Ep. 20 & 21 – More Stuff From Joe’s – July 31st & Aug. 1st, 2008

Ep. 20

I went to Joe’s today to return a ‘vinyl i had purchased on tuesday.  Sadly the copy of “Monolith” by Kansas that i got from him was cracked.  He was really cool about it though.  He said he’d “file it” as he tossed it in the trash can and he told me to just go pick out another one.  I browsed for a little while before deciding and found something worthwhile.

“Willy and the Poor Boys” – Creedance Clearwater Revival

I got into CCR last year from the movie Forest Gump and my friend George.  Forest Gump has the song “Fortunate Son” in it and one day i was watching it and decided to look up the song.  Then my friend George burnt me a copy of one of their compilation CD’s.  I really like their sound.  It almost borders on being something other than rock… but i can’t quite decide what.  All i know is it sounds great!  Happy to have this in my vinyl collection.  Price Paid: $0 (technically $1 if you count what i paid for “monolith”)

After stopping at Joe’s it was still early in the day so i decided to check out Record Time and see if they had gotten anything new in. I also noticed some boxes of CDs i didn’t notice in the clearance section last time i looked.  Stuff under the shelf, so i pulled those out and looked through those and i actually found a couple good ones!

“The Ever Passing Moment” – MXPX

This album was one of my favorites early on in my life.  My brother bought this CD when i was in sixth or seventh grade.  I never actually owned it but i copied my brothers and i would listen to this CD all the time.  I remember listening to it while cutting my neighbors lawn back when I used to live in at my old house.  It is a really solid pop punk album with some of MXPX’s best stuff on it.  After all these years i still know all the words to the songs   Price Paid: $6

“Vintage” – East West

Album has some good songs on it.  Not the best of East West, but not bad.  Price Paid: $2

“Gone are the Days” – Joseph Israel

A christian reggae artist.  I am always on the lookout for these… Thought i’d give it a try.  Price Paid: $3

A couple good finds for not much dough!

Ep. 21

I went to Blast in the Past again today because his blowout sale started today… but only for CDs.  I browsed the racks of CDs for awhile and found a few that were pretty sweet.

“Disintegration” – The Cure

The only Cure album i am really familiar with that i would buy at this point.  It was in the pile with it’s booklet but not it’s original case.  For the price i was ok with that.  Price Paid: $1

“Chronicle Vol. 1 (Greatest Hits)” – Creedance Clearwater Revival

I really like CCR.  Got into them last summer a lot and they remind of that time.  Working at my uncles studio working on car shoots (photography) and working for my grandma painting stuff… good times and great music!  Price Paid: $1

“Greatest Hits (Disc 1)” – The Doors

I like the Doors a bit.  Not so much whole albums but a lot of the singles, so this was perfect.  Price Paid: $1

“Staring at the Sun (Maxi-Single)” – U2

From the “Pop” era.  Some b-sides of the album.  It looked cool so i grabbed it.  Price Paid: $1

Lots of good stuff this week, and i’m going back sunday!

Ep. 11 – A Rather Random Assortment – July 7, 2008

I went to Blast in the Past today and found a couple great things.  Upon walking in a was assaulted once again by inane chatter.  Today, Joe (the shop owner) and his cohorts were discussing their first sexual encounters.  I tried not to pay attention as i browsed their selection.  I actually found some good stuff:

“RaggaMuffin Hip-Hop Vol.1″ – Various

I have always liked the sound of Reggae Music but before purchasing this album the only Reggae artist i listened to was Matisyahu.  I am very careful about the music i listen to.  I try not to listen to music that has bad subject matter, and i usually look for christian artists in whatever genre I am interested in before anything secular.  I recently found a website completely devoted to Gospel Reggae and was able to find some christian Reggae artists so i have been keeping my eyes peeled.  This compilation is all Christian Reggae or Reggae influenced artists, and it is really cool.  Worth checking out if you are a Reggae fan!  Price paid: $6.50

“Hope in Anguish” – East West

East West in a killer heavy rock band.  I have been really into “Light in Guenevere’s Garden” recently so when i saw this album I did not hesitate to pick it up even though it was a little bit pricey.  It was sealed so i got a pretty good deal.  Price Paid: $12.50

“Frail Words Collapse” – As I Lay Dying

I listened to this album a lot early in high school and was among the albums that would be my first taste of heavy metal.  I eventually grew out of this type of music and have shifted towards more melodic stuff but because i listened to this so much i still enjoy the songs when i am in the mood.  Price Paid: $5

“War” – U2

This is one of U2’s best releases and an album I have enjoyed for quite some time.  I recently added it to the hunt-list and I had no trouble finding it.  This album also has, in my opinion one of the coolest album covers of all time – just looks at those eyes!  Price Paid: $6.50

Good Hunting today.  Tune in next time, same blog time, same blog channel.

Ep. 7 – Remote Control Planes – June 23rd, 2008

I did some work for my grandmother this morning and she gave me some money so i decided to check out “Blast in the Past” again.  Once again upon walking in my ears were assaulted by the inane conversation of the store owner and his ded-head friends.  This time, i almost laughed aloud at their conversation.  They were having an in-depth, heated conversation about how 911 was a conspiracy… oh man!  They complained about all the people that said “I am so glad Al Gore wasn’t president when the planes hit” and they proceeded to explain their own theories on what “really went down.”  According to the owner, George W. Bush is actually responsible for 911, not only that but he was at the controls.  They claimed the planes were remote-controlled?!?!  How ridiculous!  Then they went on to claim that all the people that supposedly died on the plans were actually all targeted by the government and taken out ahead of time.  They brought many other ridiculous “points” that i just can’t seem to remember… i don’t know what kind of stuff these guys used to smoke (or still do) but whatever it was, it messed them up.  It is quite entertaining to listen to them though…  and by the way, they seem like good people, they just have some wacky ideas.

Ok, on to today’s finds:

“[A-->B] Life – Mewithoutyou”

I actually came across this one on my last visit but i passed it up.   When i got home i listened to my burned copy and i realized i had made a terrible mistake!  I actually tried to go pick this one up Sunday before work but only when i got to the door of BitP did i realize they were not open on Sundays.  So today i made sure to grab it.  Mewithoutyou has been one of my favorite bands for awhile now.  I first got into them early in high school…  i found a few of their songs on the Internet and i got really into them.  Then they released their second album, “Catch for Us the Foxes” and my drama team leader from my youth group, Emily, burned me both their albums.  I have loved mewithoutyou ever since.  I remember blaring the song “Gentlemen” in my room at my old house and screaming/yelling along because i could actually do a decent job at imitating Aaron Weiss’s interesting vocal style (at least i though i could, who knows )  If you have never listened to mewithoutyou then i suggest trying them out, they have a very interesting style…  It’s like hard rock with some ambient-rock thrown in, a little shoegazer, and little yelling, a harp, some metaphors… they are an experiment that at many times is just beyond words.  Give them a try, but if you do, i recommend either their second release, “Catch for Us the Foxes” or their third release “Brother, Sister” first.  Don’t get me wrong, this is a great album, but they have matured since this album and they keep making better and better music!  Price Paid: $9.50 (not particularly cheap, but worth it)

“The Light in Guinevere’s Garden” – East West

I downloaded this album awhile back with a couple of their other releases and of them all i liked this one the most.  They have a really good sound, kind of like a christian version of Korn, but not exactly…  I saw this one ever time I’ve been in BitP but i kept passing it up because it was priced a little high… it was sealed though…  I decided it was worth it today, I’ve been getting a lot of tips at work lately…  Price Paid: $12.50

I actually had a little more cash left over and some extra time before work so i decided to head over to record time since i hadn’t been there in a little while, i thought they might have gotten some new stuff in… they had, and i was lucky to find the best find of today:

“Summer of Darkness” – Demon Hunter

I have been a fan of Demon Hunter since they released their self-titled debut album.  They are a christian heavy metal band, and they are really good!  I didn’t buy one of their albums until they re-released their third album last year with a DVD.  That DVD/Album made me love the band even more, the DVD showed me just how cool the guys in the band are!  They are really outspoken about their Christianity and not at all ashamed of it, and that’s really cool!!!  When they released their forth album this year, it was actually one of the first albums i resisted the urge to download and waited until i could afford to buy it legally.  Ruckus helped.  Now i own three of their four releases, all i have to do is find their self-titled album now!  Price Paid: $4! (makes up for the other expensive ones today)

“Leave Here a Stranger” – Starflyer 59

I haven’t had much exposure to this record, but it is Starflyer 59 so i trust it’s good (it has to be since it’s not “the fashion focus” )  It is on the hunt-list because i did have a few tracks off it downloaded but never found the whole album.  I’ve actually known this was at Record Time since the first time i went there but have passed it up every time since i hadn’t heard it before.  I gave it a listen today and decided to shell out the cash for one more album today…  Price Paid: $8

All in all a good day of hunting.  See ya next time!

P.S. I pre-ordered Brave Saint Saturn’s new album today, their store is up — you can order it too, right here!