Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Give him the Scythian!" shouts Monoman from across the room..." (more)
Key Phrases: vinyl junkie, punk singles, record collecting, New Orleans, New York, Bob Dylan (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Vinyl junkies are special. They hunt down Brazilian pressings of favorite artists, know the difference between vinyl and styrene, and call a 3,000-LP collection "modest." Milano's interviews aim to nail down what vinyl addiction means. Thurston Moore thrives on the renegade, archival nature of collecting. As a teenager, Peter Buck hitchhiked 15 miles to get an LP the night of its release. R. Crumb speaks fondly of rare, flexible 78s. Most of Milano's subjects believe the thrill is in the chase: seeking personal Holy Grails is often more rewarding than playing them, and comfort is knowing a certain record is finally in one's collection. The book works best when Milano lets his subjects do the obsessing, and if what being a collector means remains as elusive as Their Satanic Majesties Request with the original 3-D cover, at least we learn that, as former Cramps drummer Miriam Linna says, "You play someone a great record and they don't react to it, you know it's time to get them out of your house." Carlos Orellana
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description

Not too far away from the flea markets, dusty attics, cluttered used record stores and Ebay is the world of the vinyl junkies. Brett Milano dives deep into the piles of old vinyl to uncover the subculture of record collecting. A vinyl junkie is not the person who has a few old 45s shoved in the cuboard from their days in high school. Vinyl Junkies are the people who will travel over 3,000 miles to hear a rare b-side by a German band that has only recorded two songs since 1962, vinyl junkies are the people who own every copy of every record produced by the favorite artist from every pressing and printing in existance, vinyl junkies are the people who may just love that black plastic more than anything else in their lives. Brett Milano traveled the U.S. seeking out the most die-hard and fanatical collectors to capture all that it means to be a vinyl junkie. Includes interviews with Thurston Moore of Sonic Youth, Peter Buck from R.E.M and Robert Crumb, creator of Fritz the cat and many more underground comics.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: St. Martin's Griffin; 1st edition (November 10, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0312304277
• ISBN-13: 978-0312304270
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #223,498 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #5 in

  Books > Home & Garden > Antiques & Collectibles > Records

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating look at obsession., April 30, 2004

By	John Luiz (Boston, MA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read, and collector savy!, July 16, 2004

By	Brett A. Simpson "brettdream" (South Bend, IN United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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).

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars very entertaining, December 29, 2003

By	Simon Crowe (Greenville, SC United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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.