Somebody stole my automobile and now I personal lots of of vinyl information
My automobile is gone. I’m standing in entrance of my parking spot contained in the gated parking storage beneath my condominium constructing, and the spot is empty. I contact my landlord to verify that it wasn’t towed with out my data. It wasn’t.
I sigh and head to the police division to report a lacking car. There’s some confusion as a result of it’s my dad’s outdated automobile and nonetheless registered below his identify, however ultimately they file the report. Now I simply have to attend.
I’ve accepted the likelihood that it might be gone without end. I solely have legal responsibility insurance coverage, so shedding it might suck, however hey, they both discover it or they don’t. The world retains on turning both means.
Surprisingly, I get a name the very subsequent day:
We discovered your automobile. Are you able to come choose it up?
Yeah, I’ll be there in 20 minutes.
Additionally, did you will have any… information in it? when it was stolen?
Information?
Yeah —
Like music information? Like, vinyls?
Simply come choose it up, we’ll determine it out if you get right here.
I hail an Uber and arrive on the scene 20 minutes later, praying that the automobile isn’t gutted. It isn’t. The truth is, it seems to be in excellent working order other than a busted lock and a badly broken ignition. Additionally, it’s filled with information.
Like, full, full. A number of crates crammed to the brim with outdated vinyls.
The officers inform me the thief was utilizing the automobile to hold and promote the information. They ask for my ID and registration, they ask just a few extra questions concerning the incident, after which they seize just a few of the thief’s private gadgets from the automobile as proof.
Then one in every of them turns to me and says:
When you don’t need these information you possibly can toss them. Or hold them, give them away — no matter.
I— you don’t must take them or one thing?
No.
So I can simply hold them.
Go forward. They is perhaps price one thing if you wish to promote them.
Oh, rad, actually?! I assume… yeah. I assume I’ll hold them then. Okay.
So now I personal 9 crates of presumably stolen vinyl information. I do not know who they belonged to and no means of discovering out.
I’ve no expertise with vinyls, so I begin researching. I learn plenty of r/vinyl threads and be taught concerning the completely different sorts of drugs and what to look out for when shopping for. Everybody appears to agree that purchasing secondhand is greatest, so I start combing by means of Craigslist.
I discover one particular person promoting a Pioneer PL-250 at a superb worth close to me, and one other promoting a cupboard, Onkyo TX-25 receiver, and massive field audio system. Three hours of driving and $260 later, I’ve myself a setup:
The information haven’t been handled nicely, and most are tremendous dusty and scratched, however I’m stunned by how good they nonetheless sound after mild cleansing. They’re all classic, too, starting from late-70s to mid-80s tunes. Up to now I’ve discovered a Jackson 5 album, just a few Earth Wind And Hearth information, a Thriller, and a Purple Rain (which sadly turned out to be melted and warped previous playability). I’ve additionally found it’s endlessly entertaining to take 33 RPM information and play them at 45 RPM, inflicting everybody to sound like chipmunks.
I used to be born in 2002, so I acknowledge only a few of the names on the covers other than the actually well-known ones like Jimi Hendrix, Neil Diamond, Nat King and Natalie Cole, Stevie Marvel, and many others. I sit up for increasing my musical palette over the following few months as I work by means of this newfound assortment!
Guess I’m a vinylhead now. Thanks for studying, and have a pleasant day.