My wife and I had a couple of child-free days in Vermont. Honestly, I have no idea how we ended up there alone in February – neither of us ski, snowboard, own cold-weather gear, or even like snow. We are not opposed to any of the things listed in the prior sentence, just indifferent. But I was quite happy to flail around in the February breeze in new environs. I like maple.
Our AirBnB in Burlington included a small Crosley record player and a limited number of LP’s stored on a wire rack beneath. I also saw that the kitchen had one of those big-ass Alexa assistants with a decent speaker for music. But the damn thing replied “creating you a station based on Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch on Apple Music” when I asked it to play Dorchester’s finest artist. The “apple music” addendum was a step too far for me. This, combined with the fact that it was a frosty 1°F, meant that I needed to stock up on LPs.1
Turn it Up Music and Movies in Brattleboro, VT – This wasn’t a planned stop but just happened to be across the street from where we pulled off of the expressway for coffee. I found it a bit pricey. I was turned off by the large bin of old Record Store Day releases still marked at full price. C-
Next Chapter Records in Putney, VT – Was closed but looked cool. Bummer.
Pure Pop Records in Burlington, VT – This was my first dedicated dig in Vermont and found lots of represses but a very wide selection of genres. Lots of CD’s and Cassettes as well. Plenty to dig through and a blast furnace for a heating system (by far the hottest place in Vermont in February). This is where I was going to buy the shit I wanted to listen to back at my room. With that singular purpose, I purchased the following albums:
- Broadcast – Maida Vale Sessions: Repress by Warp Records.
- The Cardigans – First Band on the Moon: Repress by Stockholm Records.
- Unwound – Repetition: Repress by Numero Group.
- Paramore – Riot: Purchased by my dear wife who loves the group.
- An old issue of Mojo Magazine with a Joy Division cover story.
The guy at Pure Pop also gave me his hardcore band’s demo (shout out to Outnumbered), which I haven’t listened to yet but I appreciate the gesture. He mentioned a show on February 21st with “the biggest band from Boston,” which I assumed was Haywire. Instagram has strengthened my hypothesis2.
Burlington Records in Burlington, VT – right around the corner from Pure Pop and boasts a solid selection of new and used vinyl but the differentiator is definitely the audio equipment for sale. They had various turntables for sale and a really cool set of Bose 901 Series V speakers, which looked to be about 15-20 years old. I blurted out that I will purchase these speakers during my next manic home audio upgrade.
- Upsetters – Version Like Rain LP – This is essentially a compilation of three Lee Perry backing tracks with each version featuring different vocals / lyrics from various Jamaican artists. 16 tracks in total and featuring legends such as U-Roy, Junior Byles, Augustus Pablo, etc.
- Sly and the Family Stone – Greatest Hits Sly’s been a mainstay in our house ever since I bought my wife this Sly hamper last month. When it arrived, I decided that I wanted to outfit the entire house in Sly hampers but tariffs on Chinese imports has hindered this plan3.
Speaking Volumes Record Store and Repair Shop in Burlington, VT – This was my favorite shop from this trip. Unfortunately, they were closed mid-week and we were only able to duck in quickly on our way out of town. I could have spent hours digging through the shirts, posters, magazines, memorabilia, and thousands of records. All genres. So much stock that it can feel a little jumbled / disorganized but it’s a true digger’s paradise and a great opportunity to stumble upon some hidden gems along the way.
- Zero Boys – Vicious Circle LP repress. I had been waiting to come across this one at a reasonable price without have to deal with shipping.
- Ol Dirty Bastard – Recognize 12″ single
- Stan Musial with Joe Garagiola – Stan the Man’s Hit Record LP For my pal Nick who is a diehard Cardinals fan.
- Lloyd Banks – Hands Up 12″ Single (Chronically underrated)
- The Beatnuts – Watch Out Now 12″ Single
Exile on Main Street – Barre, VT
Exile on Main Street in Barre, Vermont – Maybe the most fun shop of the trip and definitely the best prices of any store I visited over the previous few days. The Best of Muddy Waters LP I spied at Speaking Volumes was half the price here. They had a display in the front with some of the top new releases on Vinyl (Chappell Roan etc) which was incongruent with the rest of the stock in the store. This is a goldmine for any 1970’s rock fan: tons of Zeppelin, Sabbath, Dead, Kinks, NY Dolls, etc. The punk section had a few UK Subs albums that I took a long look at but the reggae selection was the coldest of any record shop I visited in Vermont4.
- Ministry – Revenge promo 12″ EP – this era of the band has been popular in recent years which is cool. The music was great and our family friend Mark Pothier was keyboardist at this time.
- Clapton, Beck, and Page – White Boy Blues. A compilation of their old Blues jams released on 2 LPs in 1984 (and in fantastic shape). It was the listing of Jeremy Spencer on side 4 that led me to pull the trigger on this purchase.
Other Notes:
- The Antique Mall in Quechee, VT is insane and requires hours of time to rummage through the junk and tourist focused gifts. They have records there too but there are cooler things to check out.
- Hen of the Wood in the Vermont Hotel was a great spot to unwind with a cocktail after a long drive.
- The Wallflower Collective in Burlington, VT was playing jams on a Tuesday night. Swervedriver, Slowdive, The Verve all back-to-back. I am guessing the bartender wearing the Whirr shirt with the Nothing hand tattoo had some influence over the tunes. It made for a very comfortable evening.
- Slowpoke Exchange in Barre, VT is a cool vintage shop owned by a really friendly couple. We got the lowdown on Barre’s downtrodden history as a granite town, the revitalization of the downtown area, and a couple of lunch recommendations. I also copped a Johnny Fucking Marr and 90’s Minnesota Timberwolves shirts which I couldn’t pass up. I couldn’t pull the trigger on the Kyrie Irving Celtics jersey5.
- Woodstock, Vermont is beautiful. If I were to plan this trip again I would probably prefer to stay here instead of Burlington. Though I bet Burlington is a lot of fun in the warmer weather.
- Cafe Hot in Burlington VT is the spot for breakfast and coffee.
- Finally, I have spent a lot of time thinking about the Peach Habanero cider I had from Stowe Cider. Who would have thought that combination would of flavors would make a good cider? I loved it.
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