Vinyl hunting can be a drag when it doesn't turn up anything good. That's why the team at Saint Vincent de Paul on Williamson Street has been saving the really good stuff for their 15th annual Collectible Records Sale, which takes place Tuesday, Nov. 27, through Saturday, Dec. 1.
Moved to the furniture section from its old spot in the basement, the sale will feature tons of good-condition LPs (most priced at $3.25, double LPs $6.50), 78s (25 cents) and 45s (50 cents). Store manager Regan Rule says the collection includes treasures such as a high-quality copy of the Beach Boys' Surfin' USA, a German pressing of the Beatles' Help! and Iron Maiden's Somewhere in Time, which comes with an 18-inch cyborg Eddie, the band's creepy mascot, still in the box.
Rule is also excited about a large collection of jazz 78s up for sale this year. The community donates all of the sale's vinyl, and proceeds go toward Saint Vincent de Paul's services for needy individuals and families.
Despite the panoply of records, the number of turntables and components will be smaller than in years past. Rule attributes this to vinyl's recent surge in popularity.
"People are snarfing that stuff up at garage sales and estate sales," says Rule. "It's become retro-chic to get back into vinyl."
This is just one reason Rule suggests getting to the sale before the eleventh hour.
"There are thousands of records to be perused," says Rule. "You want to give yourself time."