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DavidBowie MickJagger DancingInTheStreet photo 1500 crop

a few embarrassing songs by a few major pop and rock artists

IT WAS JUST ANOTHER DAY on Medium when I found the article, “Embarrassing Songs By Major Artists.” Written by Alex Markham for The Riff, its tagline was “Even the biggest music superstars had moments when taste deserted them.” He could have written “every music superstar” and substituted “intelligence” for “taste” and I would have agreed! [Read more] “a few embarrassing songs by a few major pop and rock artists”

PhotoAlbum 19thCentury 1500

why do we refer to LPs and CDs as “albums”?

I HAVE BEEN BUYING RECORDS for sixty years and collecting them for about the same length of time. As far back as I can remember, I have referred to LPs and EPs and prerecorded tapes as ‘albums.’ Since the Digital Revolution of the ’80s, I have referred to tapes, EPs, LPs, and CDs as albums

During this time, I called a seven-inch, 45 rpm record with one track per side a ‘single’ while calling a seven-inch, 45 rpm record with two or three tracks per side an ‘EP.’ [Read more] “why do we refer to LPs and CDs as “albums”?”

Beatles HardDaysNight sealed

was robert cohen the godfather of shrinkwrapped albums?

SHRINK-WRAPPING ALBUMS did not become standard practice for the American record industry until 1963-1964. Prior to that, EP albums and LP albums were shipped to wholesalers and retailers without any protection! Then Robert B. Cohen, a rack jobber in New Jersey, started wrapping records in protective plastic sleeves, making him the “Godfather of Shrinkwrapped Albums.” [Read more] “was robert cohen the godfather of shrinkwrapped albums?”

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who was the first rock band to sell a million albums?

I HAD TO ANSWER THIS QUESTION: “Who was the first rock band to sell a million albums?” It was on Quora and immediately seized my attention. Why? Because not only had I never thought about it, but I had never heard a record-collecting friend or a professional music writer address it. [Read more] “who was the first rock band to sell a million albums?”

important: do you receive email notifications from this blog?

IF YOU ARE A SUBSCRIBER TO THIS BLOG (Rather Rare Records) and you do not receive updates and other notifications via email from this blog, listen up! It appears that I initially misunderstood quite a few things in setting this blog up, including the subscription process and how emails are sent to subscribers. [Read more] “important: do you receive email notifications from this blog?”

TowerRecords LosAngeles 1976 1500

are the avid collector and the avid record collector the same person?

THE AVID COLLECTOR was the title of my column in Pulse! magazine. Pulse! (with the annoying exclamation mark) was the in-house magazine for Tower Records that was free to every customer in every Tower store in the world! The Avid Collector was about collectible records and ran for almost two years in the early ’90s. [Read more] “are the avid collector and the avid record collector the same person?”

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about those nasty rumors about elvis and arthur crudup

ARTHUR CRUDUP CAME AND WENT, placing five sides from three singles on Billboard’s national R&B chart in 1945-1946. Then the big hits stopped, although RCA Victor kept releasing his records for several years to apparently dwindling returns. His fifteen minutes of fame were over until eight years later when Elvis Presley released his first record. [Read more] “about those nasty rumors about elvis and arthur crudup”

are there albums where the covers are worth more than the records?

HERE’S ANOTHER QUESTION ABOUT VINYL on Quora that distracted me from various writing projects! The question is, “What vinyl album cover empty is worth more than a mint vinyl album without the cover?” Or, as I have worded it in this article’s title: Are there albums with covers that are worth more than the records? [Read more] “are there albums where the covers are worth more than the records?”