Customer Reviews

Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

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.

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.

The velvet underground & nico _ joe harvard

Vinyl junkie _ brett milano

If you consider yourself addicted to vinyl & those around you see your passion as something strange. This book is a treat, in it you will read stories about people who would need 2 or 3 life times to just hear the records they have accumulated or others that would fork out $4.000 for an odd 7 inch, not to mention one unbelievable story about a Hendrix collector who has in his prized record collection one that could contain Hendrix's dna.
Yes, vinyl record collector you are not alone.

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!

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).

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".

Knowing record collectors and not really being one myself, I was curious to see what the author would do with this particular geeky subculture. I expected the research -- the really wierd stories (well, some of them) and the celebrity collectors (R. Crumb and his 78s make a particularly interesting portrait). What I hadn't expected was the warmth and the humor that runs throughout, making this a very enjoyable read. The author clearly has affection for his subjects -- he says he's one of them -- and the light touch of his music journalism informs this book with quite a few laughs.

If you read and/or watched High Fidelity and thought, "That's me!", then this book is for you. Keep a pad of paper with you as you read, because you'll learn about some interesting collectibles you never knew existed. The segments where rock stars talk about their personal history/obsession with record collecting are particularly fun. Milano has an easy-going style that makes it feel like you're having a private conversation about a topic close to both your hearts. The best place to buy this book would be a used record store, but do get it.

This book made me break into a grin-and-nod combo more than once in recognition (frequently scaring other subway passengers). No matter. Reading about others chasing the elusive high of the vinyl dragon was comforting - and totally entertaining.

I also liked the fact that this book that this book bemoaned the rarity of female collectors (Crumb's quote, "it never gets them hot," is hilarious). I'm one of those rarities myself (26 and trolling flea markets for records since I was 9 or 10), so it was interesting -if not really particularly surprising - to find out there's not a lot of us out there. "There's not many women who want to sit around and debate the best Elvis Costello album" line made me laugh, too - `cause I do!

I'd recommend this for anyone who's ever collected anything - you're likely to find kindred spirits within these covers.

Everything you wanted to know about those with the urge to collect pre-CD recordings. Lots of fun to read. Don't be surprised if many of the characters in the book hit close to home. Nostalgia abounds. If you are reading this review -- you are already pegged as a collector. Just wear the label, smile, and read the book.