Memories: 12 Records for Just a Single Cent?

    By
    Steve Novotney
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    A logo.
    Most kids my ages took advantage of the "12 for a Penny" deal, and then let our parents deal with the aftermath.

    There’s no way.

    It had to be too good to be true. Or a scam. What’s the catch? That’s what everyone asked. Or should have anyway.

    But we were kids. We didn’t think like that. We didn’t care. We just wanted it. All of it.

    And for a young teenager with a new, three-in-one stereo during his early teens, it was a God-sent opportunity to climb the social ladder of adolescence and a chance to be a part of the Top 100 conversation. That’s because back in the 1980’s, mainstream music was as important as your schoolwork, and memorizing the words to the new No. 1 rock song was just as important as knowing your prayers at church.

    An old stereo.
    All-in-one stereo systems were all the rage in the 1980s.

    There were waves of bands singing about American romance and a British invasion that soiled the U.S. with a new sound. Movie soundtracks became best sellers and the slow dance evolved into a circular artform at those summer night Park Dances.

    So, 12 choices for a single cent? In 1982? Right when disco was dying and rock n’ roll was intro-mixed with Michael Jackson? When lots of bands were playing the Wheeling Civic Center and HiFi sound systems were the must-have at home and in the car? When radio DJs were more popular than the Pope and Request Line numbers were dialed more often than the girlfriend’s?

    It was the best of times when Slater’s or National Record Mart in downtown Wheeling had the newest KISS or Styx vinyl, but it was the worst of times when Pink Floyd’s David Gilmour called us out for being lost souls swimming in fish bowls during those teenage years.

    Album covers.
    Cassette tapes and vinyl records were what we had forty years ago.

    But 12 albums? For a penny? It was like we’d found the Holy Grail of the 198O’s because, as most know, making and enjoying music is the finest thing humans can do with idle time and we had plenty of that “back in the day.”

    So, that first order from a little more than 40 years ago likely looked a lot like this listing:

    • Thriller – Michael Jackson
    • Combat Rock – The Clash
    • 1999 – Prince
    • American Fool – John Cougar
    • Abracadabra – Steve Miller Band
    • ACDC – Back in Black
    • Eye in the Sky – The Alan Parson Project
    • Rock and Roll Over – KISS
    • The Wall – Pink Floyd
    • Rust Never Sleeps – Neil Young
    • Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
    • Low Budget – The Kinks

    Those were the bands we listened to and talked about, and “Billie Jean,” “Little Red Corvette,” and “Hells Bells” were the tunes we kinda tried to sing with those Peter “Squeaky” Brady voices.

    Album covers.
    Sometimes it doesn’t matter how new or old the music is when considering your favorites.

    Since, though, rock n’ roll is now “classic” rock, country has evolved away from Conway Twitty and traveled back to that Johnny Cash style thanks to Chris Stapleton, and Pop Music died with the one-gloved King Michael back in 2009. Some preferences, though, have remained, and that’s why, this time, my choices are based on much more than high school crushes and outside influences.

    • 10 – Pearl Jam
    • What’s Going On – Marvin Gaye
    • White Album – The Beatles
    • Thriller – Michael Jackson
    • Purple Rain – Prince
    • American Beauty – Grateful Dead
    • ACDC – Back in Black
    • Hotel California – The Eagles
    • Greatest Hits – Billy Joel
    • The Wall – Pink Floyd
    • Rumours – Fleetwood Mac
    • Adrian Niles – Greatest Hits
    Album covers.
    Everyone has their favorite bands and songs thanks to years of paying attention to the recording and sales industries.

    So, gotta admit, this little exercise has revealed a few things about my music appreciation.

    1. The many years of attending Jamboree in the Hills did not result in a long-time love for any one country music album or artist.
    2. Music can define, change, and create mood, and that’s why I formed my adult list with emotion in mind.
    3. I must have been a decent judge of music during my youth because there’s a few albums that appear on both listings.

    Now, neither listing includes opera, but I love to listen to the late Luciano Pavarotti. There’s no classical, but I strongly recommend attending a Masterworks performance by the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra. No Dave Matthews, Phish, The Police, U2, Peter Gabriel, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, or Led Zepplin, and unfortunately, Adrian Niles has not YET released a Greatest Hits collection (a fan can hope), but music is magic for the creator and for the listener.

    We knew that fact four decades ago, and we cherish that same truth today.

    And hey who knows, maybe iTunes will offer 12 classic online collections for a penny someday soon. If so, what’s your dozen?

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    Adrian Niles is a singer/songwriter from the Wheeling area who performed throughout the tri-state region.