I have been going to records stores way too often as I continue my obsession on buying vinyl.  On the flip side of that, I also don’t feel like I have gone enough.  Confusing I know. I actually enjoy just browsing through the store and seeing what is there.  It is rare I go into the store and I don’t buy anything, but lately I am picking up 5 or 6 at a time and I am loving it.

Most everything I am picking up is of course from the 70’s or 80’s since vinyl died out in the 90’s.  The new releases that are out now are too expensive to make it a habit so I focus on the used record.  There are no shortages of those, but what I want is seldom available on my visits.  It is hit or miss.

Lately, it has been more hit than miss.  And it has mostly been 80’s records so I guess the 80’s are back.  Yes, I am buying records for albums I had already purchased back in the 80’s whether on cassette or CD, but I don’t have any of those anymore so I actually only have the one physical copy of the album.  The other copy is now digital and you can’t really hold that in your hand.

So, what I have been picking up on my adventures you might ask that is from the 80’s?  Well, you probably aren’t asking but I am going to tell you anyway.

The first cassette I ever had was the Hall & Oates album ‘H2O’.  Of course I had to go out and get the vinyl.  I love the song “Maneater”, “One On One” and “Family Man” and they sounded great when I played them again.  It was nice getting home and putting it on immediately and enjoying it in all its glory.

I found a lot of great old Pop records from some of my favorite albums of the day including The Police ‘Synchronicity’ and The Fixx ‘Reach the Beach’.  I never got to see The Police live and I hate that didn’t happen, but I did see The Fixx and it was really a great show.  Everyone knows ‘Synchronicity’ is a fabulous album, but ‘Reach the Beach’ is also worth a listen.  Cy Cumin had a great voice and the band’s sound was unique.  A very underrated band.

I luckily have come across a couple of my favorite Genesis albums.  A couple of albums released when they “Ruled the 80’s” (Click to see how much they ruled the 80’s).  The self-titled ‘Genesis’ album had one of the creepiest and coolest songs on it called “Mama”.  Phil’s laugh was so menacing.  ‘Invisible Touch’ was also a stellar album and what made them superstars during the 80’s.

The Alarm ‘Strength’ (click to see my post on that album) is one of my favorite records and I finally found it in vinyl.  Oh, the sweet joy of giving that one a spin was wonderful.  To hear “The Day The Ravens Left the Tower” full blast was what dreams are made of…maybe not that great, but it was listening nirvana for me.  And at only $4, it was really worth it.

I found a bunch of albums by The Cars, but settled on just getting ‘The Greatest Hits’ album since I had reached my maximum for my purchases that day.  But it is a good one to get.  I will go back and buy the others eventually.

The band Wang Chung was pure 80’s pop; however, they did manage one album to me that was pure Gold. It was the soundtrack to the often overlooked movie ‘To Live & Die in L.A.’.  That movie was so good and it was the epitome of the 80’s.  The soundtrack rocked out a little, but the synthesizer sounds of the music actually worked so well with the movie and brought an extra layer to it as well.  It is one of my favorite movie soundtracks.

Now on to some of the rock records.  I will start it off with the first 3 Night Ranger albums.  Their debut album is still my favorite and I finally found ‘Dawn Patrol’ after searching for 7 months.  It is their most ‘Rock’ album of the bunch.  ‘Midnight Madness’ is easier to find as it was their most popular since it had “Sister Christian” on it.  And of course ‘7 Wishes’ to round out the three.  I still enjoy them even after all this time.

One band that is sometimes overlooked is Krokus.  I actually had one of their posters on my wall due to the album ‘Headhunter’.  I just loved the songs “Eat the Rich” and “Screaming in the Night”.  It was one of the great 80’s rock albums in my book.  I was excited to pick it up on vinyl when I saw it last week.

I also found a group of great so called ‘Hair Bands’ albums that I had to grab.  Still going to get some more of Scorpions and Ratt albums when I see them.  I was still happy to grab Quiet Riot’s ‘Mental Health’, White Lion’s ‘Pride’ and Ratt’s ‘Invasion of Your Privacy’. All great and all bring back memories (note: I actually mentioned the Scorpions album in Turntables & Vinyl #2 so ignore the fact it is in this picture).

And lastly, I finally picked up a Bon Jovi album.  I never can find them when I am looking and I saw ‘Slippery When Wet’ and had to grab it. I am still looking for ‘New Jersey’ and their first two.  I guess I could wait and pick up their new Vinyl Box set that comes in February and get every album they ever had on vinyl for only $440.  Chump change!

That is enough for right now.  I won’t bore you with anymore albums.  Once I grab my next big batch of vinyl, I will come back and do Turntables & Vinyl #5.  Until that time comes, keep the vinyl   spinning and the music blasting.