Lately, I’ve found myself diving into those crates labeled $2.00.  You know, the dusty ones carelessly placed in the back or throughout on the floor?  Sometimes it requires some feats of engineering to maneuver to or around.  Usually, stacks are slammed through the slots, only furthering the years of divoted dents on covers that have absolutely seen better days.  There might be moments where you find breadcrumbs of a past life, like original pricing stickers, hasty bits of holiday wrapping barely hanging on by yellowed scotch tape, or even love letters forgotten inside. And, man, there’s this…smell, like a library book. Who had the pleasure of knowing you before you met me?

When I was most recently treating myself to a dig, I spent over an hour trolling in this area.  Occasionally, the shop’s door would jangle, signaling another potential record friend who had come searching, yet straight to New Releases they’d go.  I get it, there’s been a lot of excitement lately over T-Swift Midnights.

No one ever joined me in the bargain bins for the entire time I was swimming in vinyl, yet the musical companionship I picked up was an absolute cannonball to the likes of The Ventures, a copy of the Flashdance soundtrack, and even Steve Martin’s A Wild and Crazy Guy.

No, you’re not going to find the sexiest thing or the cleanest copy.  It won’t be colored or cut-out or etched in a cool way.  And yeah, they might carry that janky wafting of cat litter and cig smoke mixed with something else, which simply smells swamp green.  But it will carry the history of where it’s been to you.  Choose to be reflective on that and help shape those future stories within your collection.  Even if you’re carving out some form of exclusivity in your stacks with certain album titles or artists in the name of quality, there’s a grace and class that can be found in these bins. Don’t discount that.

@siliconeandvinyl