All this week I’m taking a look back at 2010, beginning with a look at my top 5 vinyl records I dug up in 2010. Last year was a very good year in terms of rebuilding my collection. Since my big sell off in 2004, vinyl has always been on my mind, but this last year was the first since then that really started to see my collection grow again. I had a solid year diggin’ in local record stores and also a really productive year on Ebay. This list is only comprised of things found in actual physical stores, make sure you keep on supporting your own independent vinyl suppliers!
Much like last year, nothing insanely rare here, just really solid records, all of which I’d never heard until tracking them down this year. I’ll likely be spinning a couple of these this Saturday as I do guest set over at the legendary Funky Sole weekly in Echo Park.
So, here they are, my top 5 LP and 45 finds of 2010, I’d love to know what records you tracked down this past year, let me know what YOU dug up in 2010!!!
***Honorable Mentions: Willie Colon – Asalto Navideno Vol. 1 (in the sleeve for Vol. 2??!?) [Records LA, Los Angeles], Freddie Roach – My People (Soul People) [As The Record Turns, Hollywood], Don “Soul Train” Campbell – “Campbell Lock” 45 (super scratchy copy) [Bagatelle Records, Long Beach], Rico Rodriguez – Man From Wareika [Atomic Records, Burbank], Zoo – Zoo [San Francisco Antique Mall, San Francisco], The 8th Day – “It’s Instrumental To Be Free” 45 [Bagatelle Records], Arnold Bean – Cosmic Bean [As The Record Turns, Hollywood]
5. Battered Ornaments – Mantle Piece – Harvest [Atomic Records, Burbank]
The Battered Ornaments – The Crosswords and the Safety Pins
I predicted in August that this one might go down as one of my best finds of the year, and indeed that was the case. Had it been a UK version, I likely would have felt compelled to throw it up on Ebay to see what the “flip” rate would be, since those copies go for upwards of $600. US versions run considerably less, between $50-100, but at $6 it’s still a steal and ultimately it’s the music that is most important.
4. Irene Reid – Dirty Old Man / Just Loving You – Old Town 7” [Bagatelle Records, Long Beach]
I might have actually dug this up originally in 2009, during one of many trips to Long Beach’s Bagatelle when there were tons of 45s on the shop floor. I was at the time systematically going through the stacks and came upon 6 or 7 copies of this 45, which were affordably priced at $7. Taking a quick listen confirmed what I thought looking at the label, “Dirty Old Man” was a nice slice of sister funk, with the flip side “Loving You” being a just as nice, though much blusier, track as well. At the time, I thought something along the lines of, “well I’m not worried about anyone buying all of these, I’ll just come back for them next month.”
I didn’t make it back to Bagatelle for several months and when I did I was shocked to find all of the 45 boxes gone. When I described the 45 to the owner he didn’t recall seeing it and said that since the 45s were now back in storage, it might never turn up. His promise of new 45s coming out onto the floor didn’t materialize for a good 4 or 5 months after this initial disappointment. At some point late in 2010 when I was about go through the “new” 45s, he walked up and handed me a copy of this 45. Lesson learned, if you track down a song you dig, don’t dilly-dally, pick it up!
3. Jeffrey Simmons – Naked Angels: Original Soundtrack – Straight [Groove Merchant, San Francisco]
Jeffrey Simmons – Naked Angels Theme
Didn’t mention too much about this one the first time around because I was very very busy. It actually took a great find to land this great find. I had picked up a Winston Turner LP at the Record Recycler in Torrance for $4 or so, and ended up trading that for this and a Minutemen LP with Cool Chris at Groove Merchant. So basically that means I got an LP that generally runs from $50-100, for $4. I’m a big fan of biker movie soundtracks (though not really a fan of biker movies), but had never seen or heard this one until hearing it at Groove Merchant. While it doesn’t have the funky consistency of the Hell’s Belles soundtrack (which I finally tracked down via Ebay), it does have several massive breaks spread throughout a surprisingly diverse collection of rock solid instrumentals.
2. The Ray Camacho Group – Salsa Chicana – California Records [Records LA]
The Ray Camacho Group – Let’s Boogie
Not much else to say about this one, just have to chalk it up to good DJ karma. I spent maybe 20 minutes at the store that day. Had I walked in 30 minutes earlier or later, I probably wouldn’t have even known this record was even there. From what I’ve been able to research since, it seems like there are even rarer Camacho records out there, but from what I’ve heard so far, THIS one remains the funkiest of the bunch.
1. Jun Mayuzumi – Black Room / Angel Love – Capitol 7” [Records LA]
By far this was the top record I picked up this year. I was absolutely floored when Scott Craig put up a youtube clip of this 45 on Records LA’s facebook page letting people know he had a copy of this and some other choice numbers from Japan. Hearing it that first time was like a bolt of lightning striking me, though now I’m pretty sure I’d heard the song way back in my KALX days. Unable to get to his store for a couple of days after the original message, I was convinced that someone else would have claimed this monster, but as luck would have it, it was still there. The price was a fairly hefty $45, but considering this 45 goes for close to $100 on Ebay, still seems like a deal. To me, being able to hear that breakdown with Jun’s voice and just those drums, makes this one a priceless find.
Also just had to share this clip of some Japanese B-Boys battling to this song. I love how the winning crew bests their rivals not by having particularly slick moves, but through a thorough knowledge of the song and some playful acting, that’s so good even the DJ (in a Suicidal Tendencies hat no less) has to give it up to them mid-song.
Happy Hunting for 2011,
Michael