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Comment by dylan604 | Hacker News Reader

A long time ago in a history far far away (early 2000s), friends of mine stopped into a used record store on the off chance that maybe there might be something they like. They go digging and come across a trove of a specific type of sound in what looks to be a fairly well curated collection. A few were well known and out of print. They divvied up between them and went to check out. That's when they learned that some girl had come in to sell the whole lot of vinyl for $1. Everyone agreed that it was a pissed off girlfriend/ex of some DJ. For a moment, there was almost a shared "is this bad karma" before that quickly dissipated.

Vinyl collections all have stories around them. Some of the stories of how they were lost, some are how they were collected, and some are intertwined!

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That's a scene in High Fidelity (ironically, the lowest-fidelity Youtube video I've seen in years): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6-q1sdV2Nw

maybe it was inspiration for it. time period lines up.

Edit: just watched this. Boy, is Clark going to be pissed!!!

That’s an amazing scene but is it like from the directors cut or something? I’ve seen that movie at least three times and have no memory of it.

I’ve seen it way way more than three times and never seen this scene. I should’ve watched the deleted scenes on the DVD I owned while I still owned it, maybe it was in there.

Not in the movie but absolutely incredible.

The honesty on display is so amazingly old school. Love it.

You know what though, I think it's not so uncommon among vinyl collectors.

Many years ago, I helped my brother in law move to a new house. He found a stack of records (4 or 5 crates, maybe) in the attic and said he didn't want them anymore. I tried to convince him not to get rid of them but he insisted, and then carried them out and put them on the sidewalk next to the trash.

I decided that this could not be allowed to happen, so I grabbed them, put them in my car and took them home. A few months later, never having touched them again, we decided to participate in a neighborhood garage sale in our ritzy area of downtown Chicago. I pulled out all the records and put up a sign - $5 each or 5 for $20. Did a pretty brisk business, except one guy was thumbing through them and pulled one out, took it out of the sleeve, examined it in various angles of the light, etc. And then told me to put it away and not to sell it, it was too valuable. Apparently the very famous producer/masterer/somebody? "signed" it with a sharp object near the center of the record (not sure how exactly that works). If I remember correctly it was a Boston album. Still in my closet, too.

And it definitely wasn't John Cusack, I would have recognized him.

As far as I know, the "signed" thing is something else. The music from tape will be scratched to a template for the press. This template is called (in DE) "Mother". The first run on this "Mother" is signed by the guy who is in charge for the press. These records get hand signed. "Highenders" go for these if they can, because they have the best quality. (as far as I know)

They really do have the best quality. The pressings get progressively worse until a new negative is cut if the record has enough success for a second run. They simply wear a little bit with every pressing. Not enough to notice over the first few hundred but after many 1000+ pressings you can definitely tell the difference. If you have access to an early copy and a late one compare the really high notes, that is where it will show up first.

Typically a set of dies lasts only 1500 pressings.

If you're into vinyl: halfspeed masters and Japanese pressings tend to be a step up.

I appreciate the replies. I went into the closet and found it. It is indeed Boston's debut album from 1976. There is some information inscribed into the center area on Side 1, including a (serial?) number and what looks like a signature. "Wey" or "Wly", most likely. No idea. Some quick internet searching didn't get any hits.

Oh yeah, the original shrink wrap is still there, just opened on one edge so the record can come in and out. The shrink wrap has a large sticker on it with a Rolling Stone blurb printed on it, letting me know that Boston is a great new band and reviews of a couple songs on the album.

None of it is in great shape, so I doubt that it is worth much of anything.

EDIT - The signature is "Wly" https://gloriousnoise.com/2017/vinylology-101-how-to-buy-bos...

Neat! That's one to hang on to.

Seems like a cut scene from some googling.

That scene was definitely “in the movie” when I saw it, or at least one of the times. (Possibly some Australian regional edit? Possibly even perhaps the local cinema release edit?)

It is certainly in the book.

Amazing scene on so many levels.

I remember reading some where that it's one of those scenes that didn't make it to the final release of the movie.

They ended up adapting this scene for the 'High Fidelity' TV series that had a single season on Hulu.

As much as I like the original movie (and the book), that remake was _great_. Zöe Kravitz was fabulous, and the soundtrack for the whole series was awesome. Very highly recommended from me.

Almost reads as if you're a writer for the show looking for some extra residuals ;-)

I did not even know that this show existed. Having only recently signed up to Hulu, I'll have to dig this up.

Who is the actress in that?

Beverly D'Angelo

That's Beverly D'Angelo, probably best known for playing Ellen Griswold in the National Lampoon's "Vacation" movie series.

That guy is crazy. All those songs are on youtube for free.

how could you tell what songs they were from the shitty youtube compression? if those free songs on youtube sound anything like that video clip looked, you can keep your free bullshit, and I'll take the vinyl everyday of the week and twice on sunday.

Reminds me of this song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lf-rEslupnY

Wouldn't that come under theft?

you must not have known many DJs. they're kind of like drummers. what do you call a DJ without a girlfriend? homeless.

some girl probably got tired of taking care of the guy, kicked him out, and in lieu of being paid back for all of the food, utilities, gas, etc she had shelled out for him over the course of the relationship and then on top of not coming to collect the damn crates after 3 months, would not qualify as theft by anybody's definition. the fact the transaction was for $1 just makes it worse. this whole back story is 100% made up and is just supposition on our parts, but it is 100% believable. it also just adds to the legend of one's own collection. "oh that one, yeah, let me tell how i got that one..."

if you've ever lived with someone with a vinyl addiction, you know exactly how much space crates of records can take up. you also know how heavy they are. if you've never known anyone with this affliction, count your blessings.

I don't have the affliction (yet) but between the new cabinet and the 9 crates of records, my studio apartment is already feeling a bit on the cramped side ;-)

have a cat? cats love sitting on the top of crate of records. it looks/feels just like that scratching pad you so desperately want them to use. they also love the height of having a couple of them stacked on top of each other. at least, mine do. i just so happened to have a bit of wood left over from a project that is 95% the width of the crates that i place on top. now, it is the perfect cat ledge, but now the stylus is the only sharp pointy thing that comes in contact with them.

Taking something that doesn't belong to you and selling it is theft and sale of stolen property no matter how much you dislike the theoretical person you invented for this comment.

possession is 9/10 of the law. good luck getting any cop to actually take a report on a situation like this. not really sure why you're trying this hard on a story that has clearly been stated as made up back story. talking about trying to kill a vibe with missing the tone of the room

I take it you got a decent 604 collection?

yes, i speak alien

> what do you call a DJ without a girlfriend? homeless.

I just love jokes that are a hard truth from a world I don't know well. A favorite along these lines: "What does a stripper do with her asshole before she goes to work? Drops him off at band practice."

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