Saturday, 14 February 2015
Thursday, 12 February 2015
New Single from the Galileo 7
Last December we went into Ranscombe Studio to record two tracks for the forthcoming single. "One Lie At A Time" and "God Of Gaps" will be released on the second best record label in the world, State Records. If that wasn't incentive enough to pre-order a copy, we've just recorded a bonus track that will be included on a CD for the first 250 copies only.
For more information and to get your order in to avoid disappointment head to
http://thegalileo7.fourfour.com
Tuesday, 10 February 2015
Gaz Coombes ~ Matador
Monday, 9 February 2015
The Beginners Guide To Buying Second Hand Records - Online
The Beginners Guide To Buying Second Hand Records - Online
Ebay, Discogs and similar sites are fantastic ways of getting directly to those long sort after gems, you should though, keep on your toes for charlatans tellin’ stories.
1- I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For.
If you know what you want, www.discogs.com will give you a good idea of price. They list the highest, lowest and median amount paid for that record. Bear in mind that information is for that particular pressing. The Doors debut album on Electra has 165 different versions to plough through. The other resource is rare record price guide, this is an online and/or book subscription service available at http://www.rarerecordpriceguide.com/
2- Who Are You?
Check out who you are buying from, their feedback and how many sales they have made in the last 6 months. Is it a casual seller or a shop?
If it’s from a website is it a genuine website? http://www.wikihow.com/Find-if-a-Website-Is-Legitimate
3- Jump Around
Read the listing carefully regarding what is being sold. What condition is it in? Are there quality pictures of the actual record being sold? The record & sleeve should be graded separately, what is the grading system being used? One person’s Good+ is another one’s fair. The record collector magazine grading is shown here http://recordcollectormag.com/advertise/listings-help
Also watch out for Buy It Now prices on eBay, some of these are fantastically above the book price.
4- Ask
If there is something not mentioned in the listing (like the deadwax matrix number or if the original inner sleeve is present) then contact the seller. Just make sure that what you are asking isn't in the description, few things tick off listers more than those that are too lazy to fully read the description.
5- You’re Just Too Good To Be True
The Sex Pistols God Save The Queen on an A&M label for £200 may sound like an incredible bargain. Genuine original’s go for thousands of pounds. This is why you need to be on the lookout for fakes. Yes, the soaring price of rare records has led to a sickening trade in pirate records. This is a subject I will cover in more depth at some point, for now take a look at the aforementioned single http://www.philjens.plus.com/pistols/pistols/counterfeit_gstq.htm
Remember, if it’s looks too good to be true, it probably is.
Happy Diggin'
Wednesday, 4 February 2015
Good news for the Vinyl Records Market
Monday, 2 February 2015
Beginners Guide To Buying Second Hand Records
I keep forgetting that when I'm asked what appears to be a seemingly obvious question, that there is a generation who have grown up into their twenties without ever having bought a record. So before you head out to a second hand record shop, here are some things to consider.
1- Buy something you want to listen to.
This may seem ridiculously obvious, but time spent on deciding on what you like listening to, be it music, genre, band, era, sound effects, stories etc, will help inform the following points.
2- Realistic Expectations.
The most affordable vinyl albums will generally be late sixties, seventies and early to mid eighties. By affordable I mean in the 4-8 pound region. Earlier recordings in good condition could be a lot more expensive due to their age whereas bands from the nineties had very small and limited runs of vinyl and are quite scarce, so be prepared to pay more for those eras. Try to have a good list of options, at least five popular titles from five well known bands/artistes to get started.
3- Check before you buy.
Don't be afraid to look at the quality of the record before you buy it, is it scratched, are they hairline surface scratches of larger gouges? You may not hear the hairline scratches, but you probably will the larger ones. Is the record clean, is the inner sleeve in good condition, what is the cover like? All these should be reflected in the price, it's not unusual to see two identical albums at different amounts.
4- Ask!
Don't be afraid to introduce yourself and explain what you are looking for. If there are two identical albums for different prices, ask why they have been valued differently.
5- Give yourself time.
Part of the experience of digging through records is to lose yourself, worrying about when the parking will run out or supervising a bored partner will not add to your pleasure in any way shape or form.
6- Research.
I cannot recommend this point enough. If you have some idea what you would like to buy, a resource like www.discogs.com will give you a good idea of price. Remember, earlier pressings of the same album can be substantially more expensive than later ones. For example, Pink Floyd's "Dark Side Of The Moon" can be several hundred pounds for a mint first pressing, while later pressings can be had for around a tenner.
7- Fools Gold.
You have more chances of winning the lottery than finding a gold Parlaphone stereo "Please Please Me" in a record shop. Even charity shops have someone checking what is passing in through the back doors these days. If you want to win big money, you probably need to find a different hobby.
Whether it's for new or used records, Happy Diggin!