall - Mike Patto) -
One of those English bands that deserved a far better fate than they were given ... With Mike Patto sounding like he was about to explode, sexual frustration has seldom been wrapped in such a catchy tune ... Always loved OllieHalsall's rollicking keyboards and the bouncy female backing vocals "la lal la la la ..." were mesmerizing - turn turtle, play dead ...
Timebox
Poor Little Heartbreaker (Ollie Halsall - Mike Patto) -
I've always found it hard to believe 'Poor Little Heartbreaker' was relegated to a 'B' side. Kicked along by Halsall's screaming Byrds-styled guitar, this was a killer rocker with a slightly West Coast psych-ish feel. The liner notes describe it as "Definitely a late Timebox track, Halsall having switched to electric guitar/this early "punk" track closest to Boxer sound." Not sure I agree with the punk description - yeah it had that angry edge, but the sound was simply too sophisticated to be considered punkish.
Johnny Jenkins
Walk on Guilded Splinters (Dr. John Creaux) - 5:23
Dr. John's version was the one I grew up with and as much as I love it, this version may be even better. Kicked along by Jenkins sandpaper voice and Duane Allman on dobro (Jenkins and Pete Carr on guitar), this song simply oozed backwoods soul. The irony is that as good as Jenkins performance was, in recent years the song's rhythm track has fueled the song's rediscover. Powered by Allman Brothers Butch Trucks on drums and Jai Johnny Johnston on percussion, the song's been sampled by scores of songs including Beck's 'Loser', Blackalicious' 'A to G', Oasis 'Go Let it Out', and a bunch of others. None of the samples come close to the original performance. Capricorn tapped the song as a single, but didn't seem to have a clue how to market it. I've only seen promo copies of the 45.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Vienna Music Exchange - Vienna, Virginia
Basic Information:
Name: Vienna Music Exchange
Location: 131 Church St NW, #4, Vienna, VA.
Website: http://www.viennamusicexchange.com/
Location: Grade B+: I stumbled across this place while riding my bike along the WO&D bike path. The store is actually a couple of blocks off the bike path (we were looking for an ice cream store); and is buried in an older residential structure that's been converted into a commercial building. There's plenty of free street parking and the building has a small parking lot for customers.
Staff: Grade B: One person (guess it was the owner - Manical Mike Pritchard ?). Nice enough. Asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and suggested a couple of piles of stuff I might want to look through. Spent considerable time talking to the other customer in the store and clearly knew lots about heavy metal and local bands - 'course the store tagline is "BEST SELECTION OF METAL IN THE DC/NORTHERN VIRGINIA AREA"
Inventory: Grade B So I'm guessing the store has about 5,000 LPs; a smaller inventory of CDs, some tee-shirts and music related material. I overheard the owner say he has a ton more stuff at home and if you're looking for specifics he'd be willing to check his home stash.
Pricing: Grade B: Kind of hard for me to be fair here since I'm not a big heavy metal guy. The inventory I'm familiar with (pop, rock, soul) was a touch on the high side. Lots of fairly common yard sale genre albums in the $7 - $9 range with prices going up from there. Again, the heavy metal stuff may be more aptly priced. I'm just not smart enough to know.
Facility: Grade C: If you are claustrophobic, this place could pose an issue to your health. As mentioned, it's located in an old home that's been modified into a commercial space with a half dozen small businesses tucked into the structure. The store itself is up a flight of stairs in what was probably one of the original bedrooms. I'm guessing it's about 8 feet by 8 feet with record bins and assorted merchandise taking up 80% of the space. Getting three folks in the room would be tight. Getting more than that would pose a significant logistical challenge. There is a certain degree of organization to the material, but I couldn't quite figure it all out. I found an online photo of the place, though be forewarned, it's even tighter than the photo would have you think. Pop and rock is in one area; soul and R&B; blues-rock/country-rock; heavy metal, and even jazz (!) are all in their own little spaces. Most of it seems to be filed alphabetically, though there are occasional surprises. This is clearly a part-time job for the owner so the store has limited hours: 12 - 5 Thursday through Sundays. I'd suggest calling to make sure they're open.
Damages: Since I was riding a bike, I didn't want to haul a ton of records around with me. I ended up buying 5 LPs (mostly rock), including an album by the French band Ocean and an Aretha Franklin LP (the latter was probably the one bargain I found). Total cost was under $50.
Name: Vienna Music Exchange
Location: 131 Church St NW, #4, Vienna, VA.
Website: http://www.viennamusicexchange.com/
Location: Grade B+: I stumbled across this place while riding my bike along the WO&D bike path. The store is actually a couple of blocks off the bike path (we were looking for an ice cream store); and is buried in an older residential structure that's been converted into a commercial building. There's plenty of free street parking and the building has a small parking lot for customers.
Staff: Grade B: One person (guess it was the owner - Manical Mike Pritchard ?). Nice enough. Asked me if I was looking for anything in particular and suggested a couple of piles of stuff I might want to look through. Spent considerable time talking to the other customer in the store and clearly knew lots about heavy metal and local bands - 'course the store tagline is "BEST SELECTION OF METAL IN THE DC/NORTHERN VIRGINIA AREA"
Inventory: Grade B So I'm guessing the store has about 5,000 LPs; a smaller inventory of CDs, some tee-shirts and music related material. I overheard the owner say he has a ton more stuff at home and if you're looking for specifics he'd be willing to check his home stash.
Pricing: Grade B: Kind of hard for me to be fair here since I'm not a big heavy metal guy. The inventory I'm familiar with (pop, rock, soul) was a touch on the high side. Lots of fairly common yard sale genre albums in the $7 - $9 range with prices going up from there. Again, the heavy metal stuff may be more aptly priced. I'm just not smart enough to know.
Facility: Grade C: If you are claustrophobic, this place could pose an issue to your health. As mentioned, it's located in an old home that's been modified into a commercial space with a half dozen small businesses tucked into the structure. The store itself is up a flight of stairs in what was probably one of the original bedrooms. I'm guessing it's about 8 feet by 8 feet with record bins and assorted merchandise taking up 80% of the space. Getting three folks in the room would be tight. Getting more than that would pose a significant logistical challenge. There is a certain degree of organization to the material, but I couldn't quite figure it all out. I found an online photo of the place, though be forewarned, it's even tighter than the photo would have you think. Pop and rock is in one area; soul and R&B; blues-rock/country-rock; heavy metal, and even jazz (!) are all in their own little spaces. Most of it seems to be filed alphabetically, though there are occasional surprises. This is clearly a part-time job for the owner so the store has limited hours: 12 - 5 Thursday through Sundays. I'd suggest calling to make sure they're open.
Damages: Since I was riding a bike, I didn't want to haul a ton of records around with me. I ended up buying 5 LPs (mostly rock), including an album by the French band Ocean and an Aretha Franklin LP (the latter was probably the one bargain I found). Total cost was under $50.
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