Expecting Rain

I came across this old dusty record shop today , full of ( mostly used ) vinyls . I'm 18 years old , so , even though i love vinyls , i don't know much about them . The place looked like a warehouse and smelled like one too , but it really made my day . I spent an hour there just looking at those vinyls , especially Bob's stuff . I didn't buy anything but i walked out of there knowing what i have to do : Take my father's old record player , fix it and never buy CDs again in my life .
I'll keep downloading music , but in time i will buy everything i have on vinyl . I mostly listen to old music anyway so i should be able to find everything.

To get to the point , i have a few questions for you .
1) There are lots of Dylan vinyls there , some of them very old . First thing that comes to my head is a 1968 US reissue of John Wesley Harding sold for 28 Euros. Many first editions too. Didn't have enough time to check everything out but i will soon .
Aren't those rare and extremely valuable ? Probably depends on their condition , though they looked fine .

2) How can you tell if a record is in good condition or not? I know it's such a silly question but you must understand that i know little about vinyls . There are other places i could ask but you guys are very kind and helpful and i trust you .


3) Another silly question , but i should go ahead and ask : Is there a way to check their authenticity ? I mean , if they're really that old and not some reissue . I suppose that i can tell just by looking at the cover and artwork , right ?


4) New vinyl for 25 euros vs used in good condition for 10 euros or so . Should i stick to the new ones if they are available and not take any chances?


Once again i apologise for my poor English

^.. if they are (and i'm getting the sense they are) inexpensive
- or mayber even reasonable - GO BACK AND GET 'EM NOW. ..
.. i'm not familiar w/ your money, but -
- using this as added info towards my advice to you..

.. i say - GO. Go NOW ... don't hesitate. My next post
may be asking for directions......... .. or someone will. ..
.. and you don't need to apologize for your English
- you talk better'n i do - what i've seen most of the time.
.. or at least you make more sense. i enjoy your posts muchly.
- but remember: i'm not familiar w/ your $$ - don't pay big money.
... if they're reasonable, and look to be in decent shape.

It does depend on condition but there are other variables. It's hard to make blanket statements like, if you see this, then the record is valuable. If you're serious about collecting valuable records, you should buy a price guide.

Look for scratches. Also make sure the record isn't warped---in other words, is it perfectly flat? I also look for dust & dirt. By itself, this might not be a concern---maybe if the record is cleaned, it might reveal no scratches---but for me, a dirty record indicates that the former owner didn't take care of it.

The best way to determine whether you have an old record is to examine the label & familiarize yourself with how the actual record labels have evolved. This web page illustrates how Columbia labels, for example, have changed over the years:
http://heroinc.0catch.com/columbia/


New vinyl does seem to be better made.


Don't. I know very few 18-year-olds whose first language is English who would use words like "authenticity." You're doing fine.

I bought a lot of my vinyl on eBay, and mostly the descriptions they make of the condition there is right.
When I buy Dylan's records I always check with this site first http://www.searchingforagem.com/InternationalAlbumsHeader.htm

I was just walking home from town the other day and i stopped into a local record store and i couldnt believe their Dylan collection!!! they had so much stuff....3vinyl Masterpiece set, 12 inch Everything is Broken single, loads of live rolling thunder vinyl boots, 78 tour vinyl boots, hammersmith 1990. loads and loads of stuff!!
i had no money so i could only look

Get back there pronto!! I'll buy the Masterpieces off you!!

literally have noooo money, unemployed at the moment and they aint giving me dole you could send me money and ill happily buy it for you

Check if they are locally-produced (in Greece) as I recall in the early 70's the local vinyl records were very lightweight/floppy. Should be something on the cover and/or matrix.

Well , thank you friends


Pretty great cheap stuff out there . Lot's of bootlegs too .
I think i'm gonna do it. I'll take Grumpy's advice .
P. Pittsburgh Joe , your post helps me a lot . Also , don't be fool by the word authenticity , it is a greek word
The site SirDogg mentionded is just what i was looking for .
arcadian , locally made vinyls seem to be very inexpensive , but i have a feeling their quality won't be so good .


Also , i have another question . I met an strange old man in that shop who looked like he had just stepped out of Oliver Twist , and he told me that new vinyls aren't as good as the old ones .


Do you think he was right?
P. Pittsburgh Joe seems to disagree .



Thanks again , you guys are great.

only buy things that are ten euros or less. spending 25 bucks a record is stupid

Euros and bucks are two different things.

Buy it if you want it and can afford it. Thats the only rule, the only value judgement to make.

Look at the record in the light - scratches are bad, no scratches is good. Even with scratches though, a record will play perfectly well - depends on the severity of the damage and the quality of your turntable and cartridge.

Get all the US mono vinyls of the first Dylan albums, up to and including John Wesley Harding. The US monos, mind, not the others. The US mono mixes sound the best.

Dont buy any Good As I Been To Yous, World Gone Wrongs, Time Out of Minds unless they are originals - lots of bootleg copies in different coloured vinyl out there, with dodgy artwork and pressings. Then again, if they're cheap enough and you want to take a punt on them sounding decent, you might get lucky.

Get a quality turntable, pair it with a decent amp and some nice speakers in a room where you can totally chill out, et voila - you're in business.

I would not agree. New vinyl seems sturdier, less prone to warping, & is packaged better. Long ago in the US, vinyl was often packaged in hard cardboard inner sleeves & wrapped in tight cellophane; some of these albums were scratched & warped before you even played them. I began springing for imports, which were wrapped in loose plastic. Today vinyl is packaged more sensibly. But for the most part old vinyl isn't bad. I do think they're making it a little better today.

yep bb a euro is worth even more than a buck

Some of my favorite records I got for .99 cents at the thrift store. Some of those dirty looking records I scored and sounded a bit rough when played led me to find better quality copies because I needed to hear it sound better..Others just sit there in my collection (because I still enjoy them, gritty sound and all) and I always know that if/when I run across a better copy, I'll buy it.

Lot of good advice in this thread.

Another tip: If you see barcodes on an album that was released before around 1980, it's a repro..

Once you get that hang of it, it should become easier to spot repros versus originals.. I've found that a smartphone with internet capabilities helps when looking for info about something interesting I happen to run across..Just ask the internet while standing there in the store..

Yep, that's exactly what i meant. Just do as Benny says, get good quality vinyl, good turntable/stylus/amp(which may be big bucks) = good sound. If you get a scratched/warped disk tho....

Good luck with the shopping. Lets us all know what you pick up.

Peace Brutha!

You won't get GAIBTY, WGW, TOOM or "LAT" for that....

You wont get any for less than 10 euros.

where do you live crimson? i'm coming to visit!

chicago record stores are graveyards. i may make a trip to milwaukee once my new record player arrives this week!




my big debate right now is if i will move the music system from the living room to my office, if so i may become a hermit. maybe i'll get some wireless speakers...in any case it seems like less of a walk to flip sides.

Aint nessescarily so....I picked an original mint GAIBTY last year for ten quid. Persverence is the key.....although I'll admit that was a freak occurence and exceedingly unlikely to happen for the other titles you mention....won't stop me looking in EVERY vinyl shop I happen to pass anywhere in the world though...

Re: Bob Dylan used vinyls


What did he use them for?

The bathroom floor.

Any new for that amount. The majority of my Dylan vinyl is used, in pretty decent shape and cost me anywhere from $3-$5 per record. Sometimes just $5 for a double lp. Granted my collection is probably piss-poor compared to Benny's or a more serious collector's, but I make due with my small budget and little local record store.

If you're just starting out with vinyl, spring for a few used just to give you a good frame of reference and a place to start. Learn how to care for your vinyl, learn the difference between originals and repros. And for god's sake, just because it says Bob Dylan or The Beatles, doesn't make it worth more than what you paid. So many records were mass produced by popular artists yet old vinyl records seem to spark ideas of high prizes.

the hunt for cheap records is most of the thrill!

i used to buy all new records, for between 30 and 40 dollars a pop, and i realised after a year or so that my shelf full of records had cost thousands of dollars which frightened me a lot.

i decided instead to start buying mostly second hand records and try not to buy anything for more than 10 or 15 dollars (except on special occasions, such as for the records that JP mentioned)

i buy new records, which are always pretty pricey here, whenever i get birthday money or christmas money or vouchers to a music chain that has a decent new vinyl section, etc.

this was i get more records for less money! which is obviously a good thing.

Still haven't fixed my Dad's record player .

I'll let you guys know when i buy my first Dylan vinyl