My other "used" vinyl

OK, so technically I have more used vinyl than I said before. But I don't consider it that because they were all my dad's. In this collection is every Beatles studio album, many solo albums by John, Paul, George and yes, even Ringo. There's The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Who, lots of Billy Joel, Chicago and more.

These all hold a special place to me, because my dad's love for music is what really made me into this music obsessed nerd that I am today. By the time I could read and write, I also knew most songs from the bands previously mentioned to bands like Led Zeppelin and The Police.

In fact, one of my favorite music moments ever happened regarding Led Zeppelin when I was probably about 6 or 7 years old. My dad and I were coming home from somewhere, where who knows. We were about a block away from our house when "Stairway to Heaven" came on. For the next 8 minutes or so we drove around and around so we could listen to the whole thing together, my dad letting me know exactly what instruments were coming in as the song builds from a whisper to the exploding Jimmy Page guitar solo to a whisper again from Robert Plant at the end.

While I still love classic rock, I eventually grew out into more modern things, and my dad was there to listen to it, even if he did call Green Day "morons," and was never too keen when I went through that dreaded nu-metal phase of my life. But if it was not for my dad, I may never have become so obsessed with music and then this blog would never have existed. And that would be no fun, would it?

Home Sweet Home part 3: Babylon, New York- Looney Tunes

Wow, what a semester away from school can make you miss. As I am going to find Looney Tune's site to link for you all, I find out that at the end of August it was destroyed in a fire.

Luckily, no one was injured, and they are rebuilding, aiming for a December 1st grand re-opening. Just this past summer I had my best moment at Looney Tune's when Straylight Run (remember they are Vinyl Revival's #1 album for 2007) was playing an acoustic show there. The deal was that you had to buy their new CD The Needles, The Space to get in.

So my friends and I went, bought the CD (even though I already bought it at Best Buy the day before for the bonus tracks they were offering exclusively) and saw the show. The experience was surreal. We were literally standing in CD aisles, browsing records with the rest of the band while lead singers John and Michelle Nolan put on a great half hour of acoustic tunes.

Then they filed us out to line up to get our CD's autographed. When we came back in, we were greeted with the biggest surprise of the day: Looney Tune's was giving away a free copy of The Needles, The Space on double vinyl to every person. If I wasn't stuck in the Stone Ages and actually had a digital camera I'd put a picture of my signed copy up, but I'm lame.

Anyway, If you are on Long Island this winter break, go check out the new store. I'm sure it will be bigger and better than ever. And for you Straylight Run fans here is a video from that acoustic show:

Home Sweet Home part 2: Williamsburg Brooklyn, New York- Academy Records

While last summer was technically the first time I lived in Brooklyn for any extended period of time (say for more than 2 weeks), I've always considered Brooklyn as one of my favorite places to be. Both sides of my family come from Brooklyn, my favorite pizza place (Frank's Pizza on Flatbush Avenue) is in Brooklyn.

I think the thing I enjoy the most about Brooklyn though is all the interesting people that live there. That is why I make the journey into Williamsburg (aka Hipsterville) to check out Academy Records. The place itself is nothing spectacular. Yeah, they have a decent record collection, but their two sister stores in Manhattan are bigger and better. It's just that in Williamsburg you get the delight of seeing middle to even upper class, mainly white folk, make themselves look like bohemian white trash.

Their styles make no senses. Their superiority complexes when it comes to the newest indie music is infuriating. Yet, there is a part of me that is dying to be a hipster too. Anyway, the last time I was at Academy Records I had a nice find. It was Lifetime's Hello Bastards, one of the pinnacle punk albums of the 1990's. The hipster behind the counter of course had to mention to me that he used to hang out with them in New Brunswick back in the day. I was both slightly annoyed and very jealous.

The Clash: The Only Band That Matters (...is also the only band I've bought used vinyl of)

Alright, so I have a confession. This past August while I was driving up to school, I stopped in Scranton, PA to visit one of my best friends who goes to school there. Since The Office is unfortunately only a TV show, Scranton is not a very exciting place. My friend did happen to live in an apartment above a record store, which name I am drawing a blank on at this current moment.

It was here that I gave into snobby ways and bought a used copy of The Clash's self-titled 1977 album. I did this because a) The Clash are in the top 5 greatest bands ever category, b) It was the UK version of the album, c) It came with a 7-inch single and d) I've wanted to say that I own this album for the longest time.

Now I know I typically have made fun of used vinyl, but I must admit this was one of my better purchases. I guess what I'm trying to say is that used vinyl CAN be alright, if you make sure it is in great condition. If the vinyl costs $1, you probably know what you are getting yourself into and deserve the skipping record from hell you bought. So choose wisely.

Home Sweet Home part 1: Fords, New Jersey- Vintage Vinyl

For reasons beyond our control, Vinyl Revival calls not one, not two but three different tri-state area places our home when we leave the Syracuse area. So in honor of New Jersey, Brooklyn and Long Island, we are going to give you guys a little info on where we like to pick up records in all three areas. We'll start off in Jersey. While Jersey is easily our least favorite of the three places, it makes up for it (sort of) with Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey.

Vintage Vinyl has become a staple of the New Jersey music scene for the past three decades. Rolling Stone and Esquire have both put them on their top lists of independent record stores. While their record collection is extensive, the real selling point of Vintage Vinyl is their instore performances. Bands from The Get Up Kids, to Saves the Day, to Cheap Trick have all performed there. The store provides for an intimate experience, a chance to buy some great vinyl and see some amazing bands perform.

Vintage Vinyl's best deal right now?
How about an exclusive Paul McCartney Live EP you won't find anywhere else? I'm down.

Go All or Don't Go At All

So some company thought it would be a good idea to come out with a CD/Vinyl combination. Pretty much it is a regular CD, but the other side of it is Vinyl and can hold 3 1/2 minutes of music. This is the dumbest idea in our opinion since Universal announced it would start putting music singles on USB drives. We know the music industry is in shambles, but they need to come up with some better ideas than these. Anyway, how in the world is this CD/Vinyl thing going to work? It does not make any sense to us. God people, just give in and realize vinyl is the best way to go.

Albums That Will Change Your Life (and Where To Buy Them): Weezer- Pinkerton

Last week, Weezer announced that they had completed recording their 6th full length album and that it would be released in April of 2008. It is amazing to think how long ago Weezer hit it big with "The Sweater Song" way back in 1994 on their most popular album, now known simply as The Blue Album.

If you want to hear Weezer at it's best though, you must get your hands on their sophomore follow-up Pinkerton. Pinkerton may have been an initial commercial flop, but in retrospect, it is now regarded as one of the best albums of the 1990's, up there with the likes of Radiohead's OK Computer.

Pinkerton was emo before anyone really knew what emo was. Rivers Cuomo opened his dark and twisted mind mainly on his trouble with girls, loneliness and self-loathing. Pinkerton reads as a chronicle of Cuomo's troubled life from the opener "Tired of Sex" to his obsession with an 18 year old Japanese fan in "Across the Sea" to falling in love with a girl that turns out to be a lesbian in "Pink Triangle." Pinkerton reads like a journal of self-doubt, but that is what makes it so personal to the fans that have embraced it. The sound is raw, emotional but still has that defining sound of power-pop at it's best.

Check out this site here to pick up Pinkerton on vinyl. Check out their video for our favorite song off the album "Pink Triangle" here (Rivers is sporting quite a beard in it):