Q & A
Questions that need answers! Answers for those questions! Unanswered questions! Unquestioned answers?
Q&A Remix With Jeff Ash
The Q&A Remix is a frequent column on IHTOV in which people from all walks of life answer a set of pre-written questions about their vinyl collection. Today we welcome Jeff Ash
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
Oh, sure. The all-timer is Hawaii Calls: Fire Goddess by Webley Edwards with Al Kealoha Perry from 1958. A vaguely cheesecake cover on which an exotic-looking topless woman holds flaming bowls in front of her, well, you get the idea. Another is Mambo, a 10-inch Xavier Cugat record from 1953. Another is Live at Someplace Else, a 1968 LP with a cool cover that was by a Minneapolis group called South 40, which turned out to be Crow before they were Crow and thus a fairly interesting record.
Q&A Remix with Gary and Chris Ingalls
Chris Ingalls interviewed his older brother, Gary, who currently owns around 3,000 recordsQ&A Remix With Matt Carter
The Q&A Remix is a frequent column on IHTOV in which people from all walks of life answer a set of pre-written questions about their vinyl collection. Today we welcome my very own brother in law, Matt Carter
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
I bought Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band solely for the artwork. When vinyl was dying in the 1990s I bought some album frames from a catalog. Maybe Hammacher Schlemmer, I don’t remember, but people my age used to love looking through the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog because it showed you how other people your age who were less savvy with their spending habits lived. These frames would allow you to display your album artwork in your home or office without having to build them yourself. They also paired well with The Best Tabletop Radio which is currently backordered until March. I mounted Trout Mask Replica along with a few others and decorated my basement stairway with them. People would come over and enviously gaze at them sometimes. I liked that. I would say things like “Maybe you can get some album frames for yourself…” and then I would do an extra long pause and then I would say “once you get a second job!” and then I would laugh out loud and slap them on the shoulders and say, “I’m just kidding, I’m just kidding” because you can say anything to people as long as you add that on the end. I also purchased Giant by Johnny “Guitar” Watson for the artwork, but I ended up actually liking that album, which never happened with Trout Mask Replica. I also own a picture disc of Frank Zappa’s Baby Snakes which Michele referred to as “aesthetically unpleasing” which makes me love it even more.
Q&A Remix With Nick Costa
The Q&A Remix is a frequent column on IHTOV in which people from all walks of life answer a set of pre-written questions about their vinyl collection. Today we welcome friend of the blog Nick Costa
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
Definitely. Many times. The most memorable one was technically a CD, but back in 2007 or 2008 I had $5 to kill on a Best Buy gift card. I went in and on display was an album that said “$4.99” and the artwork looked cool. Figured it was essentially free so I had nothing to lose. That album was Not Animal. by Margot & The Nuclear So & So’s, and it ended up kind of changing the way I think about songwriting. To this day I still think Richard Edwards is one of the best and most underrated songwriters around. It’s not my favorite album by them (that would be Slingshot To Heaven) but it is a formative album for me.
Q&A Remix With Mike Rastiello
The Q&A Remix is a frequent column on IHTOV in which people from all walks of life answer a set of pre-written questions about their vinyl collection. Today we welcome friend of the blog, Mike Rastiello
Have you ever bought a record just for the artwork?
Mending Wall by Angst. It was never available on streaming, and songs only popped up on YouTube years after I bought the album. It’s really good, and as it turns out they were a huge influence on Frank Black and the Pixies and are probably one of those “your favorite band’s favorite band.”
Q&A Remix With Matt Lavallee
The Q&A Remix is a frequent column on IHTOV in which people from all walks of life answer a set of pre-written questions about their vinyl collection. Today we welcome Matt Lavallee, a Massachusetts musician.
What are your first memories of listening to records?
One day when I was maybe ten or so my dad showed up with an old turntable and a couple LPs - namely Sound Effects Volume 1 on the Audio Fidelity label, and a copy of The Flying Platters. Who knows where these came from - they might have been sitting in the barn for a couple decades. Plugging it in, we found that the motor still worked, but it lacked a needle.
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.