Q & A
Questions that need answers! Answers for those questions! Unanswered questions! Unquestioned answers?
Q&A Remix With Bevan Bell
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
I certainly have. The first one that comes to mind is a collection of TV Themes that had a three panel artwork of The Green Hornet, Tarzan, and The Man From U.N.C.L.E. The images were very much like quick turn comic book panels and not great, but something about it was very entertaining. I put it in a frame and it’s in my garage/office. Others would be these very 60s mod jazz albums and jazz compilations like Easy Jazz on a Fish Beat Bass.
Q&A Remix with Rosy Overdrive
What’s the most treasured album in your collection and why?
Just going off of how much I listen to it, I think it must be Pere Ubu’s Les Haricots Sont Pas Salé 1987-1991 box set. I love pretty much every era of Pere Ubu, but there’s something about listening to this one–their brief stint on a major label, where they genuinely did try to make pop albums–that feels very rewarding in record format. The three proper albums in it–The Tenement Year, Cloudland, and Worlds in Collision, are all distinct versions of pop music, but they’re all Pere Ubu, too. These records were reworked and resequenced to fit on vinyl, and I imagine people who heard the original versions of these albums might take issue with that, but they’re the versions I know the best and they’re right to me.
Q&A Remix With Jack Probst
Today we welcome culture writer Jack Probst
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
Heavens no. I made the mistake of buying a CD in high school based on the weird artwork, and it ended up being a Christian ska band. Never again.
What is your most memorable vinyl buying experience?
A buddy and I spent all day together traversing all the St. Louis record stores about ten years ago. I don’t remember what I purchased or anything we talked about, but the act of walking around a record store with a friend is what I hold dear. Record shopping can often be a quiet, solitary experience, but having a friend with you is rad. I love that feeling when you grab their attention from across the store to have them look at the cool things you’ve pulled out of the racks or you found something they’re looking for so they can both share the excitement.
Q&A Remix With Miranda Reinert
Today we welcome Miranda Reinert, who is a writer and podcaster based in Chicago, Illinois. She graciously answered a dozen questions. Let’s dive in.
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
I don’t know if it’s solely for the art, but I keep an eye on Landland Colportage’s website to see what they’re putting out because I love their art so much. I definitely own a lot of their releases I maybe wouldn’t have bought just because I think the way they do packaging is so special.
Q&A Remix With Drew Beringer
Today’s Q&A Remix is with music writer Drew Beringer
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
Not explicitly but if there’s an album that I just kind of like but the artwork (or variant) is fire I’ll pick it up.
What is your most memorable vinyl buying experience?
Going to Inner Sleeve Records in Wausau WI in the winter of 2015 - we found a sealed copy of the Sleater-Kinney box set in color.
Q&A Remix With Greg Katz of Cheekface
What is your most memorable vinyl buying experience?
My first vinyl purchase was going to Greene Records in Santa Ana California and picking up Jupiter by Cave In. Tiny mom-and-pop store specializing in punk records that no longer exists. It stays pretty memorable to me.
What’s the first area you head for in a record store?
First the main endcaps and displays. I like knowing what’s new, what the store is trying to sell, and what they’re proud to have. Then jazz, funk and soul, then new rock.