Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting

Rating:
Summary: Laugh out loud stories
Review: As an avid record collector (who's own tale may be published at some point) I Have to say i found the passion there, but not the poison. I have to state first that music may have beat books out as first addictions go, (well there was that asthma medicine but as Iggy Pop, Patron Saint of Atlas Bower Books says in China girl, "Shushhhhhhhh")One never knows when a collection will begin and as the owner of a small independent book store, I can only hope I see collections being started daily. Where's my copy of Trout Mask Replica? Lemme translate that for ya. If there exists a piece of music the vinyl junkie will want it on VINYL. & so collections take on life's of their own. They become viruses. & once it's in yer blood, it's there to stay. Milano's Junkies turns you on in a humorous manner to the collector and in some cases "Send for an ambulance or an accident investigator" (Eno) it's a good read that scratches a surface. & "Baby's on fire" hopefully not a black surface.

Rating:
Summary: well-written and thoughtful romp through vinyl obsession
Review: I found myself smiling several times while reading this book, recognizing myself in several of the portraits of "obsessive" collectors. Although every collector mentioned here is in some level of denial ("I'm not as bad as _____", or "At least I don't listen to _____"), it's very interesting to hear some of their explanations (rationalizing?) for their collecting. I also discovered a few records I must track down myself (The "Scythian" and "Naughty Rock and Roll"!).

I have a few suggestions for the author, if there is a second edition - I was thinking that both Lux Interior and Poison Ivy (of The Cramps) would have been excellent subjects for the book, as well as Jello Biafra. I've heard that they have amazing collections, as does the former lead singer of Canned Heat. Also, it would have been awesome for the book's actual cover to have graphics of some of the titles mentioned inside (like the former Searchers lead singer's solo EP, or The Click Kids LP). The Mohammed El-Bakkar LP was a nice touch, but Vol 3 ("Music of the African Arab") is the one you want! (I know, I know...)Finally, one correction --> In Pulp Fiction, Uma Thurman plays a reel-to-reel tape of "Girl, You'll Be A Woman Soon," not a CD.

This is a great book about a very interesting topic, and I'd recommend it to any record collector I know, or anybody interested in wild record collections and why people collect them!

Rating:
Summary: Laugh out loud stories
Review: If I could get my girlfriend to read this, maybe she'd understand -- and even see that I'm not as bad as many! Milano has some great stories here of hardcore addicts and how they became that way. The disease is one many of us know well, and few of us want to be cured of, including the author. This is a loving record (so to speak) of vinyl junkies and our lives!

Rating:
Summary: Great read, and collector savy!
Review: The best book written (so far) about record collecting and what it's all about. Covering everything from what drives a collector to collect (it's obsessive) to strange and just plain wierd vinyl collector specialties: such as sewing machine records and music to hang wallpaper by.

Thrown in among descriptions of knocking on doors to hunt down rare blues 78's to where to look for the 'real collectables' are great short interview pieces with serious collectors with huge collections like R. Crumb (cartoonist) and Peter Buck (guitarist from REM), as well as quite a few collectors you might not of heard about.

When you finish it, you just might be inspired to visit the local thrift shops, or to go through your own collection for a massive sell-off. Either way, you'll enjoy this well written slice of collectors and their lifestyle (which may, or may not be your own).

Rating:
Summary: Great read, and collector savy!
Review: The best book written (so far) about record collecting and what it's all about. Covering everything from what drives a collector to collect (it's obsessive) to strange and just plain wierd vinyl collector specialties: such as sewing machine records and music to hang wallpaper by.

Thrown in among descriptions of knocking on doors to hunt down rare blues 78's to where to look for the 'real collectables' are great short interview pieces with serious collectors with huge collections like R. Crumb (cartoonist) and Peter Buck (guitarist from REM), as well as quite a few collectors you might not of heard about.

When you finish it, you just might be inspired to visit the local thrift shops, or to go through your own collection for a massive sell-off. Either way, you'll enjoy this well written slice of collectors and their lifestyle (which may, or may not be your own).

Rating:
Summary: questionable...
Review: the book is very entertaining and often times educating.

now, i'm nowhere near what can be described as an expert in record collecting, so reading this book i was pretty much taking his word for it a lot of the time. that's why this disturbed me:

on page 11, he cites a scene from pulp fiction, saying the light in the "box" that travolta opens. he refers to it as a box twice...it's a suitcase.

okay, that's a little picky. although it wasn't a big deal, it was a little disconcerting. the more troubling one comes on page 36. he says "John Travolta clicks on a CD player before his romantic interlude with Uma Therman in Pulp Fiction..."

um, since this isn't a pulp fiction review i'll be short. there is no romantic interlude after the song is turned on. again, that's a picky thing...kind of. but then, travolta doesn't turn the song on, it's thurman. and it's not a cd. it's a reel to reel. i mean, did he even watch the movie??

with such glaring errors, i have to ask myself if the rest of his information is so unreliable.

Rating:
Summary: A crazy passion for sounds ...
Review: This book is about a passion ...
It might be the perfect gift to give to hi fi sounds maniacs. It will teach them that there is a cause even weirder than their own in collecting vinyls records. The reading of this book will often make you burst out laughing or at least smiling. You will also get envious in finding how the characters met in there manage to score and put their hands on mythical pieces of music. What is important as we find out through the pages is not to get a record you have been loooking for desperately, the crucial and unforgettable matter is the chase, the inquiry, the hope for the holy Grail.. Anyone who has had his moment in record collecting will understand this statement perfectly and the others will discover a world full of eccentrics who sometimes mind about the colour of the label in the centre of the LP more than about the music which is actually engraved on it.
Brett Milano writes in a witty and very enjoyable way, this book is fun to read and the guest star appearance of Jeff Monoman Connolly will not disappoint Lyres fans, the man being his true himself, a true collector going to absurd situations to fulfill his passion. Yes this book is about a passion and introduces us to a fascinating world. You may consider it as the documentary part of Nick Hornby's "High fidelity".

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating look at obsession.
Review: This book is terrific. The author looks at record collecting from every possible angle -- from the Freudian aspects of the drive to the possible reasons why collectors have trouble finding girls. It's full of wonderful interviews with the famous -- Peter Wolff, Peter Buck, and Robert Crumb -- and not so-famous -- a guy with 150,000 records, a woman who collects all Olivia Newton John albums and memorabilia. A collector himself, Milano thoroughly understands the search and satisfaction of finding a record very few other people have. I recommend this book to anyone with an interest in music, collecting, or simply good storytelling.

Rating:
Summary: very entertaining
Review: VINYL JUNKIES is a very entertaining little book about hard core record collecting. We're not talking about making sure you buy the latest Britney album when it comes out, we're talking about spending lots of time, money, and social capital seeking out the one Guided By Voices seven inch you need to complete your collection. The book is full of anecdotes about people discovering something rare in a box of Lps in somebody's attic. Some of the collectors are famous (Peter Buck, Thurston Moore), but most are just regular guys (and a few gals) who have to navigate around a pile of Jeff Beck Japanese only Lps to get to the fridge. There are chapters about collecting imports, bubblegum pop, industrial records ("Got to Investigate Silicone") and also an attempt to explain why collectors collect. (Hint: serotonin)
My one complaint is that almost all of the collectors discussed in this book are either musicians, music writers, or record execs. How about some pointers for the beginner? Still, very enjoyable for music fans.