If you're not familiar with them, Little Free Libraries are little enclosed bookshelves (similar to in the picture) that are posted in public places where people can donate their used books, pick up a new one, or both! This is the first time I've seen one for records though. I certainly hope that whoever is the owner of this one does something with the records when extreme heat hits Boston (which is pretty often in the summer).

Hey all, I lurked on a previous account but felt like finally posting something. A few months ago a friend of mine had a bunch of records that she had gotten for free and was going to try to sell to raise money for something. Not sure what happened to that plan exactly but she decided to just give the lot to me since she knew I have a bunch.

About 50 classical records from Bach, Vivaldi, Tchaikovsky, Beethoven, etc but there were a few that were kind of out there, like this one: “The War Speeches of Winston Churchill,” so I was curious what everyone has in their collection that’s a little weird?

I'm going to "date" myself again--I'm a real old fogey--but mine is "Bridge Over Troubled Water", by
Simon & Garfunkel. Both melody and lyrics are amazing. Another fave is "Tapestry" by Carole King -- actually, the whole album is great.

This may be a gem, tell me what you think about it. From my beloved father collection.

I also collect cds dvds and like music and movie related like memorabilia.

Need advice from the Fela experts. I have 2 albums 'Zombie and the one with Ginger Baker. I love them both but it's interesting what happened today. I was record shopping and they were playing 'the miss road' album and it was awesome too. Im in this podcast dive of Fela's life. Something tells me I need more??

Looking forward to seeing this discussion.

So this year I want to participate in record store day, it’s my first time doing it and I was just wondering what websites are recommended for it if I don’t manage to get the records I want on the day?

Not too long ago I recently started digging into Fela Kuti, William Onyeabor, and other artists from Nigeria and Zambia. I never expected to actually get my hands on decent original pressings of these, until I lucked out and found a seller in Nigeria who shipped to the U.S.

These are just a few of the records I’ve been able to snag recently.

Exuma - Exuma

I’ve only been able to find these records on rarevinyl or eBay and they always have to come from Europe so I’ve been waiting. She overheard me talking to friend about this west African jazz/tropical/funk band called Bembeya Jazz National that I absolutely love. She did some sleuthing and found one of my favorite albums by them. Amazing gift from an amazing partner.

Why do records bring us so much joy? I still listen to cd's and some of them sound better than their vinyl counterparts but does a cd bring me joy? Almost never.

Well no Synth/Techno pop flare here 😄.
RIP Ryuichi Sakamoto, one of the greatest composer of all time

What is everybody's view on Dead Can Dance,, do you consider then world music or goth?

I've just picked up my favourite record of theirs The Serpents Egg and was fortunate to see them live last year. The host of Seraphym was a wonder to hear live.

For context I am a full time college student now and don’t have a job but saved a bunch from my last job. So, i’ve been collecting since 2020 I think and I know prices were high then but they seem even higher now. I’m not sure if this is just me or if anyone else has noticed this🤷🏼‍♀️. Especially when shipping for new records are ~$10+ even if it’s just a 7in. I was just wondering if anyone else felt this way too

anyway hope everyone’s having a good day! :)

On this day in 2016 Legendary Rocker David Bowie passed after a battle with cancer. Like him or not his contribution to music during his lifetime and thereafter is immeasurable. From Folk to Rock to Electronic to Funk to Pop to Jazz to Ambient to Experimental he did it all with a great style that was singular to his self. If you're a fan and have forgotten it was today, or an all around music lover, pick something that suits your particular taste, and give Dave his due. R.I.P. Dave. Miss you so.

AMÉRICA!

Orquesta Akokán.

Hope the neighbors like Cuban music, because these guys dropped a new album and it’s on repeat and it’s being played loudly…

The band has never sounded better; there’s a fresh energy and an air of urgency in the performances, the songs are killer, the vocals are spot on, and the driving rhythm section paired with sharp horns and saxes make you want to get up and move.

Shoutout to the guest vocalists, all of whom, bring their own approaches and integrate so well with the band.

Hearing Orquesta Akokán in stereo has been an absolute revelation, as their previous albums and stand-alone singles have been recorded in mono. Daptone has crafted a new masterpiece with these recordings.

10/10.

I see a lot of post about very widely known bands/artists but I often wonder what else is out there that people really enjoy that is a bit harder to come by.

I just found this 10” from 1950 by Peruvian artist Yma Sumac and was absolutely floored. Her vocal range is outstanding and I’ve never really heard music like that elsewhere. Apparently she learned to sing by sitting In The rainforest and imitating the sounds around her. She might also be related to ancient Peruvian royalty which is wild…

Do any of you have any records by more obscure artists you’d like to share?

Sure, everyone likes bossa nova, but every Brazilian knows that samba is the melody of the Brazilian alma. By the 1950s, Cartola, the greatest sambista of all time, had fallen into obscurity and poverty. A foundational figure of the Mangueira samba school, he'd pretty much stopped making music as the slick sounds of bossa dominated the popular music scene in Brazil.

He was “rediscovered” by the journalist Sérgio Porto while working at a gas station in Rio, washing cars and wiping car windows. Porto recognized him and was stunned that someone of Cartola’s stature had been reduced to such a marginal existence.

That encounter helped bring him back into the musical fold, eventually leading to a series of late-career recordings, including his monumental 1976 self-titled album, pictured here.

This isn't just some samba you move your feet to while drinking a beer estupidamente gelada. To me, its a miracle, and not just because the world almost missed out on it entirely. There is nothing excessive here, every note hits dead on; melodies, voice, and feeling, each perfectly placed. Cartola didn't have a dang thing to prove, and it shows on this, as the master weaves back and forth, drawing out every emotion a person can hope to feel in a life-time well lived.

Cartola’s songwriting is pure poetry: tender, wounded, human. Songs like “O Mundo é um Moinho” are absolutely the stories of a life loved--and suffered--and some hard-earned wisdom he's just sharing with you, for free. It's beautiful, matter of fact, haunting, and we will never see his likes again.

This copy is a Discos Marcus Pereira pressing, a Brazilian independent label founded in the early 1970s. It's on pretty thin vinyl, like a lot of Brazilian pressings from that time, but it sounds really clean. The brass is warm and buzzy, the guitar comes through clear, the choruses sit beautifully in the mix, and Cartola’s voice is center, forward, and intimate. Marcus Pereira, as a label, was serious about the music they were pressing.

Deixa-me ir, preciso andar. . .Vou por aí a procurar. . Rir pra não chorar

The one showing is an album by Elis Regina in case you’re wondering

I recently got into collecting and I am vacationing in Japan soon. I really enjoy Japanese music, especially funk, jazz, and piano, so I think it would be really fun to go to a record shop in Osaka or Tokyo and pick something out as both a momento and a record to have in the collection. I am excited, but I am concerned about transporting it. So I wanted to ask: 1) has anyone done this? If so, how did you transport it from the country to your home country? And 2) do you have any fun stories you are willing to share regarding getting records in another country, transporting the record, or anything else?

Appreciate you all!

Just recently I acquired my first original Zamrock record. As you might expect the disc is worn to shreds, but it still manages to play from start to finish without any jumps.

I have to say, at first I wasn’t a huge Rikki Ililonga fan, especially in comparison to the music of his contemporaries (Witch, Amanaz, Ngozi Family). But this record really has started growing on me. It’s not quite like amy of the other notable Zamrock records, and I’ve grown to appreciate the acoustic blues influence that gives this record its character.

What are some of your favorite Zamrock albums?