Making a Mixtape: A to Z Update

So the really hard part of compiling this mixtape is that I am choosing only one song from each artist. Now there are some artists I have no problem in picking just one song. However there are others that pose a greater challenge.

Choosing just one Beatles song was one of the toughest tasks so far. I debated for quite some time and ended up picking a neutral yet still awesome song. It probably was a cop out, but in this situation, I needed a cop out.

Shopping Trip

Half Price Books (Maplewood, MN)

Nilsson: Schmilsson lp - 2.99

Nilsson: A Little Touch of Schmilsson in the Night lp - 2.99

Beach Boys: Summer Days and Summer Nights lp - 2.99

Baltimora: Tarzan Boy 7" - 0.50

Bobby Darin: Splish Splash 7" - 0.50

Rolling Stones: Mother's Little Helper/Lady Jane 7" - 0.50

Chicago: Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? 7" - 0.50

Henry Mancini: Love Theme From Romeo & Juliet 7" - 0.50

Michael Sembello: Maniac 7" - 0.50

Foreigner: Waiting for a Girl Like You 7" - 0.50

Deep Purple: Smoke on the Water 7" - 0.50

The Cars: Shake It Up 7" - 0.50

The Trammps: Disco Inferno 7" - 0.50

Abba: The Winner Takes It All 7" - 0.50

Rolling Stones: Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow? 7" - 0.50

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 388.45

Shopping Trip

Cheapo (St. Paul, MN)

Andrew Bird: Mysterious Production of Eggs lp - 18.99

Architecture in Helsinki: Do the Whirlwind 7" - 5.99

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 373.48 plus tax

Awesome Picture Sleeves: "Gypsy Woman"

Record Spotlight: Trash

Okay, here's the thing. If you are going to have more than one version of a song, you need to make it clear which is which. If I knew that New York Dolls rerecorded an awesome song to make it really awful, then I would have known to be careful when buying the song. This sleeve does not indicate that it is a new version. The only indication is on the back, saying it is from the release 'Cause I Sez So. I know that the original is from their self-titled album, but how do I know 'Cause I Sez So isn't a greatest hits or something? Put a "(Lame Version)" or something in the title. Don't try and trick me into buying something because I think it's something else.

Also, this single spins at 33 1/3 even though the song is only 3:49. Nothing about this record makes any sense. You can have it if you want it.

Jukebox Heroes: The Everly Brothers

These two have been a staple in jukeboxes everywhere since the late 50's and with Jolene, it's no exception. Their list of hits seems never ending and there is a little something for everyone. Whether it be their bigger hits like "Wake Up Little Susie" and "All I Have To Do Is Dream" or the rollicking classic "Gone, Gone, Gone." They even have "Ebony Eyes" to please the fans of tragic teenage death songs.

Their killer harmonies and handsome haircuts make them true Jukebox heroes.

Making a Mixtape: Mixtape Exchange

Yeti Records has started a mixtape exchange. Basically, if you make a mixtape and drop it off at the store, you can pick up one that someone else has dropped off. We've been making a lot of mixtapes anyway, so this sounded like fun.

This is the first mixtape that we've done any kind of artwork for, so that was a lot of fun too.

We ended up picking out a tape that the owners of Hymie's had made. We hope this exchange keeps growing. We'll definitely keep contributing.

If you want to join in, and you should, here's some more info about the exchange. The first post has the info.

Shopping Trip

Rock and Roll Garage Sale (Eden Prairie, MN)



Al Green: Let's Stay Together lp - 3.00
Otis Redding: Otis Blue lp - 4.00
Otis Redding & Carla Thomas: King & Queen lp - 4.00
Otis Redding: Dictionary of Soul - 4.00
The Replacements: Don't Tell a Soul - 6.00
Eddie Cochran: The Very Best of - 2.00
Guns n' Roses: Sweet Child O' Mine 7" - 1.00

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 348.50 plus tax

Awesome Picture Sleeves: "Pocket Calculator"

p.s. - The vinyl is actually green but it scanned white. Spooky.

Shopping Trip

Amazon.com

Kanye West: My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy lp - 31.75

- 20.00 Amazon card

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 324.50 plus tax

Shopping Trip

Cheapo (Blaine, MN)

The Replacements: Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash lp - 21.00

Alanna Myles s/t lp - 3.60

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 312.05 plus tax

Awesome Picture Sleeves: "How Will I Know"

Shopping Trip

The Record Show (Minneapolis, MN)

X: Los Angeles lp - 20.00

Metallica: One/The Prince 7" - 10.00/7.00

Elvis Costello: Pump It Up/Big Tears 7" - 7.00/3.50

Elvis Costello: Less Than Zero/Radio Sweetheart 7" - 5.00/2.50

Belle and Sebastian: I'm a Cuckoo/Travelin' Light 7" - 7.50/7.00

Belle and Sebastian: Step Into My Office, Baby/Love on the March - 7.50/7.00

Prices: Price as Marked/Price Haggled

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 287.45 plus tax

Making a MIxtape: A to Z

Jason and I are going on a road trip in May. It's going to be 10 days in the car driving from Minneapolis to L.A. and back. A trip like this calls for some epic mixtapes. So we decided to make a series of tapes featuring one song from each artist in our collection, going along in alphabetical order.

To start it off, of course, is Abba. Now, the hardest part of this task is choosing just one song from each artist but in the case of Abba, the choice was easy...

Shopping Trip

Half Price Books (Blaine, MN)

The Monkees: Head - 10.00

Guided By Voices: Motor Away 7" - 10.00

The Four Tops: Reach Out I'll Be There - 0.25

- 4.05 with 20% off coupon

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 240.45 plus tax

Dinking

After watching the above video, we decided to attempt dinking some records with a utility knife. We had seen some other methods and tools for doing the job, but the utility knife seemed cheap enough to attempt.

We used a pretty similar setup as in the video.

The task proved to be pretty difficult. We managed to get a couple dinked, but the holes needed a lot of sanding down to fit an adaptor.

We also had a lot of trouble with blades going dull quickly and tips breaking easily. The thicknesses of the records made a big difference, and different vinyl blends could be easier or more difficult to cut. Colored vinyl seemed to be a little softer and easier to cut.

After cracking a record while trying to push out the center, we gave up on dinking for a couple weeks.

We did end up giving it another shot, and things weren't any easier. We ended up going through all the blades that came with the utility knife and starting on a pack of replacement blades. The other blades made a world of difference. They seemed much sharper and the tips didn't break. It seems as though the blades that came with our knife were just not very good.

With the new blades working well, we had no problem dinking a bunch of records pretty quickly and easily. Success!

Shopping Trip

Half Price Books (St. Louis Park, MN)

Richard Hell: Another World/Blank Generation/You Gotta Lose 7" - 8.98

Mighty Mighty Bosstones: Where'd You Go?/Sweet Emotion 7" - 2.98

- 2.40 with 20% off coupon

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 224.25 plus tax

Awesome Picture Sleeves: "Who's Johnny"

Shopping Trip

Amazon.com

Jenny Lewis & the Watson Twins: Rabbit Fur Coat lp - 16.16

Metric: Live It Out lp - 13.80

Ryan Adams: Heartbreaker lp - 23.62

The Decemberists: The Crane Wife lp - 18.98

Jens Lekman: Oh You're So Silent Jens lp - 12.21

A.C. Newman: The Slow Wonder lp - 14.74

We don't order records online very often. There's nothing fun about shopping on a website. But we did have a bunch of Amazon gift cards and actually only ended up spending 15.01 on this order. We got some books too.

Running Total Spent in 2011 on Records: 214.69 plus tax