Calcutta vinyl prices!

[G401fan]

In the days when LPs were available in Bombay for between Rs 50 and Rs 100 (often in EX to NM condition), the prices at the Calcutta Free School St. dealers were approx 300-400 for LPs that, most often, used to be pretty battered up. Still, I did manage to find some in good condition and bought a few over the years on my infrequent visits, and became a familiar figure to the dealers there.

Visited Cal last week after a gap of about 8 years, and decided to check out the street for old time's sake. Among the usual dreck, I managed to find one jazz LP on the ECM label that was pretty grimy on the surface but seemed in playable condition underneath. Imagine my surprise, when the dealer - an old friend, from whom I'd bought a few earlier - said ' Sir, aap ke liye, 3500'. He also said that he had other jazz titles, Miles Davis, etc, at his home - too far away with my limited time. Wonder what he'd charge for those.

Is anybody in Calcutta buying at these prices?

 

[peace_sells]

In the days when LPs were available in Bombay for between Rs 50 and Rs 100 (often in EX to NM condition), the prices at the Calcutta Free School St. dealers were approx 300-400 for LPs that, most often, used to be pretty battered up. Still, I did manage to find some in good condition and bought a few over the years on my infrequent visits, and became a familiar figure to the dealers there.

Visited Cal last week after a gap of about 8 years, and decided to check out the street for old time's sake. Among the usual dreck, I managed to find one jazz LP on the ECM label that was pretty grimy on the surface but seemed in playable condition underneath. Imagine my surprise, when the dealer - an old friend, from whom I'd bought a few earlier - said ' Sir, aap ke liye, 3500'. He also said that he had other jazz titles, Miles Davis, etc, at his home - too far away with my limited time. Wonder what he'd charge for those.

Is anybody in Calcutta buying at these prices?

Well..I was just talking to Saket (FM) about getting me some 70s prog/hard rock/jazz LPs from Calcutta. He recently visited those streets and got some LPs for himself for pretty reasonable prices. So I thought I'll give him my wish-list (for his next trip to Cal.)

He was saying that english titles get sold for under 200..Now your experience seems to be different Were almost all jazz records priced like that?

 

[G401fan]

That was the only Jazz LP in that chap's pile, aside from some scratched Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald albums, titled I had already. A bit baffling, that price.

 

[hildebrand]

baffling unless you asked him "kitne paise loge" and he told you in paise

 

[reubensm]

These prices are simply too high to even talk about

 

[pakecc]

ho sakhta hai, sau ka jahan pe hazaar bolthiya ho. Tongue of twist:lol:

 

[Record Player]

Visited Cal last week after a gap of about 8 years, and decided to check out the street for old time's sake. Among the usual dreck, I managed to find one jazz LP on the ECM label that was pretty grimy on the surface but seemed in playable condition underneath. Imagine my surprise, when the dealer - an old friend, from whom I'd bought a few earlier - said ' Sir, aap ke liye, 3500'.
Is anybody in Calcutta buying at these prices?

Hideous! What was he thinking...A jazz record which was pretty grimy on the surface priced at 3500. No reasoning here absolutely. Plus that cheesy line "Sir, aap ke liye"!

I've come across some mint condition Jazz records which were a bit on the higher side (Double LP Sets) and I dint think they were over priced. They were records of the greats, all foreign pressings, with mint condition jackets and booklets along and records looked like they were never even played. I had referenced these on various international sites and they were much higher there.

 

[Shahrukh]

Too high! Especially for the condition they are in. It's slightly cheaper Wellington side (on Lenin Sarani) but just not worth it on the whole. It would make sense if they had some rare titles, but most of them are common albums. At the prices the OT mentioned in his post, it would be better to buy direct from acousticsounds.com or musicdirect.com

 

[haisaikat]

In the days when LPs were available in Bombay for between Rs 50 and Rs 100 (often in EX to NM condition), the prices at the Calcutta Free School St. dealers were approx 300-400 for LPs that, most often, used to be pretty battered up. Still, I did manage to find some in good condition and bought a few over the years on my infrequent visits, and became a familiar figure to the dealers there.

Visited Cal last week after a gap of about 8 years, and decided to check out the street for old time's sake. Among the usual dreck, I managed to find one jazz LP on the ECM label that was pretty grimy on the surface but seemed in playable condition underneath. Imagine my surprise, when the dealer - an old friend, from whom I'd bought a few earlier - said ' Sir, aap ke liye, 3500'. He also said that he had other jazz titles, Miles Davis, etc, at his home - too far away with my limited time. Wonder what he'd charge for those.

Is anybody in Calcutta buying at these prices?

I do not know what exact title but I am certain you can better off with any re-releases or remastered editions for simliar or lesser price. Check both discogs.com and eil.com I have received good vinyls from there over ordinary post.

 

[jls001]

The Free School St guy is obscenely priced. I went there sometime around 2009. In those days, he hadn't started packing his records in plastic outer covers and sticking obscene prices. The next time I went was may be a year later. By then his records were encased in fancy plastic and had price tags stuck on, starting at 1500 or so. That was the last time I went.

In case anyone wants to buy them at similar or higher prices, please feel free to go to Lakhwant in Delhi. His price for ECM records was 3K.

Speaking of ECM, does anyone have Jan Garbarek's Rites on LP for trade or sale? My most recent ECM is Keith Jarrett's The Koln Concert. I'm yet to clean it.

 

[G401fan]

Speaking of ECM, does anyone have Jan Garbarek's Rites on LP for trade or sale? My most recent ECM is Keith Jarrett's The Koln Concert. I'm yet to clean it.

Have a bunch of ECMs, but, sadly, no Garbarek. It's getting more difficult to find them these days.

'The Koln Concert' has been ECM's biggest selling LP to date, and was responsible for getting attention and prominence to the fledgling label, its founder Manfred Eicher, and its superlative recording engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug. Almost all ECM releases are sonic gems, and the pressings are uniformly excellent. The austere cover designs, absence of liner notes, and general minimalistic presentation gave the label a bad rep as a purveyor of a cold avant garde European/Nordic jazz form, but that is largely unfounded, as many ECMs are smokin' hot. In the 70s and 80s, when new jazz artists were not getting recording contracts from the major labels, ECM played a big role in sustaining the careers of Keith Jarrett, Pat Metheny, Gary Burton, Jan Garbarek, Oregon, Eberhard Weber, Don Cherry and many many others.

 

[Saket]

Sorry for entering into this discussion late, esp when a cross reference was made earlier.(HFV is for some reason not accessible from my comp. hence using my cellphone)
I have been visiting Kolkata since last 3-4 years for getting used vinyl records. Most street side vendors are reasonably priced and of course you need to bargain with them a lot. The trick is that I always buy in lots and even if I am looking for a title desperately, I don't pretend it. In case I find that title, I simply include that in the lot. Then I ask for a final price from the seller for the lot. He can ask for whatever, but ultimately, its your wallet and you can decide if you want it or not, if the negotiations don't pan out as you would have liked.

Last week I got a copy of brand new Saturday Night Fever for 400 bucks-2 lp set that is. Most other LPs for 150. Then I asked for burning train...he asked for 800 bucks. I was frankly not interested but I am sure if I was, I would have scored it for less than half that amount.

Saket.

 

[Simon Wires]

Sorry for entering into this discussion late, esp when a cross reference was made earlier.(HFV is for some reason not accessible from my comp. hence using my cellphone)
I have been visiting Kolkata since last 3-4 years for getting used vinyl records. Most street side vendors are reasonably priced and of course you need to bargain with them a lot. The trick is that I always buy in lots and even if I am looking for a title desperately, I don't pretend it. In case I find that title, I simply include that in the lot. Then I ask for a final price from the seller for the lot. He can ask for whatever, but ultimately, its your wallet and you can decide if you want it or not, if the negotiations don't pan out as you would have liked.

Last week I got a copy of brand new Saturday Night Fever for 400 bucks-2 lp set that is. Most other LPs for 150. Then I asked for burning train...he asked for 800 bucks. I was frankly not interested but I am sure if I was, I would have scored it for less than half that amount.

Saket.

You said it right!!..

I've been a visitor to Calcutta since 1995 and picked up some nice collections at throw away price @ Rs.30..

Last year I was there, and I got some nice Russian pressings unopened vinyls at that price.. The trick there is; don't look out or ask for your favorite; Dont spell out your favorites. Just ask a flat price for 100 or 200 Nos of vinyls (may end up at max Rs.50), with a condition that he allows you to pick your choice.

A next shop guy demaded Rs.800 for Carpenters, but I could dig out the same for Rs.30... Many are not aware of the worth of precious mono records.. Some are dusty, but do magic after cleaning..

The name of the game here is; fix the price for bulk in hundreds, and let him allow us to choose.. Be tight lipped about band names or pressings!!

 

[hildebrand]

Choose by Hundreds!
How do you bring the stuff from Kolkata to namma bengaluru?

 

[Simon Wires]

Choose by Hundreds!
How do you bring the stuff from Kolkata to namma bengaluru?

A friend of mine arranges to send it through parcel by road. So far, I faced no damages or delay.

 

[G401fan]

Bulk buying is fine if there's enough to stoke your interest. When you scramble through dozens -or hundreds -of dusty, scratched LPs with miserable covers and finally just find one or two of interest, it's does not make any sense picking up 50 more as a smoke screen. Unless you wanted all 50 in the first place.

As far as keeping your cards close to your chest re: evincing keenness for a particular LP or artist, any old LP hunter is well versed in such tactics.

 

[peace_sells]

Bulk buying is fine if there's enough to stoke your interest. When you scramble through dozens -or hundreds -of dusty, scratched LPs with miserable covers and finally just find one or two of interest, it's does not make any sense picking up 50 more as a smoke screen.

Totally agree with you. Even I don't see any point in buying that way. Generally when you buy in bulk you end up with wanting just about 10-15% of the bundle. Or maybe even less! I'd rather buy separate titles.

 

[jls001]

Totally agree with you. Even I don't see any point in buying that way. Generally when you buy in bulk you end up with wanting just about 10-15% of the bundle. Or maybe even less! I'd rather buy separate titles.

+1 to this.

I am very, very choosy now. Besides the title, if the record is not in good shape, I would rather not buy it. I can forgive a poor cover but not a poor record. For example, I don't buy any record that is without inner sleeve. In my experience, a record that has been stored without an inner sleeve always has more surface noise, probably because of higher ongoing damage to the groove caused by the hard cardboard cover.

 

[kuruvilajacob]

I always look at marks near the center hole. If there are several marks on that, it will a record played several times and may not be good. Yes records stored without inner sleeve can certainly have more surface noise. I have bought several hundreds of record in bulk earlier but nowadays I am also choosy as many records bought in bulk may not be of good quality or the songs are not popular

 

[Saket]

Btw, in Kolkata, buying even 10 records as a lot is fine and you get it for a great price. I will never walk to a vendor asking for a specific title at streets unless I will ever want to pay 3-4 times the reasonable price of that record. But buying vinyl this way needs time and patience...and selecting your takeaways through dust n dirt!