Through rain, sleet, snow, and a smelly collector or two, those who attended this year’s WFMU Record Fair were rewarded with a decent selection of vinyl across various musical genres at the Metropolitan Pavilion this weekend.
More so than in recent years, this weekend I spent a considerable amount of time manning my boss’ table instead of shopping for myself. Due to an unfortunate accident involving one of our dealer friends named Pete, the Los Angeles contingent at the record fair had to pitch in and put for a little extra effort at the sellers’ table this time around. Considering the amount of high-dollar vinyl we brought with us from the West Coast this year we sold a decent number of items. A few Beatles’ “butcher covers,” a copy of the WIlliam C. Beeley album (had I known Bob had one I would have made an offer for it), a beautiful condition Hank Mobley record on Prestige, a rare soul LP, and a slew of other choice records.
The buying was, for me at least, slightly less interesting than in years past. While my friends were able to find some cool “indie” records and imports from bands like Tangerine Dream and King Crimson, I didn’t have quite as good luck as I would have hoped. Jon snared a copy of the only American Analog Set album I need in order to complete their discography. Ian scored an original pressing of King Crimson’s “In The Court Of The Crimson King” on the original pink “i” Island label for fifty bucks. He also bragged about finding a System of a Down record on the cheap, which made me stop and reevaluate our friendship.
So, what’d I buy? Funny you should ask, the 75 dollars worth of money I spent is sitting right here next to me, waiting to be shipped back to Los Angeles so I can actually enjoy it!
Magic Lantern – Magic Lantern (Ltd. Ed. 500)
Rick Grossman – Hot Romance (mint! finally!)
Nina Nastasia – The Blackened Air (my copy’s worn down, this was $4)
A Silver Mt. Zion – 13 Blues For Thirteen Moons
Woodsman – Collages (Ltd. Ed. 500)
Microphones – The Glow, Pt. 2
Jesus Lizard – Goat (original)
Labradford / Stars Of The Lid – The Kahanek Incident, Vol. 3
And that was it. The most expensive records I bought were two Brazilian Caetano Veloso records for my co-worker, which I had my boss take back to LA with him. And that was pretty much it for the buying portion of the show.
It was a cool scene this year. I recognized and spoke with a lot of people that I’ve been seeing for the past three years that I’ve been working the show. Dealers, friends, it’s a very amiable (when dudes aren’t fighting over shit) atmosphere. I had a nice little chat with Clay Pigeon on Friday. His show first aired a little while before I moved west but it seems to be going strong. We both admitted having a soft spot for “It Was A Very Good Year” (Sinatra’s version), which WFMU DJ Kurt Gottshalk returned to in the form of a codeine-slow reprise throughout his broadcast from the fair. On Saturday there were live performances by The Sediment Club (sounded like Wire), and Black Hollies (not bad). I didn’t go to the fair Sunday because, well, the storm Saturday was a real bitch. Knocked out power for over 24 hours. I charged my laptop and my phone at a nearby Dunkin Donuts. I spent the day at a sports bar drinking for 12 hours and running up a $1,000 tab. Photos pending.
