Buying Recordings Blind

Subject: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Doctor John
Date: 13 May 00 - 06:08 PM

Does anyone ever buy CD's of artists they have never heard which, in England at least (especially since the demise of "Folk on Two"), is the only way of finding new interesting folk performers. What are your criteria? Does the title sound right? No "Human flies" etc. I look at the front. Any silly pictures or those of sweaty youths in vests playing red "guitars" around their knees. At the back. Are the titles (or do they sound like) rock, country or pop material? Any traditional ballads? Are there any choirs, orchestras, saxes etc? Well thats how I do it and how I found Nic Jones several years ago and went on from there. Dr John

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Art Thieme
Date: 13 May 00 - 11:01 PM

The CD prices are so high now and our income is so limited that I just can't take all the chances I used to when LPs were $5.00 each and I was working. I used to "field collect" by listening to and taping folk radio programs but those are gone from the airwaves now---at least what I call folk music is gone now. (That's another can of worms.) That way I would be get introduced to many singers and I'd be disapointed less often. Still, I rarely kept things I didn't like. Quite often I'd tape the one or two songs I enjoyed and give the album away. That made more storage space for me. And I've still got more "good" things than I'll probably ever be able to listen to.

Art Thieme

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Dale Rose
Date: 13 May 00 - 11:52 PM

I frequently bought things on speculation. I bought my first Utah Phillips album simply because I liked the picture of him standing by the tractor. I had NEVER heard of him before ~~ hard to believe, I know, but true. From that album (I ALWAYS read the notes) I went on to buy (mostly) on speculation, Debbie McClatchy and Mary McCaslin and from that, Jim Ringer ~~ I've never been sorry.

Bought my first Amy Grant album (her second actually) because of the lovely cover picture of her. I figured anyone who looked like that had to be able to sing with the angels. I was right.

Charlie Poole, ah YES! Never heard the man sing or play a single note before I bought his first album. Enough said.

Others I have bought over the years with absolutely no prior knowledge at the time include Lawrence Hammond, Albert Hash, Austin Pitre, Cathy Fink & Duck Donald, Jane Voss (belongs in that Phillips/ McClatchy/ Ringer/ McCaslin circle), Country Ham, Larry Keen, The Armstrong Twins, Bill Staines (only because Nanci Griffith said on TV that she got Roseville Fair from him), The Delaware Water Gap, The Roscoe Russell Family, Anne Byrne, Paddy Bell, Katy Moffett, Rosie's Bar and Grill, The Riendeau Family, The Red Clay Ramblers (yes, there was a time way back there that I had NO IDEA who they were), Slim Dusty (Australian Mudcatters may find this REALLY hard to believe!), J.P. and Annadeene Fraley, The Hotmud Family (How could I have survived all these years without a Ragtime tune or a Wobble?), Lightfoot! (that absolutely marvelous album which I bought just because of the nifty brown cover with a handsome fellow sitting in the chair holding his guitar) . I could go on and on, but won't ~~ these are just a few of the albums I bought on a whim, or just because I liked the looks of the picture, or maybe the song titles struck a chord. I include them here because they are STILL favorites, after all these years.

Mercifully, I will avoid mentioning those albums (and there were more than a few) which barely managed to stay on the turntable for a single playing. I've got one with a beautiful cover that I keep around just to play for people so that they can hear what has to be the world's WORST rendition of Wildwood Flower ever recorded.

I am with Art on being more careful since retirement. There are so many CDs that I am really aware of the wonderful music that they have on them, but I have yet to buy them, that I have no time or money for the pig in the poke.

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Chicky
Date: 13 May 00 - 11:59 PM

I Dicovered my Favourite Band (Everything But the Girl) back in '85 when I bought their first album because Tracey Thorn had the same haircut on the cover as I did at the time!

But as Art said, with the price of CDs so high, it's hard to make such impulse buys...

Cheers Chicky

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: JenEllen
Date: 14 May 00 - 02:05 AM

It's not as easy to do now that the prices are so high, but I used to delight in the 'discovery'. Either in buying something that just spoke to me, or in associations. It happened a lot in the late eighties where I'd hear that someone whose work I admired had produced an album for someone I hadn't heard of, or someone was mentioned in the credits of an album that I was familiar with and thought "Well if THEY like them..." I generally bought the album, and was never disappointed, even if it was just for the fact that it broadened my musical tastes a little bit.
Elle

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Peter Kasin
Date: 14 May 00 - 03:07 AM

As others have noted, the price of CD's makes taking too many chances too costly. I hunt around in the used CD sections. Even then at around $9 a pop it's not cheap, but at least it's not $15-$18 each. I sometimes look in the guides that Penguin and other publishers put out, that many CD stores carry. They sometimes have display copies for you to browse through. Of course, you don't have to agree with the critic's reviews in the guides, and they often can be pretty snobby, but they also can alert you to some real clunkers, or something extraordinary. This might help, but in the end, it's your sense of things - your taste, the look of the album cover - who are they trying to market it to? - are the instruments core to the type of music you want, or is it dressed up with alot of instruments not normally found in your type of music? Well, nothing is foolproof, but this might lessen some of the risk.

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: MudGuard
Date: 14 May 00 - 04:11 AM

I only buy CDs in shops where you can listen to the songs before you buy the CD. That way I know before I spent any money whether it is worth it.
MudGuard

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Judy Predmore
Date: 14 May 00 - 05:21 AM

I take most of my chances on cassettes, not CD's. I do most of my browsing in the cassette sections, & only go to the CD section when I can't fine what I want, or anything interesting in the cassettes. I have so many recordings, I can't listen to any but my favorites, more than a dozen times or so, so why spend money on high quality & endurance, for 12 plays. I've had to replace a couple of cassettes that were "eaten" by my tape players, & it's frustrating that even now, some CDs still have better liner notes than cassettes. But there's alot of recordings I wouldn't have at all, if I had to buy CDs.

As for the chances I take, I've either heard or read something about a particular artist, song, songwriter or genre. I get a feel from the song titles, production credits, & endorsement, whether it might be something of interest to me. The cover design has very little influence on me, unless it seems to indicate a style of music I wouldn't like.

I also take fewer chances when I know I have a dozen recordings that have been sitting in their shrink wrap at home. Does anyone else seem to have a constant backlog of recordings they've bought but haven't listened to yet?

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Pixie
Date: 14 May 00 - 08:11 AM

Buying blind is always a gamble (I can't do it at a casino, but put me in a music store with a few bucks in my pocket...)Like Dale Rose found, I too, found treasures that have become lifelines for me. I became Emmylou's biggest fan (self-proclaimed, of course), discovered Nanci Griffith at her best (I didn't like the one song I heard her get air play for), Red Clay Ramblers, Boys of the Lough, Planxty, Brian Bowers, etc.

Anyway, to keep this short, try out your local library. That's what I used to do when we couldn't afford albums and cds. Without the library, I probably still wouldn't know who Doc Watson is, or Snooks Eaglin, Holly Near, John Starling, Peter Rowan, Laurie Lewis. I also do the used cd stores; some have listening stations to take the cd for a spin before buying. They are also good at recycling the crap you bought in a moment of weakness.

Happy Hunting

Pixie

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Rana
Date: 14 May 00 - 08:19 AM

When I lived in Edmonton, Alberta the Students Union ran a record store in what was called the HUB Mall - a student apartment complex with shops - where I lived. It was the best selection I've seen with staff who knew their stuff. I was buying 2-3 lp's a week, much on spec and on the staff's recommendations, people who got to know my taste. It was through them I got into groups like Malicorne or Kolinda - european folk groups which weren't played much on Alberta radio, or some of the ECM label + more. I had a 90% + success rate. After moving, I lost contact with knowledgable people in record stores and probably dropped to less than 20% success rate.

I rarely buy things on spec now unless I can listen them first. Knowledgable staff seemed to be the key and is probably getting very rare except in small specialty stores where people can get to know you.

Rana

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Dave (the ancient mariner)
Date: 14 May 00 - 10:23 AM

Pixie, we are definately spoiled in Halifax, Dartmouth and Bedford. So many good used, record, CD and tape stores available where you can listen before buying. Try Dave Meisener at Select Sounds in Bedford too.. He is a goldmine of information on Folk and Blues. (been trying to get him to join Mudcat)I trade the ones I don't enjoy and never have to very often. Yours, Aye. Dave

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: dick greenhaus
Date: 14 May 00 - 11:08 AM

Well, both Folk-Legacy and Camsco Music have what I consider to be reasonably knowledgable people at the other end of the line. Telling them what kind of music you like might produce valuable suggestions.

Would sound clips at Mudcat (to go along with reviews) help?

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: Dale Rose
Date: 14 May 00 - 11:16 AM

Dick, I think that would be a "mighty fine" idea. Sound clips would be a good addition. I know I'd use them. Seems I read somewhere that the online record shops use a common service for their clips, but it seems that some put up their own. That seems pretty labor intensive, though. Even one or two short clips would help decision making.

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: GUEST,Sam Pirt
Date: 14 May 00 - 12:10 PM

YES

I often buy CD's of artists that I have heard nothing about. I often judge the CD's on the instruments played, line up etc. It is well recommended to give it a go now and then because when you stumble over that CD that just makes you jump 10 feet while it changes your view to music AT THE SAME TIME you will not regret it. My advice is ALWAYS check out the budget sections then all you experimnents need not be as expensive and belive me I have had some great suprises, the only trouble is that I can't stop buying CD's!!

Cheers, Sam

Subject: RE: Buying Recordings Blind
From: catspaw49
Date: 14 May 00 - 12:52 PM

Like Art and JE and others, the money is too tight to drop much on a whim. I have too many that I KNOW I want that I'm sure I'm missing out on some other fine stuff. What I do occasionally is to prowl through a couple of local shops where folk and trad is more prevalent and look for the bargains and used things they might have. But even then, I find that I am really looking for favorites of mine which aren't too popular.

Spaw