And now...

A great new take on a classic song...Enjoy!

Guys Night Out: Hanging Out With The Crumbs

Friday, January 8th - The night had finally come to see Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven at The Pageant in St. Louis.  Too bad it was freezing cold outside. Four inches of snow had fallen on Wednesday night/Thursday morning. Temperatures in St. Louis had been very cold of late, but this night was the coldest night in the last decade - actually below zero with wind chills 20 or more degrees below zero.  I bundled up in four layers on top and two layers on below and a thick pair of socks for the night. My friend Tom, who had bought the tickets, picked up my friend Brian and I in his new Toyota Tundra - appropriate for a night like this and we were off.

We had an extra ticket as one of my friends that was going to go with us had dislocated his shoulder the day before while getting into his car after returning home from a business trip.  We made it to The Pageant with no problems and parked well behind the venue. Leaving coats in the car we hustled through the snow to the front door. After checking our ID's and getting hands stamped we made our way to the bar and ordered a round of Newcastle. However, the Newcastle was not good on this night and from then on it was Schlafly Pale Ale for us.

The crowd was mostly guys - a ratio of probably 4 to 1 and mostly over 30.  I'm sure there were some twenty somethings there, but most of the crowd were in their 30's, 40's or 50's. This makes sense because the average age of both bands is probably 48 years old. The Pageant's spacious balcony was closed so the crowd was all on the floor and seated around the tables downstairs. For most of the show we stood on the floor about two-thirds of the way back from the stage.

My favorite part was that the band had asked for a no smoking policy on the show. This is something I have gotten quickly accustomed to in Illinois with the state ban on smoking in public places. However, this show was in Missouri so I figured that I'd have to come home and burn my clothes. But alas, no worry there, but the guy standing in front of me for the first few songs was smoking - just not a cigarette - but pot. That shouldn't have come as much as a surprise as it did.  Just surprised that he was so open about it.

Discussions that I had with people before the show invariably led to which band was going to open the show. I should have figured that Cracker would be the headliner as they continue to tour and had just released a new album. Therefore, Camper Van Beethoven opened the show.  Their stage set up was sparse, but adequate.

Guitarist Greg Lisher was to the situated to our left with his sunburst Fender Telecaster and small combo amp set up. Then, David Lowery was in the middle with his off  brand guitars and a nice Matchless amplifier to provide the sound of his solid strumming.  Frank Funaro was behind the drums just off to the right of the middle and Victor Krummacher was on bass with an Ampeg rig just to the right of the drums. Finally, Jonathan Segal was to the far right with his violin set up.  Lowrey seemed to refer frequently to an Apple laptop he had set up on a music stand just to the right of the mic. Likely, he was referring to the first line of the song or chords and then took off from there. I can give Lowery some slack here as Camper Van Beethoven broke up in 1990 and has only toured briefly during this decade after reforming in 2004.

Lowery thanked everyone for coming and mentioned that the last time the band was in St. Louis it was extremely cold outside too. Their set lasted about an hour and consisted of both instrumentals and regular songs and very little stage banter. The set was solid and

After Camper Van Beethoven finished there was a short break and slight stage teardown. Segal moved his gear off the stage, Lisher put his stowed his gear, and the guitar techs fiddled with things between sets. During this time we found that another one of our friends, Bart, whom I have known since 1993 was also at the show.  He and I went to see Cracker and Counting Crows when they played at Mississippi Nights in February 1994.  He came down to the floor so we stood with him and his friend Jason who he brought along to the show.

Within a few minutes Cracker came out to play their set. Johnny Hickman took stage left where Greg Lisher had been. Lisher's set up was left on the stage, however, Hickman was using his own Gibson Les Paul and a Fender/Marshall combo.  David Lowery again took the middle of the stage. Frank Funaro was situated behind the drums once more and finally Sal Maglia took over on the Fender Precision Bass backed by the same Ampeg rig.

Touring behind their new album Sunrise In The Land Of Milk And Honey, Cracker did a relatively even show with their back catalog that now spans ten albums. There was a little more banter from Lowery during the Cracker set.  He told the crowd about their trip to Iraq to play for the troops (see a tidbit here) and also talked about the things that people shout out from the audience during shows. The part about a 70 plus year old woman yelling "play the whore song" in reference to "Euro Trash Girl" was particularly hilarious. Hickman's guitar playing and background vocals were especially strong as Cracker ripped through a 16 song set with a two song encore.

Both bands played a good sampling of their albums and sounded nice and tight for both sets. Although I would have liked to hear "Teen Angst" or "Mister Wrong" from Cracker and "Ambiguity Song" or "Where The Hell Is Bill?" from Camper Van Beethoven, both of the sets were very good. Besides that we just had a few beers, laughs and good times among old friends. Good to get out of the house...even on a night like this.

For more on Cracker see this interview that Matt Wardlaw of Addicted To Vinyl did with David Lowery and was published in last week's Riverfront Times.

Setlists

Camper Van Beethoven

Waka
Turquoise Jewelry
Skinhead Stomp
Tania
Eye Of Fatima
All Her Favorite Fruit
Sweethearts
Joe Stalin's Cadillac
Unabomber
Take The Skinheads Bowling
White Riot (The Clash cover)
Wasted (Black Flag cover)
Shut Us Down
R 'n R Uzbekistan
She Divines Water
Might Makes Right
L'Aguardiente
New Roman Times
Pictures of Matchstick Men (Status Quo cover)

Cracker

Friends
Yalla Yalla
(Banter: about trip to Iraq)
One Fine Day
Gimme One More Chance
How Can I Live Without You
Get Off This/fach the slice
Wedding Day
Lonesome Johnny Blues
(Banter: Things Audience Members Shout Out)
Euro Trash Girl
Happy Birthday To Me
Waiting For You Girl
Hey Bret (You Know What Time It Is)
Man In Me
Sweet Potato
This Is Cracker Soul
Low

Encore:
Turn On Tune In, Drop Out With Me
Shake Some Action (Rare track from the "Clueless" soundtrack)

Real Rock Radio - New Book On KSHE-95 Now Available

Your everlasting summer you can see it fading fast

So you grab a piece of something that you think is gonna last

Well you wouldn't even know a diamond if you held it in your hand

The things you think are precious I can't understand

"FM" - Steely Dan

A new book about music is just in time for the Christmas season is finally out about KSHE-95 and live shows in St. Louis over the past 40 years. The book, written by John Neiman, is titled In Concert: KSHE And 40+ Years Of Rock In St. Louis.  Neiman, a native of Collinsville, IL, graduated from Collinsville High School in the same class (1978) as Michael Stipe, singer for the band R.E.M. The book is a meticulous look at the station through the disc jockeys, employees, listeners, fans, label executives, and bands.  Included are pictures of concerts of some of the most famous acts in Rock history, snapshots of bands at the airport or radio station, transcripts of on-air tapes, station playlists, and countless other artifacts. If you're a fan of Rock 'N' Roll then I highly encourage you to seek out this book if you can, and if you're a native of St. Louis area then this book is a must have!  I found my copy at a St. Louis area Borders store, but I have seen the book for sale on Amazon.com too.

If you're reading this and you're not from the St. Louis area, KSHE-95 is the longtime Rock 'N' Roll radio station that debuted on the airwaves in November 1967. The station was one of the first Rock 'n' Roll stations in the United States on the FM dial. KSHE faced an uphill battle against the Top 40 AM stations of the era like KXOK and WIL in St. Louis.  First, FM radios were not readily available in cars and second, the station played the new underground Rock 'N' Roll that was coming  from U.S. cities like New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles, and from across the pond in jolly old England.  As the 1970's got underway the station moved toward a Progressive Rock format as groups like Pink Floyd, Yes, King Crimson, Genesis, and later Rush. However, since St. Louis is located close to the middle of the country there was also a strong Southern Rock emphasis from such groups like the Allman Brothers (who had ties to St. Louis music scene in the mid to late 1960's), The Charlie Daniels Band, The Marshall Tucker Band, and Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Whenever, I think about KSHE in the early days I think about one of my favorite television shows when I was a kid - WKRP in Cincinnati.  Weirdly enough, the overall story is very identical. Easy listening station changes formats to Rock 'N' Roll and the growing pains involved with the process - listeners, advertisers, employees, etc.

Promotions were a big part of the way the station reached the masses and the bands were part of these promotions to get their product (records) to the masses. In 1972, KSHE adopted a mascot to help promote the station. The mascot, Sweet Meat, was based on the cover of the 1969 album by Blodwyn Pig titled Ahead Rings Out. The cover features a pig with a ring in it's nose, wearing sunglasses and headphones and smoking a cigarette. This type of symbol was perfect for pushing the boundaries against the establishment and status quo in the early 1970's.  Far out!

Blodwyn Pig - Ahead Rings Out (1969)

The book received some local press from Annie Zaleski, Music Editor of the independent weekly Riverfront Times. You can check out her article here. I especially enjoyed the illustration by Dan Zettwoch on the front cover of that week's RFT with the dig toward the baby boomers and a nod toward the current generation of music listeners.

Are you reelin' in the years

Stowin' away the time?

Are you gatherin' up the tears?

Have you had enough of mine?

"Reelin' In The Years" - Steely Dan (1972)

You can visit the site about the book at http://www.stlbook.com/ and the radio station site at KSHE-95

The Weather Outside Was...Frightful...No, That's Not It...

On Saturday the weather was beautiful for late November. St. Louis has had some perfect weather this year. Not too hot, not too cold. My wife and I had plans to go to St. Louis and do some shopping with her brother and his wife. First, we went to the Central West End to a store my wife wanted to go to called Ivy Hill.  She found some earrings that she liked there and we also went to a couple of other stores.

Then we headed downtown to the Syndicate Lofts on Olive for an art show. These were all local artists and my wife found out about the show from one of her co-workers. We had a card, but left it someplace though I remembered the address somehow.  After driving around a little we found the address. We had to be let into the building and went up to the 5th floor. There was an artist with some jewelry, pottery, metal sculpture and paintings. After looking around a little my wife found some earrings and our sister-in-law found a pendant.  While we were downtown we decided to stop in the new Culinaria (Schnuck's) grocery store and check it out. We bought a few snacks for the ride home and headed back to my wife's brother & his wife's house.

Before heading home we stopped by the Record Exchange to look for some Christmas 45's for the jukebox. We searched through about 4 boxes stuffed with 45's and found a few gems to go home with us.

Gene Autry - Rudolph, The Red Nosed Reindeer b/w If It Doesn't Snow On Christmas (Columbia)
Pearl Bailey - Five Pound Box Of Money b/w Jingle Bells Cha Cha Cha (Roulette)
Booker T. & The M.G.'s - Jingle Bells b/w Winter Wonderland (Stax) [Promo]
Johnny Cash - The Little Drummer Boy b/w I'll Remember You (Columbia)
Charles Brown - Merry Christmas Baby b/w Lloyd Glenn - Sleigh Ride (Hollywood)
Clarence Carter - Back Door Santa b/w That Old Time Feeling (Atlantic) [Promo]
Nat King Cole - The Christmas Song & Mrs. Santa Claus b/w Frosty The Snow Man & Little Christmas Tree [Picture Sleeve]
Perry Como - Silent Night b/w O Come, All Ye Faithful (RCA)
Bing Crosby - White Christmas b/w God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen (Decca) [Picture Sleeve]
Stan Freburg - Green Chri$tma$ b/w The Meaning Of Christmas (Capitol, 1958) [Picture Sleeve]
Bobby Helms - Jingle Bell Rock b/w Captain Santa Claus (And His Reindeer Space Patrol) (Decca)
Eartha Kitt - (This Year's) Santa Baby b/w Hey Jacque
Donny Hathaway - This Christmas b/w Be There (Atco)

I cleaned the records on Sunday and made the title strips (green) on Tuesday and got them into the jukebox on Wednesday for the holiday season. Now if we can just finish decorating the tree.

A New Guitar (or How I Talked Myself Into A Deal With The Devil)

I have been researching buying an electric guitar for a while now. When I say a while...I mean it. I have been to the stores by myself and with my wife.  I have researched online at various sites. I wanted to buy a guitar that was Made in the U.S.A. and from a local guitar store.

I have always wanted a Rickenbacker because I love artists like The Beatles, The Who, The Byrds, Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, and R.E.M. who have used them extensively over the years. However, it's hard to justify the price tag - north of $1400. Rickenbackers are Made in the U.S.A. which I love, but I still think that I need to play a little better to justify the expense.

Pete Townsend circa 1966 with collection of Rickenbacker guitars

Back in October, I went to Mojo's Music and tried out some Rickenbackers.  After playing my acoustic and trying out various Telecasters (both Fenders and G & L) my hands were uncomfortable around the narrow neck of the Rickenbacker 330 and 360.  This bummed me completely because they are one of the coolest looking guitars on the planet. Then, just before I left I decided to try a 12 string 620 and my heart leaped because it was comforatable. The neck is a little wider at the nut and just right for me. The owner advised they had a 6 string version of the 620 coming in soon that I could try and he could put my name on the list and call me when it came in.

Rickenbacker 620

Back on November 18th, I received a call that the Rickenbacker 620 had come in - Jetglo (black) with a gold pick guard. The price was $1775 and it was still in the box. Ooooooh!  I finally made it to the store last Monday. I played the guitar and I loved it. I was surprised at how light the guitar felt for a solid body. However, my mind started back toward the price. Even with birthday and Christmas money from my parents grandmother, and us I don't think I would make it close to $1775 plus tax.  I didn't buy it or put it on layaway. I just walked away. Not this time.

The thoughts about money brought me back to the Fender Telecaster. For most guitarists this one is a must have in the arsenal. For some this is a signature type guitar (James Burton, Bruce Springsteen, Steve Cropper, Merle Haggard, etc.), but for others it's a necessary tool to have when the need arises. I, however, am just looking for an affordable, fun to play, classic electric guitar that I will love today and keep around for a while - if not forever.

About a year ago I found that Fender was making an American Vintage '52 Reissue Telecaster. These are also Made in the U.S.A. I played one everywhere I could find one - Guitar Center, Eddie's Guitars, Fazio's, Swing City Music.  I loved it. The guitar comes in Butterscotch with a nitrocelluose finish over an Ash body and maple fretboard. However, the price got me again - north of $1300.  There were other options though - a Classic Series '72 Telecaster Thinline, an Artist Series Joe Stummer Telecaster, or introduced this year a Road Worn '50's Telecaster. All three of these guitars are produced in Fender's plant in Mexico. The last couple are new guitars that are made to look worn and used - the look of playing them for years.

I wanted to try out the different Telecasters and play them through the same amp so I could hear the difference in sound from one guitar to another.  Yesterday, my research began again. I started looking online at the Fender site. I started looking at the Telecasters and found the different guitars I was looking for, but I couldn't find the Joe Strummer Telecaster on the website.  With a little more research I found that other sites like Sweetwater and Musician's Friend were saying it had been discontinued. Uh oh.

At lunch time I wanted to continue my research and went to Guitar Center as it's close to work and they have a reasonably good selection. They still had a Joe Strummer Telecaster on display plus the others I wanted to try except for the Road Worn '50's Telecaster. I played the American Vintage '52 Reissue, the Classic Series '72 Thinline, and the Strummer through a Fender Twin Reverb.

American Vintage '52 Telecaster

The American Vintage '52 reissue was my favorite - just a beautiful guitar with the dipped in honey look of the Butterscotch.  The Ash body made the guitar bright and the maple neck was very nice. However, the price was $1494. Not a bad price for an American made guitar, but still ouch.

Artist Series Joe Strummer Telecaster

The Strummer was next - a little different than than the '52 reissue; a little more power and only $599 (with a hardshell case!). A replica of the 1966 Telecaster that Joe Strummer bought in the mid-1970's. Nice lows and great highs with a little crunch. A very worn, seasoned look with the rusty chrome knobs and bridge over the weathered Alder body with thin paint and polyurethane coating. A rosewood fingerboard over a "well used" maple neck with rusty looking tuners. Other details like the Revolution Rock backplate just finished it off nicely. The guitar exuded a cool look.

Strummer Telecaster Bridge and Knobs detail

Strummer Telecaster backplate detail

The '72 Thinline was my least favorite; I liked the look, but I just don't like the humbuckers.

I talked to a salesman again and went over the options. Fender was having a 10% off deal from 11/27 to 11/30 - this was the last day. The Strummer Telecaster was $599, but would only be $540 + tax with after the discount. As I mentioned this included a Fender black hardshell case!  Plus, they had one in the back that was still in the box - not the display model!!

Joe Strummer with his 1966 Fender Telecaster

I had done my homework - the Road Worn '50's Telecaster was about $800 to $1000 and didn't come with a hardshell case, but a deluxe gig bag. I had heard that the Strummer was the first Road Worn guitar that was made in the Mexican plant.  I liked the fact that the Road Worn '50's Telecaster was Ash w/ a maple neck, but I just couldn't see spending $300 to $400 more plus another $150 for a hardshell case.

On the way back to work I called Fazio's and asked if they had a Strummer Telecaster in stock. I wanted to buy a guitar from a local music store rather than a chain. They checked and they did and wanted $1200 for the same guitar! With the 10% off it would have still been over $1000! I advised that on the price that I just saw at Guitar Center. The guy put me on hold and discussed and then came back and questioned if the Guitar Center model was made in Korea instead of Mexico. Damn! I had never looked! I left a message for the manager at Fazio's (he never called back). Then, I called Guitar Center back and asked if their version of the Strummer was made in Mexico and the salesman confirmed that it was. WHEW!

I called Eddie's Guitars about the American Vintage '52 reissue (they don't sell Mexican made Fenders) and they said they could beat the Guitar Center price, but I knew it would still be over $1300.  I just couldn't do it.  My desire for a guitar Made in the USA was fading.

After I got back to work I called my and discussed this whole massacre including the five part harmony with her.  She was on board since we had talked about using Christmas money for a guitar anyway. Great! Then, I talked to my wife's brother and he agreed that the Strummer Telecaster was the best deal. I called the salesman back at Guitar Center and asked him to hold the one in the box as I would be there after work to buy the one in the box.

So, I did not want to buy a guitar that was NOT Made In The U.S.A. - I caved.  I did not want to buy a guitar at Guitar Center - I caved. However, I got a nice sounding, classic guitar that plays well with a hardshell case for under $600. Hopefully, my deal with the devil goes okay. If only I did this much work before shopping at Wal-Mart.

Lunch Hour Finds

Found a few things for the record collection today at CD Warehouse during lunch

All items used -

Keane - Hopes And Fears (Interscope, 2004) [Dualdisc]
The Kinks - BBC Sessions 1964-1977 (Sanctuary, 2001)
John Lennon - Imagine (Capitol/EMI, 1971) [Remastered]
Okkervil River - Black Sheep Boy (Jagjaguwar, 2005)
Pixies - The Purple Tape (Spinart, 2007)
The Ramones - NYC 1978 (King Biscuit Flower Hour Records, 2003)
Slint - Spiderland (Touch & Go, 1991)

Beer, Tunes, and Monday Night Football

My old friend Tom came over to the house last night for a visit. Tom and I go waaaayyy back - Kindergarten to be exact. We went all through school together and 30 years later we are still friends.  Tom was there when I went to my first concert - Aerosmith with guests The Black Crowes at The Arena in St. Louis, MO in 1989. Weirdly enough my wife and her brother were at the same concert. We have seen several shows together over the years and we'll be going to see Cracker and Camper Van Beethoven in a couple of months - see this post.

Tom brought over some Big Sky Brewing Moose Drool Brown Ale and O'Fallon Brewery 5-Day IPA and some fresh eggs from his dad's chickens. My wife made a delicious Peter Potter Stew, a beef stew recipe from our sister-in-law, and mashed potatoes and green beans for dinner. We had dinner while our daughter ran around the kitchen showing off for Tom.

Since Tom had been on the expedition to pick up the jukebox back in February I showed him around the machine.  He was excited to see it working and hear the sounds it made while in normal operation. I showed him what I had found out about the box and we played some records and talked while my daughter danced around the room. Tom said he still liked the way that the jukebox looks old and used, but was happy to see it playing music.

After a while I put my daughter to bed and Tom showed his new Toyota Tundra pickup truck to my wife. She and I both got to test drive of the truck and liked it very much.

Since Tom and I grew up together we both share a common admiration of local Rock stalwart KSHE-95. Tom has a friend named Richard who is a few years older than us that apparently loves KSHE Classics.  These are songs from the late 1960's, 1970's and early 1980's that get played now and then that longtime listeners to the station will remember from the station's halcyon days.

Tom brought over two cd's worth of KSHE Classics and wanted me to hear a song called "St. Louis Browns" by Skip Battin.  Both Tom and I were surprised that I had not heard of this song before now.  Being a big fan of The Byrds I was surprised that I didn't even know that Skip Battin (bassist 1970-1973) had released a solo album in 1972 with a song about the former St. Louis entry for the American League.  I have found recently that I need to start looking further into the solo work of the various members of The Byrds from the late 1960's and early 1970's. I have long known about solo albums by Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark and David Crosby and Chris Hillman's work in the Flying Burrito Brothers and Manassas, but did not know that other members like Gene Parsons and Skip Battin had released solo albums as well.

Skip Battin - Skip (Signpost SP 8408, 1972)

I had heard about half of the songs on the first cd we played and had a few of them in my collection already. The quality of both cd's was lacking so if I want better versions of these songs I'll have to find them myself. The second mix cd was a mystery because it had no song titles.  We started playing the songs and trying to figure out if we knew the song.  We recognized some and I did searches on the lyrics to find some of the others.  It was a fun game trying to identify the mystery tracks.  By the time we got through the 2nd CD of songs it was almost 11 o'clock and time for Tom to hit the road. A few are still a mystery, but overall the experience was good and Tom and I got to treat my wife to some 1970's KSHE Classics.  John Ulett would be proud!

Finds At Euclid Records

Found a few more 45's for the jukebox at one of my favorite stores, Euclid Records, on Friday at lunch. It's so great to have a record store with this kind of selection close enough to the office to run over there on my lunch hour.

Ronnie Hawkins & The Hawks - Mary Lou b/w Need Your Lovin' (Oh So Bad) (Roulette 4177, 1959) Cut in New York during their 2nd session at Bell Sound Studios. No. 26 on the charts in the summer of 1959.

The Rivieras - California Sun b/w H B Goose Step (Riviera 1401, 1964)

Ronny And The Daytonas - G.T.O. b/w Hot Rod Baby (Mala 481, 1964)

Leonard Cohen - Avalanche b/w Dress Rehearsal Rag (Columbia, 1971)

Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls Of Fire b/w You Win Again (Sun 281, 1957)
Recorded October 8, 1957 at Sun Studios, Memphis, TN. Reached #2 on Billboard Pop Charts, #3 on R&B Chart, and #1 on the Country chart.

The Amboy Dukes - Journey To The Center Of The Mind b/w Mississippi Murderer (Mainstream 684, 1968)

Junior Wells - Cut My Toe Nail b/w I'm Losing You (Bright Star 146, 19??)

Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John b/w I Won't Go Huntin' With You Jake (But I'll Go Chasin' Wimmin) (Columbia 4-42175, 1961) [Picture Sleeve]

Wilco - You Never Know b/w Unlikely Japan (Nonesuch 520404-7, 2009) [Picture Sleeve]

Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Official Live 'Leg (Counterfeit Version)
To find out more information on this rare promotional album go here

Shafted!

I called the guy selling the records yesterday afternoon to confirm that we were still meeting today for me to look at and buy the records he had for sale. We decided on a place and a time.  Everything was set.

Then I received a call on my cell phone last night. I was on the phone with the cable company about our new DVR so I let it go to voice mail.  I listened to the message after I got off the phone.  The guy leaves this rambling message about how he had "forgotten" that he had told a guy on Sunday that he could come by on Wednesday night after work and gave him the address.  He then said that he got the guy mixed up with me and sold him the records.

Damn!

I would have arranged to come by two days ago or yesterday had I known that he had received other calls, but he never mentioned that tidbit. *** GRRRRRrrrrrrr****

Found!

On a whim I decided to pull up Craigslist today and found the following ad:

Vintage 45 rpm records over 1000 - $150

This is a great jukebox stuffers, with over 1,000 mostly hits from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s being offered. Almost all come with record sleeves, some even with picture sleeves Vintage 45 rpm records all in various conditions and un picked through. Many have jukebox title strips. To many to list. 

Not much to go on, but I quickly e-mailed the seller anyway and asked some questions. He e-mailed back and asked for my phone number. I replied and sent him my number and he called me. We talked for about 15 minutes or so. He said that he bought about half of the records from someone he knew that collected that had died.  He had the other half from garage sales, flea markets, and from jukeboxes he had repaired over the years.  I advised that I was interested and we agreed to meet around lunch time on Thursday.

I talked to my wife shortly afterwards and we discussed this.  I did the math and found that he was charging about 15 cents per records. She asked how much I normally paid for the 45's that I bought.  I advised anywhere from $1-$4, but sometimes more. She did the math and said that if I liked 50 of the records or 5% total that it would be worth it.  I agreed. Now, I'm just crossing my fingers for something good!  I've been pretty lucky this year so far...