How much would you pay for an original copy of The Beatles’ Abbey Road? If you shop at Better Records, the answer is plenty: $650. Other staples from the heyday of vinyl command equally astronomical prices. Fleetwood Mac’s eponymous LP: $500. The Police’s Synchronicity: $350. Even kitsch like The B-52s is a sticker shocker at $220.
And that’s the cheap stuff. Prices for wish list titles like The Who’s Tommy, Pink Floyd’s The Wall, and The Beatles’ White Album would make a military contractor blush: $1,000.
Price gouging? Not according to Better Records owner Tom Port. He thinks a thousand bucks is a bargain to hear a classic rock opus sound better than you’ve ever heard it sound before—stoned or sober.
Hologram tomfoolery + hot stampers equals today’s snake oil salesman extraordinaire. A $5 dollar used Lp really is a $5 dollar used LP. (I’ve bought and sold vinyl for over 50 years.)