Record Shopping

Hoyt Emerick (Age 18) Holding a Boy George CD 

Here's a young 18-year-old Hoyt holding his record store find of the day. It's Boy George's album Tense Nervous Headache. Here in the United States, it's more commonly known as High Hat with some track listing variations. We've adored this album since it came out so finding an alternative import version on CD was a special treat. The disc is loaded with some beautiful tracks. To this day, it still surprises me that Don't Cry wasn't a top-10 hit for the Boy. Fortunately, Don't Take My Mind on a Trip was a minor hit for him on the US R&B Billboard Charts. 

Record shopping was a huge part of our lives back in the 1980s, 1990s, and even 2000s. Shopping for rare imports and missing pieces in our already huge record collection was an exciting experience for us. It was better than hunting for Easter Eggs. It's hard to describe the feeling that we would get when finding a rare piece that we didn't even know existed. Those of you who know, know. It was a thrilling time in music. We'd hunt for rare B-sides, 12" mixes, promotional items, and even alternative cover art sleeves from some of our favorite artists. We sought after artists like Culture Club, The Thompson Twins, Dead or Alive, Duran Duran, Bananarama, SAW, Pet Shop Boys, Sam Fox, Stevie Nicks, Crystal Gayle, Kim Wilde, and Sylvia just to name a few. 

It's sometimes strange for me to think of how much time and money we spent doing this activity. We'd even drive to far-away towns, go to record conventions, and use mail-order catalogs to acquire these rare items. In a time before the internet, if you wanted to hear music that wasn't on the radio you had to buy it. Receiving a mix tape from a friend was the best. You got to discover new music that they hand-selected just for you.

The state of the music industry and record business today admittedly puzzles me. Sure, it's amazing to be able to listen to absolutely anything that your heart desires at any given time. You have the world's complete music catalog at your fingertips. Future generations aren't going to believe that we collected music by pressing it to a physical format. Streaming is here to give us the instant gratification that we all crave. 

Big love, Carly xoxo 🍬🍎🟦