Shopping Trip

Roadrunner Records (Minneapolis, MN)

They Might Be Giants s/t lp - 15.00

They Might Be Giants: Don't Let's Start ep - 10.00

Bee Gees: Odessa lp (fuzzy sleeve 2lp version) - 10.00

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 199.68 plus tax

Shopping Trip

Cheapo (St. Paul, MN)

Squarepusher: Vic Acid 12" - 7.20

The Decemberists: Castaways and Cutouts lp - 18.99

Diana Ross and the Supremes: Love Child lp - 3.20

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 164.68 plus tax

Jolene's Most Wanted: Black Velvet

How have we gone this long without running across this?

The Full Collection

We've added the link to our 12 and 10-inch record database. Between this database and our 7-inch database, you can now browse our entire collection. These databases are constantly updated. The links will remain on the sidebar.

12 and 10-inch database

Shopping Trip

MSP Music Expo (Roseville, MN)

The Feelies: Only Life lp - 8.00

XTC: Mummer lp - 6.00

A&M Records Pre-Release Sampler 1981 - 3.00

Kraftwerk: Trans-Europe Express - 7.00

Julie London: Julie is Her Name - 12.00

-4.00 in seller discounts

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 135.29 plus tax

Shopping Trip

Cheapo (Minneapolis, MN)

Ike & Tina Turner: River Deep - Mountain High/Proud Mary 7" - 3.00

Mary J. Blige: Real Love/Real Love (Hip-Hop Version) 7" - 3.00

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 103.29 plus tax

Shopping Trip

Hymie's (Minneapolis, MN)



R.E.M.: Radio Song/Love is All Around (live) 7" - 1.00
R.E.M.: Shiny Happy People/Forty Second Song 7" - 1.00
Herbie Hancock: Rockit 7" - 1.00
D.J. Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince: Parents Just Don't Understand 7" - 1.00
Marvin Gaye: How Sweet It Is/I'll Be Doggone 7" - 2.00
The Smithereens: Blood and Roses/Behind the Wall of Sleep 7" - 1.00
Dexy's Midnight Runners: Late Night Feelings/Breakin' Down the Walls of Heartache 7" - 1.50

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 97.29 plus tax

Shopping Trip

Half Price Books (Roseville, MN)



Boredoms: Ant 10 12" - 9.98

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 88.79 plus tax

Shopping Trip

Cheapo (St. Paul, MN)

The Dismemberment Plan: Emergency & I lp - 25.99

Ray Charles: What'd I Say Pt. I/Pt. II 7" - 0.50

The Zombies: Time of the Season/She's Coming Home 7" - 0.50

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 78.81 plus tax

Okay, this is actually pretty unusual for us to spend so much in a week, but I've been waiting for this Dismemberment Plan reissue since the day they announced it, and I couldn't wait any longer. Probably could have gotten a better price on it, but it's actually not even officially out yet. I just knew the St. Paul Cheapo puts things out early.

Shopping Trip

Electric Fetus (Minneapolis, MN)

Prices include employee discount Jeff Marshall gave us. Awesome.

Bruce Springsteen: I'm Going Down/Janey, Don't You Lose Heart 7" - 1.29

New York Dolls: Trash/Trash (Live 2009) 7" - 3.74

Nico: Chelsea Girl lp - 7.79

Cheapo (Minneapolis, MN)

The Best of Buddah [Records] compilation - 3.20

Morrissey: Irish Blood, English Heart + 3 7" - 3.00

The Strokes: Someday + 2 7" - 3.00

Jon Secada: Do You Believe in Us/Misunderstood 7" - 1.00

Jon Secada: Mental Picture (E Smoove's Pop 7" Mix)/Fat Chance 7" - 0.50

Running Total Spent in 2011 on records: $51.82 plus tax

Spindle Holes

The first question we always have about any single that we come across is what size the spindle hole is. It's been a lingering issue ever since we got Jolene.

When newer microgroove records were being introduced during World War II, Columbia and RCA were having a format war of sorts over the playback speed and size of records. The players each manufactured did not have selectable speeds, so if you bought an RCA player, it could only play RCA records. Besides the speed issue, the players had different spindle sizes to further complicate things.

The formats eventually came to the standards that we know today: 12" albums are generally 33 1/3 rpm, and 7" singles are generally 45 rpm. For decades, 7" singles kept the larger doughnut hole spindle size. This helped jukebox mechanisms change records easily. This is exactly how Jolene works. She likes the doughnut hole singles.

Some 7" records were released that played at 33 1/3 rpm in order to fit more music on each side. Jukeboxes were fitted with automatic speed selectors to be able to play records at either 45 rpm or 33 1/3 rpm. The jukebox knew what speed to play a record at based on the size of its spindle hole. A large hole meant 45, and a small hole meant 33 1/3. Jolene does not have an automatic speed selector mechanism, but the manual makes reference to it being an optional accessory. I am not really sure if finding and installing one is still possible, but it would be nice.

Of course, this is only how things worked in America. In the UK, 7" records only have small spindle holes regardless of playback speed. So even if Jolene had an automatic speed selector that would allow her to change and play records with a small spindle hole, they would play at 33 1/3, which is usually the wrong speed.

All of this information is what I've pieced together from ancient message board posts and talking to guys at record stores. I might be wrong about some of it.

Now we finally come to modern 7" records, which almost never have a large spindle hole anymore, even though every record player you buy comes with a spindle hole adapter and most people that buy records have stacks of those plastic yellow ones. This is probably not a problem to most of the world, but it is a big problem for Jolene.

A small spindle hole on a record is usually a deal-breaker for us. We've opted not to buy a lot of cool newer singles because Jolene can't play them. This has brought us to our only plausible solution, cutting giant holes in our records.



"Dinking" is the only term I've been able to find for this process, although I've mostly seen the word being used in the UK. There may be an American term for the process. I would really love to know what it is. I've also found pictures of smaller hand-held dinkers and UK websites that offer them for £20 to £30. This seems a little steep, and the websites are also usually sold out of them. I've read a lot of horror stories on message boards of people destroying records while using them, or while using many makeshift methods involving drill presses or other power tools.





Because of the potential to forever destroy records that are not always easy to come by and can be expensive, and because of the expensive involved in most of the dinking methods we found, we have yet to attempt dinking. After more than a year with Jolene, though, we're really tired of this being an issue.

I think we might end up trying this method.



We'll let you know how it goes.

Shopping Trip

New Year's Resolution: keep track of record purchases, when, where, how much.



First record shopping of 2011:

Half Price Books (Roseville, MN)

Red Red Meat: There's a Star Above the Manger Tonight/Welcome Christmas 7" - 5.98

Half Price Books (St. Louis Park, MN)

Fugazi: 3 Songs 7" - 4.98
Tammy Wynette: Stand By Your Man/I Stayed Long Enough 7" - 0.48
Ozzy Osbourne: Crazy Train/Crazy Train 7" - 1.98
Fleetwood Mac: Rhiannon/Sugar Daddy 7" - 1.98
Stevie Nicks: Stop Dragging My Heart Around/Kind of Woman 7" - 0.48
Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Do You Want to Touch Me (Oh Yeah)/Victim of Circumstance 7" - 0.48
The Rapture: House of Jealous Lovers 12" - 7.98
Squeeze: Cool For Cats LP - 2.98
The Band: Up on Cripple Creek/The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 7" - 0.98