Like a Record, Baby

The best thing about Main Street is everything. And by everything, I mean all of it. From the old, gorgeous Goh Ballet building to Slickety Jim's Chat 'n Chew, from The Main for live music to the windows at Hillcrest Plumbing displaying creatively designed tubs and toilets. But at the top of the Main street heap, I've placed Neptoon Records.

This store has more vinyl than the bench seats in the Oldsmobile station wagon where I spent a good portion of my formative years.

(That's not actually it, but I just had to post this photo out of pure disbelief that someone made a car like that - yes, it's an AMC Pacer Limo!)

Back to Neptoon Records, when you're looking for one of Vancouver's widest selection of vinyl records, it's right there with tons of new (yes, NEW) records and tons of old ones as well. There's also CD's, posters, postcards, sheet music, gig posters and some DVD's. As I flipped through the bins, here's a random assortment of some of the records I found:

Remember Dead or Alive? One of their biggest hits, You Spin Me Round (Like a Record), was from this album - that song dominated dance floors and aerobics classes one summer long ago. And who could forget the video showing singer, Pete Burns, wearing an eye patch and kimono? Definite inspiration for my next Halloween costume.

Ok, here's another one - a record from Michael Damian. He played fictional rock star Danny Romalotti on The Young and The Restless. This record must have been life imitating art, but he was a much bigger star in the melodramatic world of Y&R than he was out here in Real Land. Although, with that head of hair I simply cannot fathom why his singing voice didn't
find an audience.

When I found the record in the next photo, it kind of stole my heart and broke it - all at the same time. It's called "Whistle While You Work", but this ain't no Disney tune. Check out what is printed above the title, in smaller letters…

…it reads "Music With a Lilt to Lighten Her House Work".
For shame! They made this record way-back-when to brainwash women into believing that not wearing shoes and being with child should be all that is needed to feel fulfilled. "That's right, ladies - just put on this record and get to the dusting and vacuuming before any desire for education or success gets in the way of your pre-determined destiny to be the best homemaker on the block."

There was one other thing which made me think I was hallucinating.
In a corner, piled high on a crate, I actually saw one of popular music's most awesome and short-lived formats… the 8-track tape!

For music, it was to cassettes what the beta was to VHS in the dog-eat-dog world of VCR's - it just didn't fly. Not for very long, at least.

While we're on the topic of abandoned music formats, does anyone besides me remember the cassingle?

Click THIS! for more