Most prized album?

[Scoot]

As I continue my odyssey ripping as many CD's as I can, I ran across one that I'd literally feel a bit empty if I lost it. Anybody else have one? I'm not talking about a "favorite record", I'm talking about something that is rare, sentimental value...etc.

 

Mine is an Italian bootleg of a Pearl Jam concert in Wichita, 11-23-93. That concert also happened to be the first rock show I attended. I was 17, they were my favorite band, and at the time they were probably the biggest band in the world and I was lucky enough to see them in a 3,000 seat arena. Two great moments stick out: Eddie stopping "Black" mid-verse to tell the crowd surfers to "cool it for just one song", and a sweet solo version of "The Kids are Allright."

 

It rules.

[73 P Bass]

That's a tough one: My Dammed double lp on yellow vinyl, or my USA, and English pressings of "The Clash", or my first lp; Kiss "Destroyer".

Today I heard Peter Gabriel "Shock the Monkey" on the radio; the lp that was off was very important to me in my youth. So was Talking Heads "More Songs about Buildings and Food".

But probably the most precious would be my first band's six song demo.

Vinyl is more precious than any other media to me.

[zeronyne]

I have a cassette from a band called Farrenheit from Boston in the middle Eighties. The best pop rock I've ever heard, and one of the best pop songs ("Fool in Love"). I don't think their album ever made it to CD, and I've never heard from them since.

[Basshappi]

I have a demo tape from a band I played in back in the 80's. We did all original music, great tunes (at least I think so)I really thought that band would do well *sigh*. I still play some of those tunes when I'm practicing. I have made a few copies just so I won't loose it.

 

Funny story, about 2 years ago the guitarist, drummer and I got together and jammed for the first time since the band broke up all those years ago.

 

The guitarist had been living back east working in the legal side of the music biz years but got tired of it and moved back to town. He found out that one of our band's songs had been a minor hit..... in Germany!

 

We had contributed the song to a "Best of Tucson" compilation and somehow a copy of it made it over there!

 

Dang!....(Brando voice)"I coulda been somebody,I coulda been a contenda!"

 

Just as well I guess, I'd probably be living under a bridge somewhere in Europe right now.

[butcherNburn]

Oooo that's tough since there is so much you can find on the Internet these days.

 

Personal - A cassette of my old "band" (I use that term loosely) Crust, from about 1995. The guitarist can't hold a thought for more than a minute, and progressively gets drunker, it's the drummer's 4th time behind a kit (doing quite well considering), and me carrying them and being rock solid the whole time. OK it's a "comparative issue" but I still listen to it once a month.

 

A bootleg cassette of BB King and Bobby "Blue" Bland, at a loose club performance. Nothing rehearsed, and probably years since they've seen each other. I don't know when it's from but BB did have a beer during the performance. That's one of the loose moments that make it Magic. The backing band was incredible.

 

Hawkwind - Psycadelic Warlords. Kind of a best hits mostly from the Lemmy era. I found it as a fluke and haven't seen another one since. A lot of live mayhem and acid laced cookies.

[moot]

I have a cassette tape of a band I was in recorded at Pearls Place (long gone now) in S.F. The date on the tape is 7-16-81. Decent music but horrific singing. Mostly mine. For some reason it has never left my "stuff" box.

Keepsake - 8 track tape of Yes, Close To The Edge.

[jeremy c]

You mean an actual piece of vinyl that you would cry if you lost it. Even if you could get the music on a cd (which you probably couldn't).

 

I have a few that I feel that way about.

 

The first 45 by the MC5 complete with a picture slipcover. I finally got them to autograph it last year, even though I had bought it directly from them 37 years ago.

 

A 7" EP by Country Joe and the Fish. I should have got it autographed by Joe while my son and his daughter went to elementary school together in the early 80's (20 years after I bought it).

 

A 12" red vinyl 45 rpm of the Brothers Johnson. Get the Funk out my face is on one side and Strawberry Letter 23 is on the other.

 

Bob Seger's first 45 when he was a local Flint, Michigan guitarist.

 

The 700 leftover copies of my first single.

 

Introducing the Beatles on VeeJay records because it's rare.

 

12x5 by the Rolling Stones because I bought it at one of their first US concerts (maybe their first, I've never been able to find out) in 1965.

 

My Generation by The Who. Just because.

 

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn by Pink Floyd. The real Pink Floyd with Syd Barrett. I bought it because of the band's picture on the cover. And the music proceeded to blow my mind.

 

I still listen to vinyl on a regular basis.

[musicfiend]

Originally posted by jeremy c:

You mean an actual piece of vinyl that you would cry if you lost it. Even if you could get the music on a cd (which you probably couldn't).

 

A 7" EP by Country Joe and the Fish. I should have got it autographed by Joe while my son and his daughter went to elementary school together in the early 80's (20 years after I bought it).

 

Bob Seger's first 45 when he was a local Flint, Michigan guitarist.

 

Introducing the Beatles on VeeJay records because it's rare.

 

12x5 by the Rolling Stones because I bought it at one of their first US concerts (maybe their first, I've never been able to find out) in 1965.

 

I still listen to vinyl on a regular basis.

Wow, there's no doubt that you're old ( ) , but you do it in a very cool way.

 

For me, the two albums I'm most attached two, are Wired by Jeff Beck on vinyl, and Songs in the Key of Life; the double vinyl set by Stevie wonder.

 

For me, Wired is special because it introduced me to the compositional genius of Stevie Wonder through Beck's cover. And Songs in the Key of Life because it's what inspired me to start taking songwriting seriously ( and while I already had been pretty darn serious as far as bass goes, I thin I stepped it up a notch after wearing out that cd, whew ...talk about putting your heart and soul into your instrument)

[EddiePlaysBass]

Cool thread !!!

[Dave Brown]

Ah, vinyl. I got about 1000 of them suckers in my bedroom closet. Unlike Jeremy, I rarely pull them out. Who has time to listen to music anymore?

 

I have quite a few albums that are irreplacable, and for some I've actually found CD reissues that have since gone out of print! Here are three of those:

 

"Out of the Woods" by Oregon. Absolutely incredible. Out of the Woods Samples, plus a review written by ME!

"Roots in the Sky" by Oregon. Damn Good Roots in the Sky

"Greatest Spirituals" by "The Jubilee Four. Take a quick listen to samples at Amazon. Greatest Spirituals My dad bought this vinyl in the early 60's, and I listened time and again on those old, cheap record players that wore the thing out to a scratchy mess. I took the vinyl to college, and I still have it, virtually unplayble. A few years ago I found the CD re-release...very limited, and bought one from the cut-rack section of Amazon for $25. I realized that most of my bass instinct probably came from listening to this as a child.

[kenfxj]

Got lots of vinyl. It might be Chicago V (the wood grain one) - the first album I bought with my own money. Or else I'm torn between My Aim Is True by Elvis Costello and Road To Ruin by the Ramones. These opened a whole new world for me.

[Dennyf]

Hmm. It would be either the Royal Guardsmen's "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" album (the first I bought w/my own money as a wee child), or my never-been-played copy of Klaatu's first album (Mostly known as "Klaatu" in the States, "3:47 EST" elsewhere).

[Father Gino]

Spoken word record. Dr Edward Teller (father of the H-bomb) eplaining the relative size of the universe and the theory of relativeity.

 

Is that rare? I dunno, maybe everyone has one.

 

I've regretted for years not buying a record set that would have been my answer; A 10 lp set of the Neuremburg trials. It would have cost me $10 which seemed like a lot in 1973. Not sure if I would ever have listened to the whole thing, but for some reason, I wish I had it.

[Father Gino]

Originally posted by Dennyf:

Hmm. It would be either the Royal Guardsmen's "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" album (the first I bought w/my own money as a wee child), .

Cool! That was my first record too. I'm not sure my copy still exists, but I remember it. I think mine was yellow.

[Basshappi]

Hmm. It would be either the Royal Guardsmen's "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" album

Holy Smokes! I'd forgotten all about that one! I had that as a child as well! "10..20..30..40..50 or more.."

[LizzyD]

My vinyl copy of Fly By Night, by Rush, even though it doesn't contain the lyric sleeve. But it was my first "real" rock record, given to me by my friend for my 11th birthday. She wrapped it and wrote on the wrapping paper, and it imprinted onto the cover, so I will always remember where my first record came from and how it changed the course of my life.

 

Another one I'd hate to lose is my autographed copy of Jon Anderson's Olias Of Sunhillow. When he signed it, I told him it was my favorite of his solo albums, and he said "yeah, me too!". Here he is signing it.

[Cup_dup1]

Never had the money for vinyl, and any c.d I own has a tendency to get scratched (yeah, my friends have long since stopped loaning me music).

 

So the most important L.P I own is the one getting the most play. At the moment that's Tom Waits, SwordFishTrombone.

[way2fat]

The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus by Spirit. They went with me on my first acid trip.

[basses_arent_fish]

I've got a copy of Don Ellis at the 1966 Monterey Jazz Fest - awesome album, I doubt if I could replace it. Where else are you going to find a piece in 19/4?

[Edendude]

Steely Dan 'The Royal Scam'.

[EddiePlaysBass]

I will add to that Uriah Heep compilation th "How To Measure A Planet" album by The Gathering. Way too beautiful, and everytime I listen to it, it's a trip down memory lane. A different lane each time, funnily enough but a fun trip (mostly)

[Mark Zeger]

I sold off most of my vinyl many years ago. I had 5 or 6 full "Peaches" crates and saved 1 crate full, mostly jazz and autographed albums.

 

My favorite is a limited edition vinyl copy of Talking Heads' "Speaking In Tongues", autographed by the band. I met them backstage before a show on the "Stop Making Sense" tour (the one with David Byrne's "big white suit). They had never seen a copy before mine. It's designed by artist Robert Rauschenberg. The cover has a plastic case with a transparent blue and a transparent red disc on each side, both with Rauschenberg images. The album is clear vinyl.

 

Dave Brown-

I love that Oregon album, "Out of the Woods", and their album "Moon and Mind". Haven't heard either in years. When I discovered them back in high school, I loved Colin Walcott's playing so much that I wanted to buy a sitar and tablas. Then I learned how hard it was to tune and maintain a sitar, let alone learn to play one.

[Warlock1016]

Mine is a series of custom cassette I made about 15 years ago. The Dr. Demento Show was a new thing for me, and I have roughly 23 tapes worth of the shows, mostly from 1989-90. So much of the stuff on there was unreleased. I lost one tape when it was eaten, and I've only managed to recover 60% of what I lost.

 

Believe it or not, the laughter got me through a lot of rough spots.

[Tenstrum]

It ain't exactly rare, but it was THE ALBUM that changed my life: Iron Maiden - Live After Death - Extended Cassette

 

I played that cassette so much that the writing is worn off. I haven't played it in quite a few years, because I have the CDs now. I just may have to break it out and see if it still turns...

BTW - this cassette had the most tape of any cassette I've every seen. Think one of those 120 minute cassettes and then add some more tape inside...2 CDs worth of stuff on one cassette tape...freaking massive!

[tarkus]

I lost 500 vinyls in a fire (as well as all of my gear) a few years ago.

 

Gems:

 

First edition pressing of Coltraine's "A Love Supreme" still in plastic.

 

78 rpm speed Enrico Caruso boxed set circa 1930's.

 

Entire Frank Zappa Catalog including the three records that WB pirated and released without FZ permission: Sleep Dirt, Studio Tan, and Orchestral Favorites.

 

The original pressing of 'Electric Ladyland' (the nudie cover - my mom thought that was porn!).

 

Entire ELP vinyl collection: Two Curious bootlegs, one interspersed with Star Trek out-takes.

 

Entire Yes collection: including the missing and rare insert from 'The Yes Album'.

 

Entire King Crimson Catalog with many boots. Doctor D was a good vinyl boot.

 

Entire Floyd featuring my favorite boots "Atom Heart Mother on the Road, and Live from The Paris Theatre 1972.

 

Led Zep: I always loved the Physical Graffitti cover... so much I bought another and kept it sealed (prior to the fire, as a gift I had this one box framed and gave it to my oldest brother for his 40th birthday).

 

looking back - it was an end of an era for me and rock-art. CD art sucks and MP3 is the lingua franca. I used to enjoy lsitening to albums fresh from the store. Had a Marantz tube tuner and a B&O turntable with speakers that my friend made from some mail-order kit.

 

Anyone want a used B&O turntable? (no needle)

[Mudcat]

The self-titled debut album by Pearl Harbour and the Explosions released in 1979. This is one of my all-time favorites. To my knowledge it has never been released on CD.

 

This one has the classics "Up and Over" and "Shut Up and Dance."

[wraub]

So many, for various reasons...

 

The 16 track OU818 Mr Bungle demo. Actually, I have this on a cassette, backed with Primus' "Suck on This". This was a major reality shaker back in '89.

 

My Gentle Giant collection- imports, domestic, and bootlegs. Probably 30 discs in all.

 

Dave Brubeck's Time Out, as it was one of the first to inform me of "off-time".

 

The Isley Brothers "It's Your Thing" single. One of the first real groove classics that moved me.

 

Booker T's Green Onions for the same reason.

 

Yes' Fragile, the first album I learned straight through.

 

I'll post more later...

 

Peace,

 

wraub

[Tom Capasso]

I fall in love easily, so I don't think I could even write them all down. I have lots of singles (starting in '63) that are cool. Soupy Sales "Do The Mouse", a green vinyl version of the song "Cool Water"

 

For album art, it's the Court Of The Crimson King (though not for the art alone), and Badfinger's "No Dice" (the album is the "book-folded" type - you open it up and there's a girl covered in a beaded necklace), and my original Sgt. Pepper (mono) and my White Album. Electric Light Orchestra's "Eldorado"

 

I own that VeeJay thing - didn't realize it had collector's value.

 

There's the plentiful (though not complete or rare) collections by Cat Stevens, Todd Rundgren, ELO, and Elvis Costello.

 

Biff Rose's "The Thorn In Mrs Rose's Side".

 

And personal stuff. I recovered my late 70's band studio cassettes (turned out I was the only one that saved them). I have a 3-cassette live one that has to be done. I did tons of stuff with my cousin on reel-to-reel. Some of that I copied to cassette, and the cassettes are now being copied to disk by 57pbass' keyboardist, who owns a studio.

 

Tom

[Fred TBP]

Two bootlegs stand out: The Jimi Hendrix Experience live in Amsterdam, circa the "Axis: Bold as Love" period, and a live Jethro Tull album from their "Teacher" tour. I have to dig them out of storage, but they've been encased in plastic for over 20 years. I don't think they've ever been released.

 

OK, make it three: I have a bootleg 4-song cassette from Zeppelin's brief Amsterdam tour. The one with "In the Evening". I believe it was the last before Page and Bonham met at the mansion to rehearse. That SHOULD be released someday, IMHO it sounded better than stuff from "Song Remains The Same". Bonham was in top form for that show, and I don't have to tell you what JPJ was capable of.

 

My friend has something a bit rarer: a German release of "Let It Be" that contained a 12x12 64-page color portfolio of photos from the movie. It's an EP that has a couple of extra songs the US version didn't have, but I haven't heard that in years. Time for a phone call.

 

Perchance we need an "Official Bootleg" thread.

(Hmm, maybe I should think that over... )

 

PS: Tom, I just caught the Soupy Sales reference. Next trip to storage I'm going to see if I can find my 45 copy of "Pafha..." (damn, I forgot how to spell it, you know the song I mean... ) Thanks for helping me smile again, I miss Soupy!

[Quinn]

I very stupidly sold a lot of my vinyl a few years back when I needed money and wish I had a lot of that stuff now for sentimental reasons.

 

Vinyl I still own that I'd hate to be without?

 

Norman and Nancy Blake - Directions

(A great album of acoustic music that has never been re-issued on CD.)

 

Dylan Thomas Reads His Complete Recorded Poetry

(I don't listen to this one that much, but it's really great and very rare.)