Top ten missed vinyl barngains
One that got away... Popol Vuh’s soundtrack to Herzog’s classic 1972 film Aguirre, Wrath of God (though it only contains two tracks from the actual film)
Missed, lost chances and regrets swirl around in my head, whether it be job opportunities, friends, lovers, photos, books or records. I have no explanation for why I didn’t buy these records, most of which were under a tenner, and all of which I now of course desperately want.
1. Bob Dylan – The 50th Anniversary Collection 1963 (6 LP set)
This is the only one I will probably never have the chance to buy again, seeing as it was released in a limited edition of 100 (snuck out by Sony/Legacy to prevent the recordings entering the public domain) and now sells for about £500. I can’t remember why I was in Sister Ray early one Saturday morning in November 2013 but I saw it there. For £30. Seemed expensive at the time.
2. Popol Vuh – Aguirre (pictured above)
This one isn’t worth a huge amount – about £40 – but the original pressing seems fairly rare. I’d seen it for £5 at a record stall at a car boot sale a few years back. I held it in my hands, put it back. Went back to the stall half an hour later – it was still there – again, held it in my hands, ummed and ahhed, but didn’t buy it.
(Recently my mum returned from the V&A with a bunch of greetings cards – including one with the Indian painting of the lotuses on the cover of Aguirre – which even my daughter recognised immediately, as I’d been going on about it so much. For years. Sigh.)
3. Rolling Stones – Sticky Fingers
The one with the famous Andy Warhol crotch shot cover with an actual zipper on the original LP, I saw this at the record stall in Barnes Fair. Quite rare for the cover to be in perfect condition (with an intact zipper, so to speak) but the vinyl had a large scratch on it so I passed. £4.
4. Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet
£2 in a charity shop in Richmond, this one wasn’t in very good condition.
5. Bob Dylan – Highway 61 Revisited / Bringing it all Back Home
Two classic Dylan albums in great condition at a car boot sale for £3 each. Don’t ask.
6. Every single Steeleye Span album
I love Steeleye Span but don’t have any of their albums. About a dozen or so had turned up in a charity shop, as well as solo stuff by Maddy Prior. They were all in perfect condition, and £2 each. I wasn’t sure which ones to buy – aside from all of them – so opted for none. But I did get Liege & Leaf by Fairport Convention.
7. Crates of classic rock LPs including Led Zeppelin, David Bowie etc.
A van pulled up at the Chiswick car boot sale and unloaded about twenty crates of vinyl. Middle-aged men swarmed around them. I had a good look, they were all £2 each, but I felt a bit overwhelmed. There were multiple copies of, say, the first Led Zeppelin album, with different coloured covers. I couldn’t remember which the valuable pressings were, so didn’t buy anything.
8. Captain Beefheart – Trout Mask Replica
Classic experimental album that is very painful to listen to. I’ve probably heard the whole album once. Nevertheless, seeing the first pressing, double LP in mint condition in a charity shop was tempting. But not for £20. I went back a few times, waiting for it to be reduced in price. The third time I went, all the vinyl was half price, but Trout Mask Replica was gone. There was other stuff left – including Safe as Milk for £5. I should have got it. But didn’t.
9. The Beatles – White Album
Never much liked the Beatles anyway*. £6 a bit steep. Mentioned previously.
10. Crazy Horse – Crazy Horse
The debut album of Neil Young’s backing band for £1 in a Crystal Palace charity shop seems a no-brainer but it was a bit tatty.
I very rarely make this mistake any more (i.e. if it’s a pound or two, I’ll take a chance – go crazy – and buy it), and the amount of barngains I have bought runs to hundreds, so I’m grateful for what I’ve managed to find – but these missed ones nag at me like a sore tooth for some reason.
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*I remember reading in Nick Hornby’s 31 Songs how he wasn’t a big Dylan fan but realised he owned about a dozen of his albums anyway. I'm the same with the Beatles (and David Bowie) – I wouldn't call myself a fan of either, but find I own, on vinyl and CD, virtually every album they ever released (as well as some rarities).
I’m also not a fan of James Corden – but found myself watching his recent Carpool Karaoke with Paul McCartney. It was surprisingly moving as Macca visits his old haunts in Liverpool, then does a surprise gig in a pub he used to drink in as a lad.
Previously on Barnflakes
Missed Photos
Letting the barngains go
Recent barngain LPs
Recent barngains
The month’s musical barngains
Top 10 greatest missed barngains
Top 10 most valuable CDs (Consistently one of my post popular posts for some reason)
Elsewhere on Barnflakes
BARNGAINS