We managed to pick up three Gnedby CD shelves for 30 euros, instead of 135 euros, and not only that – they were red. This is what we were looking for, people selling their old CD and DVD shelves for little money because they already got rid of what was in them. We have found Armando, a cool music dude with a van and he went to pick them up for us, tomorrow he will pick me up for one more trip to IKEA (second home) for another round of Ivar shelves. Billy is unfortunately out of stock and apparently, they are waiting on a different kind of black finish, it’s the same old story when you find something you like – they discontinue it, but the reason the CD/DVD shelves are being sold cheaply second-hand is that people don’t want them any more unless they are white – yuck.

We had a long conversation tonight with Stephen who has been putting out my records for some years now. It was an interesting eye-opener about the difficulties we face as independent artists and selling physical products in a world where streaming is the most popular medium. Also, records are just too expensive, having said that Spotify just increased their prices – how much more money do they want? On the major labels – how can Crime Of The Century (1974) be 35 euros – Warrior On The Edge Of Time (1975) was listed as 64 euros, these are single albums from the mid-seventies, not rare in any way and in the case of Supertramp a popular commercial group, who have paid back any debts hundreds of times. The Hawkwind album came with the cut cover with the shield (fans know it) but still. I have the original album (with the special cover). I wish I could see a breakdown of the costs, and despite it being remixed by Steven Wilson, it’s not like they had to pay for the recording!

Back in the box nest, I looked around the room and figured that I should wait till Ivar comes tomorrow so I can get as many of the boxed records in as possible and then see where we are. Space to clean the damaged records one by one will help.

Music today was the Bee Gees‘ Odessa (1969) which features the classic song First of May, one of Olivia’s favourites. Controversially, Robin briefly left the band after this release, partly because he wanted the B-side (Lamplight) as the A-side, but Barry wanted First of May and that’s what became the first and only single from this great album. This from Wikipedia:

The flip side of the single was “Lamplight” on which Robin Gibb sang the lead. Robert Stigwood, the Bee Gees manager, chose “First of May” for the A-side. No other singles were released from the Odessa album, as Robin Gibb already had left the group. The song was partially responsible for Robin’s brief departure from the Bee Gees, because he had wanted his song, “Lamplight,” to be the album’s first single, while Barry preferred “First of May.” In the end, Barry’s judgment won, relegating “Lamplight” to the B-side and as a result Robin quit the band, but he returned a year later. “First of May” debuted at #55 in Cash Box magazine charts the week of March 22nd 1969. Cash Box described it as a “low-key love ballad with the same mystic quality that has proved captivating in the team’s work” with “hypnotic arrangements” and a “singular vocal sound.” Billboard called it a “big production ballad performance with a compelling lyric line”.

Music Of The Daze