I’ve been going to Good Records for some time now, though I wouldn’t call myself an expert on the store. Given its recognition as the Best Record Store in Dallas, I thought it was time to go straight to the expert–co-owner Chris Penn–to hear about the coolest (and weirdest) records in its inventory. I had dreamed of being shown an ancient, long-lost copy of The Beatles’ Carnival of Light, but what I found instead was a little less dusty and stained. Not that I should have been surprised: Good Records is, after all, a store that predominately sells new vinyl and CDs. Used music is bought and sold, but until Sir Paul walks into the store and hands over his copy of Carnival, I guess I’ll just have to wait. Until then, it’s 3-D and scratch-and-sniff vinyl, “nothing too too out of the ordinary.” Right, Chris.
1. Brightblack Morning Light, Brightblack Morning Light, $25.99 (see photo at top)
“It’s a guy and a girl, and they live in a teepee in New Mexico. They played here for my 38th birthday. Total psychedelic. It comes with 3-D prismatic glasses. It’s got a gatefold, and it totally suits the music. We love the album in general, but it’s got that thing you can only get with vinyl–you can’t get 3-D glasses with a download,” Chris says.
2. Dandelion Gum, Black Moth Super Rainbow, $24.99
“The whole thing is scented like bubblegum. I think they shot a fragrance into the jacket so when you pull it out it has that scent. The vinyl of the album is a real cool pink swirl, so it kinda fit the whole gum motif as well. Every week and a half we sell one or two of them. They did an in-store here for South by Southwest about six years ago. They sat on the stage Indian-style, and nobody knew who they were. They’ve got another album that smells like rotten tomatoes. I like that album, but who wants to smell like rotten tomatoes?” Chris says.
3. Neil Young box set, $354.99
It’s not Chris’s favorite thing in the store – that would be the autographed Black Sabbath and Alice Cooper posters – but it is his favorite thing for sale in the store. It’s exhaustive video and audio, and the Blu-ray allows the user access to an online site where Neil Young can continuously add content as well.
Harrison Smith is a D Magazine intern.
