Remember When...? The Midwest Edition

"Remember when...? is the lowest form of conversation" - Tony Soprano

Sorry, Tony, this isn't Jersey.

image via Von Munz's site

Remember Milwaukee's The Mistreaters? How about Detroit's the White Stripes? Atomic Records has a very cool Von Munz screen print on a thrifted LP for sale, which is notable for being the first screen print of a White Stripes gig poster. Limited edition and numbered, $50.

image via wikipedia

Remember Dayton, Ohio, group Guided by Voices' Propeller? I have an LP copy of the 2005 release with the cover pictured above, and recently noticed that it was hand numbered 14/500, so I thought something about it might be special. After a cursory search, it isn't worth any more than I paid for it, but I wasn't expecting much. I knew the original pressing was limited to 500 copies, each with a various handmade cover, and still sells for a lot of money, I just didn't know how much.
My search revealed one of the 1992 Propeller LPs, currently listed on eBay for $1,325 with 19 bids on it. Finding this reminded me of going over to friends' houses when I was little and seeing their Barbies still in the boxes, high up out of reach, along with the hopes of them being worth something someday. It made me sad, even then, when something that was made to be enjoyed sat so far out of reach of our young, grubby hands. It makes me sad now that some big-shot collector, and probably not one of GbV's biggest fans will have this item just to have it, not enjoy it.

image via Google images

Remember when Buddy Holly died in a plane crash 50 years ago today in Iowa? You probably don't, but you do know of the legacy he left on music. The Beatles wouldn't be called the Beatles if Holly's backing band wasn't The Crickets, and the Rolling Stones may not have transcended obscurity if they didn't cover his "Not Fade Away." Can you imagine Elvis Costello without nerd glasses or Weezer without the Happy Days video? Holly is also notable for writing his own songs, a cue a then-unknown Bob Dylan picked up on after filling in on tour, directly after Holly's death.

image via myspace

Remember garage rock? Detroit's The Von Bondies put a glossy sheen on it and try to keep it alive on their latest, Love, Hate and Then There's You, out today. Video for "Pale Bride," a slacker love tune, with the same sing-along vocals of "C'Mon, C'Mon:"