Just Bought a Huge Record Collection and Did This.... Is That Creepy?

I just bought an entire record collection for the first time and then did something that might be considered a bit on the creepy side. Or maybe it isn't.

[@klipkultur3680]

Nothing creepy here. You simply had curiosity, consideration and empathy for this couple who shared our great love for music. Thanks again so much Robert. Take care!!!

[@shimtest]

not creepy, but if you visit them at a cemetery and bring a shovel...

[@Pauldjreadman]

Hahahahahahaha jesus.

[@KevinJStoll]

It's not creepy man. They were meant to be passed on after their passing. And glad it was you who took the time to look into this couple. It gives you an insight to just who these people were. Musical tastes..... Peace and love man.

[@nottssundayvinyl4064]

No, it isn't creepy at all, it's just natural curiosity. One of the joys of buying used vinyl is that it has a story attached to it. I love finding records with dedications written on them, especially from people who were clearly in a relationship. I'm always left wondering what their story was and what led to the record being either given to a charity shop (thrift store) or sold on.

[@simonmcintyre4154]

I dont think it's creepy. Records have a history. Its nice to know their journey. That paranoid album is really interesting. Cheers.

[@andrewmcgee1001]

Robert, I don't think it's creepy at all to get the "back story" on a previously-owned collection or anything for that matter. You had a genuine curiosity on who took care of their collection with such passion..nothing creepy or weird at all. Thanks for sharing a few cool minutes with us. Take care!

[@_emptyheaven_]

Completely natural curiosity. I sometimes help set up estate sales in Texas, and this “creepy” thing is my bread and butter. Love your videos dawg!

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!

[@cronejawford978]

Probably not as creepy as me wanting to know how much you spent on this collection. 😅

[@williamdezynski7342]

How sweet - this couple were real music fans and you want to recognize them for it. They mattered.

[@tdunph4250]

Being creepy. Gotta love it!! PS: Was there any Steely Dan in the collection?

[@RobertFithen]

Just "Pretzel Logic".

[@jobeonetwothree2126]

It's not creepy Robert, unless for some reason the records mysteriously fly out of their covers, land on your turntable, and start playing. In that case you might want to give The Ghost Adventures crew a call

[@Pedro_B_101]

Dude, Apostrophe is the best Fusion/Comedy album you’ll ever hear … I love it!

[@Pedro_B_101]

If I died tomorrow, I’d be glad my collection went to a KZbin celebrity.

[@nunyabidness4220]

One time a guy's wife donated all his books to a local library when he died, and I bought a ton of 'em when they showed up in a library sale. I always wished I'd gotten to know this guy because we liked a lot of the same obscure horror and pulp stuff... I'm thinking he would've been a really cool guy. Later I met a guy who used to run a used bookstore and I mentioned this guy and he said, "Oh, yeah, I knew that guy!" So I got to learn a little more about him. I don't think it was creepy... it was just a feeling of probably-kinship, a feeling that you probably missed out on what might've been a pretty good friendship, if you'd only met each other.

[@richardblayneamerican8149]

Envious here, Robert! -What a great collection. A little ring wear on some of those jackets; glad to hear the vinyl is super clean. Sorry if I missed it, I know the 'Rumors' is a 2nd pressing, but are all the others first pressings? And, "Creepy"? No. It's called 'curiosity'. I acquired a small collection at a flea market that had a woman's return address sticker on a few of the albums (that I was able to remove without much difficulty). I looked up her name online and found an obituary with her photo. She had died in her early sixties a year before I bought the collection. One or two of the albums smelled of smoke; I wonder if smoking led to her early departure. Enjoy the latest additions to your collection.

[@RobertFithen]

A lot of them are first pressings. I only showed a few random ones in the container. Most of them had shrink wrap still on and quite a few were first pressings.

[@UCS0608]

Not creepy, it's great that these records end up with someone that really appreciates them!!

[@LauranBaldman]

Good stuff Robert. I recently got into vinyl back in 2020 and I'm obsessed.

[@mike_burke]

Hey Robert, it would only be creepy if you printed that guys face onto a T-shirt and wore it for your next video 😮 Otherwise, you’re good 👍

[@BobbyGass5]

What a great score Robert. Real nice. I've never bought an album collection before but I have purchased a couple of 7 inch 45s collections... Creepy? LOL, Naw not a chance in hell. Curiosity is how you learn, nothing the matter with learning.....

[@danielphillips7537]

Great haul, Robert. Congrats.

[@terryyeager1525]

I really enjoy your videos. Your knowledge of record collecting combined with humor is always fun to watch. Your interest in the previous owners of your recently purchased collection is not at all creepy. As a former radio deejay and collector for more than fifty years I really appreciate your slant on things. Again, thanks

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!!

[@Onteo1]

The only thing that was creepy to me is that this collection looks like mine and I’m their age. Especially with the quad and Dust LPs, that Sabbath title is hard to find. Thanks for sharing, I’d love to see a video of the 8 tracks you got.

[@dmt02459]

You are a good guy Robert! Thanks for sharing your records and reflections!

[@richardfinlayson1524]

Wow id be excited,some great stuff, i love buying big amounts of records but dont do it much. Good on yo mate, g'day from Melbourne ☮️☯️

[@SafeAndSoundTXAudioExcursion]

Thanks for sharing. Most Quad releases were remixes or even alternate takes, possibly those which lent themselves best to a 4-channel effect.

[@NickP333]

Great collection you picked up there, Robert. It was cool that you mentioned the end of War Pigs on Patrick’s so he could play it. Definitely an underwhelming ending without the speed up. Apostrophe on Discreet is a great Zappa record. I sold off most of my Zappa but kept that one. 😂 No, you’re not creepy. It’s nice to know where your records came from. They’re in good hands now. 🔊😊🎶

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!

[@devildart]

Nice score. That Zappa album is great. Yes, the lyrics can be juvenile. But it doesn't always have to be Shakespeare. Nothing wrong with having an immature laugh. And the musicianship is phenomenal. Also, the song Apostrophe that you like, has that killer bass riffing in the beginning. Done by the mighty Jack Bruce. Cheers.

[@marciap-vc]

Hey Robert, don't think you're creepy and it's because I did something similar and in no way am I a creep, lol. Bought an old Della Reese record, late 50's early 60's, on the front and back cover and on each side of the record label was a return address sticker. It didn't include a zip code, so knew it was pre mid 60's. I live in Orlando, before Disney got here there were about 100 people in this city, so I needed to know the general area where Maxine lived. Thanks to Google street view, found a 1950's cinder block ranch style home that was likely painted pink or mint green back in the day. Shocked it hasn't been replaced by a McMansion.

[@Mick_Ts_Chick]

I'm still drooling over all the Beatles albums I saw when you were flipping through the records!😍

[@fab208athome]

Not creepy, it's nice to curate and get a backstory on a collection.

[@Meowlico]

I recently pick up that same Monarch pressing of Rumours with the shrink with that same hype sticker and it sounds amazing! I feel very lucky to find a clean copy!

[@jasonarsenault3791]

Great titles. Always fun to pour through a collection.

[@davidlacey2588]

You would make a good private investigator! Seriously though, when you buy someone's collection it's OK to be curious about them. The records were the soundtrack to their life.

[@jkeller1982]

I got the Paranoid super deluxe vinyl box set a few years ago, and one of the things it included is an LP with the stereo fold-down of the quad mix. It sounded just as you described. I would have much rather had the quad mix on a DVD or Blu-ray to preserve the mix. Only bad thing about the box set. Great video.

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!! I found out after making the video that the quad mix was re-released for the box set. Makes it a little less special.

[@Ckom-Tunes]

That’s why we collect music on physical media, so that someone who loves music as much as us will have a chance to experience the music as we did.

[@craigday1759]

Kink’s album. That’s cool bc they had a guitar player that used power chords. Nobody knew what a power chord was back then. Hense heavy sounding rock & roll.

[@dimebagdave77]

Love seeing this..as always, Manythnx

[@lpc1231000]

Agree Apostrophe and Overnite Sensation (especially) are Zappa's most commerically accessible albums, and no not creepy. Curiosity is a good thing.

[@JeffMcCormack777]

Wow, I'm going to say, your timing on this in interesting, as I have had a recent such experience. I did a recent video where a friend gifted me over a dozen albums (she was trimming her collection). She told me many of them belonged to her parents. Now, I know her father passed away about 13 years ago at the age of 55. So here I am listening to his albums, and I couldn't help but feel "odd" thinking I am probably the first one to really enjoy these since he last did. I felt really connected to them and years ago feelings they may have had. Hard to describe, but an odd feeling. I've often had "creepy" type thoughts where I've always wondered if I'd stumble upon some great deal on a collection where someone in my general age group and tastes had unexpectedly passed, and their whole collection came into my path. Not that I want anyone to pass, which is creepy, but just figured it could happen these days :)

[@AsItShouldBePodcast]

Not the least bit creepy. You simply looked up information that is available to the public online. In fact I think it's really cool that you learned about these people and even had the chance to see what they look like. In a way you're keeping the records connected to the original owners by knowing these things.

[@RobertFithen]

I like to think so.

[@alanarmstrong3230]

Nice score Robert. No, you're not creepy, you're a junkie. A vinyl junkie, You put the needle in the groove, and not your arm, and that's cool.

[@andrewrasmussen4109]

Quick question, how can we tell what type of pressing we have? Just curious, as you mentioned Monarch. Great haul btw! That Sabbath sounds very cool, plus I'll have to look into that Dust album. Thank you for your candid and honest, personal reviews. Dig on

[@RobertFithen]

I just did a whole video on how to identify pressings and it's quite an involved process and is different for each label. The main identifier is what is engraved on the dead wax (between the runout grooves near the label. Check Discogs.com look up the engravings that you see. Monarchs on Warner Bros. from this period will show a triangle and a number next to it.

[@andrewrasmussen4109]

@@RobertFithen Thanks for the heads up, I'll check out your other videos and gather more info. Cheers

[@zoltanszabo4242]

Whenever you asked the question I had this in my mind: "Am I evil? Yes I am!" Anyways, not creepy at all. OK, some might find it creepy, but I think it's just you being serious about collecting. We collectors see a very strong connection between collections and their owners ("curators", to be pompous). Some of us think a lot about what happens with our collection once we die, and it is a very sad feeling to break up someone else's collection by picking out the goodies, passing on, scattering the rest. You bought that collection and you made a personal connection with its owner. It's only natural to check out the previous owner. BTW, I have a similarly creepy habit: I don't mind at all when a record, CD or book has its previous owner's name on it. I don't try to remove it, even if its a sticker. It tells me a story.

[@RobertFithen]

I love the stories behind used records even if I don't know what the story actually is. Just that there is a story.

[@EmbryonicRobot]

That's a really solid collection. To be honest, I might have done the same thing! I think it's OK 👍

[@hog7203]

I have some quad albums, but no quad player. One is Ten Years After, A Space in Time, and the guitar leads in I'd Love to Change the World really stand out more Imo. It's kinda distant sounding on the standard version.

[@dawnpatrol700]

Try this....play " her majesty"( which ends abruptly on an UP note string bend) and immediately follow it with " oh darling" ( which starts with a piano riff before the song starts). Those 2 played back-to-back, appear as a "call and answer" that make more sense, than the album listing. The string bending and piano intro just naturally go together. I discovered it long ago, played abbey road on random on a cd.

[@RobertFithen]

I think it was originally supposed to go right "Polythene Pam".

[@vinylrichie007]

Whoever had the copyright to Tobacco Road made some money. I know someone that has a couple of hundred records that he would sell but I just don’t need any more records.

[@RobertFithen]

I started buying in bulk recently and I can't seem to go back to being one record at a time.

[@stevekosak8624]

No creepy I think it's cool you looked them up! For real it's cool !I bought kiss rock and roll over and used lp and it had the order form filled out by the previous owner in Indianapolis ok and I sent it 2 her and she was just thrilled! really enjoyed the video & the sabbath quad is really cool !

[@scottguerin5741]

Knowing the history of the records only adds to the entire (listening) experience. You seem to have already alluded to that in your video.

[@johnchristophertonks2528]

I think all record collectors wander about the history of our records. Sometimes the persons name is on them. I think people took their records to parties and there was always a danger of them being stolen. I remember a friend having a 45rpm record of leader of the pack stolen. Two years later I saw the record at a friend's house. The original owners name was written on it.

[@juanmeowmix1530]

Not creepy at all. You're one of the coolest record guys on KZbin!

[@RobertFithen]

Thanks!!

[@rmacdougallaliasdogviticus]

Do you get a discount buying in bulk like that? Huge one or ? Some excellent records there either way. The Quad albums were either great or a bit off. I knew a feller with a Marantz Quad setup back then and albeit, hazy as my memory might be. I recall it sounded great. Cheers.

[@RobertFithen]

Yes, that's the way I've been buying records for the last few months and it's really spoiled me price-wise. I paid around $3 per record.

[@kidtexaus1]

You might note Dust’s bassist Kenny Aaronson, who went on to play sideman for many famous acts.

[@davidellis5141]

The orgins of what one now owns are naturally of interest. No creep factor ..just curiosity.

[@user-ip6jy7ek2l]

tobacco road is an easy song to play plus its a great song. could be why everyone covered it. good video.

[@richardfinlayson1524]

What about the Flaming groovies,they were on karmasutra ive been getting into them a bit lately...,got the Aussie single of Psychotic reaction there is an Aussie Count five EP, super rare though. Im not a huge Zappa fan, i love Hot rats though. Its great to get any Kinks stuff,getting harder to find and more pricey. Good on you mat,take it easy.

[@richardfinlayson1524]

Love the t shirt too

[@elighmacias707]

I stream that Dust album all the time. Great band. I had no idea thstvwas Marky Ramone! Siiiick score!!!

[@tomtrana3449]

Robert is wearing a t-shirt of the Brain label on which a lot of good Krautrock stuff was released.

[@brunohebert1351]

Well, it's always a little bit creepy when you found the ads for those collections. 99% of the time, the owner(s) just passed away. That's just the way it is. (I have quite a few stories like that, but I never went online trying to find out who the people were) At least the previous owners, may they rest in peace, would have been happy that their collection didn't fall into the hands of flippers because it seems to be a great collection. Good find for you! Now I can't wait for the video on 8-tracks, got quite a few of those too.

[@GamerAlley519]

Great pick up of the collection.

[@DorianPaige00]

I bought a box set from a former musician who died. The seller put a note on it probably because items were on consignment and I always kept that sticky with his name on there out of respect.

[@claudenebritt1166]

Kinda creepy but I would have done the same. You can learn so much about people from their collection. Learning more about them can allow yourself to appreciate the collection more.

[@marcbenjamin9436]

Looks like the collection I had that I had to get rid of when I moved in 1999. I got like a dime per record.

[@FingersOnAFretboard]

Van Halen II on 8 track actually switched programs with a fade-in & out RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE of his guitar solo on "Somebody get me a Doctor "

[@RobertFithen]

Yeah, they usually do it right in the middle of music solos as if they're less important than the rest of the song.

[@efficiencygaming3494]

It's not creepy, it just shows that you cared enough about these people to know more about what happened to them. I think it's kind of sweet that their memory lives on in the mind of a total stranger who just wanted some cheap records. Don't let people try to convince you that "caring is creepy". It's not and never should be. And besides, it's not like you were harming anyone or breaking any laws...

[@fishrider62]

They probably loved their record collection like we all love ours. I'm thinking they would be proud that you own it now, and was curious about fellow music lovers.

[@jeffthevideoguy23]

Dust, with their hit, "Kansas in the Wind."

[@stevonyl]

Nothing creepy about taking a genuine interest in someone with similar music interests as I have done the same and makes the whole experience more enjoyable 🙂

[@musictalkwithjohn]

You Creep! Seriously, it’s OK to be curious. Enjoyed the video as always.

[@vincentrathbone26]

Holy shit, the first Dust LP with shrink wrap !

[@louismartinez7387]

Robert you got a heart as big as dallas...not creepy at all...never change!!..Peace brother!!

[@mariawesley7583]

Not creepy at all. I did a video trying to find the provenance of the records in my collection with names written on them. Having someone's entire collection is very intimate, so i can understand wanting to know more about them.

[@craigsandry6737]

Nah , not so creepy . They loved and cared for their collection . Now you can continue being the custodian for a lot of the collection . Nice haul 😎👍🎸

[@fueledbylove]

Sorry I didnt hang long enuf to get the creepy bit. Dust cover art looked creepy though. Good Score, enjoy the musics

[@crunchyfrog555]

Oh and I really look forward to your video about 8 tracks. I picked up a recorder I renovated just over a couple of years ago, after I inherited a load of carts I wanted to test and sell. I enjoyed them so much I've kept them and even added to them. They're a lot of fun and despite the fact that there's often a lot of top end missing, the bass on them sounds quite great a lot fo the time. Plus I also taught myself to to rewind them using a smal contraption I made. Think I enjoy repair the carts as much as playing them. Yes, I'm fucking odd.

[@RobertFithen]

Rewinding an 8-track? That's next level!

[@crunchyfrog555]

@@RobertFithen Funnily enough before I attempted it I thought it was nigh on impossible. But I simply screwed a couple of reel-to-reel spools to a board and made an ad hoc device which makes it really easy. It's not as hard as it sounds as you just make a split, unwind all the tape onto a spool then wind it back again moderately tight.

[@tonym994]

PARANOID. released by WB's on the day Jimi Hendrix died. 9/18/70. but they never should have messed w/ the original recording. this was 3 years before QUADROPHENIA. I didn't know 'quad' was a thing yet. indeed rare. a keeper.

[@AttackFromDownunda]

Would love to come across those " Dust ' and " Ike and Tina " albums. Reality check: All the albums we get or preserve will one day pass on to somebody else. So not creepy at all, I love to find out about past history of records i get. It just makes them more precious to me if i know a bit more about the previous owners.

[@later_daze_4080]

Fithen, you creepy as hell! But we love you!.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

I've been tearing my place apart looking for my CD of Apostrophe. I'm SURE I bought a copy at some point and I'm SURE I didn't get rid of it. Oh, well, I'm off to a record show in a couple of weeks, I'll try my luck there.

[@Bigbrera]

Did you have to use a quadrophonic cartridge to listen to the Paranoid quad mix?

[@RobertFithen]

No, just a regular cartridge. From what I understand, if you have a quad setup, you play them with a regular cartridge unless they are JVC Quad, which is a different way of doing it.

[@farrellmcnulty909]

her Majesty as TRACK 3? I wonder if it has the long pause before it finally starts. Interesting.

[@robison5396]

I think had I been given some soundbites to begin with, I may have probed further..I do have a natural curiosity, but I'm a bit too polite I guess to ask!!..my mum on the other hand is insatiably curious and would definitely have wanted to know everything. Some nice records, I've never seen that Dust album in the wild.

[@jamesmadore3234]

Everyone forgets Marc bell played with Richard hell in the viodiods. Dust reminds me of pentagram. Suicide is a great song.

[@greenalishi222]

Right on. Rock on. Their stuff went to another music lover.

[@JJBolli1]

Not creepy, just curious. So I'm wondering what is your preferred method of purging titles from your collection? Do you use FB Market Place, eBay, discogs?

[@RobertFithen]

I was using eBay for awhile, but then some suspicious things started happening with returns so I'm considering other methods.

[@JJBolli1]

@RobertFithen I use eBay, too. But I'm looking for alternatives. Thank you for your reply.

[@martinsvinyl1985]

I really want those dust records, they never pressed them over here in the UK 🇬🇧

[@fab4free4all20]

Not creepy at all, Robert. You gave someone's collection... something that they obviously took good care of and treasured... a good home. It's natural to want to know more about them. As a fellow collector, I totally get it and probably would have done/would do the same. Enjoy them!

[@CinemaATTACKS]

If you had murdered the couple and came over to their house to listen to their records right in front of their mummified corpses, now THAT would have certainly crossed a line.

[@MusicManiac1963]

That's some creepy BS Robert 😂 You had me wondering what the creepy part was since yesterday's video of this one cut off after you spoke about Black Sabbath, so that was creepy!! 🙃😄

[@RobertFithen]

I thought so too, still trying to figure out what happened there.

[@charlesandrews2360]

Learning about the provenance of collectibles is of great interest to me and I assume, other collectors as well. It's totally natural. That's why I'm going to mildly rebuke you for not telling us more about the original collectors. I don't think that would be disrespectful at all.

[@losendos8963]

I've always thought you were creepy. This just confirms my initial impressions!! Creep on!!

[@Rabant777]

For Dust you mention Kerner, but not Richie Wise? It's both guys that produced the first two Kiss albums. (and obviously Kenny Aaronson who went on to Stories; Derringer; HSAS; BOC; Billy Idol etc.)

[@RobertFithen]

I'm forgetful like that.

[@billymuellerTikTok]

I’ve looked up people who put their names on albums I bought used. Just wondering who they were, where they lived.

[@kevinjohnson8220]

Why would someone be creepy. If I was dead and I could interact with someone in my place I'd say 'you like it? If you're gonna take care of it, you take it'.

[@alanlafromboise3156]

Not at all buddy, your keeping the couples memory alive through you,, just think when your handling one of the albums, this couple also held those records in their hands and looked over those very covers with their eyes!

[@devnull1313]

Not creepy. There's humanity behind every collection. Nice to know they had friends willing to take on the sell-off.

[@brucybabyy7355]

where did you get that shirt?? want it!!

[@RobertFithen]

Just off of the internet.

[@carltwidle9046]

If you have any creepy experiences, then call Ghostbusters..

[@danaaronmusic]

Not creepy at all, but if you start having weird dreams, call a Hollywood screenwriter--this could be big!

[@johnmc3862]

Headphones users warning from 001.00 😂😂😂

[@mrdjproductions3070]

Not creepy. It’s nice you are remembering the original owners in this way.