KEN BOOTH - EVERYTHING I OWN

Another day wasted trawling  a useless German 'Flea Market'. I counted yesterday's as my eighth since arriving here. Eight flea markets and a consistent hit rate of zero. Times like these, as well as asking myself why I bother, I also wonder where all the records have gone? Obviously they are still changing hands on Ebay and CDandLP (Avoid) but things do seem to be more stilted than ever. After much beard rubbing I put this down to the age of many of the more seasoned collector as well as the fact that thanks to modern technology and constant advancements in the field of medicine, people are living longer, much longer than ever before.

NINA SIMONE - I PUT A SPELL ON YOU

This was supposed to be a review of Robert Fripp's 'Exposure' album, I pulled it out of a newly un-arranged stack of records at random and put it on. I got it from 'Vinyl Resting Place' in Portland last September, couple of spindle marks aside it looks pretty much unplayed, sadly the entire thing sounds like somebody has an open fire going in the studio whilst it's being recorded so that one's going to have to wait. Another random finger peck at the row of plastic sleeves pulled out a copy of this: Nina Simone 'I Put a Spell on You.' A perfect Sunday morning album... On a Saturday afternoon.

NEIL YOUNG - ON THE BEACH

So last night I tried my hand at a little bit of vinyl based Feng Shui. Nothing major, I just flipped a book case that I had been using as a horizontal platform for my stereo to the right way up and put the records back in in no particular order. When I was done this left me staring at a copy of 'On The Beach' a record I have owned in some shape or form about five times over the years, the first copy being one I bought in Tampa, Florida about ten years ago. I don't recall where I got this particular one. Anyway, I was done so I put it on my freshly dusted turntable and the familiarity of 'Walk On' filled the sitting room.

ASH RA TEMPEL - NEW AGE ON EARTH

I have no idea what an Ice Train sounds like, I don't even know if Ice Train's actually exist. I mean it sounds as if it should: Some trans-Siberian express with a snow plough on the front. I remember seeing a film called 'Runaway Train' years ago, it was about two escaped convicts who and a kid who all ended up on the runaway train from the title of the film. The one scene I recall happened before the train was introduced and was part of the convicts escape. It involved them crawling through a sewer chock full of human shit covered in cellophane. One of the escapees had a moustache and looked a lot like John Voight but was not infact John Voight.

ALAN'S RECORDS OF EAST FINCHLEY, LONDON

Last Christmas I took time out to visit Alan's Records of East Finchley London. It took a miserable Northern Line tube journey and a bitterly cold twenty minute walk to find out that Alan was infact shut for the holidays. To pour salt into the wound Alan also had a half price sale on all stock starting the day I had to return to work. Cheers Alan.

The story should end there, but it doesn't.

MC5 - BACK IN THE USA

So my sage advice to any aspiring musicians out there is 'Never start an album with a cover of Tutti Frutti'. Seriously, no matter how good you think it sounds at 3.00am in the morning in some over priced recording studio with coke powdered across your nose and caked in your beard, do not open your album with a cover of 'Tutti Frutti'.

JAMES BROWN - AIN'T IT FUNKY DOWN HERE

I wonder what the last record I ever buy will be?

Will it be a fitting end to this habit, a perfect full stop? Will it be at least a part explanation for the hoarding, the money spent, will anyone even care?

The answer is no. I mean that's not the answer to the question about what the last record I ever buy might be, but that is the answer to the stream of conciousness that followed.

No.