2023 Purchases

Here are the music purchases of 2023 quantified in some detail. Check the 2023 cover grid dropdown to just see a grid of the cover images.

January 2023

1. Jan Linton: Joy 2023 – HK – DL – Bandcamp/$2.00
2. Jan Linton: Always The Last To Dream Instrumental – HK – DL – Bandcamp/$1.50
3. Jan Linton: Always The Last To Dream – HK – DL – Bandcamp/$2.50
4. Yello: Solid Pleasure + I.T. Splash – Universal Music Group – 7640262961119 – EU – LP + 12″ [yellow] – gift
5. Shriekback: Bowlahoola – Shriekprods – UK – CD – gift
6. PiL: Hawaii – US – DL – iTunes/$1.29
7. Restaurant For Dogs: Restaurant For Dogs – UK – DL – Promo
8. Guadalcanal Diary: Flip Flop – Elektra – E2-60848 – US – CD – Mr. K’s AVL/$4.95
9. Enzso: Enzso – Epic – EK 67877 – US – CD – Mr. K’s AVL/$4.95
10. John Cale: Dream Interpretation: Inside The Dream Syndicate Volume II – Table Of The Elements – Au 79 – US – CD – Mr. K’s AVL/$4.95
11. Fluid Japan: All Of His Reactions – US – DL – Bandcamp/$3.00
12. The Lilac Time: No Sad Songs – Tapete Records – TR 310 – GER promo – CD – gift
13. Ultravox: Rage In Eden [Steven Wilson Remix] – Chrysalis Catalogue – CDLC 1338 – US – 2xCD – Electric Fetus/$13.99

Subtotal: $39.13

Jan Linton released a trio of DLs at the end of the year so we got them as soon as we could. His friends Fluid Japan released a DL as well, though without Linton involvement this time. A friend sent me the 2022 LP of Yello’s crucial debut album, “Solid Pleasure” and it came with a bonus yellow vinyl 12″ of their first single?! YES! More, please. The new Shriekback CD arrived to keep us current on their “shining path.” And PiL released an unexpectedly tender song as part of their bid for…Eurovision representation of Ireland??!

My wife found a trio of used CDs that caught her eye…not an easy thing to do in this town! Most impressed with that early John Cale title! A commenter had a Lilac Time CD cluttering up his home and wondered if I wanted it so how could I say no? I’m a little behind on The Lilac Time. The last album I saw in a store was “Runout Groove.” I bought it, of course, but that puts me in an infinitesimally small subset of music buyers!

And finally, I bought the CD of the Wilson 2.0 remix/instrumental version of “Rage In Eden.” I was getting tense as it had been released in late November of last year and Discogs dealers [in the USA] were getting very scarce. I could find one for $30 + shipping, so I did some searching outside of the lines. Salvation came from Electric Fetus; Prince’s fave “wrecka stow” in Minneapolis. I hit that button for $13.99 and had the discs in hand in about 60 hours. WORLD RECORD. If you need something musical, think of Electric Fetus near the top of your mental queue.

February 2023

1. Mari Wilson: Just What I Always Wanted – London Records – 810 122-7 – US – 7″ – Records In The RAD/$5.00
2. Ultravox!: Ultravox! Mini LP – Island Records – L 20003 – NZ – 12″ – Discogs/$33.00
3. Bob Gaulke: The Humanities – Part 1 – BobGaulke Productions – US – CD-R – gift
4. Bob Gaulke: The Humanities – Part 2 – BobGaulke Productions – US – CD-R – gift
5. Rough Trade: For Those Who Think Young – The Boardwalk Entertainment Co – NB 33261-1 – US – LP – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
6. Hazel O’Connor: D-Days – Albion Records – 12 ION 1009 – UK – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
7. Jody Watley: Still A Thrill – MCA Records – MCA-23747 – US – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
8. Jody: Girls Night Out – Mercury – Merx 196 – UK – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
9. Jody Watley: Don’t You Want Me – MCA Records – MCA-23785 – US – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
10. Mandré: M3000 –  Motown – M7-917R1 – US – LP – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
11. Les Rita Mitsouko: Andy – Virgin – DMD 1134 – USP – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
12. Freur: Runaway – CBS – TA 3693 – UK – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
13. Sweet Pea Atkinson: Don’t Walk Away –  Island Records – 90007-1 – US – LP – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
14. Nona Hendryx: Baby Go-Go – EMI America – K 060 20 1981 6 – US – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
15. Kid Creole + The Coconuts: Stool Pigeon – Sire – PRO-A-1064 – USP – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
16. Ryuichi Sakamoto + Jill Jones: You Do Me – Virgin – 0-96495 – US – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
17. Nyam Nyam: The Architect – Situation Two – SIT 37T – UK – EP – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
18. John Foxx: Stars On Fire – Virgin – VS 771/12 – UK – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
19. Floy Joy: Friday Night In This Cold City – Virgin – VS 848-12 – UK – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
20. Cameo: Candy – Atlanta Artists – 888 193-1 – US – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
21. Amii Stewart: Knock On Wood – Ariola Records America – SW 50054 – US – LP – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
22. Neneh Cherry: Buffalo Stance – Virgin – 0-96573 – US – 12″ – The Bomb Shelter/$1.00
23. Mark Knopfler: Sailing to Philadelphia – Warner Bros. Records – 9 47753-2 – US – CD – Time traveler/$4.99
24. Dire Straits: Dire Straits – Vertigo – 800 051-2 – EURO – CD – Time Traveler/$12.99
25. Rush: Rush – Mercury – P2 22541 – US – CD – Time Traveler/$4.99
26. The Blue Nile: A Walk Across The Rooftops DLX RM – Confetti Records (2) – BLUECD1 – UK – 2xCD – Time Traveler/$17.99
27. Echo + The Bunnymen: Ocean Rain DLX RM [25th] – Warner Strategic Marketing – 2564-61165-2 – EURO – CD – Time Traveler/$13.99
28. Kinks: The Ultimate Collection –  Sanctuary – SANDD 109 – UK – 2xCD – Time Traveler/$17.99
29. Sparks: The Seduction Of Ingmar Bergman – BMG – BMGCAT572CD – World – CD – Time Traveler/$15.99

Subtotal: $144.93

¡Mamacita! I’ve actually topped a release per day for the month of February, 2023! I was not trying to. Honest. I’ve enjoyed barely buying any music for the last two years, but when in Rome… I first found a Mari Wilson US single I had no idea existed at a great local record store. Then I had to re-purchase an Ultravox! NZ EP I saw fall from my racks and shatter on our new [hard] flooring. Then my friend Bob Gaulke released the last two of his 13 albums of 2022 and sent them to me. Take that, Bill Nelson…you slacker! That alone would have been a nice February, but we took a trip to Akron, Ohio to visit family.

Our brother-in-law described a groovy antique mall called The Bomb Shelter that my wife saw fit to visit and boy howdy; they had an interior record store area that I actually got a huge buzz from shopping in. And all I looked at were the cheapie $1.00 records! Heck, the fact that they had $1.00 records was astonishing in these, the end times. Much less $1.00 records salted with numerous want list items of mine! There’s too much to discuss here, but suffice to say I am thrilled to finally have the first Sweet Pea Atkinson album!!!! I still desperately need the second one!

Then I met up with a friend for lunch one afternoon and afterward, we went to the always relevant Time Traveler Records and as usual, there was something there to get worked up about. This time, the new CDs were packed with enough want list goods to have spent three times what I actually did. I have to say that locally, there are almost NO CDs for sale, much less dozens of discs that I actually want!!! As usual, Time Traveler further cement their status as a Great Record Store®. And the hours spent gabbing with owner Scott and his customers was…bliss.

March 2023

1. Peter Gabriel: Secret World Live – Geffen Records – ID 3051GF – US – LD – gift
2. Steven Jones + Logan Sky: This Intensity – Etrangers Musique – UK – DL – Bandcamp/£4.00/$5.00
3. David Bowie: Look At The Moon! [Live Phoenix Festival ’97] – Parlophone – DBBLACD 95994 – World – 2xCD – Bowie webstore/$24.99
4. David Bowie: Ouvrez Le Chien [Live Dallas ’95] – Parlophone – DBBLACD 95991 – World – CD – Bowie webstore/$16.99
5. Cristina: Sleep It Off DLX RM – Rubellan Remasters – RUBY46CD – US – CD – Rubellan Remasters/$15.99
6. Blow Monkeys: Animal Magic DLX RM – BMG – BMGCAT589CD – UK – 4xCD – Blow Monkeys webstore/$19.00
7. The Higsons: Run Me Down – The Complete 2-Tone Recordings – Sartorial Records – UK – DL – Promo
8. Fluid Japan: You Shut Down – Bandcamp – UK – DL – promo

Subtotal: $76.97

Almost two years ago I had ignored the Bowie 90s live album series “Brilliant Live Adventures…” to my detriment! When the sales event with those limited edition albums crashed and burnt, it left the Bowie estate stung enough by the bad feelings to reissue the discs in larger numbers. I took the chance to register interest for two of the volumes, and boy howdy, they sure are great representations of the 90s Bowie concerts that I was fortunate enough to have attended. The “Outside” tour volume, “Ouvrez Le Chien,” sold out the second time very rapidly, but the [just as good] “Earthling” set across two CDs is still available. You’d be crazy to miss if it you’re a fan.

Steven Jones + Logan Sky continue their strong run of Synthpop-slash-Art Rock with a new single. Meanwhile, the long-awaited Rubellan Remasters edition of the holy second Cristina album was all of that and more! The first CD of it ever as mastered lovingly from a tape! Now I have no excuse for listening only to this CD the rest of my life! And I’d be very happy to do that, with songs and performances of this caliber. Other Bandcamp faves Fluid Japan dropped another richly rewarding single.

Finally, I was embittered by my inability in 2016 to buy the Cherry 2xCD DLX RM of The Blow Monkeys Animal Magic” album. It’s not as though I didn’t try, but *m*z*n screwed up the order big time. Which made my decision to eschew *m*z*n all the easier going forward. Apparently good things come to those who wait, I guess, with the band and BMG issuing an ultra-comprehensive 4xCD box at under $20 [insert chef’s kiss] from the artists’ web store this year! That’s how you do it.

April 2023

1. Otto Kentrol Feat. Faceless: No Mistakes – Modern Harmonic – MH-8254 – US – 2xLP – Promo
2. Tomek: Fairlight + Funk – Modern Harmonic – MH-8274C – US – LP [green vinyl]  – Promo
3. The Satyrs – Don’t Be Surprised – Beat Rocket – LP-BEAT-171C – US – LP [yellow vinyl] – Promo
4. Jerry Harrison: The Red + The Black DLX RM – Sire/Rhino – RCV1 706344 – US – 2xLP [red + black vinyl] – Voltage Records/$35.98
5. The Radio Makers: Lucky Stars [got my radio] – TRM – TRM002 – UK – DL – Promo
6. Various: Electronic Sound – Futurism – Electronic Sound – ESCD100 – UK – 2xCD – Magazine/£13.99/$17.50

Subtotal: $53.48

A thin month with us deciding to travel to Europe and the UK in a year to see The Nits 50th anniversary concert. Lots of hard copy promo from the Modern Harmonic label with Tomek Lamprecht of Model Citizens getting a reissue of his EP in green vinyl LP form. Which we raffled off as a rare PPM giveaway! The big news was finally getting Jerry Harrison’s brilliant “The Red + The Black” in a remixed form as the one RSD title I had to buy was the DLX RM of “The Red + The Black” on the licorice pizza. 12 years ago this would have been a CD. Sigh. But Harrison’s instrumental mix with Eric Thorngren was tasty stuff indeed, with some longer dub mixes being something that I had waited over 40 years for. The Radio Makers was a fantastic promo that came in over the transom and hit just right. When Electronic Sound magazine features a cover CD with a new John Foxx track, we purchase. Wrangler, Hannah Peel, and Scanner aren’t chopped liver, but the Blancmange track really lit the fire to buy some of their contemporary music!

May 2023

1. The Metamorph: The Man On The 99th Floor – Werra Foxma Records – UK – DL – Promo

Subtotal: none

Only one new thing was a promo album of dystopic electronics with guitar [!] from the effervescent Gavin Brick. As usual, keeping things moving all over the synth spectrum.

June 2023

1. René Peraza: The Siren [Aye, Aye] – No Label – US – DL – Promo
2. Martyn Ware: Unknowable – Electronic Sound – ES7101 – UK – blue 7″ – gift

Subtotal: none

One new this month was a promo from a reader who thought he’d find a comfortable berth in PPM with his latest song. Boy, was he ever right! My problem was in finding the time to delve into it, but I eventually did! The other was a 7″ from a commenter who bought an issue of Electronic Sound for the bundled Martyn Ware 7″ but didn’t have a turntable, so he sent it to me to digitize for him.

Half Year Subtotal: 60 releases | $319.51 | average cost – $5.33/title

Another slim [for me] 6-month buying phase. The fifth in a row for the new norm of buying less and actually sticking to my guns on that issue! That we are saving for a major European trip next April has even more to do with it!

July 2023

1. The Countess Of Fife: Goodbye Mototrbike Guy [Remix] – Bandcamp – UK – DL – Bandcamp/£2.50/$3.13
2. Bob Gaulke: Strawberry Fields – Bob Gaulke Productions – US – CD-R – Gift
3. Bob Gaulke: One Last Shot – Bob Gaulke Productions – US – CD-R – Gift

Another slim month with the only music being the latest Countess Of Fife remix single and two Bob Gaulke albums sent to me as he attempts to surpass Prince’s recording record. Don’t laugh! It could happen with the ultraprolific Gaulke. Who’s as busy as Bill Nelson at the very least!

Subtotal: $3.13

August 2023

1. John Foxx: Annexe – Metamatic – META78LP – UK – LP [red vinyl] – Foxx Webstore/$27.50
2. John Foxx: The Golden Section – Metamatic – META77LP – UK – LP [clear vinyl] – Foxx Webstore/$27.49
3. John Foxx: The Arcades Project – Metamatic – META75CD – UK – CD – Foxx Webstore/$13.99
4. John Foxx: Avenham – Metamatic – META76CD – UK – CD – Foxx Webstore/$13.99
5. Ultravox: Quartet Superdeluxe box – Chrysalis Catalogue – CDLB 1394 – UK – 6xCD + DVD-A – Popmarket.com/$68.79
6. ABC★★★: The Lexicon Of Love – Universal Music Recordings – 452 273-7 – UK – Blu-Ray Atmos/5.1 – Superdeluxeedition.com/$30.69
7. The Woods; So Long Before Now – Dot Matrix Recordings – DM-5637 – US – seaglass green LP – Yep Roc/promo

Subtotal: $182.45

A costly month with several must-have items that I would have preferred not to buy right now, yet could not pass up. I had been holding back on the two new Foxx albums, but when there were Metamatic reissues of LP material I finally caved and bought all four while the getting was good. Then there was the much-anticipated Ultravox “Quartet” ultrabox. There’s no way I was going to miss Steven Wilson getting the change to remix the thin, divisive “Quartet” album that suffered both from “professional” George Martin/Geoff Emerick production and the unwelcome rise in the marketplace of glassy digital synths! So we now have the extreme irony of Wilson using the latest in digital technology to minimize the first generation digital artifacts which have marred “Quartet” for so long! As an aside, we arrived home from a trip to find all of the Foxx and ‘Vox items in our mailbox. The first time since my birthday in 1981 where I got the latest Ultravox and Foxx releases on the same day. A welcome re-occurrence!

An intriguing promo from an obscure NYC indie band of the mid-80s served up some VU-inspired but not copied music in the form of an orphaned album. Then there was the ABC★★★ Steven Wilson Dolby Atmos® Blu-Ray of “The Lexicon Of Love” which got so many accolades from commenters that I capitulated and bought one before it was too late. SDE price these events very fairly, but I am loathe to spend on music due to the upcoming trip I am ostensibly saving for. Yet, here we are: nearly $200 spent! That used to be a typical month for me; now it’s a wrenching aberration.

September 2023

1. Ellen Foley: Nightout – Epic – JE 36052 – US – LP – Square Records/$2.00
2. Eurythmics: You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart – RCA – 8619-7-RA1 – US – 7″ – Square Records/$2.00
3. New Order: Confusion – Factory – FAC 93 – Netherlands – 12″ – Square Records/$6.00
4. The Metamorph: Skylab EP – UK – DL – Bandcamp/£5.00/$6.25
5. The Blow Monkeys: Ok! Have It Your Way [single mix] – UK – DL – Bandcamp/£1.99/$2.49
6. The Blow Monkeys: Said To Much [v.2] – Last Night From Glasgow – UK – DL – iTunes/$0.99
7. The Associates: Boys Keep Swinging – MCA – MCA537 – UK – 7″ promo – gift
8. China Crisis: What Price Paradise DLX RM – UMC – 00602445032136 – UK – 3xCD – gift
9. The Pragmatix: Anthology – Not On Label – US – CD-R – gift

The third trip to Akron this year and the unthinkable had happened: Scott Shepard of Time Traveler had been hospitalized with congestive heart failure! This put his store in a precarious state as he was unable to work so his daughter Emma set up a GoFundMe to keep the faith.

We once again met our friend for lunch and checked out Square Records instead of our usual Time Traveler jaunt. I was thrilled to see great used records I would want [in some cases, want badly] for what I consider attractive prices that I would have paid nearly 30 years ago had I been buying them then. The Eurythmics “Chill Mix” US 7″ of “You Have Placed A Chill In My Heart” was a record I had wanted for so long I’d actually forgotten about it! I just need a few late period Eurythmics mixes to make that BSOG I’ve been buying records for nearly a quarter century! This disc was the difficult to source single left.

And I have been chagrined that I didn’t buy the UK edition of “Confusion” by New Order back in 1983 when it hit the import cutout bins at Record City in Orlando for $2.99 because I bought the US Streetwise edition first. So I’ve not had possibly my favorite Peter Saville cover on my Record Cell racks for 40 years all because I was not yet a “collector” in 1983! Mea Culpa! I used to have the Ellen Foley album when it came out and I swapped in out in the Great Record Purge of 1985 with the expectation that I’d buy the CD of it one day. I’m still waiting for that! Meanwhile, the tireless Metamorph kept the synths coming our way with a new EP.

A pair of Blow Monkeys DL singles were bought to replicate their new “Time Storm: Greatest Hits Vol. 2″ contents in order to publish a review concurrent with our interview with vocalist Dr. Robert. A man who’s considered songwriting royalty ’round these parts. Birthday gifts included the last China Crisis DLX RM and a compilation of The Pragmatix recent incarnation [my friend Mr. Ware’s tasteful cover band] as well as the incredible first Associates record on 7” as my beloved wife sagely chose something of huge significance for my 60th birthday present. As usual, another holy grail item I’d deny myself makes it to the Record Cell due to her actions!

Subtotal: $19.73

October 2024

1. Yacht: Two Heads – Not On Label – DL – Bandcamp/$1.00
2. Moebius: Aspirin – Curious Music – US – DL – promo
3. Department S: So Far Away – Bandcamp – DL – Bandcamp/£1.00/$1.25
4. Simple Minds: New Gold Dream [Live From Paisley Abbey] – BMG – 538953002 – UK – CD – gift
5. Frank Sinatra: In The Wee Small Hours – Capitol Records – 72434 94755 2 6 – US – CD – yard sale/$1.00
6. Isaac Hayes: Hot Buttered Soul – Stax – SCD-4114-2 – US – CD – yard sale/$1.00
7. Isaac Hayes: …To Be Continued – Stax – SCD-4133-2 – US – CD – yard sale/$1.00
8. Sinéad O’Connor: Universal Mother – Chrysalis – F2-30549 – US – CD – yard sale/$1.00

A low cost mixed bag this month with new singles by Yacht and Department S gratifying instantly. A cool posthumous promo [with Mark Mothersbaugh cover] from Dieter Moebius was very welcome. The new live Simple Minds album showed the band still at the height of their powers with a fantastic live version of their breakthrough album recorded last year to commemorate its 40th anniversary for a UK Sky Arts TV broadcast. Then a quartet of dollar discs from a yard sale we participated in with a dozen or more others at the local fire station fundraiser. The very night before I had been listening to a Stax compilation and wondering when I’d get the classic Stax albums by soul master Isaac Hayes so I could hear the legendary side long takes of some of the edited tracks I heard. Turns out it was about 12 hours later! One more crucial Sinatra album and one of the mid period Sinéad O’Connor albums we didn’t have that had some absolutely gripping material!

Subtotal: $6.25

November 2024

1. OMD: Bauhaus Staircase DLX – 100% – 100CD138X – UK – 2xCD – Lexer Music/£18.00/$21.98
2. OMD; Bauhaus Staircase – 100% – 100CD139 – UK – CD5 – OMD webstore/£8.99/$10.47
3. Ardala: Halls Of Antiquity – Ardala – ARD001 – UK – CD-R – gift
4. The Metamorph: Exhibition – Bandcamp – UK – CD-R – gift
5. The Metamorph: Skylab LTD. ED. – Bandcamp – UK – shaped 3″ CD-ROM – gift
6. The Blow Monkeys: Crying For The Moon – US – DL – iTunes/$1.99
7. Icehouse + Simple Minds: Get It On – US – DL – iTunes/$1.29
8. Fluid Japan: Equilibrium – US – DL – Bandcamp/$4.00

Big core collection guns were shooting blanks this time with a tepid allegedly final OMD album providing few thrills;though “Kleptocracy” tried valiantly to compensate and almost succeeded! The actual CD single of “Bauhaus Staircase” was redeemed by a strong 12″ mix by the band and a fantastic non-LP B-side. And a month and a half later it’s selling for $60+. I normally get all physical OMD singles but I had to pass on the 7″ and 12″ this time due to a drastically reduced music budget. A care package from Gavin Brick made up for the failings of OMD with what is strongly vying for my favorite album of the year in “Halls Of Antiquity;” his collaborative album with Phil Heeks of British Stereo Collective! Plus, his lovingly crafted live and improvisational album, “Exhibition” gave his contemplative side a strong showing.

I finally got a Blow Monkeys a DL single with a remixed A-Side and a fantastico funky non-LP B-side in “Dynamo!” Sure, sure, it had no place on the “Wild River” album, but we are thrilled that it reached our ears here! With their first tour together in 42 years, Icehouse + Simple Minds dropped a surprise T-Rex cover as a duet. Nothing earth shaking, but just good fun, and Charlie Burchill and Sarah Brown managed to steal the show. And finally another sleek recording from Fluid Japan continued their rise in my esteem that has seen them really get my attention in the last year.

Subtotal: $39.73

December 2023

1. Robert Palmer: Superstar Concert Series – Westwood One – CO 88-24 – USP – 3xLP – Discogs/$20.00
2. Jan Linton: Rosemary [uncompressed version] – Bandcamp – HK – DL – Bandcamp/$3.00
3. Steven Jones + Logan Sky: Silver Rain EP – UK – DL – Promo
4. John Cale: Mercy – DoubleSix – DS122CD – UK – CD – Time Traveler/$16.99
5. Prince: Welcome 2 America – NPG Records – 19439866152 – US – CD – Time Traveler/$14.99
6. Ultravox: Quartet Steven Wilson Album + Instrumental Mix – Chrysalis Catalogue – CDLC1394 – Time Traveler/$17.99
7. B.E.F.: Music For Stowaways DLX RM – Cold Spring – CSR310CD – UK – CD – gift

With a month to go, I managed to spend a [small] packet as 2023 closed out. I finally found a much-wanted Robert Palmer live radio show from 1988 for much less than the $50 going rate on it by now. I used to see this all the time, 15 years ago for $15-20 and reasoned that I could get it later. I’ve been really twitchy about securing a copy in the last two years and this one has been on Discogs; taunting me all year and when I sold a CD on Discogs for nearly $30, I finally snapped and used the money it put into the Paypal account to finally get the show, which was about the same as the set list from the first Palmer concert I saw in that year. Where he pulled Motörhead’s “Eat The Rich” out of thin air as the jaw-dropping cover tune that rocked our world. Thsi radio show is the only place where it can be found, amazingly enough.

Steven Jones + Logan Sky managed a new winter-themed EP with the peripatetic Jan Linton guesting once more with the duo to a chorus of hosannas. A fifth trip to Akron this year for xmas found Scott Shepard finally back in the saddle so I was very happy to see what CD delights he had this time since my last three visits to the Rubber City were bereft of Time Traveler visits. I had forgotten that John Cale had a new album this year since I never usually see the new John Cale CD in my travels! I pounced on that since it was his first new album in a decade. Likewise, Prince’s posthumous “Welcome 2 America” was the first time spotted for that title as well! And the one thing that was actually at the front of my want list was the Steven Wilson 2xCD remix/instrumental remix version of “Quartet” by Ultravox that came out on Black Friday in 750 copies! I asked Scott if he had one on CD and he thought he did but he had just ordered it from his distributor and it would be there five days later. Naturally I mail ordered and paid for all three CDs at once. When we got home from Akron, the mailbox was stuffed with mail, including a copy of the B.E.F. “Music For Stowaways” DLX RM CD courtesy of close, personal friend chasinvictoria. And thus endeth the year’s music.

Subtotal: $72.97

Half Year Subtotal: 42 releases | $324.26 | average cost – $7.72/title

Year End Totals: 102 releases | $643.77 | average cost – $6.31/title

…no more to come