Washed Weekly: Record Collecting and Trackball Spinning
Vibes are high.
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Five Takeaways From A Year of Record Collecting
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There’s always a moment when meeting new people when someone asks, “So what do you do for work?” While this question seems fair, no one really wants to spend a group dinner talking about what they’re trying to avoid all weekend.
But when you ask, “Do you have any hobbies?” it normally rattles people because the first thing that comes to mind is drinking, going to group dinners, and drinking. It’s a sad existence to live with that answer, but we also don’t all just keep a captain’s log of how we spend our time.
In an effort to have a good answer to the latter question, I decided to embark on a journey last year. I wanted a hobby that didn’t cause me to spend five hours outside (so not golf) and that I could do from the comfort of my own home (farewell flyfishing). Being that I’ve always been into music, getting a record player seemed like a natural choice.
Knowing nothing about record players or vinyl, I dove in headfirst by ordering all of my equipment from the same company: U-Turn. I purchased their Orbit Plus Turntable in Walnut (shop) and their stock speakers (shop). After researching similar options, I knew I’d want everything from the same company just in case something went wrong or I had technical issues — and yes, U-Turn’s customer service team has been incredible during my embarrassingly simple problems.
Equipment aside, however, I do have some unexpected takeaways from the last twelve months of building a collection.
The record store will bankrupt you.
I’m lucky to live in a music-driven city with plenty of record stores, but my go-to store is infamous here in Austin — Waterloo Records. In the front of their store, you’ll find a bunch of used albums (both rare and not) whereas the rest of the store is directed toward new releases or reprints.
Did you know most new albums these days cost about $35? Did you know it’s nearly impossible to leave a record store with just one record? Did you know this adds up significantly when your primary goal is to build a collection so you can have all your favorite music at your disposal?
Buyer beware. Get a different credit card from your spouse if you have to.
It’s way too easy to get obsessed with Discogs.
Discogs is essentially the go-to marketplace for records (and any other physical media form). As I began to scan the bar codes of all my records to keep an inventory, I found myself reading about matrix/runouts, how good individual mixes were, whether or not copies are warped, and who knows what else.
Unfortunately, once those obsessions begin to form, you find yourself adding things to your “Wantlist” that you absolutely do not need. Like you know when your buddy shows up to dinner with a dope watch and suddenly you need a watch even though you don’t wear a watch? Well, that’s pretty much how it feels to stumble upon a limited box set that you can only get for $500 on eBay.
Buyer’s remorse will take over at some point.
I have three records in my collection that I just straight-up haven’t listened to at this point, and no, I’m not willing to admit which ones they are because they’re good albums. But here are some things that happened over the last year, both good and bad.
Bad: Out of panic, I purchased an alternate cover version of Vampire Weekend’s new album. Sadly, I like the original cover better. And the vinyl itself is a bit warped. But now I just… have a lesser version of something I want because I was afraid all the versions would sell out.
Good: I bought Taylor Swift’s “Folklore: Long Pond Sessions” vinyl the day it was released (which was Record Store Day, a day reserved for special vinyl releases). The album that I bought for $45 is now worth about ten times that. Devastatingly, it’s one of my favorite records so I’ll never make anything off it.
Bad: During an eclipse that I didn’t know was happening, I found an original copy of Grateful Dead’s “Live/Dead” album while everyone scurried outside and watched the darkness. Being that I found my favorite band’s classic record during an eclipse, I figured I had to buy it for $75. And when I got home to listen to my first Eclipse Album (not a thing), it sounded like total shit.
Good: Whenever you buy a new release and see that price skyrocket on Discogs, well, life is good. After purchasing Berlioz’s “Jazz Is For Ordinary People” for $20, the price immediately skyrocketed to double that where it sits today. While I didn’t need that album, now I can justify having it because it’s worth more now — despite none of that mattering unless you’re trying to flip records.
Bad: Oh, you’re ordering online? Well the album is probably going to come in with some rough edges that you can’t really do that much about. Such is the life of a record collector.
You will listen to the same albums over and over and over again.
After I had purchased 100 records, I told myself I had to stop until I sold some. I’m still in the midst of my spending moratorium, but I also pre-ordered some albums months ago so this river ain’t running totally dry.
But to think anyone actually listens to their entire collection is insane. If my record player had a Spotify Wrapped, these were the most-listened-to albums from the last 365 days:
Taylor Swift’s “Folklore: The Long Pond Studio Sessions”
Grateful Dead’s “Cornell 5/8/77”
Grateful Dead’s “Spring 1990”
Sam Fender’s “Live From Finsbury Park”
Stan Getz and Joao Gilberto’s “Getz/Gilberto”
As I trudge through my collection, I’ve found myself falling in love with certain things more than I enjoy streaming them. “Long Pond Studio Sessions” makes Taylor’s voice sound unlike any way you’ve heard her before. “Cornell 77” has Phil Lesh basslines that make your neck hair stand up. It’s those intricacies that I find myself going back to because you simply don’t get them from streaming your iPhone to a bluetooth speaker.
You’re never done collecting. Ever.
Here’s a list of reasons I’ve bought a record in the last year:
“It’s super limited edition so I need to go try and get it now so I don’t have to pay double later.”
“Eh, I’m kind of bored and both the kids are napping — I’m going to scoot down to the record store and make something of this Sunday afternoon.”
“Next week is Record Store Day so I need to get this one re-release that I never knew I wanted until I saw it on a list of RSD releases.”
“Oh, I’ve never seen this one from [insert favorite artist] — well, I’ll probably buy it eventually so I’ll just buy it now instead of later.”
“I forgot this album existed but I loved it in high school — I should get it and let it sit in a cupboard for the rest of time.”
The retail therapy aspect of it, however, cannot be undersold. There’s something to be said about spending $35 on a piece of art you can have for the rest of your life rather than an overpriced lobster roll at brunch.
At least that’s what I keep telling myself.
In all seriousness, I’ve enjoyed learning a lot about records over the last year and it’s what people ask about the most when I do AMAs for Sunday Scaries. If you have any questions, I’d love to lend a hand so leave a comment. Or just let me know your favorite record — that works too.
What I’m Cooking, Drinking, And Watching This Weekend
by Dave
What I’m Cooking
We’re fresh off the inaugural episode of Dillon’s Track House, and vibes are high. Did I get completely emasculated in what was probably my tenth round of Golden Tee ever? Absolutely. But I did it for the stream. They wanted to see what I had, so I showed them. The results? Not shocking. Despite being spotted 30 shots, I lost soundly. No excuses, though. I could sit here and make a stink about not being warmed up, or the lingering hip flexor tenderness I’ve been battling through, but that’s not really how I’m built. Go back and give it a watch.
This weekend, the only thing I’m cooking up is misty flips and preacher seats off my parents’ diving board. We’re headed up for the weekend, and I’ve been made aware of an early dinner rez Friday evening at a trendy Dallas steakhouse. Stillwell, I think. This will be the second time we’ve had dinner together without kids in 2024, so you know I’m about to act up. Otherwise, I’ll be in a grill supervisor role all weekend.
What I’m Drinking
Ever had Korean pear juice? Me neither. We had a company reach out and send us a box of 30 pouches. All you have to do is drink one before you start tossing back Red Stripes, and no more hangovers. Allegedly. I’ll be trying this out before our big night out Friday, and I will absolutely let you know if I feel like a functioning 39-year-old on Saturday morning. I’ll be pinpointing the third least expensive pinot noir on the menu and drinking roughly half of it. As for the rest of the weekend, I’ll be poolside with a knockoff YETI loaded up with some Stripes.
What I’m Watching
Have you been following sports? I have. My entire Q2 has been me getting tag teamed by ESPN and TNT. Think Dudley Boyz in ECW.
Friday Night: Mavs-Wolves. Saturday Night: Stars-Oilers. Sunday Night: Mavs-Wolves. No rest for the weary. Despite the mounting sleep deprivation setting in and a new viewing location, I’ll be dialing up the same vibes. If someone reading this has lower bowl tickets for Saturday’s Stars game, I’m very open to joining you if the price is right.
Honorable Mention: Outer Range, season 2. I found this show a couple years ago and liked it enough to finish the first season. It’s not perfect, but Josh Brolin got me in the door. It’s sci-fi Yellowstone, which is coincidentally my entire vibe this summer. When I noticed that the second season had dropped, I quickly recapped the ending of season one and dove in. Assuming you’re into ranches, bull riding, time travel, and manslaughter, you’ll love this show. I do. Check it out.
And We’re Off
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Episode one of Dillon’s Track House, available on YouTube and Twitch, is officially in the books. The chat was buzzing, somehow some glizzies showed up (?), I got three rounds of Golden Tee in, and Will took down a Gonster*.
I was not expecting a delivery of Chicago style hotdogs to show up at Washed HQ, but they did, right before I holed out from 97 yards.
Check out episode one here:
Round one was against Dave, a total novice. This was intentional, as I paired up with him to show you all how difficult this game is if you aren’t a seasoned veteran. Did I fire a -27 and beat him by 40+ strokes? Yeah, I did. But it was a necessary beatdown. I needed to not only showcase my skills, but show you all the juxtaposition between me and someone who’s new to the game.
My next two rounds were much more humbling. It’s episode one, though, and we have nowhere to go but up.
Tune in every Thursday at 2 pm CDT for Dillon’s Track House.
*He drank most of a Gonster, but not all of a Gonster.
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Kacey Musgraves golden hour is my ultimate chill sesh spin
I recently started bidding on ebay for certain records to get better pricing on them, I still go to the bins at the shop and look through but some things just aren’t worth the price tags they put on it at the store