The A&E LPs

James T · Post by **James T** » Tue May 27, 2008 5:22 pm

Sp. I got the green one yesterday, I think Soul On Fire sounds a bit muffled, the rest seems to sound fine (so far). Maybe I am being wierd. Is there any difference between the pressings apart from colour? Is 1 heavyweight and the other not etc...?

Fuzzhead · Post by **Fuzzhead** » Tue May 27, 2008 10:36 pm

I'm still waiting to receive my black vinyl LP from HMV, which I pre-ordered nearly 2 weeks ago. The bastards still haven't sent it yet.

laid back in the sun · Tue May 27, 2008 11:33 pm

got my green one today but not playing it til i get sum new needles, still waiting on the black vinyl to come but i think it is heavy weight vinyl although i could be wrong. i always think coloured vinyl and picture discs especially have inferior sound quality to standard vinyl... they're still nice to have tho

James T · Post by **James T** » Tue May 27, 2008 11:53 pm

Coloured vinyl tends to be pretty much the same in my experience unless the other is heavyweight. Apart from Deloused by Mars Volta, that sounds shite on vinyl because the "coloured" vinyl has actually just got some rubbish layer of silver on it. Picture discs are shit period.

Fuzzhead · Post by **Fuzzhead** » Wed May 28, 2008 10:44 pm

HMV are rubbish trying to buy vinyl from. I cancelled my order with them last night and ordered it instead from Piccadilly Records in Manchester. They've already sent it today.

See - the joy of ordering from a proper 'record' shop.

JPB · Post by **JPB** » Fri May 30, 2008 6:40 pm

The black vinyl is a fantastic pressing!

James T · Post by **James T** » Sat May 31, 2008 3:45 pm

They have it up in the window of Piccadilly Records at the moment, it's good to see some people still care about good music in a time when most people seem to just like songs they hear on adverts and skins.

Post by **spzretent** » Sat May 31, 2008 4:15 pm

James T wrote:They have it up in the window of Piccadilly Records at the moment, it's good to see some people still care about good music in a time when most people seem to just like songs they hear on adverts and skins.

Piccadilly is a great record shop. I still do mail order from there even w/the crap exchange rate.

veiko · Post by **veiko** » Sat May 31, 2008 5:26 pm

i also ordered A&E on vinyl from Piccadilly. thanks for the recommendations!!
limited edition cd with the dvd and whatelse is cheap, they have it for Â£14.99.

rubyrecluse · Post by **rubyrecluse** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:23 am

I purchased the LIMITED EDITION of 300 GREEN VINYL copy of the new Spiritualized album "Songs In A&E" from the Rough Trade website as soon as they posted it available. The postage pack that it came in was completely intact, so I was getting excited to open my copy, mint in package. Instead, it was just what any collector/superfan would dread. Rough Trade packaged and sent me a damaged copy. Within seconds of opening my copy, I took stills of the damage and posted them on Youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lTF6Sw3s1Q
I sent the link to Rough Trade and a day later I got a response, only it wasn't from Rough Trade. It was from another fan burned by Rough Trade!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQRT7E_bJG8
What's going on Rough Trade?!?!?

JPB · Post by **JPB** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 6:42 am

Looks like only the cover is damaged (as mine was). However it's the same as the standard cover so at least you can ask them to replace it.

J

toomilk · Post by **toomilk** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:10 am

Has anyone had any problems with Rough Trade before? I've never had any problems.

Maybe there was just a bad batch that went out (?).

purespace · Post by **purespace** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:02 pm

Thanks for the heads up. I just canceled my green album order from Rough Trade. I'd be PISSED to have it arrive damaged and would rather go without.

laid back in the sun · Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:08 pm

have to say mine came well packed and in mint condition so cant fault them

mjtown · Post by **mjtown** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 1:46 pm

Last six copies of green vinyl available now... at least there were six copies when I typed this:

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_det ... sku=300080

Post by **spzretent** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 2:49 pm

As posted by Runcible earlier I think it goes to the crap record mailers used. I'd be pissed too if I received a damaged lp for the $50 I spent(i was one of the lucky ones who received a nice copy). Mine did have two 12 inch pieces of cardboard on either side of the lp. Why dont all UK record shops use the cardboard mailers we use here? The aforementioned Piccadilly Records use the corrugated cardboard mailers. Shame they didn't have any of the green vinyl.

LunarTunes · Post by **LunarTunes** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:35 pm

mjtown wrote:Last six copies of green vinyl available now... at least there were six copies when I typed this:

http://www.roughtrade.com/site/shop_det ... sku=300080

Thanks for the heads up! I missed out on this one the first time around but I just ordered a copy. There's now 4 left...

Peace.

rkidmike · Post by **rkidmike** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:05 pm

I just received my copy of the limited edition green LP from Rough Trade. I was hoping to get a good copy...but mine came with a split on the top of the white sleeve. Quite a disappointment when just a little more care in packing the record with some bubble wrap would've done the trick with what is something of a collectors item. Owell...I just hope that Rough Trade has some decent customer service.

sm-iom · Post by **sm-iom** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:17 pm

A good number of years ago I ordered the mail order only copy of F***ed Up Inside - which turned up with small splits in the top and bottom of the cover - the LP itself was cracked.

Rang up to complain, and a replacement was sent straight away. I guess they'd learned - it was wrapped up better - AND, the `lp itself was heavier duty vinyl.

SM

JPB · Post by **JPB** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:31 pm

I'm trying to do the maths... are there actually going to be any green vinyl versions left to sell out of the 500 on this site? I guess it depends on how many of the lucky 200 people at the in store gig bought the vinyl...

laid back in the sun · Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:48 pm

rough trade have a few green vinyl on ebay at the mo, Â£25 including the postage so dont wait too long!!

purespace · Post by **purespace** » Wed Jun 04, 2008 8:54 pm

my green vinyl cancellation this morning was too late as the goods arrived when I got home today. Fortunately they had used 2 pieces of card board (like spzretent's) for overseas shipping and it arrived in good condition, except they should have removed the albums from the gate fold. Minor popping out on the top of one gate fold where the album pressed up against it, but the gate fold is still intact. I'm happy it arrived in relatively good condition considering some of the stories here

ascension · Post by **ascension** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:34 am

"rough trade have a few green vinyl on ebay at the mo, Â£25 including the postage so dont wait too long!!"

care to provide a link? I cant seem to find it...

laid back in the sun · Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:56 am

ascension wrote:"rough trade have a few green vinyl on ebay at the mo, Â£25 including the postage so dont wait too long!!"

care to provide a link? I cant seem to find it...

sorry they're already sold out on there too

JPB · Post by **JPB** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 5:35 pm

I was in Rough Trade East today. They think they have more green vinyl coming tomorrow (Friday)...

blund · Post by **blund** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 8:03 pm

I received my copy on monday and it's much worse than those two showing on YouTube. Sleeve split about 1/3 of the length from both records

I emailed Rough Trade right away with pictures but they haven't even had the decency to answer my complaint. Needless to say I won't use them for mail order again. Idiots. All they needed to do was to take the inner sleeves out of the outer sleeve before sending.

BVCP206 · Post by **BVCP206** » Thu Jun 05, 2008 11:59 pm

JPB wrote:I was in Rough Trade East today. They think they have more green vinyl coming tomorrow (Friday)...

I'm beginning to think there maybe more than 500 of these

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 1:46 am

Mine looks and sounds amazing. It was packaged fine, any damage seems to be due to handling the record sleeves. They used cardboard to protect the record. I'm sure they were just trying to get them packed up as quickly as they could, these were definitely handled by hand, but you can't expect anything more for such a limited pressing. I know Rough Trade packaged them themselves over the weekend. I am sure they would give anyone a swap if they got a damaged copy, they seem very nice. I wouldn't have noticed any damage if it wasn't mentioned here. But why complain? This is an exciting day!

Definitely my most attractive Spiritualized album, even without the gorgeous green vinyl. The gatefold is really nice. Everything is perfectly clean and cool, with the exception of the bar code. I don't quite understand why they can't put it on the shrink wrap, or on the inside of the gatefold. But I don't want to complain. I like its look much better than Ladies and Gentlemen, and even Pure Phase and Fucked Up Inside. I like the way it's gatefold, with the liner notes and lyrics on the inside. This looks PERFECT, while the CD insert was a little awkward for me to read. It was folded a lot, it looks amazing in gatefold format, everything just fits in a way that is easy to read. The vinyl is much nicer sounding than Fucked Up Inside and Lazer Guided Melodies. Actually, mine plays just as well as Let It Come Down, which was a fantastic vinyl pressing. You can't trust my ears 100% because I bought these records used, but this definitely doesn't sound cheap. The album is just as thick as Ladies and Gentlemen (I just compared them) or maybe thicker. High quality pressing, it's not like normal colored vinyl or picture disks. It plays with absolutely no background noise, it's actually quite amazing to hear Jason's voice on vinyl without all the usual reverb and effects. What a beautiful album. It's see through, which is cool to watch on the turntable. It's a really attractive album. It looks and sounds much better than the CD. The harmony tracks make much more sense at the beginning of each side. The minor scuffs on the inner sleeves are the kinds of things that happen anyway, I always damage my record sleeves if I play a record a bunch. Nothing I would complain about, but they could have taken better care putting the records into the sleeves. I guess? They did just as good as I would have, I always scuff up my record sleeves. Anyway, it rules, I'm happy. The signed CD will probably get traded. Finally, I'd like to mention these weren't $50, so I'm not sure what all the complaining is about. Wasn't it 17 pounds? That's about $36, and this seems worth every penny to me! Maybe it was $50 after shipping, but as an import, I'd have to pay for shipping anyway......

Sorry for babbling, I'm trying to check it out and watch the Lakers at the same time.

toomilk · Post by **toomilk** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:10 am

Well, it was 23.56 pounds = $46.14, but it sounds like, with most of the cases, it was worth it.

If you received yours, then that hopefully means I will get mine tomorrow!

mojo filters · Post by **mojo filters** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 6:19 am

BVCP206 wrote:
JPB wrote:I was in Rough Trade East today. They think they have more green vinyl coming tomorrow (Friday)...
I'm beginning to think there maybe more than 500 of these

Are they not numbered? I confess if there are plenty more I'm very relieved I didn't spend Â£20+ to get a copy for the sake of collecting...hopefully there'll be a bargain to be found on eBay at a later date, if I bide my time!

It's ironic with the exchange rate - the cheapest place I could find to order the CD from was actually the American Newberry Comics place listed somewhere here - ended up costing Â£8 including p&p. Plus I got the extra signed CD booklet, though am glad I didn't go out of my way or pay extra for a rather underwhelming signature.

However I really do like the artwork on the back with all the different pins laid out, quite a contrast to the bold and instantly recognisable, yet essentially disposable main cover, which looks worse in reality compared to the pictures I saw before it was released. Still now I'm really keen to get hold of the extra internal artwork from the deluxe edition now.

Having seen both covers, I think the red colour scheme used for 'Soul On Fire' is the more attractive of the two, though I'm really only buying the single for the extended Harmony #2, as the main song is just too cheesy - a poor remake of 'Stop Your Crying' without the same production values - plus hearing 'True Love...' at various Acoustic Mainlines (& on the bootlegs) has finished off the appeal that song had for me, I can't even enjoy the (superior) Spectrum cover now.

It does seem a shame how much US folks are screwed by the exchange rate, having to buy imports, etc. It seems even dafter that I can import a CD released by a UK artist cheaper than buying it over here. Still I guess it's time to stock up on music from the States, hopefully the new Mind Expansion compilation's out soon

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:17 am

I didnt see a number anywhere but I'll check. Maybe they used the same packaging as the regular lps. I think they printed 1000 copies of fucked up inside and than 10,000 more, but you can tell the difference. Both fucked up inside and this version of a&e are well worth it, even with the exhange rate. This is a better value, not because it is more limited. It simply sounds perfect. My copy of fucked up inside is ok, but this is a better vinyl pressing. I spent over $40 to get pure phase afrer I lost my copy, this will be much harder to find. 500. Looking at it, playing it just feels, right. The cd got one play, although it was much cheaper, it really didnt make me happy like the gatefold lp did. I love how each side starts with harmony. It all makes sense now!!

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:35 am

ha! I just ordered chinese whiskey and stop your crying came on the jukebox.

ebbsandflows · Post by **ebbsandflows** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:41 am

Yeah, Harmonies at the beginning of each side is a touch. It's good as a vinyl lover to be considered to such an extent.

I liked this album at the start and it's still growing. I thought the same about soul on fire being a sub-standard stop your crying, but it makes loads more sense in context. The album has the same delicate beauty as albums like To bring you my love by PJ Harvey. It shimmers.

Moreover (and this could just be my view) i like it because it doesn't sound like he's trying to do anything with this album. Like making the big orchestral album or making a back to garage rock album. Just sounds like making good music for the sake of it.

Still getting used to Spaceman's voice though. Really like it without effects, but on sweet talk I thought he sounded a bit . . . stereophonics for a moment.

I soooo want pure phase on vinyl but i ain't paying Â£70 for it. I hate ebay.

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 10:28 am

If I find my other copy of Pure Phase, it's yours for $10USD. That's about what I spent for it. That said, the Pure Phase CDs aren't bad. This vinyl pressing sounds so sweet I could almost eat it. Well worth the extra cost over what Pure Phase cost. That album is great, but there is no gatefold, and I like this pressing a lot. The quiet parts are so quiet, the horns and strings sound amazing. I actually get sitting on fire on the vinyl version, I love how it sounds. Here are some comparison photos between the CD and the LP.

ebbsandflows · Post by **ebbsandflows** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:00 pm

Have you tried on the side? Under a piece of paper? That's where I always find things I lose.

I'll be holding a vigil in the name of St Anthony day and night

Post by **spzretent** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 2:59 pm

there is no way there are 10,000 copies of FUI. Not sure how many but if there are more than 1000 i'd be amazed.

laid back in the sun · Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:21 pm

Live album originally available only by mail-order, but commonly found in the U.S. Recorded Nov. 21, 1992 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles, CA. and at the previous show at the Warfield Theater in San Francisco. Parts of the extended version of "Shine A Light" turn up in "Electric Mainline." First release with new bass player Sean Cook. After the initial 1000-print mail-order run sold out in a few hours, Dedicated printed up 5000 more at the urging of RCA, Dedicated's US distributor. Currently out of print now, after an total printing of 8,000 across both formats.

*qouting from the chris barrus discography

Post by **runcible** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 4:58 pm

I played some part in this actually. When I was selling stuff under Runcible Records one of my mates worked at a large distributor/importer. I told him about the imminent release and how excited I was and I really wanted to be able to get loads of these to sell retail-wise but didn't know how. Next thing I know he tells me he's discussed this with higher powers and some discussion was held with Dedicated and rather than being a 'fan club exclusive' (whatever the fan club was), which is how it was originally announced, it would be an actual release.

Yet another thing I used to have about 30 copies of on a shelf...

sunray · Post by **sunray** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 5:41 pm

I bought FUI mail order as soon as it was released only to receive it in the flimsiest mailer imaginable,leaving the record warped to fuck and virtually unplayable, it also had a scratch just at the beginning of Clear Rush. I then made the mistake of sending it back to the mailorder address with a letter explaining the situation and never received a reply or anything thus leaving me without a record and out of pocket.

I ended up buying a cd copy off Runcible about a year later!

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 6:57 pm

Runcible, were you the one who sold me LGM with the 7" about 13 years ago?
I guess I was only 2,000 off, not bad.

I just put on the record. I like how there is no bar code on the record. Why did they have to put one on the green vinyl pressing? IT sounds great, not as good as A&E on green though.

Love them both.

Post by **runcible** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 7:22 pm

dselevan2 wrote:Runcible, were you the one who sold me LGM with the 7" about 13 years ago?

Dunno - might have done as I sold loads of those things. If you bought it from Runcible Records that was definitely me. I shut up shop in about 1998 and met many great people - some of whom I count among my closest friends - selling Spacemen 3 bits over those years.

Stonedutch · Post by **Stonedutch** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 7:31 pm

Where can one purchase FUI? (cd or vinyl).

JPB · Post by **JPB** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 7:40 pm

If money is no object...
http://www.vinylexchange.co.uk/ProductD ... IID=307642

Stonedutch · Post by **Stonedutch** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 7:46 pm

Ouch...money is indeed an object.
How about a copy?

toomilk · Post by **toomilk** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:32 pm

That is a rip-off...I got a copy of FUI (EDIT: CD version) from Amoeba in Hollywood over the summer and paid $25 (12.68 pounds) for it. It also was in excellent condition.

Happy news: my copy of the green vinyl just came to the door. No cuts or blemishes on the front....but the way the gatefold is folded is a little off. Looks like it was pressed in a hurry.

Vinyl is perfect. It's heavy and looks fucking amazing.

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:39 pm

Toomilk - My Green A&E is perfect as well, it sounds and looks amazing.

Fucked up Inside is always on Amazon or Ebay if you can't find a copy, look there. They are never that expensive.
Runcible, did you have a mail-order as well? I got mine from some really cool guy in the UK who sent me some cool newspaper clippings about the Spacemen 3. That was half my life ago....

Post by **spzretent** » Fri Jun 06, 2008 8:40 pm

the legend of FUI goes something like this. It was announced as a mail order only release. Most of what was sold were cds initially. We went thru over 200 in my shop(i kid you not!). The vinyl may have been ordered thru mail order but someone stumbled across a shitload of the LPs at Camden Market. On buying trips to London I used to go into Sister Ray in Berwick St and buy 10 copies at 8 quid a pop each time. This lasted for a few years. So my guess is they must have bought a lot of this either from Camden Market directly or someone bought them really cheap and sold them to Sister Ray. Because 8 quid was a freaking bargain.
So my customers got the vinyl for $25 which may have seemed high then but not anymore. Unless you luck into one at Amoeba or another record shop.

flamingrev · Post by **flamingrev** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 4:18 am

Has anybody in California gotten their green lp yet? I'm gettin' antsy.

evenfreer · Post by **evenfreer** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 4:48 am

I got mine on Monday (6/2). The top of the gatefold was split-- similar damage to what a lot of people are seeing. But I've got it!

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 4:57 am

I got mine in LA yesterday, it was great

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 5:56 am

spzretent wrote:the legend of FUI goes something like this. It was announced as a mail order only release. Most of what was sold were cds initially. We went thru over 200 in my shop(i kid you not!). The vinyl may have been ordered thru mail order but someone stumbled across a shitload of the LPs at Camden Market. On buying trips to London I used to go into Sister Ray in Berwick St and buy 10 copies at 8 quid a pop each time. This lasted for a few years. So my guess is they must have bought a lot of this either from Camden Market directly or someone bought them really cheap and sold them to Sister Ray. Because 8 quid was a freaking bargain.
So my customers got the vinyl for $25 which may have seemed high then but not anymore. Unless you luck into one at Amoeba or another record shop.

I give you and Runcible a hard time, but getting these records into the hands of fans of the cult of Spiritualized is epic and almost saintly. If there's a heaven above, it is reserved for people like you and Runcible who helped us kids get our stoned out minds onto the drug that we call Spiritualized. Of course I found one at off the record for $2 in the bargain bin, but I think another spiritualized saint, named Dave (I think) at off the record was responsible for being the west coast spiritualized santa claus.

toomilk · Post by **toomilk** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:59 am

flamingrev wrote:Has anybody in California gotten their green lp yet? I'm gettin' antsy.

Dselevan (LA) and I (San Diego) got ours. Hopefully you'll get yours soon!

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:49 am

Toomilk, when are we having a listening party?

I have 2 pool circle seats for the Hollywood Bowl show, I hope to see you there.

I am absolutely enjoying medicating to the A&E on green vinyl. Am I living on another planet? I don't see how your albums could have gotten bent in all that cardboard. And Soul on Fire sounds about 100 times better on vinyl. My fave record right now. DAMN Sitting on Fire has a little skip now

blund · Post by **blund** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 11:22 am

Did anyone complain and get an answer from Rough Trade concerning their useless packaging of the A&E lp's? I have emailed twice - with pictures - and didnt even get a reply. Disgraceful customer service really. Hope Jason never uses them for any specials again...

Post by **spzretent** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 4:17 pm

dselevan2 wrote: I give you and Runcible a hard time, but getting these records into the hands of fans of the cult of Spiritualized is epic and almost saintly. If there's a heaven above, it is reserved for people like you and Runcible who helped us kids get our stoned out minds onto the drug that we call Spiritualized.

We, I think I can speak for Runcible too, loved doing that. He with his infamous mail order and record fairs and myself w/my shop. I used to drive Dedicated nuts. But I was obsessed with getting these limited items into the hands of my customers(I guess thats where the slightly OCD part of me rears its ugly head). Especially when we heard about FUI. There was only one import company that had these. Dutch East India. They made a lot of money off of us because of that one item. Same thing happened with Verve Voyager 1. We sold nearly 300 of those. And I dont even have a vinyl copy of that anymore.

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 8:48 pm

spzretent wrote:
dselevan2 wrote: I give you and Runcible a hard time, but getting these records into the hands of fans of the cult of Spiritualized is epic and almost saintly. If there's a heaven above, it is reserved for people like you and Runcible who helped us kids get our stoned out minds onto the drug that we call Spiritualized.
We, I think I can speak for Runcible too, loved doing that. He with his infamous mail order and record fairs and myself w/my shop. I used to drive Dedicated nuts. But I was obsessed with getting these limited items into the hands of my customers(I guess thats where the slightly OCD part of me rears its ugly head). Especially when we heard about FUI. There was only one import company that had these. Dutch East India. They made a lot of money off of us because of that one item. Same thing happened with Verve Voyager 1. We sold nearly 300 of those. And I dont even have a vinyl copy of that anymore.

It's well appreciated. I'm sure selling Spirutalized albums isn't the most lucrative business, but certainly a noble one. I really have always loved Fucked Up Inside, my CD version sounds amazing, my LP looks amazing. Back than there was no Amoeba, and it was difficult enough to find a copy of Lazer Guided Melodies on CD. Ebay and Amazon weren't yet hip to Spiritualized, so we relied on people like you to get the Spiritualized into circulation.

Post by **spzretent** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 9:04 pm

shame record shops cant keep their doors open anymore.
i loved that part of my life. Music is so important to some people. And to be able to make it available to them and almost have a corner bar menatlity was incredible and very fulfilling(just not enough for my bank account).
sounds corny but it is true.

JPB · Post by **JPB** » Sat Jun 07, 2008 10:02 pm

It's weird and it's a shame. I was in Rought Trade East this week and it's (fairly) new and a really good record shop. It's big (for the UK), funky and a great place to buy music. And part of me knows it probably won't be there in 5 years time.

Vinyl records were / are expensive to make and the profit margin was judged to be too small. CD's were supposed to be a real cash cow for record companies. And they were. But now anyonw can rip / torrent a digital recording.

I may be wrong but vinyl, which the record companies did their best to kill off, is keeping record shops alive.

dselevan2 · Post by **dselevan2** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:42 am

Record shops are doing fine out here. In fact, they are doing really well. Amoeba's is packed every day. They are making big money on everything from records to CDs to tapes to movies. If I were to go now, parking would be at capacity and I'd have to park a block away. And that place is huge. And it's new. So in California, there are more and more record shops all the time. The only places that are closing are CD shops like Tower Records, which just sort of stopped selling records. There was nothing there to make the shopping experience interesting. Just CDs in rows with bad music playing, people who would go to a place like that are more likely to use iTunes. A lot of people go to Amoeba's and buy CDs, so I'm not sure if it is just vinyl that is keeping the record shops in business. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one in line buying used records. I guess American's get bored on the weekends and like to go shopping with their girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, kids, etc. So they go to Amoebas and buy the new CDs of bands that are getting played on Jonsie's Jukebox on Indie 103 or whatever they listen to on the radio. I am really lazy and would never go to Amoeba to buy a CD, but people do it all day lone. To me, there isn't much purpose in going to a store and buying a CD, I can just go to Amazon or something and have it delivered to me, or download it. I still can't tell the difference between a CD and a digital download, but that is besides the point. CDs are just annoying pieces of plastic to me. Unattractive, break easily, waste space, easily stolen. But there are still 10-15 people in each row of CDs at Amoeba, and a line to purchase CDs/DVDs/Records so I don't see the record shops going out of business anytime soon. Music lovers are always going to want to own vinyl. There is enough in circulation to keep the record shops in LA open even if nothing new comes out on vinyl. So anyway, this phenomena of, "record shops cant keep their doors open anymore" is just the opposite of what is happening in LA. It used to be really hard to find a good record shop, I'd have to drive to Huntington Beach or something. I could go to Amoeba and find something amazing right this second. Anyway.

Multi · Post by **Multi** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 3:38 am

synthiA · Post by **synthiA** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 4:11 am

I emailed Rough Trade about the record tearing through the sleeve and suggested they send me a new sleeve. They got right back to me and said it was on its way. I'd say that is pretty good service (well, we'll see if it actually shows).

Someone at Amoeba told me that they saw a %30 percent decline in CD sales in 2007 but vinyl sales were up 20% from the year before. Interesting, eh?

--tom

purespace · Post by **purespace** » Sun Jun 08, 2008 2:21 pm

multi, I never got a confirmation email from Rough Trade that my order was accepted and my greeny showed up here in Michigan about 2 weeks ago. You should be set.

Multi · Post by **Multi** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 4:26 pm

turtle · Post by **turtle** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:17 pm

Well, I'm still a little pissed.

I got my Rough Trade records last week.

I received it in two seperate packages on two different days.

Damaged on the way to the US.

I had originally ordered for myself and several friends but they cut my order back since they can't give one order too much of the goody green.

Anyway, mailed via Airsure to the US and packaged decent but not great.

First package:
1 Limited Edition CD, arrived fine.
3 Soul on Fire 7" all have bent corners, bothersome but not worth crying about.
1 Green LP with split top sleeve, enough to hurt collectors value (not that I am ever planning on selling)

Second package:
Arrived with a big footprint on it.
1 Green LP with major split in the top of the sleeve. The LPs were actually popping out of the top of the sleeve. This really pissed me off.

So I spent over $150 at Rough Trade. I wish they would have have just put the 2 Green LPs in 10 cent plastic protective sleeves, then I would have nothing to post here. I just sent them an email but I kinda doubt that they are going to be willing to send me 2 sleeves to the US.

I'll post went I get a response from them.

JPB · Post by **JPB** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 8:33 pm

I'm pretty sure they'll send you new sleeves for your records with no complaints. It's just odd that they mailed records within the sleeves - no one else I buy from does that! And they've now stopped doing it - no doubt from complaints received from people on this board.

t0kdag0n · Post by **t0kdag0n** » Wed Jun 11, 2008 9:16 pm

My copy arrived in fine shape. Beautiful looking record. I pulled the trigger late one night after too many pints and had buyer's remorse the next day. I typically prefer black over colored vinyl and $50 US is a lot but having this in my hands and hearing the sonic wonderfulness makes me glad I went for it.