Category Archive

Cousins Vinyl

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• The Record Store In The Middle Of Nowhere

  Thursday, July 24th

  I called up Encore today.  I talked to the owner about referring him some business on an appraisal I was working on.  I introduced myself as saying, “Hi, this is Geoff from Cousins Vinyl…” His response was, “Oh yeah, I know you, you’re out on Eckles Road in the middle of nowhere, right?” I thought this […]

• ? Had a 15 Year Old Mexican Organist Who Was Sweet

  Friday, July 18th

  Best known for the smash track 96 Tears, ? and The Mysterians’ LP, 96 Tears, is more than just the hit song.  This is straight up classic 60s Detroit garage, complete with 15 year old Mexican organ sensation Freddie Rodriguez.  Freddie’s organ strokes may have been best known for the hook in 96 Tears, but he also tore […]

• Auction News and a Cool 45 Product

  Tuesday, July 15th

  The psych LPs are ending today.  Tomorrow the older jazz LPs end.  After that, there’s a nice batch of jazz fusion still on the board.  Better hurry! Coming up is a super sweet 70s funk collection, and a northern soul 45 collection.  On a side note, check out these great 45 turntable adapters from 45 Central.  These guys are customers of ours and […]

• Guess That Sample

  Friday, July 11th

  by Cousin Geoff I’m rolling out a new feature here on Cousins Vinyl.  It’s called “Guess That Sample”. It’s really a shame that sampling is pretty much outlawed now in hip-hop; it’s killing the genre.  Sampling is what the art is based on - not only is it a tribute to the funk and jazz that came before […]

• A-Square (Of Course) Comp

  Wednesday, July 2nd

  By Max Conroy Living in Ann Arbor, it’s strange to have to purchase a European import that compiles a bunch of records recorded here, but I’m glad it’s available at all.  The name of the label, A-Square, is a nickname for the city of Ann Arbor.  It was created by Jeep Holland, a compulsive music and comic collector, DJ, […]

• Buying Record Collections, Interviewing Scott Morgan, and Electrifying Watermelons

  Monday, June 30th

  Been busy buying record collections.  I’ll be bringing in a few thousand records to the shop in the next few days. So we’re swamped, but a lot of good stuff will be listed soon.  What else is happening?  Max interviewed Scott Morgan last week, like three hours worth of stuff.  He was excited and I can’t wait […]

• New 60s Rock/Psych Collection

  Tuesday, June 24th

  Just bought a great collection (400 or so) of mid to late 60s to early 70s rock, mostly psych.  Stuff like Music Machine, Fat Mattress, Revolution, Funkadelic’s self titled, complete Beatles including Introducing, the Rolling Stones first press England’s Newest Hitmakers, ? and The Mysterians, Sunday Funnies, early Beach Boys, A Time Is Near, early […]

• The Silver Apples Scrummage in Detroit

  Friday, June 20th

  By Max Conroy There are several definitions of the word scrummage.  It is synonymous to a rugby play called a ’scrum’, but also means ‘a general row or confused fight or struggle’.  A scrum can also, according to the Brits, mean ‘a place or situation of confusion and racket; hubbub’, which seems like the closest definition to the […]

• THE NOVELTY-Handwriting On The Wall/Long Time Waiting 45 POISON RING-EAST COAST GARAGE

  Wednesday, June 18th

  By Cousin Justin One of the most exciting things about selling records has been selling obscure music to the people originally involved.  Recently we sold this 45 to original The Novelty drummer Chip Pace.  When he brought this fact up to me I asked if he could tell me what he remembers from the sessions and he gave […]

• The Silver Apples Play Scrummage University In Detroit Tomorrow

  Tuesday, June 17th

  By Max Conroy The enigmatic and visionary electronic ‘band’ The Silver Apples will perform tomorrow night at Scrummage University.  I don’t know anything about the venue and was handed a flyer for the show, which is a photocopy of a primitive pen and ink drawing, by a group of teenagers that I befriended at the Jandek performance […]

• New Old School Rap Batch Listed, and Remembering Disco D

  Saturday, June 14th

  by Cousin Geoff Justin just launched a killer batch of old school rap, including a ton of rare local stuff.  But the record that caught my eye was Disco D, A Night At The Booty Bar EP.  Disco D, real name Dave Shayman, grew up in Ann Arbor, like me, and attended Pioneer High School.  A lot of […]

• Burning Deeper: The Spirit of Atlanta

  Friday, June 13th

  by Cousin Geoff   I picked up the latest issue of Waxpoetics today, came home and read it pretty much cover to cover, so I was in a different sort of frame of mind tonight.  Reading that makes you want to reach a little further.  Suddenly, the common stuff doesn’t sound appealing at all.  Not really even […]

• Donita Sparks at the Magic Stick

  Friday, June 13th

  By Max Conroy On Wednesday night, Donita Sparks and her band the Stellar Moments performed at the Magic Stick.  They were great.  Unfortunately, there had to have been less than fifty people there, even thought it was a featured event in most Detroit entertainment papers.  It’s a bummer, but those are the breaks; hopefully the turnout […]

• Dude, Check Out the Merch: Raconteurs and Black Lips Play the Fillmore Detroit

  Tuesday, June 10th

  By Max Conroy   The Raconteurs played Saturday night at the Fillmore Detroit with the Atlanta-based garage punk revivalists the Black Lips.  All 2900 seats were accounted for, but the place didn’t seem overly packed at all.  This would probably have been a concert that I wouldn’t have thought twice about, seeing the ad in the paper or […]

• Funk-Art Hipsters Plan Dance-In To Protest Detroit Police

  Monday, June 9th

  By Cousin Geoff  Aaron Timlin, executive director of CAID, is planning a 192 hour dance-in to protest the unnecessary force Detroit Police used to break up a recent after-hours funk dance party.  John Sinclair would be proud.  A dance protest seems like no big deal, except that the Detroit Police told them that they needed a permit to dance, and this […]

• Happy Monday

  Monday, June 9th

  By Max Conroy  It’s finally summer here in Michigan, the sweat pouring down my back as I type this in a coffee shop, is proof.  The air is thick, it’s hot as hell and there are tons of music-related events going on in the area; I’ll try and keep all of you hipped to what should be […]

• A Customer Review: Marcus Joseph’s Things I Meant To Say LP

  Friday, June 6th

  One of our customers, diditrepel, bought the Marcus Joseph, Things I Meant To Say album and sent us a review.  We both thought it was great, so we thought we’d publish it on the front page of the blog.  If anyone else would like to have a review published, please see our contact page.  Thanks again […]

• But How Do You Do the Hook And Sling?

  Wednesday, June 4th

  by Cousin Geoff New Orleans funk star Eddie Bo says: “Hook it baby!  Now sling it!  Ha!  Good God!  Whooo-weeee!” This 1969 funk hit on the tiny Scram record label is one of the only ones by local legend Eddie Bo to crack the national charts.  I’m guessing that when Eddie barked out these orders live, people […]

• CV News

  Tuesday, June 3rd

  The James Tatum record that we posted about is currently up for auction. The Xian auction ends soon, but we have new batches up and more on the way. Cousin Geoff started a Detroit sports blog, detsports.net, check it out here.

• Sincerely, Jandek

  Tuesday, June 3rd

  By Max Conroy The other day I sent a letter to Jandek.  Well, I sent it to Corwood Industries; to the same post office box that’s been used by Corwood Industries/Jandek for the last thirty years.  I felt kind of lame for doing this because I thought of how many geeks like me have done it […]