I've been a lucky man lately. Not only have I managed to shed 7 pounds without calling my daily Monster Burger diet off, but for two straight weeks I have managed to score a few good records for just a few bucks. Last Tuesday, I had less than 30 minutes to kill between work and Seinfeld, so I decided to give my local record store a try. Drove back from work past one of the two bridges that unite Tampa to the St. Pete/Clearwater area at speeds topping 75 MPH and even though that may not sound excessively fast, it sure felt like I was taking off in a rocket to the moon inside my '92 broken-muffled Buick Riviera. It was all worthy. The total number of records I scored was a respectable 5. The store clerks were spinning Echo & The Bunnymen's Greatest Hits (which I totally dig) along that nifty last LCD Soundsystem record, which made for a nice hunting experience.

The first record to catch my eye was the Dead Kennedy's Plastic Surgery Disasters & In God We Trust, Inc. (Alternative Tentacles), which packages this seminal San Francisco band second full-length with its preceding EP into one. For a buck, this is a fantastic find; rarely do we get to see punk classics in $0.99 bins. Along with Black Flag and Minor Threat, DK is without a doubt one of the five most influential punk rock bands of the 80’s. There really was no band that could have played a song like "Nazi Punk Fuck Off" and "We've Got a Bigger Problem Now" like Jello and company and still manage to be totally obnoxious and infectious at the same time. Also, the collage in the insert alone is worth a lot more than $0.99.

Doremi Fasol Latido (One Way) is the third release by classic British combo Hawkwind. Formed in 1969 the band initially specialized in blues rock but would quickly shift gears and become one of the pioneers of the so-called space rock genre, also known as 'drug rock' by those who believed Alf was a real space monster. Listening to this 1972 release is like checking a more rustic version of the first three Monster Magnet records. MM's Dave Wyndorf is in fact such an ardent fan that he covered Hawkwind's "Brainstorm" on his band's classic third release SuperJudge, which by the way totally sounds like Doremi Fasol Latido on steroids. The songs are long and spacey and with a strong hard rock backbone remind you of the hallucinogenic effect that excessive drug usage can have in music. The tempo is usually locked throughout the songs and there is a psychedelic tone that distances Hawkwind from your average 70's hard rock band. One more reason why metal fans should care; at the time the band featured in its ranks a seedy looking dude named Lemmy The Lurch, a few years later he’d christened himself Lemmy Kilmister and form the legendary Motorhead.

At that time the store's stereo started playing Serge Gainsbourg and I got totally distracted fancying myself Jean-Paul Belmondo in Godard's Breathless. Still, daydreaming and all, there was no way to miss Tricky. In the know fans of trip hop (a term he despises) probably had a field day after this was released back in 1995. After leaving the successful Massive Attack Adrian Thaws, released his debut Maxinquaye (Virgin) (named after his mother, who committed suicide when he was only four, she was also allegedly the half sister of singer Finley Quaye) to much deserved success. Featuring the vocals of his then girlfriend Martina Topley-Bird, Alison Goldfrapp (of Goldfrapp fame) and Ragga this album swiftly mixes soul, dub, rock, rap and electronica. Maxinquaye is absolutely essential for people digging mood in their music. The record samples Isaac Hayes and The Shakespeare Sisters and covers Public Enemy's "Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos". For $0.99 record hunting doesn't get any better than this.

My next pick responds to my 'get all the aggressive music you can as long as it's under $1.50' kick. Ironbound NYC (Thorp) is a project formed by members of Sick Of It All, Maximum Penalty, Killing Time, Nausea, Chronic Fear and Straight Ahead. In With a Brick, the band attempts to channel the old school NY hardcore sound that thrived during the CBGB's Sunday matinee shows. Do they succeed? Sure, it totally sounds like one would expect a bunch of tough guys from Little Italy to sound. This is aggressive burly hardcore with nothing outstanding about it. It kind of disappoints because experienced heavyweights should make heavyweight music, but just because it is heavyweight music does not mean it's any good. I mean, at some point we should all make a decision as to what's more important; guitar playing or lifting weights, or guitar playing or eating pasta at uncle Vinny's place.

Last but not least was Gomez' debut album Bring It On. Another great find for the unbeatable price of $0.99. I was familiar with these Brits through word of mouth but had never had the pleasure of listening to them. Bring It On is the record that won them the Mercury Music Prize, beating heavyweights like Massive Attack's Mezzanine, and The Verve's Urban Hymns. And damn if it does not live up to the hype. Listening to this mish mash of laid-back tunes at times heavily influenced by Tom Waits and at others coming as an improved version of bands with a sound akin to Soul Coughing, Bring It On packs a few exceptional tunes inside. Even though they have been able to follow this debut with consistently good albums, the press has never been as ass-kissing as it was when Bring It On was released.

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