No Vinyl For You!
Let’s revisit some Blue Note jazz vinyl that did not sell on eBay this past week.
Horace Silver Quintet, Blue Note 5058. This was an original 10-inch pressing listed in Ex- condition for both the record and the cover. I thought this one might have a chance to sell despite the condition, but I think the market for 10-inch Blue Notes is much softer than that for 12-inch Blue Notes. Although we have seen this record sell for more than $500 in the Jazz Collector Price Guide, the condition of that earlier record was far better than Ex-, whatever that is. This one had a start price of $300 and got no bids.
This 10-inch original Blue Note also failed to gather any bidding: Thelonious Monk, Genius of Modern Music, Volume 2, Blue Note 5009. The record and cover were both VG+ and the seller was quite optimistic and hopeful in putting a $415.05 starting price on this. The hopes were not rewarded, as there were no bids.
I had thought this one would sell, but it didn’t:
Lee Morgan, The Cooker, Blue Note 1578. This looked like an original pressing on VG+ condition for the record and Ex for the cover. The start price was $499, which seemed within reason. But there were no bidders. The seller has relisted the item with a start price of $5.50, but with a reserve. We’ll see which method is more effective in getting bidders to bid.
In my opinion, The Lee Morgan, “The Cooker” is having selling problems because of lack of clarification about the scratch on side B. There are scratches that aren’t loud and don’t run too long. I suppose potential customers can request clarification. From my personal experience, scratches are usually worse than described and are often very annoying. Of course, this is my subjective reaction. But I was instinctively turned off by the way the scratch was disclosed. But please don’t take my reaction too seriously. I’m an old man with distrust that borders on paranoia.
I’ve always favored a 2:1 ratio of surface noise to scratches on collectible LPs. The noise shows the record’s been broken in like a Delancey street whore. And deep scratches indicate the listener put on the record at just the right time…when he was shitfaced. But I don’t like repeating skips. I once borrowed Al’s copy of Beatles ’65 for a reel-to-reel dub and to this day, the following bangs in my head: “You know, if you break my heart I’ll go, but I’ll be back, I’ll be back, I’ll be back” It made Lennon sound like a glutton for punishment.
Delancey Street? I don’t think former Gov. Spitzer had to go that far south.
al, like your ‘seinfeld’ ‘quote’.., at least, i think you refered to that..
Don’t you know of a nice nostalgic story of the old days of recordshops in new york,.. their must have been at least one ‘vinyl-nazi’,..? 🙂 …”your hands are dirty,.. No Vinyl For You!..’
Dan: it’s true… it is unbelievable how strong those ‘repeating skips’ are planted in your brain. Even of records that i have replaced years and years ago for better ones, ..in my mind it still skips at the old moment.. but most of the time it gives me the pleasant feeling, like a nostalgic picture..
I had a copy of the white album that skipped on Revolution no. 9. It always too me 20 minutes to figure out it was skipping.
That’s funny, Andy. I was 15 when I bought Coltrane Live at the Village Vanguard Again. I played side 1 at 45 rpm and didn’t realize it till I saw the LP was spinning a bit fast. So I turned the speed down to 33, but it didn’t sound any less bizarre to me.
A old Jewish woman walked into a record store and asks for a copy of Hello Dolly. When the proprietor asked “What speed would you like it at, Madam” she sang “Hel-lo …Dolly, vel Hel-lo…..Dol-ly”
Once slavaged a copy of early Donaldson that had a repeat-skip with some good advice from a friend: figure out exactly where the skip is and check out that spot with a magnifying glasss – often as not, you find a ridge (groove side) that has been bent in and impinges on the groove – take a sewing needle (no kidding) and slide along the groove, pushing the bent ridge back in place – worked like a charm! and even though I was expecting to at least have an audible sound at that point, there is now none. Sounds pristine!