The Scrounger's Report

Feb. 12, 1999

A funny thing happened on the way to the fleamarket...

So I went out to one of the local monthly fleamarkets after work
today. I was going there to buy baseball cards, as there are never
any CDs there worth a shit (unless you like Minnie Pearl CDs EEK!).

On the way back I decided to stop at the new branch of one of our
local used CD stores (he's got 5 locations now; this one's only
been open a week). It's his "warehouse" store; everything from
the other 4 locations comes here before going back out. I got to
paw through all his stock and pick what I wanted at $4 per.

Nothing splendiferous (with one MAJOR exception), but I filled
a bunch of holes in my collection.

I've always wondered: am I the only one who actually *prefers*
older releases of a CD to newer reissues? I *want* the original
releases with original artwork if I can humanly find them...even
on CDs that command no premium whatsoever. Even if the reissue
is remastered and contains bonus tracks, I still want to find an
original for collectability's sake....*shrug* Guess I'm funny that
way. Most people don't differentiate, whereas I specifically
look for early-to-mid 1980s pressings of even common CDs. Many
of the run-of-the-mill rock/pop CDs in my collection are original
pressings, simply because I've gone out of the way to find them;
it may be a pointless effort, but you never know...:)

Anyway, on to the CDs:

 1. Chumbawamba - Tubthumper. 1997.
    I don't care what anyone says, this is *catchy* *as* *HELL*.
    It's 90s dance pop, but it grabs you. Believe it or not, this
    is the one non-AOR/rock/metal area where I think there is some
    EXTREMELY good stuff coming out these days - dance pop. This
    isn't quite up to the level of Savage Garden's FANTASTIC album,
    but close.

 2. Sweet F.A. - Liquid Emotion. 1991.
    It's a promo CD single...what the heck for a buck.

 3. Vengeance Rising - Once Dead. 1990.
    Christian thrash metal; it's pretty collectible...

 4. Greg Howe - S/T. 1988.
    Didn't realize until after I left that this is strictly
    instrumental...Doh!

 5. Bad 4 Good - Refugee. 1992.
    Marko picked this up a week or so ago. A bunch of teenyboppers,
    but DAMN, this is some melodic stuff...good vocal harmonies.

 6. Triumph - Rock 'N Roll Machine. 1978.
    You know....I'm eventually going to get ALL of Triumph's
    albums, I keep forgetting to. I bypassed a recent-appearing
    reissue for this older MCA release (MCAD-31119). It has no
    liner notes, and the back of the "booklet" is printed with
    the "Compact Price" logo and list of other artists in this
    budget series. Any idea when this pressing was released?

 7. General Public - ...All the Rage. 1984.
    Early 80s dance pop. The track "Tenderness" was a radio hit.

 8. Elton John - Reg Strikes Back. 1988.
    Again, another artist I need to complete a collection of.

 9. Gary Moore - Back on the Streets. 1978.
    I have a French import of this CD which was released in
    1985. This is a 1989 pressing on the Grand Slamm label.
    Completely different artwork, and one more track than the
    other version. How many albums did Grand Slamm actually put
    out and is there a way to get a list? They put out a real
    eclectic batch of stuff: this is SLAMCD 10, Lion's
    "Trouble in Angel City" is SLAMCD 5, and White Lion's
    "Fight to Survive" is SLAMCD 1. Let's fill in the gaps! :)

10. Starship - Knee Deep in the Hoopla. 1985.
    I've always meant to pick this one up but never did. The
    thing that piqued my curiosity is that this pressing has
    that "original pressing" look: It is on "Grunt" records,
    and the CD is labeled "Made in Japan" (although the artwork
    is printed in the USA).

11. R.E.O. Speedwagon - Life as We Know It. 1987.
    Can you say "OUT OF PRINT"? Sure...I knew you could.

And finally....the "Piece O' Resistance" [sic]....I already own
one, so this one is up for trade....better offer me something
good though....:)

12. Dennis DeYoung - Back to the World. 1986.
    Not as rare as "Desert Moon", but IMO his best album!
    Someone punched an 1/8" hole in the front booklet, but the
    CD is MINT...

Altogether I spent $42 on all the CDs, so I'm happy...

-Dan