Chopper - S/T

Chopper - Chopper
Released 1979 on Ariola Records SW-50049

While record shopping in Canada this one really caught my eye. The band is named Chopper. The cover looks like the backpatch worn by a biker gang. A search later would find that the band features a member of Steppenwolf. It was going to be a couple of days before I would be able to hear anything off of the album due to being out of town. But I mean come on, all of these signs pointed towards these guys being pretty hard rocking. Right?

That quick search of members also showed that the keyboardist was a member of Poco and future Elton John keyboardist. But nevermind that, biker name and biker looking cover! Steppenwolf member! These guys are going to be exceedingly hard rocking. No doubt about it!

Oh yeah, that Steppenwolf member would join Steppenwolf after leaving Chopper. But again, look at that cover! Wings spread, hard rock all the way to the biggest arenas with pyrotechnics all over the place.

With all of that then, Chopper, our possible biker band, actually plays AOR style Rock. AOR has always been a style of music I have tried to steer clear of due to it usually being associated with mellower bands. Bands that eventually became known for their ballads and after four albums would turn out nothing but ballads. Although AOR stands for "album orientated rock," I am not so sure why mellow music seems to be associated with the style. I'm not a fan of shmaltzy ballads, so AOR and I have never been friends.

So obviously I hate Chopper, right? I bought it expecting some great 70s HARD Rock. Something that would tear my face off, something possibly harder edged than The Godz. Obviously these guys are in my list of biggest disappointments. Right?

Well, I really like Chopper. For my money these guys do it all right. They never get cheesy, they never get too melodramatic, and they keep enough energy in the music to make it all work. They throw in just enough spots where the music kicks in and they stop being a wimpy ballad band. The album is full of great hooks, great playing, and a solid production.

Gary Link, our future Steppenwolf bassist, turns in a killer performance on "Blue Winter." Heck, he does on the entire album. But this song is close to being exactly what one would expect from an AOR band. Mellow, with some overly dramatic turns, but the bass is killer on this song. Link adds the perfect accents and gives us a little more than just a bass line. Perfect notes added here and there, just the right amount of a run here and there. The bass actually propels the song along and takes what could have been a mediocre tune and transforms it into a great track.

Songs like "Beggars Day," "Don't Cry" and "Be Ready For Me Tonight" keep the album from being too mellow. Solid 70s guitar driven radio friendly rock numbers. Yet these are really the only two numbers that show teeth. But really, this is fine, and they are far from the strongest cuts on the album.

The standout tracks for me are the aforementioned "Blue Winter," "I'll Hold Onto You" and "Eddie." "I'll Hold Onto You" features a guitar riff and tone that is just incredibly warming to the heart. It is one of those songs that you can put on, and once you hear that riff you would be fine with nothing else from the song. The riff and production on the song is that good.

Chopper was a really good band. Regardless of the image and name, they are without a doubt worthy of your time and attention. The album can be found for decent prices. It doesn't appear to be on the streaming services and it was never given a CD repressing. If AOR or solid Pop is your thing then this should be added into your want list.

Gary Link is still playing with Steppenwolf is appears. Kim Bullard was with Poco for a time. As of 2009 he has been a touring player with Elton John. Drummer Brad Seip is a bit tougher to track down. It doesn't appear that he moved on to anything else from Chopper.

Searching for lead guitarist Peter Bunch bring us to the law offices of divorce attorney Peter Bunch. Looking at the picture on the sleeve for Chopper, and the picture of the attorney, there is no doubt Mr. Bunch is now an attorney. This is further confirmed by the Record Robot blog.

So, what about that image? Why did they take on an image and name that is so out of place? According to the Record Robot page it appears that they were re-tooled by the label into an attempt at a biker band image. Which seems an absolutely ridiculous move considering the sound the band turned out. It isn't like people would be fooled once they actually heard the band. There is no way a group of bikers, looking for an evening of debauchery, are going to see this album cover on a poster outside the club, go in and be happy with the resulting music. Well, they might be, after being a little irked that the band isn't really rocking the heck out of the place. It was this over-handling of the band lead to the break up, which is a great shame. They were a really good band that could have been so much more than just the minor footnote that they are now.

Sources:
Record Robot: http://recordrobot.blogspot.com/2005/08/cautionary-tale-of-pete-and-george-and.html

Teazer - Hard As A Rock

Teazer - Hard As A Rock
Released 1980 on ROKO Records DRRC 133

Hawaii, not a place many people would think to mention when discussing the great Rock and Roll scenes of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, or really any era. As I write this I am even hard pressed to come up with any bands out of Hawaii that play any form of Rock and Roll. Obviously they exist, but have any of them made it off of the islands?

Let's just cut to the chase. Let me introduce you to Teazer.

So who was Teazer? According to keyboardist Stanton Hoffman they were based out of Honolulu in the late 70s. They play a fairly straight-up 70s Hard Rock and carried a no frills image.

Vocalist Tookie Dauzat sounds a little like Gary Mielle from Tattooed Love Boys. Yes, nothing better than using an obscure reference for an obscure band. I would have to figure that a lot of people still have no idea what we are getting at here. So how about this, at times Tookie sounds fantastic. Other times, such as the opening number - - - his voice can be a little grating. Falsetto is not his strong suit. But the attitude is there and he is a pretty good vocalist when staying within his zone.

The guitar and drum production is a little soft. I would imagine in the studio the band had a great sound, then after mastering everybody sat around trying to figure out where the bite went. Solos sound good, but everything else is more or less on a level playing field.

As mentioned at the beginning, song-wise we are talking 70s Hard Rock with a blues angle. Discogs carries a "glam" tag on the album. I would have to disagree there. There isn't anything outright Glam about the band. The band would be better suited opening for bands ranging from Boston, Ted Nugent, Foghat, and other big Rock acts of the sort. The fans would also be much more appreciative of them than fans of, say, Bowie, T-Rex, or Sweet.

Songs like "Money, Women and Guns" and "Bad News" almost walk a line that would be at home with a Lynard Skynard or Allman Brothers. Slight Southern bend to the songs. This is also explained by the dedication to Ronnie Van Zant on the sleeve. The album also features a song entitled "Louisiana" which is also a find touch of Southern Rock, complete with a brilliant chorus that would probably get clear plastic cups full of cheap beer raised in the area as an audience sang along.

Yet songs like "Hard as a Rock" and "Electrified" would almost be just as happy being played by early 80s Metal acts. "Electrified" would almost be perfectly done by Wrathchild, with Tookie's voice almost even carrying a touch of Rocky Shades at times. "Electrified" and "Rock Out" might be the two songs that create the Glam tag. I think "Rock Out" even features the chorus of "Rock out with your cock out," so I would probably have to give them the award for stupid Hair band lyrics before the time. The song also features a nice guitar break where the production works nice and the guitar is really crisp sounding.



I do have one skipper song, but it is due to personal preference and not a fault of the band. Final song "Logan Avenue Blues" is what the title implies. A Chicago electric Blues style number. Solid performance all around, but just not what I would hope for on a closing number on an album that rocks fairly steady.

In a message from Stanton Hoffman I was told that the band only made 1,000 copies of the album. Of those he says only around 500 probably made it to the streets. So this is a fairly rare find. The album can be found on Discogs for $50 or so, which then begs the question "Is it worth it?" At this point you have to ask what you are in the game for. It is a solid record with some mediocre songs and a few really good. Nothing jumps out as to being a "you have got to hear this!" song. If it was to be found up to $10 I would say it is worth your money.


I am trying to find out where the rest of the band is. Did they continue on, or what happened with them? I appears that Mr. Hoffman is still involved in music, though no longer based out of Hawaii. It would seem he is now mainland U.S., so one had to wonder if that is a sign of the scene in Hawaii for music, or were there ties to the mainland. Obviously the only way any of that matter is from a historical context as to the Hawaiian Rock and Roll scene. But as my shelves of music are not overflowing with Hawaiian Rock and Roll bands quite in the same way it is with Scandinavian, Sunset Strip, Austin Texas bands, the curiosity starts to win out in my brain.

So yes, Hawaii had some solid Rock and Roll in the late 70s/early 80s. How many bands existed? I have no idea. But I do know of one who was waving the flag and doing what sounds like a pretty solid job. I would have to guess that if there were not a lot of bands doing it down there, then these guys were either kings or they could never get booked, but either way it was due to them being pretty dang good at what they were doing.

edit: Almost to prove my point some website just ran an article on the most popular band from every state. For Hawaii they listed some band named "Pepper" I have never heard of. I guess they are from 2000 and are still going. The picture shows them on stage at a 2007 Warped Tour show. I guess they are a Reggae style thing. I am standing by my assumption that Hawaii has not turned out a lot of Rock and Roll.
http://247wallst.com/special-report/2017/08/30/most-famous-band-from-every-state/4/

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. 

Record Store Report - Rochester Records

Rochester Records
Location: 2130 S. Broadway, Rochester, Minnesota.
Website: www.RochesterRecordsMN.com
Facebook presence: Yes
Hours: Mon. - Fri. 10:00 - 6:00, Sat. 10:00 - 5:00 (These are the hours on the sign and according to the Facebook page. However, I attempted to go to the store at 5:45 and it was closed. I was told by a worker from another store that the owner usually closes up shop by 5:30.)

What is on offer: 33 RPM, 45 RPM, CDs, DVDs, video, stereo equipment, memorabilia

Prices: Cheap discount prices range $1 - $3. Most records land in the $12 - $20 range. Digging will find some prices in the $6 - $8 range, but these are a little hard to find.

So, honestly, how is the place? Rochester Records runs the gamut of a saving grace to a frustrating little store. On the one hand it is jam packed with records, both common and un-common finds. Some of the albums are found in a section that is in alphabetical order. But, the majority of the albums are just spread out through the store all willy-nilly, defying both alphabetical order AND genre classification. This can be cause for a very lengthy amount of time spent in the store if your plan is to either just rummage around or even try to find something specific.

Listening to conversation I learned that the owner is in the process of finding order in the store. As it is now it appears that the ones that are in order are possibly the original stock. The ones that are all willy-nilly appear to be collections that have been bought and cleaned. Some of the crates look very much like a collection. One crate had a good amount of 80s Metal. One can look at the crates and see the makings of collections. As for the alphabetical section, Jethro Tull was found in the "T" section. Come on.

This did lead to a little frustration, as searching would turn up five of the same album, but scattered through the store. I found Sly and the Family Stone's Greatest Hits five times, one in a budget bin, then the others scattered about. The price ranged quite a bit with each one, with the cheapest being $5. Once you see this happening it gets a little frustrating because the first copy you find might not be the cheapest one in the store or the best quality (depending on what you are buying for).

Speaking of prices, those are also all over the place. Most of the vinyl seems to land between the $12 - $20 range. Now, while that might be a turn off to some people, inspecting the vinyl shows that much of the product on offer is in very good condition. I did compare the prices in the store with Discogs and the prices seem to reflect the higher end of what is on offer on Discogs. A few of the finds were a little high priced.

If you are looking for one album in particular the store could be frustrating. As an example, if you are looking for Hanoi Rocks and you can't find it in "H," that does not mean it is not available in the store. It very well could be anywhere else in the store. Not to mention Jethro Tull is found in the "T' section.

If you are just out to browse for new Metal, well, same problem. Your Metal could be anywhere in the store almost. It will require some time to do the searching.

If you just like to bin dive (as I do), then you will need about 2 - 3 hours (how long I spent in the store was about 3 hours). The problem is that there is a lot on offer, and by the end my finger tips were fairly sore from flipping so many records. I should also stress I am a guitarist and have callouses on my finger tips.

The owner is very friendly. I didn't get into a deep conversation, so I am not sure on his knowledge. Some of the stickers on the albums mention the genre of the album. This is very helpful for buyers such as myself. Those buyers who are always searching for something unfamiliar to them. I rarely buy with a certain band on my mind. I am always searching for that band I have never heard of, and a genre label is a very welcome addition. So when one finds these stickers one has to figure the owner either knows the products, or he cares enough to check out the items he is placing on the floor.

So what did I leave with? I did score pretty big there with my finds. I got three bands I love and one I was completely unfamiliar with.

Detective - It Takes One to Know One, $6
Mott The Hoople - Rock and Roll Queen, $8
Artful Dodger - Babes on Broadway, $15
Trigger - Trigger, $15

I believe I over paid a bit for the Artful Dodger, but at the same time it is one I haven't run across yet, and I do love them. Great band, great album. The vinyl is in mint condition. Even though it is a promo copy it does come with the normal sleeve insert with lyrics.

According to Discogs the Trigger album was over priced. Searching the internet, however, it seems that this is a very rare find. A one off record from a band that didn't get any backing from a floundering Casablanca records. So, much like the Artful Dodger, I decided to buy the album with the idea that this could very possibly be a tough one to track down. My main love are the 70s Glam and Power Pop bands that only released an album or two. Score! Again, vinyl is in mint condition.

The Detective album came with a sneaky ploy inside the cover. Upon checking the sleeve when I got home I found the insert for the debut album by Legs Diamond. The Detective insert is present, but I now have a Legs Diamond insert also. It would seem that I now have to go find the Legs Diamond debut.

All in all Rochester Records is a worthwhile stop. Just be sure you have the time and be ready to possibly spend more than you planned to or expect to walk away with less than you had hoped to. I had to walk away from about five albums I felt were a little too pricey for what they were. If the prices had been a little lower I would have blown my self-imposed budget. That being said, I have not left Rochester yet and I am not saying I won't return for one of them that keeps calling my name.