Each week, Box Populi takes us inside the record collection of one of our valued subscribers. For this first installment, we asked our second-ever subscriber, Chet from Portland, OR, a little bit about his personal stash!
Where ya from, Chet? Portland, OR
When did you start collecting records? 2014
When did you join Bandbox? I was technically the 2nd customer, but the first guy quit.
How many records do you own? 420
What's your favorite album you own, and why? TV on the Radio - Seeds. It's absolutely one of the most beautiful colored vinyl I've ever seen, the entire package is flawless and original and it's one of the first colored, double LPs I ever purchased. Plus, it sounds fantastic. This album really made me appreciate the sonic superiority of vinyl.
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What's the rarest record you own?: Face to Face - Ignorance is Bliss. The album was put out on Antagonist Records, which is the lead singers label, and I'm pretty sure they only sold 200-225 of these records. It's also a beautiful sky blue and just sounds amazing.
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What's your favorite record store, and why? Music Millennium in Portland, OR. This is the place that started Keep Portland Weird, helped to start Record Store Day, and has one of the best selections in the NW. The staff are always super helpful and if they can find it will get what you need to the store. It's been operating since 1969, and sometimes you wonder if some of the staff have been there since the beginning. During COVID-19 I was able to spend 1 hour in the store by myself to shop. The deal was if you donated some money to our local musical artist scene, which is suffering greatly, and bought a few records you had the store to yourself. I bought 13 records... The store is super supportive of the local scene, and pulls talent from all over the world for in-store shows. They're exactly what you want a record store to be.
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What was your most recent haul? I received two 7" records from NOFX, the final two records in their latest 7" of the month club. Four grungy punk rock tracks!
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What do you love most about collecting records? I really love sitting down, and listening to an album cover to cover, like the artist wants us to, and enjoying the music. I rarely if ever use a Pandora type service, random play etc... because my favorite part of listening to music is experiencing it as the artist intended. A record is the best way to enjoy music, period.
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