PRE-CRATE DIGGING

If you're a music fiend that's been at it a while, you no doubt remember when you could graze at thrift stores and pick up some good stuff, especially if you had esoteric taste. If you're not quite that old, let me fill you in. It was a world in which, when something was out of print, that meant out of print. There were very few reissues. That meant no special orders at the record shop, and downloads didn't exist. Ebay didn't exist. The internet didn't exist. Record auctions were for hard core collectors only, usually by mail or phone. If you wanted to hear something as common now as a Dick Dale or Stooges LP, you had to know someone who had it, or hope to find it somewhere in a dusty bin or garage sale. As futile as that sounds, scouring thrift stores was a lot more rewarding than you'd think. Ten cent oddballs ruled, but you could find treasures as well. But the internet that spawned all of the convenient accessibility that you now enjoy (and I can't lie, I like it too), has enabled everybody to get into the auction game. The downside is that if you want first crack at records in a thrift shop, you're going to have to get up pretty early to beat those Ebay scoundrels. And I don't mean the folks that snag the mainstream stuff. I could care less about that stuff. I'm talking about the guys who snag a Sonics LP who couldn't give two shits about the music. They just know there's a thousand old fucks who will engage in a bidding war.

Every once in a while I'll run across a site with music that almost brings back that feeling of flipping through 45s at a thrift store. You know, the "Hmm, this looks interesting. Ten cents, you can't go wrong..." feeling. That's what brought this on. The past week I've been digging on Office Naps, a site I'd forgotten about. Their posts are thematic, it could be Latin tinged surf, jazz exotica, or torch singers. And the writing is good too. Here's just a few of the surf things that wound my watch. I could link to a hundred things on their site, but that would take away the fun. Go there and dig through the posts.

~ NOTE: ALL MEDIA IS HOSTED BY THE BLOGS & SITES NAMED BELOW ~

Listen:
Charles Wright and the Malibus - Runky mp3 at Office Naps
The Torquays - Escondido mp3 at Office Naps
Calvin Cool - El Tecolote mp3 at Office Naps
Richie Allen - Caveman mp3 at Office Naps
Visit:
Middle Eastern tinged exotica post at Office Naps
Jazz Exotique post at Office Naps