Hey readers, Swan Fungus here. I'm back in Los Angeles this week after an exciting 10-day homecoming trip to the east coast. Part of my trip (the first weekend, to be exact) was spent working as a dealer at the WFMU Record Fair for the LA-based store which currently employs me. I try my best to make trips to the New York/New Jersey area coincide with the record fair, because it affords me both the opportunity to attend the fair, and also to earn a few extra bucks for "working" even though I'm technically on vacation. This year was just my second as a dealer, but I hope to make this a regular venture. It was really nice to see so many familiar WFMU faces, and to meet station manager Ken, Liz Berg and others.
The fair appeared to be a success, even if appeared at times that the number of tables stuffed into the Metropolitan Pavilion had decreased from previous years. There was enough great vinyl present to satisfy both low-end and high-end crate diggers. Some of the coolest records I noticed included: The unbelievably rare outsider/"real people" Heitkotter LP ($5,000), an original copy of The Bachs' Out Of The Bachs ($7,500), CA Quintet's Trip Thru Hell ($1,750), Morgen's Of Dreams ($800), and an original mono UK copy of the Beatles' Please Please Me signed by all four band members in early 1963 ($28,500). Sure, it's kind of disheartening to see an album for sale that costs more than I earn in a year, but it's also one of those things that keeps me coming back to the record fair. The chance to see something I've never seen before is probably the biggest appeal of the WFMU Record Fair.
So what did I buy, you ask? Well, here's a list of my ten best purchases.
Continue reading "The Spoils Of War: WFMU Record Fair Edition" »
















