I've had some bad luck in the last little while when it comes to record hunting. In this video I showcase my most recent vinyl finds but also lament some missed opportunities and disappointments!
Quite a few unfortunate events there for you Chris. Sometimes these things happen as it's not all plain sailing collecting records. At points like that I sometimes just step back from looking for new records and spend a month or two just revisiting the records in my collection. It helps reset your mind as well and I feel refreshed again when I do start looking again. Hope your fortune has changed now.
I get your pain, Chris, because I’ve felt it at times, but you’ve got to keep trying! I find all kinds of goodies, and I’ve probably bought more records this year than I have in a long time, but you have to be willing to search some places you might not have considered…Think not just thrift stores and record stores, or even record shows, but antique shops, antique malls, trade centers, antique shows, rural flea markets, book stores, game/media stores, estate sales, garage sales, EBay, Craigslist, and even online marketplaces like Discogs and Musicstack…Thinking outside the box will help you with the slump…If I don’t find records, I can still find equipment or accessories or even meet people who might have more goodies stashed away…You have to be persistent, not be afraid of dust and be willing to go out of your way sometimes for vinyl…I check out all the record and thrift shops when I travel, too…But, don’t give up! Good records will come if you keep looking!
Thank you for the encouraging words! I appreciate them, and the advice. I feel like the slump is coming to an end, but I also took a bit of a break from records and I think I needed that too. Whenever I travel I am always on the lookout for any thrift or antique malls (to the delight of my fiancée Anika because I always make us stop to check them out!). I’m feeling much better now. And I’ve still got the fire! Hopefully I will have some more vinyl finds to show soon. Thanks for watching the channel and for the nice comment!
Yessir! I have been in a "slump" too... best thing to do is get back out there in the wild and keep on hunting for vinyl deals, your greatest ever pick is right around the corner! New subscriber here and fellow Vinyl record collector/picker. Great channel!
Awesome, thank you so much! I appreciate the positive encouragement. I’m doing a road trip tomorrow and hoping to hit some thrift/flea market/garage sales along the way. Here’s hoping!
Great video, not all trips are worth the effort but for all those fallow periods, one great find at the right price will soon reignite the passion! It's just what you go through as a collector. Sometimes a beat up copy by an unknown artist is worth it if the 'spider sense' tingles, best to pick it up as you can maybe find a better copy to upgrade later. As for self -inflicted harm to records/ cd's - eg dropping prized and collectors items - been there, done that - numerous times. Maybe all collectors are butterfingers?!
Haha, you might be right about the butterfingers, as I’ve had enough comments on this video confirming that I am not alone. I just hope it’s the last time (but probably is not, sadly). Thanks for the comment! I’m ready for my next big find!
Great video. The slumps hit and they hit hard. Wow that Hank Williams is a nice score ha. An original of that would likely have crazy value. Also… the dropping of the records. Been there and expect to be there again ha. There is no way to make yourself feel better after haha
Looks like this reissue of Hank Williams has a bit of value to it as well. Probably not much considering the condition of this one but still a cool collectors item. I’d like to figure out what year this one is from but cool nonetheless. And let’s hope there are no more dropped records for either of us!
It's worth hearing the double vinyl edition of Secret Messages which came out a few years ago, which contains a lot of extra songs that were originally meant to be on the album.
Yes, I heard that Jeff Lynne intended it to be a double album but the label said no. I actually streamed the double version before I bought the record. Some good songs on there!
Hang in there my friend.......don't be too bummed out. I'm in a different situation than you....I have a room in the basement that's 1/3 full of records that I have found at yard sales over the years. I go picking my own stuff.......lol.
I wish I was made of money Sam and could buy as many records as I wanted but sometimes you’ve got to budget! This is an expensive hobby. Slowing down is necessary sometimes.
Hate falling into a slump man I hope you find a way out of it soon 🤞 I’m sure there’s a record or something out there that’ll do it soon for you 🙏 I started wincing the moment you said about the record slipping out your hands 🥲
I’m determined to get out of the slump. I know it will happen, it’s just a question of when. And yes, dropping a record is every collectors nightmare. You always have to be careful!
You know what.. Keep going, keep on hunting ! I am so fortunate.. I keep falling into good records for cheap. I just bought a 300 UK press collection, and he threw in 3 boxes of UK 45's.. Beatles, Grateful Dead, Little Feat, Neil Young, and more ! In my opinion, you're just getting started and network more because guys get older and often are ready to move on from their records. This last haul.. I really should stop for a while, it is that good !
Sounds like quite the score JT! Amazing. Yes, it is all about connections and you’re right, I’m still starting out, relatively speaking. I’ll take your advice and keep hunting! Good luck with all those 45s!
Thank you ! I just finished uploading a bear of a video, hence the reason I only do one a week ! In two years, some of your record wants will come true. That's just the way it is. The longer we do this, the fatter the collection gets ! Thanks for getting back to me. 🎵
In the words of a fella who was probably on to something…….”.No, you can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want You can't always get what you want But if you try sometime you'll find You get what you need”
I think we all have experienced the dropping of an album and making a scuff or two lol. I can tell you story of a NM Everything But The Girl album that I brought safely 2/3 of way across the country only to scuff it by doing exactly what you did lol. I wouldn't call it a slump. I think as you grow as a collector, start looking for more specific things, maybe start focusing on certain pressing, or just start filling in the "gaps" in your collection.....it seems the great/good purchases start to be fewer and further between. Kinda sucks, but really kind natural too :)
Thanks for this advice! I think it’s good to refocus the hunt and yes, maybe get a bit more specific and methodical with what I’m adding to the collection. It’s a natural progression for sure! Thanks Brandon.
Hi Chris .. maybe I shouldn’t say I enjoyed your video but I did .. just talking from the heart is engaging ..occasionally I think we all go through days, weeks , months, years , decades like this 😀. I made it this far but I’m already subscribed. Cheers Chris 👍
Hey Rob! Great to see you around these parts. I’m noticing from a lot of comments that this sort of lull is completely natural. It opens our eyes to realize that we have to enjoy those high moments and those great finds when they do come around. You can’t always be striking oil and that’s ok.
There's a ding on that inner as well. Minor dings on cover don't really bother me as I see it as "character." You have a right to be pissed though as a double mailer wouldn't have done that to the jacket. Salvation Army is $3 too and they have mostly garbage that you can't give away. They have no idea how to price stuff. Hank isn't VG as I can see scratches from here. To get out of slump: Don't deal with bottom feeders.
Good advice! And you’re right- the Hank album is definitely not VG. I still haven’t even played it yet. It’s probably pretty bad! I’m waiting to clean it first and maybe play it on my other TT. I don’t want to risk damaging my Ortofon Blue stylus.
Hey pal, slumps are temporary. Just like in baseball, you’ll come out of it and go on a tear! I havent bought much lately and my bank account is happy about that.
Interesting video. Slumps are real and we all go through them. Mine are usually streaks of never finding anything at the local shops and always leaving empty handed. But they always end and things turn around.
Hey Nick. I’m ready for this one to end. But it could be worse, for sure. I’ll just have to enjoy my collection until the next good finds come along. Thanks dude, take care!
oh, man, i drop at least 3 or 4 records and i was so mad at me...once the record weight drops from my hand and ruined one record, and the other ones drop like you've said over the turntable and on the ground, but they've got some minor scuffs and scratches but it drives me up the wall anyway...now i have a rule, i never flip the records in my hand, i am listening them straight from the jacket, no matter is it side A or side B, i don't care 😀
That’s quite the rule! Very interesting, although if it’s happened often enough then I can see the reasoning for it. Dropping a record is the worst. I just try to remind myself every time I flip a record to take my time and be sure to concentrate. Here’s hoping no more records are dropped for either of us! 🤞
I'm 66 and collected Jamaican vinyl in the 80s and 90s. Many trips to Kingston, Brooklyn, and a few mail order reggae dealers in the UK and here in the US. I would also scour record shows. I bought sold and traded reggae vinyl. Then along came Ebay and took the fun out of it. Good luck everyone ✌️
Shopping online has definitely changed the record world, for better or for worse. I’ve always enjoyed digging locally for records, but some are so hard to find that it’s much easier to order online. Good luck to you!
I've certainly had some slumps where I haven't found anything good for a while, and damaged records (in the mail, or used records that looked good in the store and turned out to have issues when I played them). And I know I've dropped a record a few times! I also had a record with a faulty run-out groove that made the stylus scrape across the label when the record ended (and ruined the stylus). When I don't find anything new for a while I try to focus on records I haven't listened to for a while, and sometimes I'm surprised that I like it more, or less, than I remembered. Then I think about getting more of that band or maybe trading in one I don't think I'll listen to. It's a good feeling when a slump ends though, so I guess you can look forward to that! When you're looking for used records you never know what's going to show up.
Yes, I love this mentality. There are always records in my own collection that are worth rediscovering or another look. It’s always good to stop and enjoy what I already have instead of focusing on what I don’t. And all slumps do come to an end- I’m ready for it!
I've damaged records by dropping them. I had one slide out of the sleeve and fall to the ground and chipped. I might have been having a cocktail. I was pissed.
Yes, those mishaps due to cocktails are the worst. It does happen. Total bummer that your record was chipped! I would have been so upset. And yes I agree, Slumpbusters are a real thing and sometimes necessary! 😂
Sorry for your bad luck, but I will say from a VC viewers perspective it's quite reassuring to see a video like this and realise that not everyone (except me!) is out there scoring OG grails for a dollar all the time as other videos might suggest ;) Hope the slump ends soon man.
Haha, my goal is to bring some realism to the VC! It feels good to rant about my bad luck and realize that other people go through the same thing, at times. Here’s hoping the slump ends soon!
I think we all experience slumps. Sometimes you gotta break it by getting a record that might not be perfect. It might have some ring wear or a slight warp. There might be some writing on it or some hairline scratches. It gets you out of your slump. Slumpbusters as they are known. 😉
Hey Chris! Thankfully I have never experienced what you are going through. 'Time' isn't bad, but I too, am a completist, so I needed it also. Love Neil Merryweather! Great song on there called "In the Groove." We've all done that flip where it slips out of our hands. Did you ask the proprietor why the album cover had no LP? Cheers!
Hey Steve! “The Groove” is great and I believe it’s an autobiographical song. I’m really enjoying that NM album! Dropping a record during a flip is just so enraging. I didn’t ask the proprietor about the empty sleeves as I see it often enough at the thrift, unfortunately. I doubt they even inspect them before putting them out!
Hey Chris! I looove that Kryptonite album cover! 😄 Such a shanda the cover didn’t make it unschathed 😫 Something doesn’t quite want you to have that record 😳 Still, splendid video about those not quite worthy to celebrate days of a vinyl collectors life 😊 Cheers from Morten (who, not to rub it in had a great RSD yesterday!)
Hey Morten! Yes, every collector goes through the lows and the highs of record collecting. I had to get this one off my chest and hopefully can now move on to greater things. Glad you had a good RSD! I didn’t participate, although there were some titles that I think I would have liked. Thanks for stopping by ✌️
Hi Chris I left a comment but it disappeared , enjoyed and have sympathy for what you’ve been through recently.. I think it’s not unusual to have these things happen .. sellers at shows sometimes over price things and when there’s not much choice you’re forced to take a look as we don’t like to go home empty handed .. you were unlucky with your damaged mailer that record is cursed !! 😃. Sorry I’ve not been commenting lately ..cheers Chris 👍
You can't always score a huge deal, more people know what they have an don't give it away anymore. I can't find a marantz 2270 for 100$ anymore either. It's not the 90s.
It seems like with the vinyl boom happening, even retailers are getting wise to it. Instead of finding a deal, the records or the gear will be outrageously overpriced. Those great deals are getting less and less common. But the sweet is never as sweet without the sour, so you’ve got to take your licks and then get back out there for the hunt!
I'm confused, but then I often am. But here is a suggestion. Why not trying to limit your VC views to channels with less than 1k for a while. You might be surprised to find some interesting content from people that aren't chasing subs? That's not to say that there aren't plenty of good sincere channels with more than that, but maybe those will get you to peel back the VC layers to find better content? Just a thought. And I subbed. 🤣
Hey Elliott! There are so many great channels in the VC, big and small. It is honestly hard to keep up with them all and I wish I had more time to watch more videos. But yes, you’re right, there is a bit of different content coming from smaller channels than the big ones who have to appeal to larger audiences to keep more people satisfied. I am always looking for genuine and interesting content creators. I’ll be on the lookout. Cheers Elliott, thanks!
Many sellers are selling crappy beat up records. I guess everyone knows how to reference Discogs but they don’t understand grading. The thrill of the dig is quickly dying. Even thrift stores have figured out how to exploit the popularity of record collection it
I agree. It’s hard to find a deal anywhere now! Thrift stores especially… you’re not going to move any of those dirty scuffed up records when you’re charging way too much for them. It’s a shame.
Sorry bud, but anybody collecting dud electric light orchestra records deserves to be served a notice from fate to either curate for quality of forever be a storehouse for ever-increasing piles of dreck, and the resultant depression. There are still plenty of vinyl hoarding boomers taking the big sleep everyday, so there are plenty of records.
Richard, if the records that I show aren’t up to your standards for good music then I wouldn’t recommend watching more of my videos or commenting. I prefer to interact with my viewers in a positive way and have constructive conversations. Cheers man take care ✌️
