From the Crates
Stories & Finds
Every post, newest first. Records that came through the shop, what the pressings turned out to be, and how any of it gets graded.
Record Knowledge
How I Price a Record, and the Time I Got It Badly Wrong
Two common Santana LPs sat in my store at $194.99 and $205.99. Why asking prices aren't a market, and the method I use now.
October 12, 2026 · 5 min read
Artist Profile
Four Harry Chapin Records, Most of a Career
Debut, peak, mid-flight, return — 1972 to 1980, then he didn't get to make another one. The whole arc is on the shelf right now.
July 8, 2026 · 7 min read
Artist Profile
She Was There: Five Emmylou Harris Records and the Ghost of Gram Parsons
Five albums from one collection — Elite Hotel, Pieces of the Sky, Luxury Liner, Cimarron, and Evangeline. Each one is a chapter in the same story.
June 10, 2026 · 6 min read
The Collection
The Rolling Stones Were Always Playing. I Just Started Listening Again.
Eight London Records-era Stones came through the store this week. Let It Bleed went on the turntable and stayed there. Here's what the catalog actually sounds like when you listen front to back.
May 22, 2026 · 5 min read
Artist Profile
I Didn't Know Who Ten Years After Were — Until These Records Walked In
Four of their records landed in one week. A first pressing of Undead, the self-titled debut, Watt, and Rock & Roll Music to the World. I had never heard of them. Then I put the needle down.
May 14, 2026 · 5 min read
Record Knowledge
How I Grade Records — And What It Actually Means for You
NM, VG+, VG — what do those grades really mean when you're buying from my shop? Here's my honest philosophy, with real examples and audio so you know exactly what you're getting.
May 6, 2026 · 5 min read
Artist Profile
Tom Jobim's Urubu: The Bossa Nova Classic You Missed
A 1976 Warner Bros. pressing of Jobim's Urubu just landed in the shop — the bossa nova architect at his most adventurous.
April 29, 2026 · 5 min read