Run Out Groove #1: The Motor City Five - MC5

On Saturday I received my copy of The Motor City Five by MC5; the first release from Run Out Groove, which is a record club-esque division of Rhino records. For the uninitiated, Run Out Groove works like this: every month 3 titles are announced and users get to vote for the one they'd like to see pressed; the record that receives the most votes after a month is made available for pre-order. Production is limited to the number of pre-orders received during the month-long window, plus a few to be made available at record stores. All the records are one-time pressings and out of print henceforth.

I missed the window to pre-order the first record directly from Run Out Groove, but luckily enough was able to secure a copy from barnesandnoble.com. B&N are still using the same sub-par method of packaging that has led to about half of the records I've ordered from them coming with damaged jackets, but by some miracle this one arrived unscathed two days after shipping.

First impressions were very favorable--the old school paper-wrapped silver foil Stoughton jacket is a thing of beauty, and the record itself is a nice mix of red blue and clear vinyl. There's also an insert with a brief write-up on the band and some info on the release. Run Out Groove definitely knows who they're catering to, as evidenced by the record arriving in a resealable sleeve with a bar code sticker instead of shrink wrap with a printed bar code.

Side 1 of the record features an Elektra label and is comprised of four cuts from Kick Out the Jams-- the band's only album on Elektra--as well as two early singles. Side 2 dons an Atlantic label and is made up of 6 tracks culled from the band's 2 albums on Atlantic. It's pretty clever how the LP format was utilized to distinguish between two eras of the band's career.

The vinyl was pressed at Record Industry in the Netherlands, and mine is dead quiet. Sound quality is kind of all over the place, which is understandable considering the mix of early, live and studio recordings contained in this release.

Audiophiles might want to look elsewhere, but I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a cursory look at the MC5. I'm looking forward to seeing how next month's record turns out! \m/(>.<)\m/

Record Show Finds -- May 2017

Last week's flea market excursion didn't bear much worth writing about, aside from a decent copy of the first Montrose album and a couple weird 45s. This week the forecast was too dreary to bother setting an alarm, although it ended up being a gorgeous 60 degrees and mostly sunny. However, I had already planned on skipping this week, as there was a record show about 20 minutes away.

This particular show was pretty sparsely attended, likely owing to the fact that it was the third iteration in as many months. I ended up leaving with a pretty impressive stack, although I can't say the same about every record contained therein, mostly due to...

DOLLAR BIN MANIA!!!

One of the sellers had about 15 boxes of records, all but two of which were priced at $1 per record; 95% of the jackets were near mint or just a hair under, and the records weren't far (if at all) behind. Usually I'm more for quality over quantity when it comes to record shows--I get more than enough cheap, oddball records from thrift stores and flea markets--but I flipped through the boxes anyway and ended up finding 15 albums that I couldn't pass up. Let me preface by saying that this grouping isn't exactly representative of my musical tastes--most of the records I picked up were either total flyers or just purchased for the cover art, though there were a couple that I was excited to find for $1.

Spooks in Space - Aural Exciters, One of the Glory Boys - Peter Noone,  Here to Stay - Schon & Hammer, Alive Alone - Mickey Thomas, Struttin' My Stuff - Elvin Bishop, Crash and Burn - Pat Travers Band, Vendetta - Vendetta, Smash 1 - The Smashchords, Battered Wives - Battered Wives, Mayday - Mayday, New Day - Airwaves, Premonition - Survivor, Street Fever - Moon Martin, Hit 45s of the 70s Vol II - Various, Broken Home - Broken Home

Okay, so it's not all gold, but can you really go wrong for a dollar? Don't answer that.

Looking Glass by Looking Glass and Sign in Please by Autograph

I did grab a couple more expensive records, though they were still relatively cheap. Looking Glass features "Brandy", which was #1 for a week in 1972 and is included in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 2, but the rest of the album is pretty worthwhile too. I've been looking for a clean copy for years, and this one definitely fits the bill. Sign In Please is quintessential 80s hard rock cheese, featuring the hit "Turn Up The Radio." Both records set me back $15 in total.

So nothing really mind-blowing, but 17 albums in great condition for $30 (plus a $5 entrance fee) isn't bad by any metric.