Least Collectable Records

[Jah Womble]

Least Collectable Records

In the 'Spin Doctors/Ugly Kid Joe' camp: God Shuffled His Feet by The Crash Test Dummies must be another contender.

Never buy an album by an artist that has had a sudden, freak hit.

Actually, that said, I think there were a couple of okay tracks on the Timbuk 3 album. Can't remember now.

[Mitch]

Least Collectable Records

Haha, I've got all three of those albums. I'd even defend the Crash Test Dummies one.

Another album from that time that everyone I know seemed to own, but I've never seen it since, is the soundtrack to The Lost Boys. The number of terrible teenage parties that that album formed the backdrop to...

[Sits]

Least Collectable Records

Yeah I did the Spin Doctors thing too. One of very few albums I bought on cassette*. So when it got mangled in the machine it was kind of good.

*The others were Dream Harder by The Waterboys (way past Mike's peak) and Hot Space by Queen.

Nuff said.

Although Body Language and Staying Power are great dance tracks.

[Sits]

Least Collectable Records

Sam Kelly wrote:

Haha, I've got a 7" single from that Bruce Willis one. I was completely unaware he'd ever done a pop record until a couple of mates and I found it in Plastic Wax in Bristol about three years ago, and pissed ourselves so hard laughing at it that I thought I may as well get it, since it was only a couple of quid.

It's shockingly bad, but you all already knew that.

That would be Under the Boardwalk then? It reached No 2, whereas Respect Yourself only made No 7.

Worst of all, The Return of Bruno was on...

...

...

Motown.

[evilC]

Least Collectable Records

Soundtracks rule this really, don't they, with their concommitant flood of interest from 'the general public' on the back of a high-profile media event that is in some way supposed to be capturing the zeitgeist ...but which is then forgotten entirely 3 months later!

Thus, another couple of charity shop staples...

-



-

[steveeeeeeeee]

Least Collectable Records

I bought "Return of Bruno" when it came out, I was 12 years old at the time and obviously a bit confused. It was around the time of a big Motown revival, fueled by Levis adverts and I'd buy cheap triple cassette Motown compilations with my pocket money. I also loved "Moonlighting".

I actually quite liked "Return of Bruno", I remember playing it a lot when I bought it.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Least Collectable Records

evilC wrote:

I'd buy that in a heartbeat if I saw it in a charity shop.

[Borracho]

Least Collectable Records

Fussbudget wrote:

Spearmint Rhino wrote:

The other route to being Least Collectable is being a genuinely popular record against which the tide of fashion or public affection has turned drastically, but I reckon that's a slightly different phenomenon.

The winner in this category :

Ah yes, the fretless bass and the Fabulous Wealthy Tarts.

I actually have very strong psychological associations with 'Wherever I Lay My Hat'. One of my very clearest childhood memories is of playing with a couple of Star Wars action figures in the back seat of the car while my mother drove home from town and that song was playing on the radio, some time in 1983.

[Stumpy Pepys]

Least Collectable Records

I remember a caller to Danny Baker, who ran a second-hand record shop. When he asked him which LP turned up with the most regularity, it was this.

[Squarewheelbike]

Least Collectable Records

Re Paul Young. When he got his big break on The Tube, Jools Holland was gushing the next week about him being so popular people wanted to see more if him. Except I don't think it was him they wanted to see!

[Valentino Mazzola]

Least Collectable Records

[Patrick Thistle]

Least Collectable Records

Flood is one of those albums I thought 'Oh I haven't listened to that in a while' so bought it mega-cheap on CD and found out that it's pretty much unlistenable to after the first few songs.

My contender would be the Stiltskin album. There was that song 'Inside' off the Levi's album and the band were formed just to release it or something.

Also, in terms of least collectable records, most picture discs from the 80s that were made purely for collectors have hardly held their resale value. One record shop near me has had a Tigertailz picture disc hanging up for about 20 years I reckon.

[The Exploding Vole]

Least Collectable Records

moolag wrote:

Surely the Tijuana Brass band?

My father didn't have much of an LP collection back in the day, but I'm pretty sure this was his favourite record:



And apparently, it still has currency:

[Mitch]

Least Collectable Records

One record shop near me has had a Tigertailz picture disc hanging up for about 20 years I reckon.

"Love Bomb Baby" by any chance? I think I had a picture-disc of that.

Being fellow South-Walesian GnR acolytes, I wonder if the Manics were huge fans of TygerTailz. I'd like to think so.

[steveeeeeeeee]

Least Collectable Records

Is Paul Young from a rich family? I'd always see him having hanging-out in cafés and looking posh in King's Road way after his popularity had demised. His music couldn't have earned him that much, could it?

[Valentino Mazzola]

Least Collectable Records

[Disco Child Ballads]

Least Collectable Records

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

Is Paul Young from a rich family? I'd always see him having hanging-out in cafés and looking posh in King's Road way after his popularity had demised. His music couldn't have earned him that much, could it?

I don't think he is. I thought he worked at the Vauxhall car factory in Luton before his singing career took off. Perhaps he just invested the money he made in the 80s wisely.

I've still got my casette copy of Flood somewhere, but yes apart from the hit, it really is nothing worth listening to.

[WOM]

Least Collectable Records

He doesn't seem to have written any of his hits, which is a shame from an 'own the publishing rights' point of view.

I also own that REM album, and the TMBG one, and the Jimmy Nail one. Apparently I don't half buy some shit.

[Boris Carpark]

Least Collectable Records

Worn Old Motorbike wrote:

and the Jimmy Nail one.

We can all hold our hands up to buying some pretty ropey stuff but why this WOM?
Apparently there must have been a market for self-penned regional detective/ Singing Geordie concept album & TV series outside the UK.

[Incandenza]

Least Collectable Records

Damn, got beaten to Monster.

An album from around the same time that was absolutely massive in the US...



Not sure if it was big anyplace else. There were like 5 top ten songs from it, seems like everyone owned a copy.

[WOM]

Least Collectable Records

Boris Carpark wrote:

Worn Old Motorbike wrote:

and the Jimmy Nail one.

We can all hold our hands up to buying some pretty ropey stuff but why this WOM?

They promoted the hell out of the Crocodile Shoes series, and I bit and quite liked the music. Before that I'd had no idea who JN was, so I wasn't bringing any baggage to the experience. Of course, as with most impulse purchases, I don't think I've listened to it more than twice.

[WOM]

Least Collectable Records

You know what I tend to do, I think? I think I hear a single and optimistically think 'there must be more like that on the album'. Why else would I have bought the Primitive Radio Gods album? I mean....WTF?

[MsD]

Least Collectable Records

steveeeeeeeee wrote:

Is Paul Young from a rich family? I'd always see him having hanging-out in cafés and looking posh in King's Road way after his popularity had demised. His music couldn't have earned him that much, could it?

How much do you think sitting in cafes, looking posh, actually costs? I do it all the time.

But yeh, he sold loads in the 80s, he'd be well able to go to the caff, unless he had an expensive divorce, loads of kids or a drug habit.
Or maybe he was just sitting in there to save on the heating bills.

[WOM]

Least Collectable Records

I also used to have this habit of rooting through delete bins out of curiosity. Sometimes you'd see hundreds of the same album in many different stores and think 'maybe it's a good album that was criminally overlooked' and I'd buy it for $1.99. Usually it was a waste of $1.99, but sometimes there'd be one or two great tracks.

I remember I used to see Guadalcanal Diary's album Flip Flop all the time and bought it. It's okay. Thomas Dolby's Astronauts & Heretics was always in the delete bins and it's a great album.

[Ellen 5]

Least Collectable Records

Another one from the "Massive hit single from nowhere" camp. Sadly, I bought this. Happily, it was in a charity shop in Nottingham for about 75p