Although Halloween has just passed, I've just experienced a vinyl horror courtesy of the US Mail.
Recently, while idly combing the Web for LPs (something I rarely do), I came upon a 1962 deep-groove, mono reissue of pianist Tadd Dameron's 1957 release Mating Call with John Coltrane on Prestige Records. The cover was still in the shrink with a 77 cent price sticker on it. It had the Bergenfield, NJ address on its yellow labels. And the LP itself was billed as being in VG++ condition. The seller, therecordparlour is his eBay name, wanted $50. While it wasn't a first pressing, it was a second. And finding a record of that vintage in that shape—and a cover in the shrink!—made it worth the money, so I hit "Buy It Now."
When it came to the mailing, the seller did everything right. The new cardboard mailer was solid and packed well. He used bubble wrap, cardboard stiffeners on either side of the record, and lots of good sturdy tape. Inside, the record and the sleeve were in a plastic sleeve. And yet when I opened it, I saw a black chip at the bottom of the inner plastic sleeve. Upon further inspection, I realized a chunk of this 55 year-old record had broken off. Ouch! It's easy to forget that LPs are not, as record labels once touted—unbreakable—particularly now that they really are historical artifacts, antiques even!
I fully realize that in the grand scheme of things, a broken record is not a tragedy of global proportions. But to see vintage vinyl dinged that violently—the mailer, however, was not punctured or overly damaged in any way—is a particularly nasty sight. The rest of the record is still playable but it's so hard to look at I haven't played it much. Having had my share of bicycle accidents, it reminds me of a smile with a broken tooth. Fortunately, the postal service reimbursed the seller and he reimbursed me. Of course I'd have rather had the record in one piece. Fortunately, I have never had this happen before. Not once. Until now.
