Record collecting is a strange hobby. It becomes addictive because it's so easy to do.. It's so easy that most collectors begin to overwhelm themselves in the amount of vinyl they pick up. This is especially true when you're new to the hobby. You just start buying stuff at places like Goodwill for a dollar just because it looks interesting or you've heard of the band (never mind liking the music) just as a way to continue and grow the collection.
For me, this was especially true of 45s. The things are cheap and easy to find. In any pile that you find at a thrift store or a garage sale, you're bound to find some gems. I bought the crap out of them throughout college and beyond. In fact, I was buying boxes full without ever looking at them first. I mean, how could you resist a plastic bag full of 50 of them at a thrift store for a couple bucks?
First problem with this method is that you end up with a lot of crap. Second problem is that these things were played a lot. In jukeboxes, on crappy turntables, on radio stations, when you buy a 7" from the 60's there is a really good chance it will sound like shit and completely defeat the purpose of listening to music on vinyl. Yet another problem is that there is nothing you can do with the loads of crap you have outside of just giving it away. If it's beat up, common, or by an artist no one cares about, no one will buy it off you. You're stuck with it until you find a way to sell in bulk at a garage sale or on Craigslist for a super cheap price, but, that also creates a problem because who wants to feel they're ripping the next guy off, right? If you can't do that, they all go back to a thrift store or sit in your home collecting dust.
Much of my 45 collection gotten to the collecting dust point. I had nowhere to put all these records and there was no need to own them. So, I made a conscious decision to dump the 45 collection. I mean, at this point I'm pretty grown up, I have a wife and kids. I no longer had the energy to get up off my ass every 3 minutes to flip a side, so focusing on LPs made perfect sense. I began selling the good stuff on eBay, made a bunch of money, bought LPS with money earned. Then, I took the good stuff with minor condition issues and posted on Craigslist, "Will trade 45s for LPS." That worked out okay, got a few bites and thinned the collection out a little more. The decent stuff went to stores for trade value I used to buy more LPS.
At this point came regret. I sold and traded some really cool stuff. The amazing LPS I picked up along the way didn't seem so amazing anymore. I'd also held onto some stuff that was still important to me, mostly the local stuff from bands I knew in my douche bag hipster days. I knew I was never going to have it in me to sell off the first Get Up Kids 7", so a compromise was made to thin out the collection. The only 7"s I would hold onto would be local. Problem solved, right? I got rid of everything but some R.E.M. 45s (couldn't do it, like that band too much) and retained locals. The idea was, 7" collection is done, it's complete, not buying anymore.
Well, fuck if I don't buy the shit out of local 7"s. I mean, once I gave myself an excuse. However, I am more focused right now on scoring 45s than I was before, so that helps keep things in check. That is until I read a quote James Brown, Godfather of Soul, in which he stated that he lived in Kansas City for a year while his father worked in Olathe, Kansas. Apparently, he lived on Harrison Street in KCMO when he was between the ages of 14 and 15. So, of course, the first James Brown 45 I see after reading that quote; I bought.
I've convinced myself that because James Brown lived in Kansas City for small amount of time it fits my collection. I mean, I'm making fun of myself for doing it, that's how absurd record collecting can be. I'm not buying James Brown because he's a local artist. I'm just buying James Brown 45s because he's awesome and I want to own more vinyl.
Mother Popcorn
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