The Store:

Up until last week I had never been to a record fair, so since this column is challenging me to explore different record purchasing options, I decided to attend this weekend‰’s fair at Penn Social. For the purposes of this challenge, and its strict budget, the entrance fee of $3 to $5 to the fair did not count towards the $10-or-less rule.

All of my records came from a hidden gem favorite of mine, Red Onion, located between Adams Morgan and Dupont. Their selection was great and they fit my budget with a killer 4-for-$10 deal that helped me avoid dollar bin digging for the day. 3 out of the 4 records were chosen due to their A+ album art, and the fourth had an Eric Clapton name drop on its cover.

Overall the record fair experience wasn’t my favorite and I’ll be sticking to the traditional store environment from now on. Too many people, too few interesting vendors, not enough punk, and only one decent box of 7‰Ûs made for a slightly disappointing experience. 84%* of the time I go for blind buying records, everything comes from a box of punk 7‰Ûs and those boxes have yet to disappoint.

*obviously an exact percentage

The Finds:

Robert Gordon with Link Wray (1977)

Verdict:

This record is exactly the type of album this adventure is meant to find. His hair was the deciding factor in picking this up, and boy did that thought process pay off. His shirt, hair and the perfectly pink backdrop represent just what this album sounds like. It‰’s a downright lovely mix of Elvis with a punk rock twist that I‰’m totally going to listen to when I attempt to get the perfect point on my cat eye eyeliner tomorrow morning.

Delaney & Bonnie : On The Road with Eric Clapton (1970)

Verdict:

This is my new favorite band.

Actually.

Will recommend to Papa Kelly as this is the ultimate in cool dad jams.

The Wind in the Willows (1968)

Verdict:

The moment I saw this I knew I needed it, just look at that majestic cover. I trust any musicians who choose to visually represent their music in such a magical way. While paying for this, the woman who checked me out informed me that the leaning brunette on the cover is Debbie Harry, making me instantly more excited to get this home. As for the music, it‰’s trippy, as I’m sure you guessed, and makes me sort of wished that I experienced the ’60s. Overall not my favorite, but not bad either, and as my record shopping partner said “this sounds like something you would hear at a cult orientation.‰Û

Peter Sinfield : Still (1973)

Verdict:

Pete here is the lyric writer for King Crimson and the marketing of that fact on the album back cover was convincing enough to spend $3 on, but the opening title track name “The Song of the Sea Goat‰” is what really sold me this record. If this album were its own specific genre it would be called Woodland Fairy Prog Rock ft. Flute Breakdowns. Very confused on how I feel about this since I couldn’t stop laughing at the lyrics long enough to actually get through the whole record.

Overall, the first official “In the Bin‰” challenge was a success. I found my new car ride obsession and learned that you may not be able to judge a book by its cover, but if you judge a ’70s album by its cover, you’ll probably judge right.