Along The Trainline..

This year's theme for Ironfest was 'Time Travel', and arriving in Lithgow as I have for the past 12 years for this year's event can sometimes be a flashback to another era - where opshops flourished and prices remained below secondhand charges. Having began a lot of my collecting while living in the Blue Mountains during the mid 80's I always journey out to these parts with some expectation that things will be better than in the city on these fronts.. sometimes there are disappointments.. and sometimes the travelling can be worth it.
This time out (apart from an excellent time had at Ironfest over two days) Lithgow, Springwood and Blaxland all gave up some treasures to be sure, mainly in the vinyl department.

On the way up Kaspar and I alighted at Springwood on Fri afternoon to once again confirm that it still only has one opshop. Usually not that productive like it had been in the dim past, but two Scheherazade  additions, a sweet Kaempfert coverpic and an oddball  Scripture in Song with promises to tell us what God says about bad language, witchcraft, temptation amongst other important subjects.

While waiting two and a half hours for the next train to continue on to Lithgow we ambled around, settlling for pie and sausage rolls at the only cafe that wasn't supplying gourmet p&s with salad for $6.50 each. Plus the friendly chinaman supplied tomato sauce in a squeezy for free.. now that's country service. While still ambling around we also found a secondhand bookshop that had the best Michael Moorcock pile I've ever seen on display..

although I didn't buy any..

After a weekend filled with explosive Napoleonics, radiationed steam punks & earth shattering victorian steamrollers, I sent the family home on Sunday afternoon. With a free Monday to casually make my way back to the big burg I firstly hankered down Main Street to The Family Store which gave forth a 'black suit' Spiderman tshirt ($2.50).

Not being too disheartened, I continued down to Vinnies in what is now a 2 opshop town. This presented yet another two Scheherazade LPs ($1 each), and a magnificent foldout Top of The Pops '71($2), along with a handful of Hot Wheels/Matchbox cars and VHS' of Star Wars I & II for Kaspar.

A quick step next door to the Hearts For Animals found me hurriedly skimming thru a vast vinyl stack at the back (finding a sweet narrated Alice in Wonderland) and a couple of more Hot wheels - all for 50c - does it get any better??

from top - yellow car unknown

Ballistic - Hot Wheels -2001

'47 Chevy Fleetlore - Hot Wheels - date unknown

unknown - Hot Wheels - 1989

Jeep Grand Cherokee - Matchbox - 1999

Jet Threat - Hot Wheels - 2008

Love this Jet Car

B35? - Hot Wheels - 1994

Well yeah, it did that day.. 

Along with some cheap (at 20c each the best I come across in many a year) discs, The Cancer opshop in Blaxland, my next port of call, served up a fine selection. This included an antiquated Pirates of Penzance, a sultry Songs and Moods for people Alone Together, a Classic Goon Show and a vibrant covered Peter & the Wolf. I also was willing to part $5 for a fantastic covered (and great sounding) BBC Radiophonic Workshop of Doctor Who The Music, as he was a central theme of this year's Ironfest. Also scored a knitted Egyptian queen wall hanging ($5) for Madame Beth to use in an upcoming Egyptian display at the library.

Under the impression that there were three opshops in Blaxland (alas only 2) I quickly made way down to the Vinnies, which held many a secret stash in it's basement of black gold at $1 each. These included two more Peter & the Wolfs (I see a post developing), The Moog Strikes Bach, Walt Disney's Stories of H. C. Anderson, Hymns by Tennessee Ernie Ford and a corker of a record - It's Cool In The Furnace II - just got to find the first volume to make life complete...

The train was incoming and I ran out of time to photograph the front of the stores, alas.

Here is the full details of platters obtained in this jaunt..

Scheherazade - The Paris Conservatoire Orchestra - World record Club - date unknown

Scheherazade - Leonard Bernstein & The New York Philharmonic 

Music For Pleasure - date unknown

Scheherazade - Vienna State Opera Orchestra - Calendar - date unknown

Scheherazade - London Symphony Orchestra - Victrola - 1962?

The Best of Top of the Pops '71 - Not Original Artists - Hallmark - 1971

Songs and Moods For People Alone Together - Pietro Delmont Orchestra - Rainbow - date unknown

Alice In Wonderland - Joan Greenwood & Stanley Holloway etc - Caedmon - date unknown

Doctor Who The Music - The BBC Radiophonic Workshop - BBC Records - 1983

The Moog Strikes Bach -  Hans Wurman/Sonart Productions - RCA - 1969

The Pirates of Penzance (2nd of 2set) - The D'oyly Carte Opera Company - Decca - date unknown

A New Sound Conquers the World - Bert Kaempfert and his Orchestra - Polydor - post 1961

Tennessee Ernie Ford: Hymns - Capital - date unknown

It's Cool In The Furnace II - L. Mayfield & G. Hawthorne - Word Records - 1984

Sing a Song of Scripture - Various Artists - Scripture in Song - date unknown 

(missing 9 feet long wall poster, alas)

Walt Disney presents The Stories of Hans Christian Anderson - Camarata - Disneyland - 1965

Peter And The Wolf - Sir Ralph Richardson/London Symphony Orchestra - Decca - date unknown

Peter And The Wolf - Paul Daneman/The Little Symphony of London - MFP - 1969

A Musical Story of Peter And The Wolf - Peter Pan Symphony Orchestra - ALF - date unknown

Goon Show Classics Vol 7 - P. Sellers, S. Milligan, H. Secombe - BBC Records - 1980

Heading to Lithgow next weekend..

..and, since I do their website, managed to have this put into the Ironfest program. Not sure what Ironfest is? Then please checkout their site.
Here's hoping that some casual opshopping along the way back will extract some black vinyl gold or anything else like it has in the past.

From Glebe to me..

After bundling Kaspar off to a sleepover with his cuzzy for Sat night, an afternoon of frolicking with Bethy over on the Glebe strip resulted in some of these market finds and vinyl discovery at the newly opened Record Crate bar.. nothing like flicking thru vats of nostalgic platters with a bevy in hand (and a band playing upstairs). Admittedly the Moog album was purchased by Madame B the week before on her discovery of the joint.
The copy of Hoffnung's Musical Chairs was bought at Sappho's on a whim with my poor memory not quite identifying it as one already obtained, but doesn't matter as it is so good, even to have twice.. and as I'm being totally honest here now I will declare that only two of the Matchbox vehicles came from the Glebe Market - the towing truck having come from Enmore Rd Cat Protection shop during the last week.. destined for Kaspar's car box.
After bidding adue to Glebe we headed for dinner at the Carlyle Castle with a birthdayed friend, then finished the night with a late session at The Dendy Newtown to see 'Warm Bodies' - well worth it zombie flick that almost gets a tear to the eye.. or was that just the air-conditioning...

Everything You Always wanted to Heat on the Moog - A. Kazdin & T. Shepard 

 CBS - date unknown

Hoffnung's Musical Chairs - Gerald Hoffnung - Dobson Books - 1958

Breakdown Van - Matchbox - 1985

Chrysler Atlantic - Matchbox - 1987

1955 Ford Fw100 Panel Delivery - Matchbox - 2007

Down amongst the Duckbills..

Sauntered down on a Sunday mission with the family to The Rock N Roll And Alternative Markets held at the Manning Bar, Sydney Uni today. Enjoyed going to it in the past at its old location at The Jets Club, Tempe but today was a first at this newer (and closer) haunt.
Ran into some old friends and past work colleagues now following their artistic bent (let's hear it for Shelley & Jay at Grimm Noir). And good to see ya Trev and your lovely lady, and Liz.
Madame B & Kaspar enjoyed the fine dance floor in the bar, both cutting the rug nicely...

Downstairs I wasn't really thinking of any purchases until I stumbled over a stash of boxes selling good stuff at $2, and as marked.

This now completes my Tranmetropolitan series (#2, $10), Astro City series (#3, $2) and Warlock and The Infinity Watch series (#39, $2). Also couldn't pass up on a couple of Fantastic Four sideline series fillers at $2 each.
Was going to leave it there, but a $2 Top Condition sign at a nearby LP stand had me digging for my life and coming up with those wonders of past loungeroom enjoyments...

So, with a $3 addition later it resulted in a decent Sunday well spent...

Bold 'n Blue - The Versatile Mr. Noel McKay - Calendar - 1967?

Mike Batt's The Hunting of The Snark - Various incl Roger Daltry and Captain Sensible, and

Chris Spedding - Adventure Records - 1986 (great Patrick Woodroffe cover)

Hawaiian Fire - Tau Moe's Original Hawaiians - Viking - 1963

 Omnibust - Spike Joness ...and the band that plays for FUN - London - date unknown