OK, well, a hall. Or several...The Congress Centrum in Utrecht, Netherlands to be specific. Having attended record fairs, shows, conventions, flea markets, etc... for 30+ years, I can say with certainty that there is nothing on this record planet to compare with the bi-annual events held at the Jaarbeurs center in Utrecht each spring & fall for the past 15 or so years. It's really beyond overwhelming just how much stuff appears twice yearly in this pleasant university town. Hundreds of tables crammed full of just about everything under the European drizzle, which is pretty much guaranteed to be the meteorolgical case this time of year. Not a problem, wouldn't want any punters to be tempted to pass on this event by wandering 'round the canals, cafe's & other sundry attractions owing to the rare appearance of a ray of errant sunshine.
The main thrust of items on offer is understandably of European origin, though dealers from South America, Japan, Africa (!), Canadia & varied Antipodes are sure to be in attendance. US dealers though are generally noticeable by their absence. Which is not tough to fathom, shipping costs & logistics attendant to transiting crate after crate of weighty vinyl makes for fraught prospects for profitable dealing. And make no mistake, this is a vinyl-centric event. This said, some are always in attendance, a triumph of optimism over experience more often than not.
Unless one brings the right stuff, which, as ever, is the universal trick. I'll be attending the fair this weekend, bringing a couple hundred 45's of the sort that rarely appear at this event. Mostly US pressings of garage, classic 60's, promo's, test pressings, 70's punk & a handful of items defying easy categorization. Plus a few LP's, of the mono variety whenever possible, and some paper goods, mags, tour programs, etc... Basically, anything lurking about that is well past any conceivable play by date that I could envision ( as in, has it been on the turntable in the last 15 years?) that I can bear to part with, wasn't snatched up at the WFMU event a couple of weeks back, will fit in my luggage & carry-on allowance, and can hopefully be sold for a reasonable price.
A bit of effort for a less than guaranteed return may appear a curious gambit, but the backstory tells the real tale. For there are still finds to be found, be certain of this! Of the more than a handful of deadly worldwide sides acquired over the years, a notable share were scored at various UK/European events. Including plenty of US pressings, we all know the tales of ravished stateside shops, jukebox wholesalers, defunct distributors, etc... that were cleaned out in the seventies and eighties by European dealers. Ever wonder why 90% of Rockabilly comps were of European origin? Hint: it's because they had the records!! In the good old days of the mid eighties when I first began attending these shows it wouldn't be unusual to discover soul specialists dumping garage, mainstream dealers literally
giving away UK freakbeat, R&B, Mod, psych , euro-beat, etc...45's, classic mono 60's LP's selling in the single figures, and most assuredly not to forget the vinyl collections being dumped wholesale 'cos anyone could see that CD's were the future. Perfect sound forever and all that. And I'd be remiss to neglect mentioning the scads of ultra obscure seventies/eighties punk / DIY literally (and make no mistake, figuratively) turning up for pfennigs, kroner, francs, and so on.
Certain of which could be re-sold for a tidy return, or at least enough to underwrite the next junket.
So even as the golden discoveries of yore have surely, for the most part, entered the realm of fondly recalled nostalgia, one never knows. Being innit to winnit, and such still holds.
Lastly, it is somehow refreshing to attend an event that engages the collective collecting juices to the degree that Utrecht does. Anyone who has ever been to a record fair knows the sort of aberrant cross-sections of society they tend to attract. Well, in this regard Utrecht takes second place to no like focused event I've ever attended. Add to this the fact that simultaneously, in the same complex, there are comic book, coin, philately, movie poster, toy, beer stein, moor lamp, used shoe, you name it, collectors/dealers all in attendance, and the crazed sweep of this conclave resonates far beyond the walls of the hall, evidenced in the mad cackles of frenzied commerce, the despondent glazed glare of the thwarted enthusiast who
just missed scoring the find of a lifetime, the labored grimaces of all too many of the attendees, the fevered outpourings of greed, lust, envy, delight & varied sentiments I will not attempt to categorize. All of which combine to raise a smile on my jaded mug, knowing that, whatever my personal afflictions regarding this sort of thing may be, amongst this ever shifting mass of passionately engaged societal outliers I am amongst my own . Or at least a few of 'em...
This link provides a much more detailed sense of the event. If one ever has the chance, and is inclined towards this sort of thing,it is certainly possible to do worse than to pencil in a pilgrimage to Utrecht before becoming at one with dust.
http://www.recordplanet.nl/
