My Eyes Fastened To The Ground

Warner Music Group has agreed to pay a $5 million fine after an investigation by New York State Attorney General Elliott Spitzer's office found that the company has been involved in complicated payola schemes.   The announcement by Spitzer's office details: "Direct bribes to radio programmers, including airfare, electronics, tickets to premier sporting events and concerts; Payments to radio stations to cover operational expenses; Radio contest giveaways for stations' listening audiences, including flyaways, concert tickets, iPods, gift certificates and gift cards; Hiring independent promoters to act as conduits for illegal payments to radio stations; Purchasing 'spin programs' to artificially increase the airplay of particular recordings.  

It's not even complicity, it's solicitation. The radio stations are clearly blackmailing the record companies, and the record companies are caving in without question.

In case you missed out the first time, Sub Pop has another batch of the Postal Service 2x LP Give Up on vinyl.    Also just noticed the s/t Ulysses on limited white vinyl from Eenie Meenie Records.    Ulysses is a side project for Elephant 6 co-founder Robert Sneider.  

Yesterday I put up another round of auctions on Ebay.   

New, limited releases at Southern Lord.  This includes 2 Nattefrost 12” Picture Disks (black and white versions) and Orcutus 7” single.   Grab ‘em fast.  

Polyvinyl brings a new Saturday Looks Good To Me's 12” LP “All Your Summer Songs” complete with two bonus tracks not available on the CD or anywhere else. If that wasn't enough, the first 500 copies include an exclusive 7" containing two additional unreleased tracks. That's right folks...four unreleased SLGTM songs!!! 

Well, I burned thru my $500 of paypal money too fast.   Of course, the $200 Tiny Showcase package ate up a big chuck but I also grabbed some great Nirvana stuff including 2 copies of Molly’s Lips on black vinyl, Unplugged Japan LP (which completes my set of 6) and a rare live bootleg.   Also, a sealed kindercore Kings of Convenience cd, a OOP Boris Archive set, 2 copies of the new Sublime 40 oz. LP and a couple of Southern Lord releases.   I will definitely be having another sale for some cash.

Amazingly, and the first time I have ever heard of it, someone survived a jump off the Mt. Hope Bridge.   It a mile from my house and my gateway to Boston and The Cape.  Read about it here.

I’m very happy with the Beckett trade that the Red Sox have apparently secured.    Now if we lose “Manny being Manny” Red Sox Nation should look hard at Paul Konerko.    The White Sox just traded for Jim Thome so maybe it’s not impossible.    

This is always the worst weekend of the year in our family as we try to stay strong.   Can’t believe it’s been seven years since talking to Dad.     The depressing nature is spreading throughout Warren with an unprecedented number of people passing away this month.   Please stop now.  

One album that always seems to help if Of Montreal’s “Gay Parade”.   I highly recommend this for anyone who needs a little pick me up.     First pressings are impossible to find, but it’s been re-issued and you can get it from Polyvinyl or most record stores.   No direct link, but follow the tabs on the top of the linked page.  

Review:  The Gay Parade is indie-pop's very own Sgt. Pepper, a richly detailed, grandly ambitious concept record which forgoes the ponderous pretensions the phrase implies to instead exult in the simple joys of everyday life.  For all of The Gay Parade's effervescence and whimsy, there's also a melancholy that pervades [throughout].   Far from deflating the euphoria, however, these moments simply acknowledge the necessity of sadness and loss to the human experience, and deem them worthy of celebration as well. These are songs in the key of life, Zen-like expressions of simplicity and innocence resonating with remarkable complexity and wisdom.
— Jason Ankeny

I’ve been quit busy over the last couple of days, so I haven’t updated as much as I would like.  This is probably a good thing because my growing resentment over the ProJo has been starting to bubble as I have been wanting to “go off” on them.    I don’t know when this paper turned from center right to a pathetic imitation of the lefty-rag NY Times.    

All I know is this is NOT the newspaper I grew up with.   Just horrible “opinion” writers like Democratic Operative Baskt, Lefty Lover Kerr and the always Marxist Froma Harrop have destroyed the paper while trying to divide our country.    Don’t even get me started on Bunky and Dumpy who opine about themselves in the sports pages.  

Now, I hardly ever watch CSPAN but last Friday’s debate on pulling out of Iraq was fascinating and I couldn’t pull myself away.    But nowhere did I read, in spite of all the bashing, that the House voted 400-3 to NOT pull out the troops.      

A caller to talk radio has got it in a nutshell.  
1776:  Of the People, For the People, By the People
2005:  Of the Government, For the Government, By the Government

Now, more interesting stuff.   The Modest Mouse Sub Pop 2x LP vinyl has definitely shot up in value.   I sold an opened copy in the Spring for $40 and thankfully still have a sealed copy stored away.    

Out of the many vinyl pressing of Nirvana’s Bleach, only 1 version was numbered.   Here is a recent sale for the most impressive color produced.  Although I don’t own a numbered copy, I have an even rarer un-numbered copy in Mint Condition.  

Check out this immediately sold out version of the Tiny Showcase Winter Collection.   Just absolutely amazing work by all the artists and quite a production by Jon.   Congrats.  

Everyone, enjoy your Thanksgiving.  

Pitchfork gave the new Bruce Springsteen 30th Anniversay issue of Born To Run a perfect 10.   Although I haven’t listened to the album (or even a song) in 20 years, I may have to find a copy to spin for that special high school nostalgia feeling.  

Current interests bring me to a much more intriguing item.   It’s a new movie about Kurt Cobain narrated by himself.   “It’s just going to be 90 minutes of Kurt, and occasionally Michael Azerrad, talking about growing up in Aberdeen, living in Olympia, going to Seattle and eventually becoming the biggest rock star in the world,” Schnack said.  Check it out, here.

The Rocky Point knock-down dolls went for way more money than I thought.   They ranged from $60 to the most expensive, the Happy Clown knock-down doll.   And the original, vintage Flume Sign has a new home.  

Well, I ordered early and had to wait a month but got my limited Sunn O))) cd with bonus live cd and got number 0011 of 2000 copies.   That number is way too low to open, so I’ll have to grab another copy.  

My childhood friend, NSwift, is getting harassed by across the river residents about the brightness of his Swift Results Golf Range lights.   Read it here.   I was able to design the building and believe if he turns the lights toward the ground it will all be worked out.  

New, limited edition Kelley Stotlz 7”single from Cass Records.  

Check this out.  I won a Nirvana LP from Zing Music in Warren on ebay yesterday.   I can pick it up at the store but I have to pay sales tax.  

From Isota Records.  Jeff Mangum's Live At Jittery Joe's LP is now available and everyone who preordered the vinyl will get a signed reproduction of a drawing by Jeff. There will only be a hundred copies of the signed drawing and I only have about 20 left. They are available to anyone else who orders the vinyl on a first come, first served basis sort of thing.

Well my auctions ended last night and I’m happy with the end result.   Over $1,100 in Nirvana stuff, plus the 2 previous weeks of sales, puts my ebay gross sold at $2,150 for my Fall Sale.   There’s nothing better than checking your e-mail and finding $700 in your paypal account.  

It all sounds good until everyone takes their piece of the pie.    It cost me $160 to list on ebay (7.4%) and Paypal gets their 5.5%.   I’m still waiting for a few items to be paid until I can get my final paypal fee.  

The most amazing thing about the sale is how little of my collection I sold.   It’s almost out of control and can’t imagine what it could total if I had to sell in a time of crisis.  

New, limited releases from Southern Lord .    Haemoth - "Kontamination" CD & Picture disc LP.  Cd is limited to 2,000 hand numbered copies, Picture disc is limited to 300 copies!   Also, Thrones “Day Late, Dollar Short”  2xlp on PINK VINYL for the mailorder mongers and its limited to 549 pieces.

Penny Contest update:  I did it, I have cashed in the pennies, 10+ years worth.    I would like to announce a winner, but there were only 4 entries (including my wife and me) so I’ve extended the deadline.   The game is to guess how many pennies I got in this bin that weighs 45 lbs.   Winner gets a prize to be determined, e-mail entries to maccadd@aol.com.   MSwift, your original entry was so far off, you are allowed to guess again.  Hint, go a little higher.  

This is a great time of year.   The weather is perfect, days are shorter but everyone forgets about the damn leaves.!!!   (Notice my neighbor’s perfect yard in the upper left corner).   The chore has become quicker because of the riding lawn mower and mastering the chop-and-bag technique, by early afternoon I was in good shape, but this year I had a bonus.  

After chatting in casual conversation about his new “blower”, he showed up at my house sat. at 12pm.    He started and I joined to get my lawn to a “new level” of  yard work.

Thanks CRip!! I never would have bothered to put the finishing touch by clearing the back of the yard.    It looks so good, for a brief moment that I considered (for only a second) throwing down some fertilizer.

I hope many of you remember Rocky Point in Warwick.   But how about putting the original Tilt-A-Whirl sign or the famous Flume sign in your cellar.   There’s some pretty cool other classic RI stuff available by the seller.  

All my Nirvana items end tomorrow.   There are many people watching and (hopefully) it will turn into bids.                

Low's Christmas Album and a super Christmas-y Red Red Meat single at Sub Pop.    

Finally starting to get some bids on my Nirvana stuff, Here.

Great and very different video for the White Stripes new single.  Denial Twist.

One of the most under-rated LP’s of all time is Sublime’s “40 oz. to Freedom”.   This brilliant release is perfect from beginning to end but is never included on any top album lists.    Originally released in 1992, first pressing cd’s run for big bucks and the music is infectious, relaxing and fun at the same time.    

My friend, Cheese, makes me play the entire album every time we measure houses on the Cape.   The reason I bring this up is that the impossible to find vinyl has been re-released.

Out of nowhere, the new 2x LP vinyl has been pressed on cranberry vinyl in an edition of 2500 and only available from a couple of places.   Pre-order on ebay.  The original black vinyl pressing of 5ooo was released in 1997 and sold out in a couple of months.   It now sells for anywhere from $100 to $200 for a sealed copy (I have 2 sealed, 1 playing copy).  

Get one while you can.   Highly recommended.  

Warning:  My favorite metal label, Southern Lord, has a few super-limited releases coming up this week.   Save your money and be prepared to act fast.  

It’s always amazing to watch ebay for rare and unusual items.   Here’s one I noticed yesterday from Madonna.  Who would ever think a slab of vinyl could be worth so much money?   I guess this is what you call Super rare.   I’m pretty sure they pulled the item because the photo was too real.  

This is how NOT to sell your record collection: Basement LP's.    It amazes me that people who have thousands of common LP’s in pathetic shape think their hording is worth some sort of money.   I would be amazed if it sold for half the list price.  

Mis-presses are records that were printed in different colors, but when the color was changed a few remaining pellets of wax remained to create unique patterns.    A Nirvana Molly’s Lips sold yesterday that had some leftover strands of black, Here.    Normally it sells for about $50.    

Of course I own a couple of similar items but one stands above the rest.     Now, I may be the only owner in the world with a rich, dark Green/Black mix.     I also took the time and created a pretty cool frame.     Use this link to read all about the full mispressing history.

I also own a rare Foo Fighters / Probot mis-pressing.   Lastly, my 3rd unique pressing is from a small label in Detroit featuring the Wildbunch.   This item is White Stripes related and originally pressed by Flying Bomb Records.  

A new Sub Pop 7” by the A-Frames available here.  Also, there are limited Low tour poster and LP.  

Pitchfork reviews the new Guided By Voices Propeller vinyl LP and gives it a 9.2/10.  My copies arrived yesterday and will be spinning this afternoon.   I can still see my good friend CRip on the ground trying to change a tire after witnessing the only cool concert in his life.    We managed to drag him to GBV at the Middle East and his comment that Pollard “would probably be a good punter” still makes me chuckle.  

Thru the years I have collected every “official” color of Nirvana’s Bleach LP that was released by Sub Pop.    However, there was one un-official pressing that never hit the streets, here it is.   I will be making a real play at this to try and complete the set.

Bono’s custom made lunchbox went for 10K.   But to a (0) bidder.    See yesterday’s link.  

Check out Bono’s custom made Lunchbox For Charity.   The other one that caught my eye was Bill Gates submission.    J. Mascis label is re-releasing Dinosaur Jr. remastered classic punk albums on colored vinyl.    No one can deny the greatness of Living All Over Me.   There is a pre-order special for 4 LP’s for $43 ppd in the US.  Great deal and Grab a set here.

The Pats have their work cut out for them tonight.   Indy is rolling and the home town team looks to have lost an edge.   But we have Tom Brady.   The interview last night on 60 minutes was absolutely fantastic and we are blessed to have him in New England.   He is the poster boy for the underdog and just shows what happens when you get an unlikely opportunity and take advantage of the stakes.    He is the same guy he grew up being.  

It took about 5 hours but I listed 15 lp’s, 8 cd’s, 9 singles, a book and signed photo yesterday.   Take a peak here.

The work involved in listing is very under-rated.   It continues to amaze me in the interest for Nirvana items.   Overnight, there were a few messages and offers from all over the world.    I guess ebay fees have risen.  I just send them another $50 in seller fees, which has grown to about 8% of the total I sold.   Their invoices are hilarious and just try to read one.    It’s completely based on them doing the right thing.    

GREENSBURG, Pa. (Nov. 3) - A man claims his ex-girlfriend owes him more than $30,000 for gluing his genitals to his abdomen five years ago. Kenneth Slaby of Pittsburgh, is suing Gail O'Toole of Murrysville.

Slaby contends that O'Toole invited him over to her home on May 7, 2000, where he fell asleep. He woke up to find that O'Toole had used Super Glue to stick his genitals to his abdomen, glued his buttocks together and spelled out a profanity on his back in nail polish.  

Slaby said O'Toole told him it was payback for their breakup, and he had to walk a mile to a gas station to call for help. He pressed charges and O'Toole pleaded guilty to misdemeanor assault and served six months' probation.

My wife received her PC tickets of 30+ years but the package had been opened, (umm, I wonder who could be illegally touching other people’s mail in the Warren PO?), and one ticket was missing all the Big East games.    So, if you plan on buying a “scalped” ticket for Connecticut and it’s in section 123, beware, because you won’t be sitting there as new tickets will be printed.    

I found a link regarding the numbers on Lost.   There is NO SPOILER here, it simply uses a mathematical formula to get “the numbers”.   Check it out.

The last of my two week auction items went out today.    Whew.   Now I’m going to gear up for my Nirvana sale.  

There is a good article in the ProJo Live section regarding King Phillip and the Native Indians who once inhabited my fine hometown.   Little did I realize how close to home the declaration of war was in the 1675 from King Phillip's Seat.

Here’s the rest of the story:  Within a couple of miles of my house in Bristol, deep in the woods near the Haffenreffer Museum, an old well stands on the traditional site of King Phillip's death. It was here that Metacom (the real name for King Phillip) was betrayed, murdered and beheaded. According to legend, his head was displayed on a post in Plymouth for 25 years. It is a tragic place, but simple, to mark the end of an important leader. Nearby, a square stone marker, which the RI Historical Society placed in 1877, marks the site.

The choice Theo made seems sane on the surface, seeing he had enough of Lucchino, but it was the dream job that he gave up.   Did you see where ARod is showing up on “underground” texas hold-em tournies with Phil Helmulf on his arm.   How cute.   The two biggest crybabies (in spite of their talent) should rub off nice on each other.

I made my first craigslist  transaction.  I saw a listing for an original Metallica Stage Set with lights for $40.   It’s from 2001 and designed by Spawn creator Todd McFarlane.   I wrote, they called and in a minute I on was on my way over the Sakonnet Bridge.    The item was in great shape (never opened in original box) and even though I didn’t know the “value”, I grabbed it.    The thing is giant and measures 16” wide x 8” deep x 12” tall.   The next day it showed on Ebay.  

White Stripes Inchophone holding steady.    I thought I had snagged a new Boris collectible release but today, 8 days after the payment, I got a notice I missed out.   Hate that.    But two years ago I got ripped off $35 on a nirvana boot cd from some guy in Massachusetts.   Recently he surfaced on a message board, I contacted him and he agreed to send the original cd + a rare bonus.    He says it’s “in the mail’ but I heard that before.

Last night marked the opening of our winter basketball “league”.   I need a day to rest my legs after kicking my brothers arse all night.