Salutations™!!

It was a short “haul” this week. The BCPF and I went to say goodbye to West End Coffee House as Jim and Dana had their final day open. We went to Underdog Records. We went to BLL Rotisserie Factory and then came home, listened to some records, and later, had friends over and watched a movie on the side of our house. It gave us the perfect scenario to physically distance and still have a social time. We watched Jurassic Park. Other than some minor tech glitches, it was a great time. Here’s the haul:

©Mercury

• Kiss – Psycho Circus — The reunion album, kind of. Peter didn’t play much on this album and Ace really had little input, too. Some people were disappointed in it but I actually love the whole album. There are some places that could be a bit contrived but I’m okay with that. I’m still a “KISS is Gene and Paul” kind of guy but I was happy with the product. I didn’t want to buy it yet as I tried to get them in order and the last one I have is 1987’s Crazy Nights. Smashes, Thrashes & Hits, along with Hot In The Shade, Revenge, Alive III, and Carnival of Souls, are hard to find and are quite expensive if you look on Discogs (which, of course, I do!). New.
• U2 – How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb — My favorite U2 album post-Achtung Baby. So many great songs on here. My favorite? “Sometimes You Can’t Make It on Your Own.” But, also “All Because of You,” “City of Blinding Lights,” and “Vertigo.” I put the first one on a mix CD for The BCPF when we were just “friends talking.” New.
• The Cure – World War (Rare Demos) — Bright yellow vinyl with demos and alternative takes of early Cure songs. They were more of a pop band back then and not so much the “Dark Wave” darlings they became. I like both versions of the band but I think I like the “real” Cure (dark) better. Imported. VG+.
• The Lumineers – The Lumineers — The album that kind of started a movement. I don’t know how I feel about that movement but hey (ho), it is what it is. A lot of acoustic swing and alt-country vibes happening on this album. It’s not something I listen to often. The BCPF on the other hand…? New.
• Tamba 4 – We And The Sea — World jazz and Latin. That’s all I got. The BCPF was compelled and I try not to say no. VG.

So, yesterday was the last day to register for the Record Store Day lottery. Three people (with a plus-one) will be allowed in every 15 minutes to do their RSD shopping. When that 15 minutes is up, they have to check out and leave. It’s not ideal, especially compared to the past, but it’s the only way to do it in these crazy times. The drawing for the lottery is Tuesday morning. Jonathan struggles with the potential of regulars not getting in. I told him not to worry about that. This is fair and we regulars (at least The BCPF and I) understand the risks. We each have our name in the hat and if one of us is pulled the other is disqualified from contention. That too is fair. The good news is, there is no camping out and no one is going to be allowed to buy multiples of anything. No immediate clamoring, I guess. At 11am, all sales are closed. The store is closed and Jonathan will take inventory of what is left. And for the first time ever in the history of RSD, online sales will be allowed and that will happen at 1pm from the leftover RSD stock, first-come-first-served. I know there’s a greater chance of me not getting the few titles I want but also I think it’s fair and balanced in approach.

I use Discogs to catalog my collection and use the Discogs Marketplace to purchase things that Jonathan can’t get me.

Until tomorrow, keep spinnin’…
Scorp out!

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“Tough, you think you’ve got the stuff. You’re telling me and anyone, you’re hard enough. You don’t have to put up a fight. You don’t have to always be right. Let me take some of the punches for you tonight.” – “Sometimes You Can’t Make It On Your Own” (Mullen/Clayton/Evans/Hewson)