Show and Tell

I got to go to a record show in Northern Virginia last weekend. I made a great haul for not a lot of money, but still left with an uneasy feeling.

A sense of something slipping away came over me as soon as I walked into the room. There were about two-thirds the number of tables usually booked for this show. As I made the rounds, I discovered that about 20 percent of the tables were occupied by bootleg dealers. I've been drawn in by bootlegs before, but rarely do I fall for them anymore. Bootlegs with so-called "good sound quality" have just that – good quality ... for a bootleg. The sound rarely lives up to the curiosity factor, and it never lives up to being at the show.

To get back to my point, there weren't nearly as many tables as I'm accustomed to. Most of the dealers seemed overly eager to help me find whatever I might be looking for, a pretty good sign that nobody was making any money. One guy told me that after 25 years in the business, this was his last show. I'm willing to bet that a lot of the guys I saw packing up early won't be back either.

I'm not sure what the reasons were for the smaller turnout. Maybe the show wasn't advertised well. I overheard a record-store clerk in Georgetown talking about it, or I might have missed it. Maybe some dealers were on vacation. Maybe there are just fewer dealers.

Whatever the reasons, it's a shame. The record show, much like the independent record store, is a place where music lovers can gather. It's not Starbucks, where selling a lifestyle and an overpriced, bitter cup of coffee is just as important. It's not Best Buy, where the guy or gal wearing the snazzy polo shirt probably hasn't heard of the band you're looking for. When music lovers have a place to meet, great things happen. Albums and bands are recommended. Collectors go from table to table, inquiring about their personal holy grails. Good-natured arguments are overheard. Tall tales of garage-sale finds are swapped. Prices are haggled over. Deals are struck. Collections are completed.

Most of the shows I've been to have been dominated by used vinyl, but with plenty of used CDs and some new vinyl and CDs for sale, too. Like I said, good deals are found. I didn't pick up any CDs this time, but snagged the following LPs:

Dickey Betts (billed as Richard Betts on this one), "Highway Call" – As a long-time Allman Brothers fan, I'm ashamed to say that I had never heard this 1974 Betts solo album. What a steal for $2, and it even features Vassar Clements on fiddle. Maybe the best $2 I've spent this year.

The same guy sold me two more mid-70s Betts albums, both with Great Southern: "Dickey Betts & Great Southern" and "Atlanta's Burning Down." Both are excellent southern rock albums, colored with the ballads and blues you expect from Betts. It's still kind of unbelievable to me that albums this good can be bought for $2 apiece.

Dave Van Ronk with the Red Onion Jazz Band, "In the Tradition" – If you're familiar with the late Van Ronk, you probably know him as a folk singer. This album from 1963, which I had never heard of, is half folk material and half Van Ronk singing with this jazz band in the manner of Louis Armstrong. I was taking a bit of a chance at $7, but it was well worth it.

Gram Parsons/Flying Burrito Brothers, "Sleepless Nights" ($5) – A good collection of material Parsons recorded shortly being kicked out of the Burritos in 1970 and with Emmylou Harris during the sessions for "Grievous Angel." Hearing Parsons sing Merle Haggard covers is what "alternative country" is all about.

Waylon Jennings/The Outlaws (Jennings, Willie Nelson, Jessi Colter, Tompall Glaser) "Wanted: The Outlaws" – A landmark album in the style that came to be known as "outlaw country." Not as revolutionary today as it must have been in 1977, but it's a big reason why making country music your own way is now so common outside of Music Row. $5.

"Charlie Christian with the Benny Goodman Sextet and Orchestra" – A good show nets at least one great guitar album. Christian only lived to 24, but he was one of the most influential jazz guitarists ever. $3.

For $26 ($31 including the $5 admission fee), I got weeks of listening enjoyment. This leads to a related point: decent new turntables still can be had for under $200. There's a lot of cheap vinyl out there. Dan Crary's "Guitar," Norman Blake's "Whiskey Before Breakfast," and The Kentucky Colonels' "Appalachian Swing" are just three great bluegrass albums scored for less than $5 apiece in the past couple years. Readers of this site would likely be interested to know that most, if not all, of Lost Highway's releases over the past few years have been available on vinyl. And, for all you members of the iCult, software is available for converting your vinyl to mp3s.

Even if you don't want to get into (or back into) vinyl, record shows could be your ticket to rare, promo, import or out-of-print CDs. The Record Collector's Guild runs a daily listing of shows on its Web site, so you might find one in your area. The also might be advertised in your local entertainment papers, at your record store or wherever you go to hear live music. If you notice a show in your area, try to check it out. If we don't, we're likely to get fewer and fewer chances. If we do, our next favorite album might be only a couple bucks away.