Record Shop Report - Catapult Records and Toys

Catapult Records and Toys
Location: 40J West Terra Cotta Ave., Crystal Lake IL, 60014
Website: http://www.catapultcollectibles.com
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 12:00 - 7:00, Sat. - Sun. 12:00 - 5:00

***UPDATE: Catapult Records recently has closed their doors for good. This is a huge shame as he was one of the few who priced records to actually move records.***

What is on offer: Anything from your childhood that you may have once had a strong emotional connection to and would love to have back in your life again. That would be mostly toys, records, books, and other things of the sort.

Prices: Possibly one of the most fair shops you will walk into. You can easily walk into the store with $10 and leave with a few items. There are a few items priced to reflect the low to mid-price on Discogs, but for the most part the prices are where they were before the vinyl explosion.

So, honestly, how is the place? At this point in time Catapult is not aimed at the vinyl collector only. The stores main purpose is toys and collectibles, vinyl just happens to be a part of that. However, as time is rolling by it seems that the owner is realizing vinyl will be a major part of his future. A few months ago the store changed its name from Catapult Collectibles to Catapult Records and Toys. The store also saw an upgrade in the bins that hold the records.

With all that being said, Catapult is the type of store one will walk into not expecting the world, but will leave very happy. I've been there a handful of times and have had "Holy crap!" moments each time. These moments have been for either being surprised by the merchandise on offer, or just because of the prices. It was at this store I bought a copy of Slade's In Flame, the UK release, and only paid $6 for it, which is a fine price. Especially considering the dang thing is in mint condition.

This brings us to the other fine side about Catapult. Either the people that bring him their records are very careful with their records, or he is one of the buyers who will only take stuff in good condition.

What did I leave with? This was a crazy little stop. It started out as a case of my grabbing one record just to help by buying something (Jo Jo Gunne). But then I saw a mint condition of a record I have in my collection, but this was a mint copy, so it was a must have (Starcastle). Then I decided "what the heck" on a dollar record (Ambrosia). So I had a few on me at the time of check out.

When I got to the counter the owner told me he had another Starcastle in a box that had come in, so he showed it to me. Now, that one I had a better copy of already. But then he told me to go ahead and dig through the box and see if there was anything that interested me in the box. Now, what kind of person would I be to turn away from such an offer? Possibly a good parent, since my son was sitting in the car waiting for me and he would later claim to have been freezing. But, sometimes records win out over my parenting skills. So a digging I went! But lets be honest, he is 14, he could have walked into the store if he was that cold.

Digging through that box was a golden moment for yours truly. As I flipped those covers I came across two bands that drew my attention. One was a band called Teaze and the other Teazer. Yes, two separate bands, both very similar names. I grabbed the Teaze album as everything about it matched my collecting. Obscure 70s Glam act. The price was right, $3.00, so I grabbed it and added it to my pile.

After I left I did a quick research on the Teazer album. As it turns out that thing is quite a tough one to find, and it is worth a decent amount. So, I went back to see what the asking price would be. The owner of Catapult told me it was also $3. I told him it was worth considerable more than that and told him I would give him $10 at that time. He said "no, I said $3.00, so that is what I will charge you."

Starcastle - Citadel $5.00
Jo Jo Gunne - Bite Down Hard $4.00
Teaze - On the Loose $3.00
Teazer - Hard as a Rock $3.00
Ambrosia - Somewhere I've Never Traveled $1.00

There you have Catapult in a nutshell. The store has some great stuff, and the harder to find stuff will wander through. For the most part you will mostly find the usual suspects, but the rare oddity is hiding in there. To make it better, the owner is a straight-up guy who is out to make a living, but not get rich off of people. I can't say it is a destination record shop (yet), but if it is in your area it is definitely a shop you need to frequent. If you are on the road doing record runs, it is also one that should be on your list of stops. Heck, you might also find a killer action figure to add to your shelves!

Photo of Catapult store front taken by Zach Isonhart while he was outside the store freezing.

The Hounds - Unleashed

The Hounds - Unleashed
Released 1978 on Columbia 35085
Promo copy with all the accoutrements

Since returning to collecting vinyl, and my niche of the unknown and forgotten bands, this one release stands head and shoulders above almost all others. This album is not just a cool novelty for me, this is a start to finish solid album that stands the test of time and is, without any question, a forgotten masterpiece. It should sit alongside Glam classics released by Bowie and Mott. Yes, it is cut from the same cloth and obviously is heavily inspired by both of those bands, but it is its own creature.

The Hounds hail from the Chicago area, so it might not be too shocking that the music now will possibly be compared to Cheap Trick. But as this is from 1978 it is awful hard to say they are copying them. More than likely we are hearing the Midwest sound from the mid - late 70s. Granted, Trick had released three albums by the time this came out, but their first one came a year earlier. Some influence? Possibly, but I am betting the location had a greater impact.

The best way to describe through a comparison is basically that they are a mix of every band that gets the "Glam" label from the 70s. Is there Bowie and Mott? Yes, especially on the second track "Where the Boppers Turn to Rockers," which is kind of their own "All The Young Dudes." But one also find Cheap Trick, Sweet ("Bad Blood Between Us"), Slade, Aerosmith ("Portrait of a Dead Man" is straight-up a 'Smith tune musically) and almost everybody else.

But what Hounds do wonderfully is that they create their own sound. They take these sounds and create a fresh creature in having a pretty unique songwriting style. There is no predicting where the songs will go. Yes, we know a chorus is coming, but that chorus not sound like you are thinking it will. Partially due to to John Hunter's completely original singing style. The man is all attitude and theatrics. He adds a new dimension to every single word and almost seems to refuse to sing any line identical to the another. The ultimate in expression.

While the Hounds might not be completely forgotten, if they are remembered at all it is mostly for their second album, Puttin' on the Dog (Columbia, 1979), with the slightly risque cover of a scantily clad woman in a disheveled bedroom, where one can spy the shadow of a dogman creature who is more than happy to see the lady. But these two albums are drastically different creatures. Puttin' on the Dog is a stab at being Power Pop that never rocks too hard.

Unleashed, however, is full on R-O-C-K. Right down to the band photos we can see a difference in the direction. While they definitely have an image at the time, Puttin' on the Dog shows us a Pop outfit. Unleashed shows us a band decked in leather jackets and walking that fine line of Glam and Hard Rock.

So, what happened to Hounds? Why are albums one and two fairly different creatures? Unleashed consisted of a line-up of John Hunter (vocals, keyboards), Jim Orkis (guitars), John Hovarth (drums), Glenn Rupp (guitars and backing vocals), and Joe Cuttone (bass and backing vocals). Most of the songs were written by Hunter and Orkis. Puttin' on the Dog consisted of John Hunter (vocals and keyboards), Glenn Rupp (guitars and vocals), Don Griffin (guitars and backing vocals), Joe Cuttone (bass and backing vocals) and Michael Neff (drums). This time all songs (aside from the covers) are written just by Hunter.

If I was to use my fancy detective skills I would have to guess that there was a control issue at play. Reading the inner promotional material for the first album it is only Hunter that does all of the talking. But listening to the album there is no doubt that Orkis and Hovarth played serious roles. While Orkis wrote a lot of the music, leading one to believe much of the band is his vision as well as Hunter's. The drumming on the album also stands out as a definite high point.

With the style change between the two albums I would have to guess that Orkis and Hovarth wanted to stick to the harder edged style. This is also a guess due to it being those two guys who are dressed the most "ROCK" in the pictures. Heck, one of them could easily be placed in the early New Wave of British Heavy Metal scene and nobody would bat an eye.

I can't recommend this album highly enough, especially if you have a soft spot for 70s Glam and Hard Rock. The only weak spot on the album are the lyrics. "Angeline Tangerine" is possibly my favorite song on the album, but the lyrics are easily the worst batch of combined words I have heard in a long time, even including the 70s predilection for statutory rape in song lyrics. But other than those spots, this is a fantastic album that truly does deserve the moniker of a forgotten or overlooked classic. I have not seen many copies of it, but the store I bought it from had three copies, so they are out there. Granted, I live in their home turf of the Chicago area, so copies were more prevalent here I would guess. But keep an eye open and buy this one of you see it in your shops.

Record Shop Report - Dr. Disc

Dr. Disc
Location: 471 Ouellette Ave., Windsor, Ontario, N9A 4J2
Website: www.drdiscrecords.com
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon. - Sat. 11:00 - 8:00, Sun. 12:00 - 5:00 (They do not buy records on Wednesday or Sundays)

What is on offer: New and used vinyl, vinyl, vinyl, CDs and the usual record shop fun stuff fair! Plus movies.

Prices: Canadian dollars seemed to range for the used in the $2 - $6 is what I am remembering. In the used section I did not encounter any price that caused me to put something back. On the contrary, I only ended up putting records back due to my having way too many due to great prices. The new vinyl was priced as you would find priced anywhere else.

So, honestly, how is the place?

I visited Dr. Disc while my wife and I were visiting Windsor for our anniversary. So total credit to my wife for being cool with my spending a little too long record shopping on this day. I actually spent longer in the store than I should have due to my own ignorance.

When I first researched Dr. Disc and decided that was the shop I was going to visit while in town, I was hooked by the raves for their used selection. Considering I am a used collector and rarely buy new records (yeah, I even prefer original releases over the fancy newly pressed versions) this was my store to hit.

However, upon entering the store I spent probably 15 minutes wandering around trying to find the used selection. Finally I figured I had read something wrong and there were no used on offer, so I left. Yet once I was outside I stopped, told my wife I was going to go back in and take one last look, as I just could not believe I read something that incorrectly.

Once I went back inside I actually used my eyes and noticed the stairway that leads to an upstairs, which is where the used vinyl is kept! Oh joy! I quickly walked outside and asked by wife if she would like to speed the process up as the used goodies had been located! To which, with a shrug of the shoulders and a muttered "Not sure what I can do to help," she ascended the stairway with me to find what lay up above.

The used section of the store is quite full. Consisting of one main room of the popular and a side room with extra stuff, including some books. I didn't spend much time in that room, so I am not sure what was in there (possibly the cheapy records). Everything is in alphabetical order by first letters, and then mixed up within the letter.

As mentioned above, the prices are great. I walked out with a pretty good load and not too much money spent. They prices do have some range, and the albums that should be priced higher are priced higher, but they are still all at fair prices. There is plenty of gold to be found in the bins, but it will take some time to dig, as if you have a few bands in mind you will have to dig through the full section to see if they are in the section. I was there for about an hour and a half and I feel I could have spent more time, as I did kind of do quick flipping in search of specific titles, only stopping for new acts that caught my eye.

As I was getting ready to leave I found at the bottom of the stairs a few more bins. This is where the store sets the new arrivals of the used material. So when you first arrive be sure to dig through those bins first, as that is where some true gold can be found for many. As I was searching a group of us customers struck up a good conversation about other shops in the area, and that lead to discussion of other shops we have visited in general. It was your typical record shop talk that I miss from my old shops I would frequent. So look for your classic record shop atmosphere while visiting.

What did I leave with?

My visit to Dr. Disc saw me leave with a decent amount. I was out of town so I was obviously going to be a little less picky, as a return visit was obviously not going to happen for a little bit. That being said my budget was a little higher than normal and did see me making a return stop on my way out of town the next morning. Thanks again to a super understanding wife.

Aviary - S/T (the return visit purchase)
Chopper - S/T
Crack the Sky - S/T
Crack the Sky - Animal Noises
Ian McLagan - Bump In The Night
Queen City Kids - Black Box
The Records - Crashes
Russia - S/T
Saga - Heads or Tales

The final verdict on Dr. Disc is that it is a fantastic shop. During my chat it was said that Dr. Disc is the best shop in Windsor. The one gentleman was even pretty confident is saying it is the best shop in the area, including better than Detroit. Without a doubt it is a shop that I would love to make a return trip to for sure. I will be not too far from the area early next year, and I can guarantee I will be plugging it into my GPS to check and see just how far away I will be and if it would be worth a trip.

Record Shop Report - Spin Shack

Spin Shack
Location: 136 3rd Street, Baraboo, Wisconsin
Website: http://www.spinshack.net
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon. - Thurs. 10:00 - 5:30, Fri. 10:00 - 7:00, Sat. 10:00 - 4:30, Sun. Closed

What is on offer: 33 RPM, 45 RPM, CDs, DVDs, Blu-Ray, memorabilia

Prices: Cheap discount bin $1. Wide range of fair prices.

So, honestly, how is the place? This was actually a pleasant little surprise. When one walks into the store there might be a little heartbreak as it looks like a meager selection. The vinyl is kept in a center bin, with the rest of the store being taken up by a lot of movies and CDs. So if you are expecting to see a store jam packed it might be a little disheartening.

BUT, fret not my fellow vinyl collectors! Within that center bin there does lie a nice selection. To make matters even better, the prices are all fair. Plus, the condition of most of the vinyl I checked was pretty good. One of the selections I put back was a copy of Shotgun Messiah's debut album, which was in mint condition. The only reason it went back to the bin was I had already spent my budget and that one album was one of the more costly choices on hand (yet still quite a bit cheaper than Discogs has it listed).

One of my selections, The Godz second release Nothing Is Sacred is in less than great shape, but I am to this day convinced that all of the people who bought the album used it to cut their lines of coke on, or as coasters for their beer cans. I have yet to find a Godz release in anything above a tolerable grade. The band was known for their partying and I am convinced that their fans lived that tradition any time the record met the table.

So what did I leave with?

Ian McLagan - Troublemaker
Mott The Hoople - The Hoople
Smokie - Bright Lights and Back Alleys
The Godz - Nothing Is Sacred

This was a little while ago and my actual out the door price is escaping me right now. I do believe my price was right around the $20, but with that The Godz was around $8 - $10. Even at that it was a little cheaper than what one usually will find The Godz priced at.

My daughter left with a pretty solid batch of movies that were also at a great price. She left with the Blu-Ray release of The Creature From The Black Lagoon for the whopping price of $5 (I do believe). She also bought a few DVDs that were all a few bucks each.

I did spend a few minutes looking at the CDs. The CDs I checked out were also incredibly fair prices. Plus, the wall vinyl (the super fancy items) were even fair prices. So no matter where I looked the prices were those of a store interested in moving merchandise instead of trying to act like they have the most valuable merchandise to be found.

All in all Spin Shack is a solid little shop. Located about 15 - 20 minutes outside of the Wisconsin Dells it is a very worthwhile stop for anybody looking for a shop while in town. I would even say that if you are roadtripping a record run, this could be a worthwhile shop to add to your list. You probably won't walk out with an armload, but there is a good chance you will walk out with one or two that will make the stop worth your time. Plus, the customer service is a solid. The lady we encountered the day we stopped was very friendly.

edit: Looking at pictures on Facebook they may have remodeled the store a little since I was there back in late July/early August. 

Avalance - Avalanche (1976)

Band: Avalanche
Album: Avalanche
Year: 1976
Label: Bootleg/ABC Records
Catalog number: AB 1000

So, what album got me back into vinyl? Was it my beloved Marillion? Was it the other bands I have been infatuated with my whole life The Damned, Hanoi Rocks, The Lords of the New Church? Was it the first edition of Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick that I acquired in a pile of records from my father-in-law? Close on the Tull, but no.

In all honesty the album that hooked me back into collecting vinyl is the one pictured above, Avalanche. I acquired the album in the same pile of vinyl that the Thick as a Brick was hiding in, but it was this one that really took hold of me. Now, go ahead everybody, give me the collective "Who?" that I know you are all saying at this moment.

It is that very question of "Who?" that hooked me on vinyl. Not that this album is great, as it is not. The album is good and does include a very good song that should have been a hit. But it is that very question of "who" that got my mind going. I loved the fact that I was holding an album from 1976 (I was 6 years old) by a band I had never heard of before.

You see, I started to realize during the early days of Rock there were bands everybody knows of (The Beatles, AC/DC, etc.), there are bands that had success that not everybody knows of (Uriah Heep, Saxon, etc.), then you have your one hit wonders. These are the standard levels we usually deal with. The first group are the "everybody" bands. The bands non-music fanatics know and buy. The second group of bands are the bleed over bands. The bands everyday people know, and the ones that are the gateway bands for people. The ones that usually people who are real music fans follow. The one hit wonders are the ones that fit for both categories.

But then there are bands like Avalanche. The bands that got one album, usually based on their local popularity. They were offered up the one album with options, or two albums with options. They then got their one album, no push from the label, and faded away. I started to realize there are probably thousands of these bands. Or there are bands that had a handful of albums and did OK (we will meet Roadmaster on a later date), but were then forgotten about over the years due to Classic Rock radio not understanding that maybe people don't wish to hear "Stairway to Heaven" for the next 40 years and might be interested in other "Classic Rock" acts.

So that brings me to the album we have here. Avalanche was an act out of Australia in the mid-70s. They had this one album, yet they seem to have had a reputation during the period. The guitarist Tony Naylor also appears to have continued on being known for his guitar playing since this period in his life. A little research pointed me in the direction of three of the members, but nobody went on to do much more than Avalanche.

So what exactly is Avalanche? They were basically a straight up hard rock act fairly typical of what one would find in the 70s.The sound was fairly Boogie Woogie (which seemed to be an Australian thing, as AC/DC had a lot of Boggie Woogie in their sound) with a little Blues thrown in for kicks. They got a little flashy at times with experimental tunes.

An area that Avalanche does struggle in from time to time is their backing vocals. I apologize to the band, but some of the backing vocals are pretty bad. This is most obvious in the fairly rough song "Annie," which also unfortunately suffers from a chorus that features the line "Annie will you leave with your Grannie?"

As for the really good, maybe even great tune, that is the track "Landslide." An absolutely killer song with a great groove and incredibly catchy chorus.

If you stumble onto this album in your used shop grab it if the price is right. If you can find it for $5.00 or around that price, go for it. For my money the song "Landslide" is worth that amount in itself. If any of the other songs click for you (which many of them could) then it is all a bonus.