After recent record-shopping trips in Toronto, Split, and Princeton, I started thinking about what I actually buy—and why. You’re probably thinking, “Aren’t you the guy who just bitched in your Toronto column about vinyl prices?” Yeah, that’s me—but I started thinking about how to turn that losing experience into a win. Audiophiles waving their 1975 receipts like holy relics? Don’t make me laugh. That doesn’t mean jack to anyone alive today.
I get it—nostalgia’s a hell of a drug. I use it too. But it won’t buy you respect. Not here. This is my lawn. Remind me again that your copy of Physical Graffiti cost you $12 in 1975 and I’ll snap your cantilever before you can mutter “first pressing.” Have pliers. Will travel. And I’m all out of bubblegum.
Welcome to Crate & Case—no personal injury lawyers were left floating in the Meadowlands while I hammered this out in the backseat of my SUV. The poutine and gravy-soaked fries are bleeding into the armrest, the cold New Orleans coffee’s wearing a skin of curd, and the whole car reeks like a bad decision made at 2 a.m.
I was standing earlier this week at the counter at Princeton Record Exchange, listening to a couple of tourists from Austria and Germany kvetch about just how insanely expensive new and used vinyl is back home. The temptation to go full Basil Fawlty—“Ah, wunderbar! Allow me to introduce myself… your war… you wall… trespassers will be tied up with piano wire!”—was real. But the staff had already given me a warning once, so I played the good little stormtrooper… I mean, boy, and stuck to talking vinyl prices.
I shared my horror stories from Split and Toronto, and they just stared and nodded. Very German and Austrian, I guess. Which is to say: vinyl’s pricey everywhere, but at least here I don’t have to sell my collection of Bavarian Beer Hall records (I have 3) for a used MoFi pressing.
Used Vinyl and CDs: Because Paying Full Price for New Mediocre Music is for Suckers
Going used, when you can score CDs and vinyl in pristine condition, isn’t just thrifty—it’s smart. I walked out of PRX with Miles Davis All Stars’ Walkin’ 50th Anniversary 20-bit K2, Thelonious Monk’s Monk’s Music 20-bit K2, Jason Isbell’s Southeastern, Brandi Carlile’s By the Way, I Forgive You, and John Prine’s In Spite of Ourselves—five albums for under $70.
Every CD was sealed, every record VG+ or better, jackets and sleeves spotless. Used CDs, especially rare finds like SACDs, MoFi, Sony Mastersound, and DCC, ranged from $1.99 to under $15.
Since I came in under budget, I added Isbell’s latest Foxes in the Snow and a Japanese Blue Note Works 4100 Series CD of Jackie McLean’s Destination for just $19 more—and we’ll get to those around the end of September.
Miles Davis All Stars – Walkin’, Prestige 50th Anniversary Special Commemorative Edition
This 1999 U.S. limited edition CD celebrates Walkin’ with a 20-bit K2 Super Coding remaster, capped at 10,000 copies. You get five tracks of straight-up jazz mastery: the 13-minute opener Walkin’, the blistering Blue ’N’ Boogie, and then a trio of Quintet classics—Solar, You Don’t Know What Love Is, and Love Me or Leave Me. Written by the likes of Davis, Carpenter, Gillespie, and Paparelli, each tune hits with clarity and swing. Median resale hovers around $8.50, high-end hits $15, and I snagged mine for $5.99—proof that greatness doesn’t have to come with a ransom note. Shiny reissues of albums you don’t care about? Forget it. This is jazz you actually want to own. Check price on Amazon.
Thelonious Monk Septet – Monk’s Music, Riverside 50th Anniversary Limited Edition
This 2001 U.S. reissue CD is a mono remaster, limited to 10,000 copies, using a 20-bit K2 digital interface. Monk’s classic Septet session delivers seven tracks of pure bop and hard bop: from the brief hymn Abide With Me to the swinging 11-minute Well, You Needn’t, the poignant Ruby, My Dear, and the quirky Epistrophy. Featuring John Coltrane and Coleman Hawkins on tenor, Ray Copeland on trumpet, Art Blakey on drums, and Wilbur Ware on bass, the lineup reads like a jazz all-star cheat sheet. Engineered by Jack Higgins, remastered by Shigeo Miyamoto under Tamaki Beck, and wrapped in Paul Bacon’s cover design, it’s as pristine as it is historic. Median resale sits around $15, high-end hits $39, and I paid $5.99—because apparently, the best jazz still doesn’t have to cost more than a good sandwich on Nassau Street. Check price on Amazon.
Jason Isbell – Southeastern, Southeastern Records LP
Released in 2013, this U.S. vinyl LP delivers Southern rock and alternative storytelling at its finest. The album opens with Cover Me Up, a song that hits like a punch to the chest—especially for anyone who’s wrestled with addiction, mental illness, destructive behavior, hospital stays, and the rare people who stick by you even when you don’t deserve it—which basically describes the past 12 months of my life.
Vocals from Kim Richey and Will Johnson, fiddle and backing from Amanda Shires, and Paul Griffith on drums all add texture to an already unforgettable record. From Traveling Alone to Yvette, every track is superb, showcasing why Isbell became a superstar after this release. Median resale sits around $25, high-end $58.82, and I picked up my copy for $17. This is my third copy—one was tragically lost to a basement flood—but at these prices, it’s worth replacing every time. Forget overpriced new pressings of Taylor Swift; Southeastern is the real deal. Check price on Amazon.
Brandi Carlile – By the Way, I Forgive You, Elektra / Low Country Sound LP
Released in 2018, this U.S., Canadian, and European gatefold LP is a powerhouse of folk and country, capturing Carlile at the peak that pushed her into the spotlight. The record opens with Every Time I Hear That Song and the unforgettable The Joke, both hits that hit emotionally hard—perfect for anyone grappling with loss, heartbreak, or the slow work of getting over someone. Across ten tracks, Carlile’s voice dominates with clarity, presence, and upper midrange energy that commands attention.
Median resale hovers around $26, highs near $41, and I paid $22 for this pristine copy. Comes with a digital download and lyric inserts, because sometimes you need both sides of the story. Clean, powerful, and impossible to ignore—this is folk pop and country done right. Check price on Amazon.
John Prine – In Spite of Ourselves, Oh Boy Records LP
This 2016 U.S. vinyl reissue is a country-folk gem, gatefold with a printed inner sleeve and digital download included. Prine duets with the likes of Iris DeMent, Lucinda Williams, Emmylou Harris, Trisha Yearwood, and more, delivering songs that mix heartbreak, humor, and the everyday absurdities of love. Highlights include the slyly tender (We’re Not) The Jet Set, the bittersweet We Must Have Been Out of Our Minds, and the title track, In Spite of Ourselves, a duet with DeMent that’s one of my favorite love songs—unlikely to sway the heart of some stuck-up Millennial who probably never heard of Prine, but for someone a tad rough around the edges like me, it hits like a truth bomb.
The late John Prine was a national treasure. Unlike Bob Dylan, he could actually sing, infusing humor, heartbreak, and wisdom into every line. Backed by upright bass, pedal steel, fiddle, and deft acoustic work, the album feels both classic and immediate. Median resale sits around $17.79, highs near $35, and I paid $18—pristine, playable, and far more satisfying than any overpriced, forgettable reissue. Zero fucks given, full-hearted music, and a reminder of what it really means to be a songwriter. Check price on Amazon.
So there you have it—five gems, all scored for peanuts, all in pristine shape, and all infinitely more satisfying than the shiny new pressings of music you don’t give a damn about. Next time, we’ll be diving into Los Lobos, Boards of Canada, Tori Amos, Ella Fitzgerald, and John Lee Hooker—because whether it’s roots, beats, heartbreak, or raw blues, I’ll be hunting the crates and cases so you don’t have to.