Record Reviews. Sort Of.

One of the things I do is sort, clean, and grade albums that come in as donations to a local charity and I thought hey, I’m bored. Why don’t I write brief reviews of some of the stuff that comes through the doors? So here goes.

Bear in mind that these are personal opinions and everyone’s taste in music is different. Also the price that I eventually put on a record is solely based on what I think it will bring in the store. General rule of thumb for the store for almost all of the items we sell is we look at the average used sale price and we charge 1/3 of that. Why not charge the full used price? Because we wouldn’t get it, first of all. Second we need ot move product through the store fast because we don’t have a lot of shelf space or storage space.

You Gave Me Love by BJ Thomas.

I’m not a BJ Thomas fan to begin with but this one was bad even for him. Mechanical, emotionless, wooden performances across every song on the record. Basically it’s generic background music with a semi-Christian theme. Entirely unappealing. At best ignorable. Is this really the same guy who did “Raind Drops Keep Falling on My Head”? Apparently it is. Sadly, the disc itself is in good condition so I don’t have an excuse to just chuck it into the bin. We price our albums at about 1/3 of what they’re going for, on average, on the internet outlets like eBay, etc. This one is going for a whole three bucks on eBay so we’ll put it on the shelf for $1.

Happy Man by BJ Thomas

Yes, another one. Sigh… This one is all Christian and even though the liner notes make a big deal about him being an enthusiastic Christian, he doesn’t seem to be able to summon up enough of that enthusiasm to sound interested in anything he’s singing on this album. Despite cover damage the disc itself looks pristine almost as if it’s never been played. Considering the uninspired musical accompaniment and Thomas’s dreary, unemotional singing, “Happy Man” isn’t going to make anyone very happy. The longer I listened to this thing the more I had an urge to throw a rock at the turntable. $1.

Air Supply Greatest Hits

I admit I’m not a big fan of Air Supply but even so, after dealing with those two Thomas albums, having this one turn up is refreshing and some of their stuff was genuinely good. And unlike Thomas who’s performances were so stiff and mechanical he might as well have just stayed home, these guys at least put a lot of effort and heart into their singing and some of it is genuinely enjoyable. And the disc itself is in nearly pristine condition. The price reflects that. Where Thomas’s stuff is going for about $3 on the used market, this one is averaging around $15. This one will go out the door for $5

The Sound of Music. The original first edition of the sound track including two copies of the original

The Sound of Music is a bit divisive, if you’ll forgive me for using that term. People seem to either love the music and the movie or they absolutely loathe it. I have to admit to being a bit prejudiced because I have fond memories of the movie and the music. When it first came out the nuns at school actually went and hired a bus and schlepped my entire class up to Green Bay to see it which meant getting out of class for almost an entire day. It is silly, ridiculous, nonsensical, illogical… the list goes on. But it’s a musical and musicals are generally all of those things to begin with. Would I recommend someone actually spend money to buy the album? Not unless they were already a fan of cheesy musicals in the first place. Would I spend money on this? No. It was pleasant to listen to. Once. As for value? Despite the fact this is the original release of the album, that it includes two pristine copies of the booklet that almost always gets lost, and that the record is in very good condition, it still isn’t worth much. It’s going for about $7 – $15. At the store I’d put $4 on it.

Angels of the Deep by Sweetbottom

I’d never heard of these guys before and to be perfectly blunt, that cover didn’t give me a great deal of confidence because… Well I mean just look at them. They look like refugees from a 1980s porn film. This was a pleasant surprise, though. Turns out they’re local, a fusion jazz band from Milwaukee. The music is pleasant, fast paced, upbeat and generally well done. Not something I’d buy myself but if I was visiting someone and they put it on the record player I wouldn’t be so irritated that I’d throw a rock at the turntable as I probably would if someone put one of those BJ Thomas records on. Their albums do show up on the internet. Looks like they average about $7+ used so this one will go out the door for $2.

Bobbi Sue by the Oak Ridge Boys

Hey, it’s the Oak Ridge Boys. What can I say? At their best they’re a fun band. This album is about average for them, a mix of pretty good with some mediocre filler. Alas, their stuff doesn’t go for much on the used market either. Looks like average price is about $7 so even though this one is in pristine condition it’ll go on the shelf for about $2

Free Room & Board by Don Wharton

First I want to make a distinction between true, traditional gospel music and what I call “modern Christian” popular music. I love gospel music. It is full of life and love and enthusiasm and joy and emotion. It is a celebration. We host Gospel Fest here in Hilbert every summer, a two day celebration of gospel music that is full of life and faith and love. Even if you aren’t a believer yourself the music can be amazing.

Meanwhile there is what I call “modern Christian” music which is… Well it’s this garbage. Insipid, dull, tedious, and being sung by someone expressing all the emotional range of a potato. It’s generic, emotionless pablum. Even worse is the fact that Wharton isn’t a good singer to begin with. He’s off key more often than not. I didn’t think I’d ever say this but he makes the two BJ Thomas albums I started this off with sound good in comparison. I should add that this is one of the worst quality pressings I’ve ever seen. Paper thin vinyl, the spindle hole is punched off-center, etc. I’ll put $1 on it but if it were up to me this one would have gone straight into the bin.

Mountain Music by Alabama

Okay, what’s going on here? Another genuinely good recording? Someone actually donated some good records to us? Apparently yes. Alabama Mountain Music. I’m not a big fan of country style music but I still like these guys. IMO this isn’t one of their better albums but it’s still pretty good. Alas, this is another one where quality of the music isn’t reflected in the price. Looks like this one is averaging about $6, $9 used so this one goes out the door for $3.

The Partridge Family Sound Magazine

Yes, it is the abomination that was the Partridge Family. It is difficult for me to express how horrible the Partridge Family really was. None of them actually played any of the instruments they were shown with. The only one who was permitted to actually sing at first was Jones. Everything else was lip synched and voiced by studio singers. Even in their “live” performances. But after a time Cassidy was finally allowed to sing his own parts once he repeatedly demonstrated to the producers that he, like Jones, could actually sing. Show up at the store and we’ll let you have this horror for $1. Frankly, though, it should be buried at the crossroads, at midnight, with a stake through it so it doesn’t come back to haunt me again.

Strange in Town by Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band

Hey, it’s Bob Seger. It’s the Silver Bullet Band. It’s the Stranger in Town Album. First song on the album is Hollywood Nights. Followed by Still The Same. Do I really need to say any more than that? Ome of my favorites. The disc, alas, is not in perfect condition but it’s still acceptable. This one will go for $6.

Let’s end this on a high note. I still have about 25 records left to sort and there’s another box full up at the store waiting for me so I need to get cracking here.