iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 14/10/2026

Never seen all those modern films, they looked tedious. surely this is what hobbits look like? 😀

MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 08/10/2026

A couple of £1 finds today: Virginia Astley four track EP (two are from Gardens..., one from the next LP, one not on an LP I think). Hoped it was going to be more non-LP stuff. Susan Maughan "Hey Look Me Over" - jazz vocal, including a bunch of pop covers

Two record sleeves , first is cream with a relaxing photo of an old bridge over a still river or lake, second has black background with the singer in a brightly coloured mini dress

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Didn't buy it (probably would have done for a quid!) but love this very Blue Note looking Cherry Wainer LP sleeve I saw earlier

Cherry Wainer "Waltzes in Swingtime" on Top Rank. Sleeve is divided into a grid with colourful stylised instruments and a monochrome photo of Ms. Wainer

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Besides a Hawaiian shirt, final charity shop purchase today was a book that looked interesting, from the Jazz Book Club series. Paul Oliver "Blues Fell This Morning"

Old hardback book, monochrome cream/brown dust cover with stylised engraving or drawing of a trumpet, clarinet and trombone and piano keyboard

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

The rest of today's charity shop finds. Second chance for John Edwards - had it back in the 90s but got rid off as it wasn't funky enough! Gogi Grant is spirituals with Billy May arranging, XALOC - comp of "United Kingdom Goans" (no idea!), and "Nigeria, Musiques Du Plateau" on Ocora

Four LP sleeves - John Edwards (and some female friends) on a Merry-go-round, Gogi Grant "If you want to get to Heaven... Shout" with blue/white photo of her singing, XALOC has a bunch of the Goan artists on London's south bank, and Ocora Nigeria LP has brown sleeve and someone in traditional dress holding a rectangular instrument

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

If only more Internet comment sections were this friendly!

Screenshot of two comments, first saying "very nice" and a reply underneath saying "I agree"

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Charity buy this afternoon - Flowchart "Tenjira". Four track EP of mellow electronica 🌞 #12inchTuesday

Brightly coloured record sleeve with a cartoon-ish sun with a smiling face. The sun is wearing headphones and half hidden behind two green hills.

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Three for a pound CDs from last week, apologies for crap photo. Pleased to find the Charlotte Grieg having bought the posthumous reissue of "Night Visiting Songs" LP, another folky one is Trefor & Vicki Williams which was just a punt to make up numbers but is nice, other is The Simonsound

Three CDs in jewel cases - Charlotte Grieg "Winter Woods", The Simonsound "Reverse Engineering", Trevor & Vicki Williams "The Bare Branch"

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Looks like an Italian guitar? @dimorphodons.bsky.social will know! Clearer pic here, but I can't read the headstock, "Bar" something?

Hubert Sumlin in a 60s suit and tie, playing a white Fender style electric guitar with ornate scratch plate and lots of switches

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

Looks like a Gibson style guitar, just visible above the railings on the right hand side

Close up showing an electric guitar headstock just creeping into shot in front of a standing Howlin' Wolf

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

Soundway stuff is pretty good value for money I think? Went to a local new records shop to get the Womack Sisters LP and also bought these two. 🇰🇪 Kenya Special is a triple LP with bonus 45 and bandcamp link (£31.99) and 🇬🇾 Yoruba Singers reissue was £12.99

Two LP sleeves - Kenya Special comp and The Yoruba Singers "Ojinga's Own" with the band wearing African robes in front of what looks like a little model version of the Georgetown lighthouse (red/white vertical stripes)

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

This is nice - reissue of a tape-only 80s release: Alice Damon "Windsong". A track is on the "I Am The Center" new age comp (which I've not listened to enough, the curse of the boxset). Was in the half price box in Casbah in Greenwich

LP sleeve in shrinkwrap, with pale blue neat lettering and a circular motif on a white background

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

25p CD from last week - The Red Stripe Ebony Steel Presents Popular Beatles Songs This was actually on my Discogs wantlist although I don't remember adding it, guess someone must have recommended it years ago? #NowPlaying

CD jewel case, booklet has picture of the sea with palm trees silhouetted against a very red sunset

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 20/09/2026

Guy at a local jumble trail this morning was selling a box of tatty pop 45s he'd had in a jukebox. Also in there were some of his mum's old "lovers rock" (his words). Besides uninteresting Trojan stuff etc there were a few more interesting JA 45s. £1 each 😃 Details in alt. #WeekendSingles

Lloyd Parks "Slaving" on a white label "blank"

Baba Brooks "Distant Drums" / Larry Marshall "Too Young to Love" on Top Deck

Giggs & Wilson "If you want Pardon" / Baba Brooks "Musical Communion" on a black Dutchess label

Derrick Morgan "Me Naw Give Up" / Baba Brooks "Dreadnought" on Beverley's

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Solitary charity shop find this week, Asha Puthli's fourth album "L'Indiana" (no poster). Don't have her others, this is ok euro disco. This copy is Italian, looks like other countries got versions with fewer tracks but extended mixes...

LP album sleeve with photo of Asha Puthli against a purple-ish lit background with her hands either side of her face, and the text "ASHA" and "L'INDIANA" in white block lettering on her hair/hat(?)

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Third and final record from the fair last week: Webley Edwards "Fire Goddess" He presented a long running radio show from Hawaii, and this is a bit more authentic than most Exotica LPs. Have another of his LPs somewhere and also a couple of good ones by a singer from his show

Laminated UK LP sleeve of Webley Edwards "Fire Goddess" on Capitol Records. Cover is solid black with a woman with heavy eye makeup (and no top on!) staring intently at the viewer and holding two burning bowls at arm's length

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Another purchase from the Spitalfields fair last week. Couple of tracks by the Chantells that aren't on the LP - I'll Never Fall In Love / Hey You (Think both are covers but can't remember who else did them now, b-side is loosely based on the Impressions "You Always Hurt Me")

Jamaican Phase One label 12" with yellow deep groove label and a white and red "Disco 45" company sleeve

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

A long time want found at Spitalfields last week, hardly ever seems to turn up. Is a bit scruffy but was pretty cheap. Love a version of "Taboo" and this is one of my favourites. The Caribs were Australian (I think) musicians who recorded for Chris Blackwell in Jamaica before he moved to the UK

Close up of a slightly scruffy label of a UK "Starlite" 45, with gold type on a purple background.

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

Found this Ted Heath 45 for 50p today, never knew he covered The Sidewinder, not too bad a version I guess

Close up of a navy blue UK Decca label 45 with push-out centre in a Decca company sleeve

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Just caught a bit of Al Jazeera, and currently Canadian economist Armine Yalnizyan is being interviewed from home (presumably) in front of what looks like an impressive record collection

Screenshot of the Al Jazeera live feed showing a woman in a red top in the corner of what looks like a room full of vinyl

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Not found much lately but did find a few nice early stereo classical LPs yesterday. Asked if they had any more in case there was more of a collection out the back, but not. Was also a Michael Rabin (w/orchestra) but it was only mono

David Oistrakh Beethoven Violin Concerto on blue/silver Columbia

Rubinstein Beethoven Piano concertos 3 & 4 on RCA Living Stereo, Backhaus Beethoven piano concerto 5 on Decca, Klemperer Beethoven 4 on blue/silver Columbia

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 24/08/2026

Checking out the Oxfam site just now and spotted some bold pricing #VinylStupidity @vinylstupidity.bsky.social

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 16/08/2026

Saw them (as a duo) back in January this year. Also years ago with a much bigger lineup, got into them in about 2010 and got loads of their stuff over the years, but theirs is a confusing discography to follow...

Male/female guitar/vocal duo on a small stage surrounded by large monstera(?) houseplants.

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Strong pricing on the Reader's Digest box sets at the local Mind charity shop

"Fabulous Fifties" box set priced at £50

"Family Favourites" box set priced at £25

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

The Eloise Trio - been after a nice copy of this LP for a while, this from a record fair the other week.

UK Brunswick LP sleeve for The Eloise Trio self titled album. Sleeve has small colour photo of the trio with groovy lettering and the rest of the sleeve filled with black blobs on a white background

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 19/07/2026

Charity find from yesterday - Caterina Valente 10", picked this up for her version of "Similau"

German 10" LP on Polydor - sleeve has colourised photo collage of Caterina Valente, a nightingale, and some bare branches

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Best threads seen today in the charities

Cover of an LP called "Thanks for the Dance" by Ralph Carlson & Country Mile.
Four guys wearing purple suits with white and black jaggedy decorations on the (flares) trouser hems, jacket cuffs, zip fronts, and collars

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

This one? Mine's a 7". It's an EP of Tibetan folk songs (although if Google Translate is correct, the first seems to be about Chairman Mao so not sure how authenticly "folk" that one is?)

Paper cover of Chinese 7" EP, showing a colour drawing of a woman in traditional dress holding a lamb, with a mountain range and red sun rising

Rear cover of the EP with Chinese text translated into English by Google Translate app

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 18/07/2026

Found a few more records on the Chinese state record label lads. All flexidiscs, some nice sleeves for the company sleeve freaks #WeekendSingles

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

Gave the Greek shelf a little sort out last night, this one is not a keeper and is going which is a shame because that's a great sleeve. Record is a compilation given to exhibitors at the 1978 Posidonia International Shipping Exhibition

Record sleeve with white background and a brightly coloured, very stylised cartoon drawing of a mermaid and a sailor with a rainbow.

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

A few finds from the Spitalfields fair - lovely condition Nigerian original of the Sunny Ade (now I need to get rid of the sleeveless UK reissue I found recently!), Michael Raven & Joan Mills "Death and the Lady" RSD reissue, Mary Hopkin "Ocean Song", Anthony Rooley and James Tyler "My Lute Awake!"

Four LP sleeves, three are similar, pale background and central black and white image, the King Sunny Ade is a bright red sleeve with green lettering and photos of him and various women

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 10/07/2026

Sufi "Life's Rising" (1995) Bought this a few months back in Oxfam (so had to pay 2.99 or something). Rudy Tambala from A.R. Kane doing a very mellow thing with his sister Maggie on the short-lived Virgin Ambient Series. Taped this from a friend back in the 90s, not heard it for ages

CD cover in a plastic Djois sleeve, cover photo is the head of a young child on a white and green background

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

The rest of the five for £1 CDs. Had St. Germain on vinyl but sold it a few years back, still have the Air, but these both to go on the MP3 ripping pile. Alice Russell, Evelyn Glennie, William Elliott Whitmore (no idea!), Jazzmatazz 2, Ravel/Debussy string quartets and two early music ones

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

Highlight from a bunch of five for a pound CDs this morning - Tacoma Park "No One Waved Goodbye" (2004). Scottish slo-fi. Only know of this because Numero Group have reissued it

Jewel case, cover shows blurred B&W photo of a pylon, maybe taken from a moving vehicle

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Another garden wall find - someone has been leaving these out, noticed a few more the other day left outside a local church too. Was hoping it would be strange music or failing that spoken word, but seems to be a CDRom and I've not dared actually look yet. Says it contains a PDF and MP3 files...

Home made CD with photocopied insert of tiny writing consisting of Bible references linked in some way

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 08/07/2026

Someone leaves classical CDs outside their house, I think they must be a reviewer because a lot are promos or not even released yet. A lot of mediocre looking stuff but a few interesting titles. Picked this one from 2020 up recently - Estonian composer Cyrillus Kreek (great name!) on ECM

Cyrillus Kreek "The Suspended Harp of Babel", performed by Vox Clamantis on ECM

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Another interesting recent charity shop CD - local one this, all recorded in the Lea Valley, mostly between 1998 and 2000, so well before the Olympics - sounds and and stories of the river Lea in east London

CD jewel case - Peter Cusack "The Horse Was Alive, The Cow Was Dead - Sounds, Stories and People from the Lea Valley, East London"

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 07/07/2026

Couple of recent local charity shop CDs - Arvo Pärt "Miserere" on ECM and Ken Davis "Early Morning in the Rainforest", latter is Australian - field recordings with mellow synths

Two CDs, Arvo Pärt in an outer card slip case - dark green with embossed bronze text, and Ken Davis in standard jewel case with 90s style DTP design

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

I'm enjoying finally having some order in my 45s now after a sort out. Some great tracks on Federal, this is all the ones I have, some good ones here

Nineteen 45s on a dark green Federal label

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 04/07/2026

For the 4th July, a few 45s with USA themed labels...

Al Perkins and Betty Bibbs "Homework" on USA Records

Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings "What If We All Stopped Paying Taxes" / "This Land Is Your Land"

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

Massive Attack have always been a band who cared a great deal about the look of their records, so loving the graphic choice on this bootleg CD of "Protection" I saw earlier 😀

Cover of booklet, looks ok, just a poorer quality copy...

CD itself has "Protection" in red script and a chocolate box-y stock photo of what looks like a canal in Amsterdam

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 30/06/2026

Oh I was just about to post the Kent Harris original! youtu.be/FuY5rBDPuyE

Slightly scuffed US 45 label unreadable marker pen name. Blue label with silver print, for Boogaloo and his Gallant Crew "Clothes Line (Wrap It Up)"

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 27/06/2026

I think this is the earliest track I have by him, just worked out he would have only been 9 or 10 on this! youtu.be/O6niDDf9S2M?...

Fitsy and Freddie "Why Did You Do It" on a red Coxsone label JA 45

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Forgot to attach the photo!

Shop or dealer stamp on the back of an LP, saying "FATHI I GHONEIM / Agent of PYE Radios, Cyrenaica / Sharia Omar Mukhtar"

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Left the Black Lace for another lucky shopper, and picked up these (hopefully slightly better) LPs instead - MJQ, Anita O'Day, Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd, Paddy Roberts, Amália Rodriguez, and a Latin American Mass thing

Six LP sleeves arranged on a floor. MJQ "Blues On Bach", Anita O'Day "Anita" (nice Japanese reissue), Stan Getz & Charlie Byrd "Jazz Samba", Paddy Roberts "Tries Again", Amália Rodrigues "No Olympia", Les Guaranis de Francisco Marin "Misa Por Un Continente"

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MJ @grooves.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Morning! Six months exactly to Christmas 🎄 Time to start thinking about #VinylSanta ...? 🧑‍🎄

Shelf of charity shop records with the Black Lace LP sleeve visible

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