4560 Highway 7 East, Unit 900
(905) 479-2400
http://www.thevinylobsession.com
Today I headed up to what seemed like the goddamn North Pole to check out a new record shop in the outer limits of the GTA: The Vinyl Obsession. It's always risky making these long treks cuz it can be, and often is, all for naught. You arrive at a dank-hole-in-the wall just to find a "Metal section" full of well abused RAINBOW and MOXY albums... not the case with today's little foray into the godforsaken no man's land of Markham, ON. Apparently I have the Metal equivalent of gaydar, cuz within seconds of walking into the place I had pounced on the Metal vinyl like a fat kid on a Smartie. It was a respectable size, wasn't tucked into the dingiest corner of the shop, and contained lots of decent records - not too shabby! Straight away I noticed that the prices were a bit outta whack: generally overpriced considering that most of the records are simply in average shape... maybe only 3 or 4 mint records amongst them. Thankfully the owner, David, was not opposed to me suggesting what the records were really worth (or at least what I was willing to pay for 'em) and so I left with a handful of cool titles:
• HUSTLER "Now Or Never" LP: The band photo sold me, cuz the album cover stinks! 4 bad-ass French dudes lookin' like they're ready to fuck you up... '85 style.
• WARLORD "Thy Kingdom Come" LP: Believe it or not, I'd never seen this record before. Couldn't get away from that damn Cannons Of Destruction thing when I was a kid, but this one... never.
• BLACK SPOT "Flaps Down" LP: Never heard of these dudes, have no idea what they're about, but judging by the cover shot they're a Metal band (even though this kinda whiffs of Grunge or some kinda late 80s Alternative snooze-fest).
• VECTOM "Rules Of Mystery" LP: I feel like I should be more familiar with this band, the name rings a bell, but nothing concrete springs to to mind. Certainly looks to be good.
• L'AMOUR ROCKS Compilation LP: HALLOWEEN is on it and that's all I needed to see.
• ADAM BOMB "Fatal Attraction" LP: The guy rules on that TKO record, and just days ago I read a big thing on him on sleazegrinder.com, so I hadta have it.
• STEELER "Strike Back" LP: Still haven't listened to their first album... ooops, mistook these guys for Yngwie's old outfit - this is an altogether different band.
• VICTORY "Culture Killed The Native" LP: Another of Herman Frank's post-ACCEPT projects, and even though I didn't care for HAZZARD, I decide to give this one a go.
If The Vinyl Obsession is able to maintain a selection of titles this varied, and have a steady flow of new ones regularly coming through the door, it will surely become the go-to place for used Metal.
6 comments:
....I was there last month by chance (having lunch at the sushi place right next door), so I checked it out and couldn't believe how expensive this place was. After looking at a handful of titles, I quickly headed for the exit. My first thought was that the rent in this place must be insane, or this just thinks his shit is priceless. Either way, I left empty handed. And like you said, some of the overpriced titles weren't even in mint shape.
That Vectom is some decent speed metal. That's a good find.
Yeah, Vectom is pretty damn good.
Warlord had to have been my all-time favourite metal band. A singer (well, several, but they all sounded alike) that could really sing, and a kick-butt drummer. That they never made it big proves there is no justice in this world.
I bought everything they made on cassette, then vinyl, then CD. The lead guitarist, Bill Tsamis, went one to form a band with his wife ( IIRC) called Lordian Guard. Less metal, more folk, and much more Christian (not that there's anything wrong with that) before, of course, resurrecting Warlord in ~2005 for a new album. Shame they got the wrong vocalist for that.
And as well you know the drummer, Mark Zonder plays for Fates Warning.
Cheers!
...went back to This and That flea market and walked out with Udo-Time Bomb for fifty cents and Grim Reaper's first album still factory sealed for five bucks....that was my big score!
you guys are idiots first you listen to metal right there i know you dont know what you are talking about when it comes to music now where should i start first of all you travel to the north pole to no mans land markham? ok clearly you spent your whole life in the city and dont get out much Markham is the largest town and fastest growing municipality in Canada far from "no mans land" and its about half an hour drive from toronto maybe 40 min not a trip to the freaking north pole as for sushi man what the hell you went to buy sushi not records why should i listen to you go back to eating sushi!! records are rare and getting rarer metal records never in good condition nothing owned by a metal head ends up in good condition.records are priced based on country of origin year and label it came out under and so on but i didnt hear you mention that. this is a decent store i found most of what i was looking for they have alot of the classics zeppelin floyd whatever and plenty rare stuff im not complaining about the prices some where unfair some where not but in the end dave the owner is a man you can negotiate with i think its a good store and have gone back a number of times always satisfied you cant always find what your looking for but you can get pretty damn close
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