Finding records on the street!

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Today I got, at the corner of 4th Avenue & 12th Street:

beach boys 'good vibrations'
shostakovich 'execution of stephen razin' + 'symphony 9'
joni mitchell 'don juan's reckless daughter' (along with PILES of other Joni Mitchell records I already own)
simon & garfunkel 'bridge over troubled water' (in hopes that it's in better condition than my copy)
the who 'tommy'
paul MCCARTNEY 'MCCARTNEY'
emerson lake & palmer 's/t'
the westland steel band 'the sound of the sun' (music from trinidad!)

there were also numerous swing compilations/boxed sets, but i don't think i'd ever listen to those.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Never found any records on any street ever :(

― t\'\'t (t\'\'t), Monday, 1 March 2004 17:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Do you mean literally ON THE STREET? Presumably not.

― Jim Robinson (Original Miscreant), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

sitting on the sidewalk next to and inside of a trash can.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:03 (twenty-one years ago)

I found a couple of Sweet 45's this way. Picture-sleeves 'n all.

― maypang (maypang), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

i once ignored a box of dewolf music library records left next to my stoop because i figured i had enough of that sort of thing. perhaps the only time that i've passed up free records, and of course they turned out to be quite valuable.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:08 (twenty-one years ago)

I got into this thing a few years ago where someone had dumped a chair out in the street near my flat and, because it coincided with my wish to downsize on my collection of R. & T. Exch. tat I had acquired over the years, I would leave one or two records on the chair every night. They were always gone in the morning.

― David (David), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Back in high school, me and a mate had to do this mandatory presentation on a "Finnish artist". We picked this awful Finnish boy band of the time, which was kinda like a third-rate East 17. We bought their latest hit single and went through a bunch of teen mags to find more info on them. In the presentation, we showed baby pictures of the band members. Then we played the single. When the record stopped we declared it to be "awful shit". I threw the single out of the classroom window, while my friend stomped on the record cover. Some girls in the class immediately ran into street outside the window to get the record, but to their disappointment someone had already picked it up. I guess the band was really hot at the time.

― Tuomas (Tuomas), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:42 (twenty-one years ago)

I bought a copy of the Blasters' Over There: Live In London off a homeless guy's swatch of sidewalk-carpet for $2 once. I took it home, taped it, and sold it to a used record store for $20.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:43 (twenty-one years ago)

There's a homeless dude in Providence who gave me a Flying Luttenbachers record once. That was pretty awesome. Same dude used to tour and do merch for Arab on Radar, and is in possibly the most nihilistic band EVAH--Box Patrol.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:46 (twenty-one years ago)

Not records, but someone dumped pretty much the entire catalogue of Tintin books on our doorstep when I was a kid. I've still got them. The only records I ever see on the street are the occasional pile of promo cd's for some loser pop act no-one's ever going to hear of. I've never been tempted really.

― udu wudu (udu wudu), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:49 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to live in an apartment building in the San Fernando Valley, and one night whilst taking trash down to the dumpster I noticed a stack of brand new records that had been tossed in there! Actually not so much tossed as piled neatly. It was strange. There were two copies each of the 8 Mile soundtrack, Jurassic 5's Power in Numbers, a Tupac post mortem comp (don't remember the name, it had four LPs though), and about a dozen 12" singles from the likes of Eminem, Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Mack 10, and others. They were all really clean too. I already owned most of the stuff, so I went that night to Amoeba and traded it all in for about 55 bucks credit.

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Ha, Ian reminds me that the one and only time I've been to Providence I found the first two Leroy Hutson solo lps among a pile of about thirty records at some random church sale. Walking from my friend's apartment to her car we passed this church that had set out a bunch of random bric-a-brac to sell and I spied the small group of records. $1 for the pair of them. I could flog them on eBay for $30 or $40 to some British person but I prefer to keep 'em.

― Broheems (diamond), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:54 (twenty-one years ago)

I once found a mint copy of Killing Joke's debut LP at a store for 50 cents. I didn't like it =( so I sold it online for 15 bucks.

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:56 (twenty-one years ago)

I found some cds on the ground next to a parking ramp a couple months ago, I assumed at the time they were stolen and then ditched. Some utter crap that I can't remember, and the Rushmore soundtrack.

― Jordan (Jordan), Monday, 1 March 2004 18:57 (twenty-one years ago)

I once found a mint copy of Killing Joke's debut LP at a store for 50 cents. I didn't like it =( so I sold it online for 15 bucks.

Was it the gatefold edition?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:15 (twenty-one years ago)

Nah. Is that one worth a lot of scratch?

― Gear! (Gear!), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:18 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, not necessarily a lot (don't know what it's worth, actually), but it's certainly harder to come by.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:19 (twenty-one years ago)

And I found a sealed copy of Brighter Than a Thousand Suns selling for $3 yesterday! Didn't buy it though 'cause I figured it stank.

― maypang (maypang), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:22 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm too tired right now to fall for such wind-ups.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:24 (twenty-one years ago)

I once found vinyl LPs of Manifest Destiny by the Dictators and With Sympathy by Ministry on the street. This was back in about `85, though.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:26 (twenty-one years ago)

It wasn't intended to be a wind-up. I always just see that album everywhere I go and've read a couple of poor reviews so I just assumed it wasn't very good. I'd also like to get the "essential" ones taken care of first, y'know?

― maypang (maypang), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, it ain't their finest hour, but it's light years from "stinking".

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:45 (twenty-one years ago)

i once found some piece o crap disco comp with a 50.00 bill in the sleeve. a few times i found thrown out home videos/television recordings. i miss walking everywhere and finding junk.

― kephm, Monday, 1 March 2004 19:48 (twenty-one years ago)

I throw crappy records I don't want anymore out my window.
They are always gone the next morning. Very practical

― Mrk, Monday, 1 March 2004 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

I throw crappy records I don't want anymore out my window.

Do you look first?

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 19:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah. Wouldn't want someone to loose an eye. Or worse.

― Mrk, Monday, 1 March 2004 20:06 (twenty-one years ago)

This story is not music-related, and pretty disgusting. Feel free to scroll on past.

A former co-worker once saw a homeless guy selling a whole bunch of stuff on St. Mark's Place. He went over and looked, and among the pile were a couple of photo albums. He immediately started flipping through them, because hey, you never know, right? Well, the photo albums were the exhaustive documentation of three guys who lived together and were really into two things: wearing military uniforms and shitting on each other. I don't know if they were reservists or full-time military or what, but what's important is that they had elaborate furniture constructed so one guy could lie down on the floor, in fatigues, while another guy sat down and crapped on his face. It wasn't like they had specific dom/sub roles, either; each of the three took turns being the shitter and the shitt-ee. The albums were almost completely filled with these three and their coprophiliac adventures. My friend bought them all for $5, and as far as I know still has them in his apartment somewhere.

Like I said, this story is not music-related. But I felt like sharing.

― Phil Freeman (Phil Freeman), Monday, 1 March 2004 20:11 (twenty-one years ago)

Holy sh.....!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 20:12 (twenty-one years ago)

OMG~!!@!@!@!@!

― BICICLETA EMOCIONAL!!! (Jon Williams) (ex machina), Monday, 1 March 2004 20:14 (twenty-one years ago)

holy toledo.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 March 2004 20:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Dude Ian try 4th Ave closer up to the Atlantic Center, like around St. Mark's on the left side of the street as you're walking towards Flatbush. I got loads of cool stuff from a self-described "old DJ" getting rid of late-70s early-80s dance vinyl.

― Tracer Hand (tracerhand), Monday, 1 March 2004 20:17 (twenty-one years ago)

I just walked past this corner again and most of the good albums I didn't take were gone--Beatles LPs (horrible condition), more ELP, RUSH, tons of Dan Fogelberg & Kenny Loggins... there was, however, a fresh pile of weirdo classical/world music type records. I got a Liszt LP and one of Gregorian chants for christmas time.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 1 March 2004 21:08 (twenty-one years ago)

It's so weird to think of all these ILM'rs walking around my neighborhood.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Monday, 1 March 2004 21:38 (twenty-one years ago)

like lemmings.

― Ian Johnson (orion), Monday, 1 March 2004 22:00 (twenty-one years ago)

in search of cast-off records and discount cheese.

― lauren (laurenp), Monday, 1 March 2004 22:09 (twenty-one years ago)

Tracer - Ian means 4th Ave and 12th in Manhattan, not Brooklyn.

Most recent thing was the Raekwon/Ghost Faced Killah "Ice Cream" 12" last fall. And sometime last spring my roommate got me the first Godz LP offa some dude for cheap. Records are like roadkill, they come back out in the spring.

― hstencil, Monday, 1 March 2004 22:13 (twenty-one years ago)

That shit story sounds familiar ...

― J2DanceR, Monday, 1 March 2004 22:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Is this an American thing? I've never ever seen records just lying in the street.

― Jim Robinson (Original Miscreant), Monday, 1 March 2004 23:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Ten really crappy metal cds I somehow got ahold of (I think they might have been review copies -- Skyeclad, Life of Agony, some third rate Fear Factory imitator) lasted all of seven minutes outside my front door in Frankfurt this summer.

― Colin Meeder (Mert), Monday, 1 March 2004 23:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Once found a double album by Ferrante & Teicher. I play them on two turntables simultaneously and it sounds like Conlan Nancarrow.

― Stephen Boyle (SBoyle), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 18:30 (twenty-one years ago)

I once found the following lying in the snow in Leeds:

on cassette no less.

― Shooz (shooz), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:00 (twenty-one years ago)

I found a Snotty Skotty and the Hankies (local perennial bar band) 7" in the street (literally) but it looked to have run over a few times so I didn't even try playing it (intact but embedded grit, etc). And once leaving my local swap meet I found about 20 LPs in the trash can so I took them home. Some classical, some jazz, including about 5 Dave Brubecks, none of which had "Take Five" on them, because I guess a DB LP with "TF" still has a chance of selling some time in the future.

― nickn (nickn), Tuesday, 2 March 2004 21:05 (twenty-one years ago)

The local AM station was changing format about 1965 and gave a ton of 78's to my dad. He never played them. So without looking closely as to their content, my friends and I blasted them to bits one afternoon with rifles. I'll never know what we destroyed. Hey, I was 12 and the radio station played the worst music.
Probably killed a classic or two...

― jim wentworth (wench), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 06:26 (twenty-one years ago)

someone threw metallica's black album at me from their car.
does that count?
i threw it away a couple of weeks ago

― Dude (The Yellow Dart), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 07:04 (twenty-one years ago)

Did any of you guys find the plastic bagful of LPs I left in a phone booth on Yonge Street? About ten years ago? (Never played 'em, couldn't sell 'em, at least not for money.) There was Happy Flowers, Laughing Hyenas, Half Japanese, Dramarama, Saint Vitus, all kindsa crap. Hope you liked 'em!

― Myonga Von Bontee, Wednesday, 3 March 2004 10:11 (twenty-one years ago)

You honestly couldn't sell them? Christ. I'd buy most of what you mentioned if you were selling now.

Like Jim says, this 'leaving stuff on street corners' thing is evidently a British-American cultural difference... I think it might be linked in some way to the fite about tipping which people were having on ILE. I did get a Baby Ford tape and the 7" of Stakker Humanoid off the street for free, but it was outside a record shop.

― DJ Mencap (DJ Mencap), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 10:21 (twenty-one years ago)

I used to leave 7" singles on my road (this was 1997) to see how long it would be before they were picked up (the council isn't too hot on cleaning up), and made a top ten of time left in street before taken by a member of public. The winner was the Spin Doctors with a straight five weeks unwanted. I don't recall all of the other nine, or their order.

― Canada Briggs (Canada Briggs), Wednesday, 3 March 2004 10:37 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I probably could've found a more receptive shopkeeper if I'd spent another few hours walking around, but I was lazy & needed the space more than the money. (My musical tastes were changing, too!) Didn't know anyone in town who'd want them, either. I'm sure they found a good home.

― Myonga Von Bontee, Wednesday, 3 March 2004 20:27 (twenty-one years ago)

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