Astrological Jesus
And other crate-diving finds
Kris Kristofferson put his words where his mind was, and in a love song for the ages, declared Jesus to be a Capricorn, with inspiration from John Prine. Prine certainly inspired Kris and he might have inspired Jesus, too.
On our precious internet, I learned that a Capricorn is:
“Ambitious, hardworking, and enterprising... The Capricorn natives are extremely driven, enthusiastic about life, and capable of setting lofty but attainable objectives.”
Seems about right for all I know about that particular trinity—Kris, John, and Jesus.
Is it right for me, though? Since I’m a Cancer, the first blush response is No. But when it comes to crate diving for vintage vinyl?
I’m not sure that I have set any clear objectives, other than to acquire a complete collection of Tammy Wynette and Loretta Lynn LPs. I did pass up a copy of Loretta’s Hymns yesterday, so goals are sometimes worthy, sometimes not.
I will also confess that the goal is more attainable when consulting and then buying from Discogs, though finding what you want through such search engines isn’t nearly as rewarding, nor as “enterprising,” as walking into a store and finding Blue Kentucky Girl staring at you, as happened to me a couple of weeks ago in Greer, SC.
In sum, why am I not a Capricorn since I work pretty hard and am fairly ambitious at finding quality old records?
Ponder, ponder, while I also acknowledge that my privileges are on full display, because in Verona, VA, last Saturday, I did pay $25 for a Near Mint first pressing of Kristofferson’s 1972 release (Monument KZ-31909), which features not only the Jesus title song but the (I’m not sure how this happened) monster AM radio hit, “Why Me?” which was the #6 song of 1973 according to Billboard Magazine. I remember it well and sang along without knowing why, since I never had what anyone could fairly call a Jesus period.
In Staunton, VA, at an old antique mall on the main drag, I found another gem. I’m not trying to acquire a complete Linda Ronstadt collection. I’m looking for the early period stuff and will stop somewhere in the late 70’s, as I’ve also done, though in an earlier time frame, for Eagles and Jackson Browne LPs. I love browsing through antique booths, because there are hidden corners and crevices and little wooden bins that do make me “enthusiastic about life.” In one of these, for $10, I found Linda’s self-titled LP from 1971 (Capitol SMAS-635), which was in Very Good condition, vinyl Very Good+, and which includes a beautiful cover version of Neil Young’s “Birds” along with Browne’s “Rock Me On The Water,” and Hank Cochran and Harlan Howard’s “I Fall To Pieces.”
There were others on this day, too, including America’s Homecoming, and three more Tammy LPs. You’d think I could call myself satisfied, but ambitious is ambitious, and so yesterday, back here in my Carolina Dreams (got that one in VA, too), I visited Cabin Floor Records and had the great fortune to nab:
ELO’s A New World Record (UA-LA-679, 1976) for $4. It’s the one ELO I craved, cause I do love “Living Thing” and “Do Ya.”
But here’s where the going got good, the diving became truly hard-working, and the being “extremely driven” paid off.
Connie Francis’ Country & Western Golden Hits (MGM E/SE3795, 1960), still sealed and for only $12. I haven’t opened it yet—seems kind of sacraligious to do so, even though “Your Cheatin’ Heart” is calling to me.
Patsy Cline’s A Portrait of Patsy Cline (Decca DL-74508, 1964), for $4. Cover is in Very Good shape, vinyl in VG+ to NM. This is the one with “Crazy Arms” which you don’t have to be a Capricorn or a Cancer to love.
And because the Cabin Floor owner, Joe, is a cool guy, he threw in for free Pride of Country Music: Country Charley Pride (RCA Victor- LSP-3775 and still in its shrink wrap) for free just because it had a couple of scuff marks that do not mar the quality of the sound. It features the standard “Apartment #9,” a big hit for Tammy, too.
I’d say that’s good karma, regardless of where you stand, how hard you’re driven, and which crates are calling to you from an antique mall so very close or far away.
Great piece! Not sure if you're aware that Cancer and Capricorn are opposite (sometimes called polar) signs in the zodiac, which means they complement each other quite nicely, as they will try to achieve the same goal through diametrically opposite means. So it shouldn't surprise you to see some common traits. (If you're thinking WTF, well, in my teenage years I studied my fair bit of astrology, but I have moved on since then).
Now, as for crate digging, which is what, I suppose, I should be commenting on (as a representative of the Vinyl Room, not the Zodiac Room), I quite like the distinction you make between online versus in-store. There's an element of delayed gratification with both, but with in-store crate digging, you get this element of serendipity (among other things), which the online medium can't exactly replicate. A record you pick up in-store finds you as much as you find it, which adds, if you will, a little bit of mysticism to the whole adventure. What are the odds of finding that specific record you wanted... at that specific place at that exact time? Was it written in the stars? We should maybe check if the zodiac can give us any clues ;)