[gmku]

Some of my all-time favorite records are those I picked up on a whim, knowing little or even nothing about them. Of course, it was easier once upon a time to know not much about a record or a band, but I also think that made the record buying experience more fun, more interesting, and more rewarding. If you were curious about a record because of the cover or the name of the band, or maybe just because you'd heard other people talking about, you pretty much had to just buy the damned thing to find out what it was about. You could sometimes also talk to a record store owner who was approachable and knowledgeable, and some places even would put the record on for you to listen to in the store, if they'd opened a copy for themselves.

I try not to get too caught up in reading reviews and such these days for that reason. It's much more interesting not to let the critics, or even the fan buzz, influence you, and just go with what catches your attention in the store. Sometimes I can look at an unknown record in the racks and just get a gut reaction. Most of the time, I'm right, too.

Some of my notable prizes purchased with little or no fore-knowledge (keep in mind, I bought many of these "in their time," around the day they were first released):

New York Dolls first LP (It was the cover!)
Patti Smith (again, the cover--she looked like someone I'd want for a girlfriend)
Ramones (again, the cover!)
Never Mind the Bollocks
Talking Heads 77
My Aim is True

and a bunch more from that era.