DUMPSTER DIVING for 45's at HOMER'S--Omaha

[gremashlo]

My wife Michelle and I were walking around Friday night in Omaha's Old Market area (a yuppie region for shoping, dining and trendy botiques) when we came across a unusual scene--outside of Homers Records, there was a large construction dumpster which was about 1/2 full of albums, 45s and CDs. As they are moving to another building, Homers decided to literally dump ALL of their vintage vinyl, along with CDs that they couldn't sell.

There were about 40 people around the dumpster--at first the "competition" was rather nasty...but we came back later, and the mood was far more relaxed. After reassuring Michelle I would NOT climb into the dumpster (leaning over with feet dangling in mid-air doesn't count), I wound up salvaging 237 45's.

The sad thing was that there were a LOT of classic LP's that were getting tossed, and that a lot of singles were buried under old shelves and wall displays...surreal and sad.

Here are some of the particular singles that I salvaged...

Herb Alpert/Tijuana Brass—Casino Royale
Frankie Avalon—Bobby Sox to Stockings
Count Basie—I Can’t Stop Loving You
Bells—Stay Awhile
Bobby Bland—That’s the Way Love Is
Box Tops—The Letter
Solomon Burke—Baby Come on Home
Betty Everett—You’re No Good
Carpenters—Hurting Each Others
Clarence Carter--Patches
Mel Carter—Band of Gold
Chubby Checker—Slow Twistin’
Cher—You Better Sit Down Kids
Dave Clark Five—Over and Over
Coasters—Poison Ivy
Sam Cooke—It’s Got the Whole World Shakin’, Cousin of Mine, Shake
David and Jonathan—Michelle
Mac Davis—Texas in my Rear View Mirror
Dino Desi and Billy—I’m a Fool
Drifters—Vaya Con Dios
Walter Egan—Magnet and Steel
Fats Domino—Three Nights a Week, Wait and See, When I See You, My Girl Josephine, What a Price, I Can’t Give You Anything But Love
Donovan—Goo Goo Baragajagal, Wear Your Love Like Heaven
Mama Cass Elliot—Make Your Own Kind of Music
Georgie Fame—Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde
Four Tops—Still Water (Love), It’s All in the Game
Fuzz—I Love You For All Seasons
Marvin Gaye—Ego Tripping Out
Heart—Tell It Like It Is
Impressions—Amen
Isley Brothers—I Wanna Be With You
Gordon Jenkins—My Own/Tired of Waitin’ (on X Label)
Joan Jett/Blackhearts—Crimson and clover
Ben E King—Stand By Me
Leapy Lee—Little Arrows
Clyde McPhatter—Ta Ta, Lover Please
Sergio Mendes/Brasil ’66—The Look of Love
Moody Blues—Go Now!
Osmonds—Down By the Lazy River
Paper Lace—The Night Chicago Died
Peaches and Herb—Close Your Eyes
Persuasders—Some Guys Have All the Luck
Peter and Gordon—Woman
Wilson Pickett—Don’t Fight It, Don’t Let the Green Grass Fool You,
I Found A True Love, 634-5789
Elvis Presley—Mystery Train (RCA 1955 re-release), All Shook Up, I Want You I Need You I Love You
Lloyd Price--Personality
Ray Price-Getting Over You Again
Helen Reddy—Angie Baby
Emmit Rhodes—Fresh as a Daisy
Tommy Roe—Stagger Lee, Sweet Pea
Rufus—Tell Me Something Good
Leon Russell—Back to the Island
Kyo Sakamoto--Sukiaki
Seekers-Georgy Girl
Joe Simon—The Chokin’ Kind
Vibrations—My Girl Sloopy
Billy Ward/Dominos—Deep Purple
Mary Wells—Yu Beat Me to the Punch
Jackie Wilson—Baby Workout, Shake Shake Shake, A Woman a Lover a Friend
Young Rascals—A Girl Like You
Timi Yuro--Hurt

LOTS of other records, especially country...Michelle was helping me sort through some of the records, and loving wife that she is, helped me carry the load back to the car!

[dave910]

Grem,

Those are some great finds. But were all these 45's in good condition after being tossed in the trash? Were you able to salvage some collectible albums or CD's for yourself or your wife?

[H2IZCOOL]

That is really sad, Grem, about the 45s and LPs just being thrown away. It makes me feel the way I did many years ago when a guy I knew told me that he'd take old 45s and put them in the oven for a few seconds so they'd curl up. They made great wall decorations, he said.

Too bad that the Elvis wasn't on Sun. I wonder if they would have tossed something like that?

One thing that is very unique about your post, though. It may be the first time in recorded history that the words "Omaha" and "Yuppie" were used in the same sentence.

[gremashlo]

Apr 12, 2010 21:36:10 GMT -5 dave910 said:

Grem,

Those are some great finds. But were all these 45's in good condition after being tossed in the trash? Were you able to salvage some collectible albums or CD's for yourself or your wife?

That was where I lucked out--NO ONE was going for the 45's! Everyone else was loking for cds or the occasional display. However, the cds that were tossed were thrown for a reason--the ones I saw were indie stuff from no-name acts.

The records for the most part are in good shape, but several have drywall debris on them that I'll have to clean off. There were a lot that were broken or cracked due to the act of being thrown in a dumpster...that was depressing.

[gremashlo]

Apr 13, 2010 0:01:06 GMT -5 H2IZCOOL said:

That is really sad, Grem, about the 45s and LPs just being thrown away. It makes me feel the way I did many years ago when a guy I knew told me that he'd take old 45s and put them in the oven for a few seconds so they'd curl up. They made great wall decorations, he said.

Too bad that the Elvis wasn't on Sun. I wonder if they would have tossed something like that?

One thing that is very unique about your post, though. It may be the first time in recorded history that the words "Omaha" and "Yuppie" were used in the same sentence.

Ouch--deliberately melting 45's makes Baby Jesus cry. And, yes, Omaha has yuppies--they just wear designer bib overalls, Italian workboots and chew imported tobacco! Actually, Omaha is a rather arrogant town--you get a sense that Omahans feel genetically superior when confronted by "outstaters" such as myself. Whenever I'm in Omaha and mention I am from Wisner, the usual reaction makes me feel I feel I might as well be saying, "I am unwashed farming trash". That and they are surprised that Bessie the family mule made it that far...

[Dawn]

Wow, Gregg, that was a great haul! I have some of those titles in my own 45s collection. But I agree, it is depressing to see vinyl just thrown out like that. I wonder why Homer's didn't just put the records in boxes with a "FREE" sign on them in front of the store rather than tossing them into the dumpster?

I've seen those albums that have been melted down to make "snack bowls." One store I was in had several of them, and they wanted something like $7 for each one!

[Ken]

Some excellent finds! well done, Grem

That is very sad knowing that many classic albums were being tossed.

I'm also not a fan of melting down vinyl - it's just wrong!

[m c dornan]

Howdy! That's quite a find there!

Is the Gordon Jenkins record two instrumentals?

My faves would be the Betty Everett, Kyu Sakamoto, and Rascals 45s.

[Pete70s]

You do realize, that's every music lovers DREAM, don't you?

[gremashlo]

Apr 13, 2010 20:35:14 GMT -5 Pete70s said:

You do realize, that's every music lovers DREAM, don't you?

It was really a dream, but the nightmare was knowing that there were a LOT more 45's under the debris--they had probably over a thousand used 45's for sale the previous time I had been at the store...I just grabbed what I could reach...

[Pete70s]

Apr 13, 2010 5:28:13 GMT -5 gremashlo said:

Ouch--deliberately melting 45's makes Baby Jesus cry.

I agree, unless they're crap records. I don't think too many tears would be shed if anyone wanted to melt down their old "Sing Along With Mitch Miller" albums...

[gremashlo]

Apr 25, 2010 23:34:58 GMT -5 Pete70s said:

Apr 13, 2010 5:28:13 GMT -5 gremashlo said:

Ouch--deliberately melting 45's makes Baby Jesus cry.

I agree, unless they're crap records. I don't think too many tears would be shed if anyone wanted to melt down their old "Sing Along With Mitch Miller" albums...

I've been finally cataloging my haul from that trip, and there are a decent amount of "crap" records--especially Pat Boone, Dolly Parton and Charlie Pride (I'm not a country collector)...along with some "no names" that hsould have been left behind--but when it's 10 PM and your plowing through a dumpster, exceptions are made!