Although there’s been plenty of good new music released in the past year or so, some of us still love the old stuff too. When the world moved from records to CDs in the 1980s, quite a few excellent albums were left behind. Consequently, the “invisible ear” of music appreciation has moved in to fill the void for the vinyl-challenged among us.

Planet Xtabay serves up some of the finest Exotica available anywhere. If you’re searching for out of print Les Baxter records, bongo music compilations, or even just exploring Exotica in general, Planet Xtabay is worth a look. Don’t miss their links to other vinyl sharity sites!

Chris Goes Rock is run by a Swede with an insanely deep collection of late 60’s - early 70’s acid rock. One stop shopping for pre-Motorhead Lemmy, Electric Prunes bootlegs, and obscure Atomic Rooster albums.

Mexicovers proprietor Sr. Mexican’t serves up some special south of the border vinyl, and he’s also got a wonderful collection of Mexican album covers. And if you practice an “English First” policy when browsing bad cover art, Zonicweb’s Museum of Bad Album Covers should provide plenty of amusement in a less cross-cultural setting.

By now you’ve probably killed enough time looking at covers to get another free download from rapidshare! More excellent collections can be found at Soundsational, Rato Records, and PCL LinkDump. If you know of others that rock, swing, or otherwise are worth a look, please post them in the comments!

Saw a fine documentary on IFC the other morning called Desperate Man Blues. The film is about Joe Bussard, a record collector from Maryland with a basement full of 78s, comprising what may be the finest collection of prewar country and blues anywhere. The film was largely shot in Bussard’s basement (where John Fahey cut his first records for Bussard’s Fonotone label), with him spinning records and telling stories. And dancing.

Bussard’s not a fan of the new stuff though, as he told the Washington City Paper in a 1998 interview:

The very term “folk music” rankles him: The music he worships was made by professionals‹backwoods or no‹and released on commercial records that were revolutionary in their day. He dismisses Dylan as “shit,” but then again he despises all forms of rock ‘n’ roll, which to him is no more than the cuss-word verb of its original meaning, a blues double-entendre for fucking. He similarly rejects all country music made after ‘53, saying it was finished when Hank Williams croaked in the back of that Cadillac in West Virginia. As for jazz, well, that died out around ‘33, murdered in cold blood by the Depression and the arrival of the big bands. When told about the so-called swing revival, he nearly chokes on his cigar, incredulous that anyone would bother resurrecting the brassy dreck of the Dorseys and their ilk.

If you’re into the old time music, you can order custom mix tapes from Joe’s collection, and he’s put out a compilation of his favorites. He also does a weekly radio show that’s available online (if you have the dreaded RealPlayer).

If you come across Desperate Man Blues, it’s definitely worth an hour of your time.

The Egotar is an interesting instrument, if you don’t mind the Frankenstein nature of a 4×4 bolted onto a cheap 4-string. It ain’t pretty, but the one-handed slide setup is ingenious, and looks like it might be more fun than a standard pedal steel. Great for amputees, or anyone who wants a hand free to smoke and drink while they play. Might have to build one myself…

Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant (creators of The Office and Extras) are doing a weekly podcast. The show is a mixture of comedy, chat,and monkey news. You should probably be listening.