Note: Originally appeared at my personal site, iRich.
The music I made my own most of the ’90s had changed directions and my tastes were changing. Around 1999 I got back into talk radio, to the point I was accepted into broadcasting school. In an age before podcasts, it wasn’t that hard really. A bit of a regret today, I either gave or threw away CDs I thought I didn’t a care about. It wasn’t to embrace the new way to buy music, by downloading it. Around thirteen years of people doing that, and something began to happen. Or at least it went mainstream as music will.
A need to physically hold and listen to recorded music, have new experiences you don’t get from MP3 files, to relive good and bad times with a no laser vinyl. More commonly known as a record. You can’t hold MP3 files. You can’t really look at cover art and liner notes. Until music appears more out of a cloud then it does now, you can’t collect gigs of recordings.
I wouldn’t come to that realization with either CDs or records well into adulthood. Looking back to the late 1980s and during the 1990s I associated vinyl and one of my area record stores as a place with aging hippies and possibly stoner types.
This record store I’m thinking of was run by a Jerry Garcia looking guy who would play similar music. He seemed knowledgable enough, I’d go there to perhaps buy a new popular artist on CD. What I couldn’t appreciate then was guys like him, shops like his were going to go away. Its that way with any subject and knowledgeable people. Its more then just the information, its the experiences. Reading about them sometimes isn’t enough.
Vinyl was a small part of my younger childhood, leaving it behind was a natural progression. I didn’t even know that’s what was happening. If I had more records that survived, I don’t know what happened to them. I had a kid player. Wonder what happened to it, probably stopped working. I do remember my close neighbors having this probably heavy portable (now considered retro) record player we’d listen to records on. Good times.
I think my family was planning on buying a new vintage style “all in one” player when they were new, we didn’t get to it. I thought it would make a good present in recent years, I was kinda wrong about that. A couple years later vinyl has helped the impressive player from not just being decorative electronic furniture. I should market that.
Enter Record Store Day, a need within the music culture. Each RSD year brings a limited number of new vinyl to fans and collectors. For this years RSD which coincides with Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary, Sony and its labels produced new recordings of Ray Parker Jr.’s “Ghostbusters” on a 10″ record that can glow. If a ghosthead was lucky, their record/music store had them in. If not, the RSD label and limited release would cause sellers on third party sites to price gouge.
Fortunately as Ghostbusters was turning 30, this new “Ghostbusters” single wasn’t exclusive to just that one day. At the time, ghostheads didn’t know when it would be released in 2014. Around Ghostbusters 30th Anniversary some retail sites were taking pre-orders. Which seemed to sell out quickly. Ghostbusters celebrates 30 years with a new web site and an on-line store, which is selling the glow in the dark single vinyl and more. I ordered a copy I believe on June 12, 2014.
Company Critique
This collectible Ghostbusters record became backordered and it was possible I wouldn’t have it until sometime in July. After a couple of weeks, Sony’s distributor, My Play Direct shipped it through UPS and their working partnership with USPS. Only fail on someone’s part is I couldn’t track it once the package was handed off. I still had it by the estimated delivery date and time.
I didn’t know how the companies were going to ship a record. Even if it had been by a smaller box, I hadn’t thought about any kind of damage. I’m glad someone went with a bigger box. Who doesn’t like a box that reminds them of pizza? I can use this box to hold other Ghostbusters records, until such a time I change my mind. I almost wish pizzerias would box pizza like this.
My Play Direct put the 30th Anniversary Ghostbusters record between two folded pieces of bubble wrap. Which also helped to protect the record. Between the box and the bubble wrap, it couldn’t protect the paper that would have been a cardboard sleeve in the ’80s. A corner was slightly damaged, thankfully not ripped or torn.
The collectible record does come in a protective vacuum typed sleeve. I don’t know if their’s any kind of third party market for vinyl. If a company sells the record equivalent to a jewel case, that may be advisable. Without something more protective, the record may continue to stick to the plastic.
Naturally a Ghostbusters collectible record is going to have a “no ghost” logo on it. As someone thought it needed and approved a second “no ghost” label, maybe it would have been better to just had a smaller version for the label and either not had or had different artwork on the record itself. Its a minor nitpick with my tastes and experience with graphics.
With the back “cover” I suppose someone thought let’s keep it original as possible, its retro. It isn’t like ghostheads don’t know its been 30 years. Add Ernie/Winston already! If I had been on this project I would have at least submitted a different known photo within the fan base which has all 4 guys standing by ECTO-1 at the end of Ghostbusters.
Despite that major oversight the back artwork serves its purpose, to be informative about the 4 tracks on this collectible vinyl. I can’t say with 100% certainty, some, if not all these tracks are part of Searchn’ For The Spirit. Which I talked about as part of my Ghostbusters music collection yesterday. Both sides contain two tracks each.
Side A
- Album Version
- Instrumental
Side B
- Extended Version
- Dub Version
With the “dance remixes” you’re suppose to be able to contort your body like its natural in that club from Terminator. Most of us don’t own a “dance club” and would probably look silly feeling these mixes. Whether one has moves or not, long as they’re having a good time.
Unlike Searchin’ For The Spirit I did sample the tracks. It’s the first time I used my “all in one” record player since at least last year. The main reason was to try to get the vinyl to glow. It was a bright day, more natural then artificial lighting. The room wouldn’t have been dark enough for hours. I couldn’t keep the record glowing long enough. The above picture was filtered with an unattended effect to show it glowing. The real glow is brighter, like a neon green. Which I’m sure was intentional to have fans thinking of ghosts and maybe other themes from Ghostbusters.
If you want your own copy of the “Ghostbusters” single glow in the dark record, it can be purchased from Sony’s Ghostbusters Store/My Play Direct for $16.98 USD. Naturally while I was waiting for my order, Sony added a 30th Anniversary Ghostbusters soundtrack on both vinyl and CD. I wouldn’t need the CD, I’d like to have Ghostbusters soundtrack on vinyl.
You can see and hear what I mean by this official video from Legacy Recordings.
Ecto-Containment 