Today is Vinyl Record Day

After I started buying records, I needed a better record player than the single play with a steel needle. My parents bought me a prtable GE with atached speakers. That lasted until at least 1971, about the date of the picture below. Two years later I took the following picture. Updated Combo stereo/8 Track recorder

(new curtains/new TV-bigger, but now black & white)

Two pictures put together below, a few years later, finally components, and back to the old color TV. Don't ask me to explain the Barbara Mandell album, I have no explanation.

You see, now I have albums. After More of The Monkees I remember the next two I bought new were Green River-Creedence and Moody Blues Days Of Future Passed. Both albums purchased at Two Guys.

One story I need to tell that directly relates to vinyl.

One day I was at Woolworths (about 1968) looking at the 3/1.00 records. When I got there there were two other guys my age looking at the records. I talked to them, and I found a Big Brother & Holding Company single I wanted. One of the guy's wanted it, too. I'm not sure if I bought it, or gave it to him, but I don't think I have it anymore.

The two guys are Gary and Bill. I still know both of them. Gary I see every couple years. Bill still goes with me to the Swapmeet every week.

The interesting thing about Bill is I introduced myself to him, and I asked him what his name was, and he said, "What do want to know for?" I mentioned this story to him today and he told me that he would probably say the same thing today to the same question, and I agreed with him.

The best place I ever bought vinyl in the 70s was Macs Electronics. For a couple of years they would have jukebox singles in a big bin for a nickel, with new ones every week. I found Buddy Holly, Beatles and Elvis in there, and a lot of unusual songs that weren't very big hits. I probably spent 3-4.00 a week for a year. That's 60-80 records a week! That really built up my collection.

They eventually stopped getting them in, I had dreams about that store for years. Dreams about going back, and there were the records, again! But it never happened.

Well, Happy Vinyl Record Day! Thank you Thomas Edison for getting it all started.