The jazz rack at North Portland’s Vinyl Resting Place
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“Cover Stories with Paul Morris” is a popular feature found on Jerry Jazz Musician that looks at the serious art – and serious comedy – of vintage album cover art. Paul is a dear friend of mine and fellow Portland resident who happens to be a music scholar and album cover collector. In most cases, it is not the music he seeks, it is the work of the artist who created the cover’s design.
Yesterday was a pretty typical late March Portland day – cool, gray and drizzly with an occasional dose of sunshine. It was “jacket weather” but no umbrella was necessary. It was a great day to hit a few record stores, of which there are many in this amazing town. Portland has more record stores (predominantly selling vinyl) than any other city in the country, many of which are in some of the city’s most colorful neighborhoods. (For someone who cut his teeth in the record business in 1978 only to see it all collapse about a decade later, this vinyl resurgence is a remarkable thing to witness). The dollar bins in these stores can be treasure chests filled with just the sort of find that only someone like Paul discovers value in.
Paul may cover this day a little more in a future column (and the publication of his newest edition is not far away)…For now, here are a few pictures of Portland and three of its stores; Vinyl Resting Place in the St. John’s neighborhood of North Portland, Little Axe Records in the Alberta arts district, and Everyday Music on NE Sandy Blvd.
Outside Vinyl Resting Place
Just another record store in the living room of an old house — Little Axe Records
Paul came out of Little Axe with a few treasures
Everyday Music is quite an emporium with a substantial dollar (and under) vinyl section
Think the 1970’s chain Peaches Records and that’s pretty much what you get at Everyday Music
Treasure hunting in the under dollar bins at Everyday Music netted Paul a small haul
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