Arcane Books, Tantalizing lps, All at Bargain Prices - Plus a Few Cheapshot Pet Photos (2024)

Did everyone represent at the Walmart for Black Friday? Coke fueled frenzies of pyjama set grabbing and shoving! I hope someone tore out a lank of someone else's hair for me to keep on my Black Friday Scalp Belt. I was there in Beltsville, at the KMart in 1984 when this one woman who was fighting a guy for the last Miss Piggy Blow Dryer not only hit him in the back of the head with a Louieville Slugger located handily nearby, but she then also tore off his lips and ate them raw, smearing the blood all over her chest and laughing hoarsely! You can see me in the back of the crowd in the picture that ran in the Beltsville Tribune. I am the one with a wide wet circle below my belt and without any pupils showing in my eyes.

So it looks like the 4th annual Daniel Higgs Christmeastermass is on for Sunday, December 20th! Senor Higgs has worked up a particuarly masterful stew this year to attempt to match the incredibly high adrenaline level of last year's event. Performing will be Liz Downing, Zomes, Susan Alcorn, Chris Taylor and John Dierker. All solo sets so that each performer will be up naked soul to soul with the Great Beyond. The performance starts at 2pm and we encourage everyone to come loaded down with great weighty credit cards and stuffed wallets to spill upon us with your bounty so that we can continue to labor here in the fecund fields of culture.

Here is a small list of this week's treasures.

JINX - BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS. Fine first edition first printing Image graphic novel, $10.00.

GOLDFISH - BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS. Fine first edition first printing Image graphic crime novel, $10.00.

MANIFESTES DU SURREALISME - ANDRE BRETON. Fine 1979 Gallimard paperback, $5.00.

A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING - BILL BRYSON. Very good + first edition hardback, Broadway, $12.00.

HERE & ELSEWHERE: THE COLLECTED FICTION OF KENNETH BURKE. Very good out-of-print Black Sparrow Press hardback in pictorial boards, $15.00.

KINETIC FAMILY DRAWINGS (K-F-D): AN INTRODUCTION TO UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN THROUGH KINETIC DRAWINGS - ROBERT BURNS AND S. HARVARD KAUFMAN. Very good Brunner hardback quarto in very good jacket, out-of-print, $8.00.

ICE HAVEN - DANIEL CLOWES. Fine first edition hardback, $15.00.

A DIFFERENT WAR: VIETNAM IN ART - LUCY LIPPARD. Whatcom Museum of History and Art very good paperback, out-of-print, $8.00.

("Asking Questions of Mr. Sky" by Hanh Thi Pham from A Different War)

THE SERPENT AND THE CRESCENT: A HISTORY OF THE NEGRO EMPIRES OF WESTERN AFRICA - K.M. PANIKKAR. Very good minus 1963 Asia House Press first edition 8vo hardback in good + jacket. Jacket is clean and bright, but has a one inch tear at bottom center of front, a quarter inch chip at top center of front and a half inch tear at bottom of spine, $25.00.

THE GUERMANTES WAY - MARCEL PROUST. Very good + 2002 Viking hardback, first edition thus in near fine jacket, $10.00.

PEARLS OF THE PARROT OF INDIA - JOHN SEYLLER. Very good out-of-print Walters Museum paperback quarto, $33.00.

THE EARLY CHIRICO - JAMES SOBY. Good + only 1941 Dodd, Mead and Co. first edition hardback in thick woven beige boards. Binding is loose on front board, but otherwise fine with many nice plates. No dustjacket, out-of-print, $10.00.

SONNEASTRO - DIE KUNSTLER AUS GUGGING. Text is all in German with beautiful full color and black and white outsider at. Very good hardback in vg jacket, $30.00.

THE PARTLY CLOUDY PATRIOT - SARAH VOWELL. Fine Simon and Schuster first edition hardback in fine jacket, $15.00.

VIGANGO: COMMEMORATIVE SCULPTURE OF THE MIJIKENDA OF KENYA - ERNIE WOLFE III. Out-of-print Williams College Museum of Art paperback quarto, $22.00.

LPs

• Norman Blake - Home in Sulphur Springs, Rounder.
• Norman Blake - The Fields of November, Flying Fish.
• James Brown - The Original Disco Man, Polydor original.
• Butterfield Blues Band - East-West, original Elektra mono.
• Grateful Dead - self-titled (Skull & Roses), cover in poor shape.
• Magic Sam Live at Ann Arbor, Delmark.
• Nighthawks - Jacks and Kings.
• The Genius of Bud Powell, Verve.
• Earl Scruggs - Live at Kansas State, Columbia.
• Son Seals - Bad Axe, Alligator.
• Koko Taylor - Queen of the Blues.

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AT THE WINTER GARDEN - NEW YORK, JUNE 18, 1947. JRC picture disc, $8.00.

BARKMARKET - L. RON. Very good + rare Man's Ruin lp on red vinyl, $30.00.

BLUES EXPLOSION - MO' WIDTH. Very good Australian Au Go Go in good + jacket, $12.00.

GEORGE BRIGMAN - JUNGLE ROT! Sealed 2005 Anopheles reissue of the secret fuzz treasure of Dundalk. $30.00.

THE BROOKLYN, BRONX AND QUEENS BAND - SELF-TITLED. Near mint on Capitol, $8.00.

CHOCOLATE WATCH BAND - FORTY FOUR. Near mint on UK Big Beat. Very good gatefold cover, $15.00.

CLAPPERS RECORDS/VARIOUS ARTISTS - BLACK SLAVERY DAYS. Very good + Honest Jon reissue of militant reggae, $10.00.

ANN DAVIES - AN ESOTERIC QABALISTIC SERVICE. With the Builders of the Adytum Choir. Front cover by Gary Usher. Very unusual 1975 lp of metaphysics. Near mint in very good + gatefold, $15.00.

JOSH DAVIS/KEB DARGE - FUNK SPECTRUM. Very good double album in near mint jacket on BBE records, $20.00.

EDIE SEDGWICK - THINGS ARE GETTING SINISTER AND SINISTERER. Near mint Dischord lp on orange vinyl, $8.00.

GLUECIFER - SOARING WITH EAGLES AT NIGHT TO RISE WITH THE PIGS IN THE MORNING. Very good + in very good + gatefold jacket with lyric sheet inner sleeve, $20.00.

HERBIE HANCOCK -TAKIN' OFF. Very good + all blue label '70s Blue Note, $15.00.

MICHAEL MANTLER - LIVE. Near mint German Watt pressing in near mint gatefold jacket. With Jack Bruce, Rick Fenn, Don Preston, John Greaves and Nick Mason, $10.00.

MELENUDOS - VARIOUS ARTISTS. Near mint Gorilla LP. "Fifteen floor-filler tracks taken from rare Spanish 45s and LPs, 1967-1974: a fantastic journey through Spanish freakbeat, soul, beat and garage-psych scene, featuring killer tracks from groups like Los Shakers, Los Ros, Shelly & Nueva Generacion, Z 66, Los Archiduques, Los Roller, including Spanish-sung cover versions from artists like Blues Magoos, Spencer Davies Group, Jimmy Robins, etc. Superb full color cover, remastered sound, insert with liner notes in English/Spanish and pictures." $15.00.

JACKIE MITTOO - IN COLD BLOOD. Beautiful rare UK lp by the keyboard king. Very good + on Third World in vg+ jacket. Only Senor Mittoo could cover "Summer Breeze" (not on this album, though) and make it sound like rich rich soul. $30.00.

NEW HARMONY SISTERHOOD BAND - AND AIN'T I A WOMAN. Near mint Paredon lp with booklet, $8.00.

PAILHEAD - NO BUNNY/I WILL REFUSE. Very good Wax Trax 12", $5.00.

PUBLIC ENEMY - IT TAKES A NATION OF MILLIONS TO HOLD US BACK. Very good original Def Jam in near mint cover that is open, but still in shrink with promo sticker, $15.00.

DJANGO REINHARDT - SWING IT LIGHTLY. Very good + Columbia reissue, $6.00.

JACK ROSE - SELF-TITLED. Near mint 180 gram limited edition lp on Tequila Sunrise Records. This guy can do no wrong and his damn vinyl shoots sky high, $30.00.

SAM & DAVE - SELF-TITLED. Beauty! Original Roulette mono in very good + condition. Jacket is tight and bright with small light stain to bottom left corner. $40.00.

GERARD SCHWARZ/URSULA OPPENS - THE NEW TRUMPET. Near mint Nonesuch. Schwarz and Oppens performing works by Peter Davies, Lucia Dlugoszewski and William Hellerman, $6.00.

SPITTERS - SUN TO SUN. Near mint on PCP, $5.00.

TEETH MOUNTAIN - LIVE ON. Near mint copy of Baltimore's own, $9.00.

TEMPTIN' TEMPTATIONS. Very good original Gordy deep groove mono copy in very good jacket, $40.00.

TEMPTATIONS - GETTIN' READY. Very good original Gordy mono, $20.00.

THE TEMPTATIONS SING SMOKEY. Very good deep groove mono Gordy original, $15.00.

STANLEY TURRENTINE - MR. NATURAL. Near mint Blue Note, $12.00.

STANLEY TURRENTINE - SUGAR MAN. Very good + white label CTI promo in very good + gatefold jacket, $8.00.

STEVIE WONDER - MUSIC OF MY MIND. Original Tamla stereo pressing. Very good + in vg+ gatefold, $9.00.

THE INEVITABLE BUT NOT ALWAYS PAINFUL CHRISTMAS LPS!

Of course it wouldn't be Normal's Christmas without a copy of Christmas In the Stars, the Star Wars Christmas Album. This is actually Jon Bon Jovi's professional debut and features R2-D2 and Anthony Daniels as C=3PO. Make some youthful spirit gleam or cause some cynic to deposit their lunch in a pail with this oddity! Near mint in very good jacket, $12.00.

SOME OTHER CHRISTMAS PLATTERS FOR YOUR YULETIDE CONSIDERATION

RAMSEY LEWIS TRIO - SOUND OF CHRISTMAS

THE ROTO ROOTER GOOD TIME CHRISTMAS BAND!

'50'S ROCKIN' CHRISTMAS WITH THE MOONGLOWS, THE PENGUINS, MARVIN AND JOHNNY AND MORE

NAT KING COLE - THE CHRISTMAS SONG (THIS ONE DOES HAVE A SPECIAL PLACE IN MY WRINKLED HEART AS IT WAS THE MOST PLAYED LP IN MY CHILDHOOD HOME BEFORE MY FATHER UNFORTUNATELY WENT THE WAY OF KENNY ROGERS AND DOLLY PARTON)

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM BUCK OWENS AND SUSAN RAYE

MAHALIA JACKSON AND FRIENDS AT CHRISTMASTIME

CHRISTMAS SOUL SPECIAL WITH WILSON PICKETT, MARTHA REEVES, MARY WELLS AND MORE

THE GOSPEL SOUL OF CHRISTMAS WITH SWAN SILVERTONES, GOSPEL STARLETS, ORIGINAL FIVE BLIND BOYS AND MORE

JOHN FAHEY - THE NEW POSSIBILITY, GUITAR SOLI - A MUST FOR EVERY HOME!

THE WHISPERS - HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO YOU

CHRISTMAS WITH THE CHIPMUNKS

AL GREEN - WHITE CHRISTMAS

A FEW CDS OF NOTE

LOUIS ARMSTRONG AND DUKE ELLINGTON - THE GREAT SUMMIT/THE MASTER TAKES

AS MERCENARIAS - THE BEGINNING OF THE END OF THE WORLD, BRASILIAN POST-PUNK 1982-88

ALBERT AYLER - LIVE IN GREENWICH VILLAGE

BLACK TO COMM - ALPHABET 1968

JEFF BUCKLEY - SO REAL

R.L. BURNSIDE - A ASS POCKET OF WHISKEY

MILES DAVIS - LOVE SONGS

EXPERIMENTAL AUDIO RESEARCH - LIVE AT THE DREAM PALACE

T MODEL FORD - YOU BETTER KEEP STILL

HOWLIN' WOLF - MORE REAL FOLK BLUES

KOCANI ORKESTAR - THE RAVISHED BRIDE

LAU NAU - NUKKUU

ASTOR PIAZZOLLA - THE MONTREAL JAZZ FESTIVAL CONCERT

RAMONES - ALL THE STUFF (AND MORE) VOLUME 2

SUPER CHIKAN - WHAT YOU SEE

(No pet models were injured in the making of this blog, but one got real pissed.)