#obviously it didn't work and cue me sitting there for a full 3 seconds going 'why didn't it. wait. why did I think it would?'

[afniel]

AH I REMEMBERED WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY EARLIER but it's kind of stupid, lmao.

So my partner is getting into brewing beer and I got them a Tilt, which is a Bluetooth hydrometer. It measures specific gravity and temperature, which are things you want to know so that you don't kill your yeast or whatever. Except the sensor's Bluetooth range is super short, and it basically runs via a phone app, and the temperature we're logging currently is the crawlspace, accessible via the staircase closet. So they were like, wait, what do we do about this, because I can't leave my phone in the closet, that's my alarm clock.

In a kind of ridiculous turn of life imitating art, I was like, hold up, I got just the thing right at my desk. Bam. Old phone. We just needed to scrounge up a charger because the battery is so dead that after charging just enough to power on it claimed it was at 53% (to be fair to it, there is a very real chance that it's correct, and it just holds no charge at this point so the capacity is just THAT low) and now it lives in the closet logging sensor data.

And I was like, you know...didn't I just solve a major story detail with a much larger version of this...yeah, no, this is all vaguely familiar somehow, power supply issues and all. Kind of cool that the concept works though. Kind of weird that it came up at all?

We are not gonna talk about the fact that I still have at least two more ancient-ass phones in a drawer where that came from because look, man, sometimes you just need a camera/mic/mini computer with Bluetooth and wifi that fits in a pocket, and people just get rid of these things, but not me. I actually could build a shitty security system out of them if I was reaaaally inclined. I mean. I'm not. But it's technically possible.

For real though, If I pick up any stupid maker projects I still high-key am thinking about slapping Bluetooth into a necomimi headset and running that through an Arduino and learning to code just enough to let me skip songs/change the volume on Spotify with my brain, because it's entirely doable, and I mean yeah I could do that on my phone remotely too, but that's not funny, now, is it. I'm just not sure it's $350+ of parts funny. Kind of a big investment just to prove the point that haha look I am the extremely ADHD type of lazy where I would rather solve a problem via the most convoluted and complicated Rube-Goldberg type ass machine way possible rather than just perform a single simple action.

YEAH I'VE BEEN THIS SCATTERED ALL DAY AND I REALLY SHOULD GO TO BED SHOULDN'T I. I started playing Satisfactory. Mistakes were made. I'm going to dream about conveyor belts again and I did it to myself...

[nightwings-circus]

Gasoline tears

A/N: even though it isnt technically "popular" all the likes on my first fic on here mean so much to me!!!!! im gonna try hard to write quality shit for everyone xx feel free to dm me to be on my tag list, or to submit requests :) feel free to ask me and submit shit on my asks. enjoy!!!! Also I wanna mention any Jason or nightwing fic I write, I’ll probably use pictures from both titans and the comics/cartoons.I headcanon Jason’s actor to genuinely be very similar (not in storyline obviously) and so that’s why :) also brendon was just a really cute nightwing lol. None of it is specifically titans fic tho as that isn’t how I think Jason was (in season 3 at least).

description: Jason toddxfem! reader. fluff and angst, also arguing. obvious language warning, also some light smut, no actual sex just some pretty heated make out sesh.Jason has been working on his bike a lot so you've been spending time with his brother Dick, cue to a heated debate followed, a lot of possessiveness and jealousy followed by some sexy making out.enjoyyyyyy!

word count; 841 words

Dick laughed as game over flooded the TV screen and you threw the controller softly at him.

"fuck you Grayson. how are you so good at this damn game?!" you giggled, trying to sound angry. you had been trying to beat his high score for weeks now, anytime he would come over you guys would spend hours playing while Jason worked on his bike. you had been lonely, and the company had been really nice.

"a master never reveals their secrets," he chuckled, but a loud slam of a door startled you both. Dick whipped around as you jumped, turning to see your boyfriend standing there.

"Hey love," you smiled at him, slowly standing to go hug him but he just stared at you with cold eyes as he leaned against the wall.

"Dick can you leave please," Jay's voice was rough, full of spite. you didn't know what was up with him, but you had a feeling you were gonna find out whether you wanted to or not. Dick stood up, nodded, and left without a word as you quickly turned the game off. the door closed with a soft click and you could see Jason start to shake slightly. you hadn't seen him like this in a long time, and it scared you.

"so this is what you've been fucking doing huh? i never get to see my girl anymore cause she's been with Dick fucking Grayson, boy wonder." he snapped, voice shaking and spitting venom when he says Dick's name. "I've shared fucking everything with him, now I'm coming in second with my own fucking girlfriend." you stopped dead, mouth hung open slightly.

"that's what you're freaking out about? me hanging out with your brother? are you kidding me," you laughed in shock and stared at him, and you seen rage flash into his blue/green eyes.

"you don't even give a fuck. why the fuck should I," he growled and went to your shared bedroom with you trailing behind. you watched as he yanked a black duffel bag out of the closet, making your heart drop to your stomach and blood rush to your ears.

"Jay don't. please just talk to me I'm sorry okay please," you grabbed his shoulder and he spun to face you, tears slowly forming.

"I really thought this was it. then all of a sudden a month of not seeing you unless I'm sitting in the Livingroom playing that fucking game with you, you stopped coming to spend time while i worked on the bike, all cause of Dickhead," you could hear the hurt in his voice and it broke your heart, you'd never meant to make him feel like this or make him mad at his brother.

you sighed and tears started to well up in your eyes.

"jay... im so sorry love," your voice trembled

“I’m so sorry I never meant to hurt you. I do care I do love you, nothing is going on between me and him. You’re still my everything,” your voice was so shaky that you were surprised you could even get the words out. Tears fell and Jason looked at you with pain filled eyes,

“I just don’t get where my princess went babe,” he choked out

“we were so happy and now it’s like you want nothing to do with me.���

“I’ll always want everything to do with you jay. I’m yours forever,” he smiled softly as he heard the pure love in your voice.

“Fuckin better be,” he was in a full smirk now, dropping his bag and pressing his taller frame against you, slowly dragging his hands up to your waist and pulling you into him even more. Being against Jason was like heaven, and when he pressed his lips against yours you swore every time that the universe around you stopped. His tongue entered your mouth with a hunger, and your lips moved in sync as he kissed you roughly.

This might leave some bruises, you thought. You didn’t care, jay bruising you was one of your favourite things. Jason’s hands trailed up until they hit your breasts and you both moaned softly into each other’s mouths, the taste of him was so bitter sweet, all sour candy and cigarettes, a perfect combination that drove you wild. He bit your lip and you moaned softly again.

“You’re fucking mine princess,” he growled, voice thick with possession.

“All. Fucking. Mine.”

He was so hot when he got like this, it was no secret Jason Todd was jealous and protective, but you loved it, it sent a flame alight inside you that only he could help.

“Why doesn’t my gorgeous girl show me just how much she’s mine tonight,” he smirked, the classic Jason Todd look that meant you were in for a treat, before he slowly started to kiss down your neck. He stopped to kiss your chest and you moaned softly again, savouring in this moment.

“Yes please Jay,” you whimpered.

“Good baby, now let’s see just how pretty you sound tonight.”

[horunicorn]

Oya Oya

Hewwo :3 I have written much smut but this is my first time making it public. Sorry it came out so long. Feel free to point out any mistakes.

Warnings: choking, dominance

The fusuma slammed shut behind you, rattling the shōji across the room, after he'd pushed you rather roughly into his room at the Shinsengumi dorm. You were honestly surprised the kumiko didn't fall apart.

"What the hell, Y/N?"

You curled your lip up at him defiantly. "What?"

"Don't 'what' me," he warned, pacing to and fro in front of the door, clearly agitated. Then again, the man did have a short fuse. "Who gave you permission to hang with the Yorozuya bastard? Is that what you do behind my back?"

His accusation flipped your entire mood over. You were cheeky before; now you were pissed. What right did he have to point fingers at you? After all, he was the one who pushed you to do it. For three weeks, you had been patient while he worked. Of course, since he lived where he worked, it seemed like he was never free, always balancing his vice commander duties in and out of the headquarters. He did ask for your permission before going on cases, to make sure that you were okay with him doing overtime on certain days. And you always assured him that you would wait for him, no matter how busy some days could get. You always told him that it was okay to put his job first when he needed to. But that didn't mean he could take advantage of your understanding, did it?

The guy was smarter than most; he picked up on hints and cues effortlessly, especially if they were from you. So why had he been so oblivious to your subtle advances these past weeks?

"Who are you to tell me who I can or cannot be friends with?" you snapped back, temper flaring.

"You know very well who I am and what I can and cannot do," he answered, a little condescendingly.

"Yeah, well, you should also know that Gin-san gives me way more attention than you do," you uttered rashly. It was how you felt on the inside. After so many days of neglect by Hijikata, Gintoki's friendly affection towards you had you hooked in like fish to bait. Every smile and head smack he gave you fed your growing hunger for a man you couldn't get to and yet you still went on with it. You hung around Gintoki, longing for Hijikata, for something physical, just to take away the ache of missing the vice commander.

"What did you say?" Hijikata's tight voice betrayed the anger that was sparking inside him. The thought of you just being in Gintoki's presence was enough to provoke him. Confirmation that you let him touch you - nevermind if it was just playful shoves or shoulder bumping - flooded his vision with red. "You let him touch you?"

You scoffed at his ridiculous jealousy. "I'm not a slut. All Gin-san did was listen to me when I was alone. He kept me company."

True, you worked eight hours a day but the tiredness didn't mean that you didn't want to talk late into the night.

"Company, huh?" Hijikata crossed the room to stand in front of you so fast that you had to double check the spot he was previously at, just to be sure. He was a head taller than you. Now that he was all riled up, his presence was intimidating, especially since you had to look up to meet his eyes. "It just had to be him?"

You knew better. If you let him go on, you would have angry make up sex in seconds. This was a matter that needed talking through, not blind fucking. You pushed him away harshly, much to his surprise.

"We're not in a movie, Hijikata." Ah, using his family name when you were alone was never a good sign. "You can't just fuck me and be done with it."

A thought crossed your mind. Maybe it wasn't that he was busy. Maybe it was you who had done things wrongly. If you hadn't dropped all those stupid hints and just came straight forward with your needs, you needn't have had to feel the pain of ignorance from him. Your low self-esteem came racing back to you.

It was my fault. I didn't talk to him.

"I'm sorry," you choked out, turning away from him. Your sudden change in demeanor startled him but it wasn't something he hadn't experienced before.

Just like that, his anger melted away. He stepped towards you, pulling your reluctant form into his arms.

"You shouldn't have to apologize for anything," Hijikata sighed, one hand carefully cupping the back of your head. When his temper wasn't in the way, he saw things much clearer. "It was wrong of me to accuse you like that, especially since I know how much I've been neglecting you. I just didn't like the fact that of all the people to go to attention for, it was him." Hijikata said him with visible distaste. You relaxed against him, calmer now that he was no longer angry, that he had assured you it was not your fault.

"But I like him," you protested.

"Could you not like anyone else?"

"You hate everyone else, except the gorilla and he's infatuated with Otae-chan."

"Are you saying you'd go to Kondo-san if you could?" Hijikata teased, instantly lightening the atmosphere.

With that you ducked out of his embrace. "Please. I don't do stalkers." Hijikata was quick to catch you again though, this time from behind. He placed a gentle kiss to the shell of your ear.

"If you hadn't gotten caught today," he began, "I would have shown my appreciation for your patience in a different way."

"You have something planned?" you asked excitedly, happy that he had been thinking of you too.

"I did," he confirmed in the past tense. "But I can't get Yorozuya's stupid smug face out of my mind."

You knew all too well why. You knew that hanging out with Gintoki came with a punishment if you were caught. Before you could respond, Hijikata had a hand locked around your neck, with pressure not enough to choke but just enough that made swallowing difficult.

"Sometimes I think you let yourself get caught on purpose," he went on in a low voice, free hand travelling down your left arm and tugging it behind your back. He had you in a hold you didn't have any intention of breaking out of. Indeed, just the feeling of his hand on your throat had you weak at the knees, ready to be ruined by him.

"T - Tōshi," you managed, voice strangled by the hand on your windpipe. "Hard to... breathe."

"But you like this, don't you?" He purred. "You want to be choked like the little slut you are."

Oh, there was no denying how much his words were turning you on. Getting choked with his hand was good. Getting choked on his cock was better and you were more than eager for it.

"Choke... me with... your...cock..." Earlier misgivings forgotten, you wanted nothing more than for him to use you. It was all you had wanted since using Gintoki as a filler. His attention.

"Mm, I don't think so, baby girl," he murmured, finally releasing you from his hold only to take your hand and drag you down onto his futon. "I want to give, not take. And I expect thanks."

Translation: I will fuck you senseless and you will be vocal about it.

"Dont you think you can punish me better if - " Your question was cut short by a gasping inhale. Hijikata had somehow managed to loosen the knots of the date-jime that held your nagajuban and kimono together amidst everything and was now shamelessly pushing his fingers between your damp labia, hand disappearing in the folds of the cloth. Immediately, your hips moved up, asking for more when he'd barely begun. He murmured an amused "oya oya" upon finding the absence of underwear on you.

"I think you've been wetter than this, haven't you?" Deviously, Hijikata poked two fingers into your hole without any warning. There hadn't been much foreplay but could you really complain when you were swallowing his fingers like the greedy whore you were? He pulled his fingers out along with your arousal and spread it over your clit, rubbing in tantalizing circles, like a taunt.

"You're going to tease me," you stated, breathless already.

"Just for now," he promised, the sensitive nub slipping between his pointer finger and middle finger. Your nerve endings fired, sending thick coils of pleasure up your body. Again, your hips moved up.

Hijikata chose that moment to take his hands off of you. He sat back on his heels, hands placed perfectly on his lap. Disheveled and disgruntled, you forced your pleasure-weak body into motion, sitting up with your kimono loose around you, one side sliding down to bare a shoulder.

This was no dream: your body had flaws everywhere. Beauty marks on your skin, scars from being clumsy, skin that wasn't silky smooth or creamy white. You felt very small when you walked past some women on the streets but Hijikata always made you feel perfect. He loved every one of your imperfections, which encouraged you at times like these.

"Frustrated?" he smirked and you wondered just what he was playing at. Unbothered, you knee-walked closer, until you were parked right in front of him. Your hands grasped at the lapels of his uniform jacket. The familiar musk of cigarette smoke wafted up your nostrils, further turning you on. His gaze was hot on you; you could feel it despite not looking at him. Deliberate in your movements, you pushed the jacket off then proceeded to unbutton his vest and undo the knot of the white scarf around his neck. You were busy working on his shirt when he caught your hand, bringing it up to his mouth.

The contact of the softness of his lips against your skin made your thoughts fuzzy. His stare lingered on you and your restraint broke. You crashed your lips into his, claiming your pleasure, trying to pacify your desire for him. He indulged you, using a hand to hold your head steady. You kissed and kissed until there was no more breath to breathe between the both of you.

Hijikata pulled back first, dragging a thumb across your lower lip. It was such an intimate move, hinting at the lust he had for you; that was all it took for you to go into full 'I need you now' mode. Impatient, you shoved him back and shimmied up his body, brazenly rocking your hips, smearing your arousal onto his white shirt. Obviously, he felt your dampness through the material and gripped your hips to stop you from moving. The sight of you grinding above him was too much for his already tortured mind. Everything had to go. Now.

Soon you were balancing above him, the tip of his hard cock pressing at your slick entrance. You braced your hands on his broad chest, breath controlled as you slowly sat down on him, the length of him sliding into you inch by inch until your ass touched his lap. The sensation of him in you never failed to make you moan. His girth, his length, everything was just enough to fill up your tight hole.

"My sweet girl," Hijikata murmured, eyes half lidded. "I'd nearly forgotten how good you feel around me." He held onto your hips. "Move for me."

At his demand, you lifted yourself off and back down again, whimpering at the discomfort. Yeah, he was definitely big. Without your weekly routine, your body needed time to get used to him again. It didn't take long, though. Hijikata's soft encouragement and touch had you thirsting for more in no time. You got used to the stretch, gaining momentum and confidence as you moved. No longer did it sting; there was nothing but pleasure with the way you had him sliding in and out of you. Every time you rose left his cock slicker than before, layer upon layer of your arousal coating him.

When your legs got tired, you resorted to bouncing, biting your lip when your ass slapped against his skin in the sexiest way. Hijikata was in awe beneath you. His blue eyes were dark, lips parted in heavy breaths. First his eyes fixed on the way he was entering you, on the way your sweet pussy just swallowed his cock. His rough hands roved up your stomach, fingers dancing over your jumping breasts. That was the second thing he stared at. The soft mounds of flesh on your chest that bounced along with you made his cock twitch. Then he looked at your face. At the way you bit your lip, the pleasure in your expression. Suddenly he wanted nothing more than to dominate you.

The feeling swept over him. Having you on top was incredible, especially since he knew you could control the depth and angle of his entrance. But he needed to have you his way. He couldn't yet explain why.

You cried out in surprise when he sat up abruptly, forcing you to remain still on his lap. You pressed your chest to his, feeling him move along with you, in you. The movement brought on a whole new sensation that made you scratch his chest with a low moan.

"Can he do that?" Hijikata asked, voice thick with lust. And something else. He knew now why he needed dominance over you.

"Who - What?" You couldn't register his words and the meaning behind them at first, not until he flipped you both over in a practiced move and he rolled his hips into you, hitting every unclaimed spot within you. Your legs came around his hips.

"Can that silver haired idiot do this? Make you feel this good?" He pulled back slightly, only to plunge back into you with a jolt that pushed another moan from your mouth.

"N - No. Tōshi..."

Hijikata pulled at your hips, angling your lower body upwards and began thrusting into you, going deep and hard each time. He knew very well that at this angle, each slide of his cock was sure to brush your g-spot. And each time his pelvis met yours, the head of his throbbing cock would carass the tip of your cervix, making you buck your hips even further up.

Seeing you this way only fuelled his unneeded jealousy for a rival that was hardly a threat.

"I bet he can't," he agreed gruffly. "He doesn't know your body, does he? Doesn't know how my baby girl likes it. Tell me." Hijikata drove deep, pushing his own hips up. You choked on a moan, hands tight around his wrists. "Who's making you feel good?"

You were unable to answer, eyes in danger of closing, body on the brink of orgasm. As if fucking him wasn't hot enough. No, jealous Hijikata was even better. His need to hear your verbal confirmation of just how good he could drill you was heightening the entire experience.

Hijikata wrapped a big hand around your throat, forcing you to meet his steely gaze.

"Who?" he demanded.

A lone tear rolled down your cheek and you knew once you opened your mouth, you'd be begging. "Y - You, Tōshi. You're making me feel good. Fucking my pussy so good."

He smirked in satisfaction. There was no need to hold back now. With demonic speed, probably living up to his title, Hijikata slammed into you, hips snapping back and forth furiously. He hadn't even gotten to rub your clit yet and you came undone, pulsing around his cock, sinful moans falling from your mouth along with his name.

"One more time," he urged, tempted to stop and savour the way you were contracting around him. Snug in your warm wetness. He was close. Too close to stop. He spit on your clit and rubbed it in tight circles, coaxing yet another orgasm out of you. This was too much after the first and his name left you in screams, your body spasming, legs jerking. The sight of you being ruined by him did it. A few more thrusts and he fell on top of you, hugging your trembling body close as waves of pleasure crashed over him. He bit your shoulder, hard, enjoying the feeling of his seed leaving him and filling you. The others might not be at the sleeping quarters but you doubted that your screams hadn't reached the main block.

Once you both felt calm enough to move, Hijikata carefully extracted himself from you, using his scarf to wipe off any semen that came leaking out of you. You laid your head on his clammy chest.

"I'd never cheat," you said blatantly.

Hijikata pushed a hand through your messy hair, staring up at the ceiling. "I know. I just... wish I could have been there for you. I know it's not fair, having to always put up with my work."

"You're here now." You turned your head to smile up at him and he returned it with one of his own rare ones. The kind that took your breath away and reminded you of how different he could be around you. "Won't the others be looking for you?"

"Let them," he sighed. "I've been long overdue for a day off anyway." There was a brief pause, as though he were thinking things over. "Can I take you out?"

Your heart skipped a beat, delighted that you both could finally spend quality time together. Not that mindless fucking wasn't fun but normal couple stuff had to come in somewhere.

You smoothed your hand over the skin on his chest, loving how only you were allowed to touch him this way. "Yeah, you can."

[freddielocks]

Here's part 2: now we turn our attention to the rarest albums in my collection! The values are higher, of course, but twelve tracks will generally be worth more than two!

An honourable mention goes to the Who, with their album My Generation on Brunswick. Despite this technically being the most expensive on the list at a colossal £600 book and £825 maximum sale value, there is a serious gulf between unplayed pristine copies and copies of any lower calibre - it isn't a true rarity. At any rate my copy has no cover.

10) Kevin Ayers - Joy Of A Toy

Label: Harvest, cat. SHVL 763

Year: 1969, 10 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £240

Book value: £150

Paid: £40 in Plastic Wax Records

Notes: couple of scratches but overall a nice playing copy. Cover good. 1st pressing with no EMI box on the label.

Kevin Ayers was a charismatic singer with a demure voice, involved in the Canterbury Scene and the genesis of progressive rock, being a founder member of the Soft Machine. Joy Of A Toy, his first solo record, is a wonderfully anachronistic blast of poppy psychedelia, with not many standout songs but designed to be listened to all the way through. Nevertheless, swinging opener 'Song For Insane Times' and the unsettling 'children's' song 'Lady Rachel' are my highlights.

9) John And Yoko - The Wedding Album

Label: Apple, cat. SAPCOR 11

Year: 1969, 2 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £259

Book price: £600 (bear in mind a complete set has never sold)

Paid: £15, from a 'friend' needing money for a night out!

John Lennon and Yoko Ono's marriage in Gibraltar, for various reasons I can't remember, and their 'Bed Peace' protest were documented in this lavish package. Musically, the album is truly bizarre. The first side is 22 minutes of the pair's heartbeats as they shout each other's names in various ways (yeah) and the flip is a sound collage of a bunch of recordings and interviews made in Amsterdam during Bed Peace. I wanted a copy during my phase of intrigue into the Beatles' experimental solo works, and somehow I got one!

Out of the full package that originally came with the LP, I own the gatefold sleeve that held the record, the large wedding photos, the cartoon poster and the booklet of press clippings. The cardboard in there may be original too, and there's a random photo of John Lennon I was given free at a record fair once. The box is not, it was lovingly replicated from a Reader's Digest box set of show songs. Original boxes had a facsimile wedding certificate glued to the inside. I am sadly missing the 'Bagism' plastic bag, the pop up cutout of the wedding cake and the small strip of passport photos. What a package - it must have cost a lot at the time!

8) Blonde On Blonde - Contrasts

Label: Pye, cat. NSPL.18288

Year: 1969, 12 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £290

Book price: £175

Paid: £12 in Plastic Wax

Notes: I only have half the cover! Clearly someone wanted to have the pretty girl on their wall... The LP is in playable condition. It took some cleaning though.

This Welsh outfit came at the beginning of progressive rock, and the LP is surprisingly assured and complex straight from the bold opener 'Ride With Captain Max'. Hard rock, baroque stately ballads and in between are all present, with other highlights being the sitar-drenched 'Spinning Wheel' (a cover of Blood Sweat and Tears), the sneeringly humorous 'Conversationally Making The Grade' (I love the line 'America's gonna buy us, turn us into a national park') and the wistful closer 'Jeanette Isabella'.

7) Second Hand - Reality

Label: Polydor, cat. 583 045

Year: 1968, 10 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £295

Book value: £200

Paid: £50 on eBay

Notes: second press, with labels crediting Second Hand instead of their first name, The Moving Finger (also the name of the band who released the gorgeous 'Pain of My Misfortune' single which I'm still looking for). The cover is deliberately 'worn' as a pun on the band name, and the vinyl is not perfect but really nice.

Again, Second Hand were at the forefront of progressive rock, miles ahead of many more popular acts. Band leader Ken Elliott was a keyboard wizard as well as lead vocalist, and the rest of the band were also brilliant musicians, augmented by the cello and flute of Chris Williams on certain tracks. The album has a loose concept about a clown, Denis James, whose life hits difficulties and culminates in his eventual suicide in the bath. The first side contains many brilliant vignettes, with tough rockers alongside orchestrated psychedelia, culminating in the woozy and fatigued 'The World Will End Yesterday'. However, be ready to turn it over. There are four tracks on the second side, the first being a cheery entree to the Denis James character. What follows is a devastating emotional journey that grabs you by the neck, with heavy murk contrasting the swooning cello arrangements and jazzy flute. This culminates in the Bath Song, and the death of D.J. Brutal, and has to be heard to be experienced. I thought it was even more chilling as I was told Bob Gibbons, the lead guitarist, killed himself nine years later. However that's a stupid myth for hype, unfortunately it was an accidental electrocution.

6) The Graham Bond Organization - Sound Of '65

Label: Columbia, cat. 33SX 1711

Year: 1965 (obviously!), 12 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £300

Book value: £400

Paid: around £40 in Plastic Wax

Notes: looks much rougher than it plays. First press with '33SX' in the catalogue number.

Graham Bond, a former radiator salesman, was an amazing saxophone player and keyboardist (and decent singer) who cut his teeth alongside the now legendary Don Rendell. Also in the Organization, the band he formed after leaving Rendell's Quintet, was the other great saxophonist Dick Heckstall-Smith, and two future members of supergroup Cream, bassist and singer Jack Bruce and drummer Ginger Baker. The album is classy jazzy R&B, covering many well known standards with a few originals in there. 'Baby Be Good To Me' is my standout pick, a scurrying shuffle with darting saxophone and cool organ fills driving it along.

5) The Wailers - Catch A Fire

Label: Island, cat. ILPS 9241

Year: 1973, 9 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £350

Book price: £150

Paid: £12 in Plastic Wax

Notes: the upper part of the cover, which swung off as if a 'Zippo' lighter, is missing. The LP is very scratched, but is the original pink rim 1st pressing.

Bob Marley and The Wailers made this iconic album debut in 1973, starting the ball rolling on their incredible popularity. A classic of the new reggae sound straight from the darkly grooving opener 'Concrete Jungle'. Nuff said really! Check it out, you'll enjoy it.

4) The Graham Bond Organization - There's a Bond Between Us

Label: Columbia, cat. 33SX 1750

Year: 1965, 12 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £395

Book price: £400

Paid: £35 from Plastic Wax

Notes: slightly shabbier than the other GBO LP (they were bought together). Still a solid player.

This second album sees the GBO expand their sound, and is arguably the stronger of the two. Not only does Jack Bruce's suave and strong voice get more of an outing, but the three instrumentals make it impossible to sit down listening to the album! Have a dance to the punchy opener 'Who's Afraid Of Virginia Woolf?' and listen to the Eastern-flavoured Baker-led 'Camels and Elephants'.

3) The Kinks - Arthur or the Decline and Fall of the British Empire

Label: Pye, cat. NPL.18317

Year: 1969, 12 tracks

Highest on Discogs: £421

Book price: £150

Paid: £20 in Plastic Wax

Notes: much rarer mono issue. Comes with original Queen Victoria lyric insert, but cover and record are very battered. 'Victoria' will not play as there is something up with the grooves. Maybe an industrial clean is in order.

This album, the last in the series of roughly conceptual Kinks LPs, is a delightfully quirky musical take on end-of-empire Britain, taking various melodic cues from music of the time and combining them with distinctly British themes and some serious danceability. One could argue that 'Victoria' invented pub rock. 'Brainwashed' is a cool mod dancer and 'Shangrila', the second single from the album, is a complex ode to humble home life and a shrewd observation on class. The hits and commercial success was gone by now, but is now the most acclaimed part of the Kinks' oeuvre.

2) Trees - On The Shore

Label: CBS, cat. S 64168

Year: 1970, 10 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £483

Book price: £400

Paid: £12 in Plastic Wax

Notes: two large grievous scratches on the A-side - but they barely even sound, it's a great player!

Acid folk was practically invented by Trees, who had already laid down the wonderful Garden of Jane Delawney LP. The characteristic soaring vocals of Celia Humphris delightfully interplayed with fuzzy rock to create a new exciting edge on traditional folk songs and some startling original material. The short opener 'Soldiers Three' signals their intent clearly. Their arrangement of the infamous folk ballad 'Streets of Derry' lends it an excellent charging energy, but arguably the standouts are the ominous and cryptic 'Fool' and the soaring and energetic 'Murdoch', showing staggering songcraft. As if the album didn't have more than enough going for it, 'Geordie' was sampled by Gnarls Barkley on their track 'St. Elsewhere', leading to a renaissance of the band's work. Despite appearing on numerous samplers put out by the record label, Trees never became a commercial success, a fact which boggles the mind.

1) The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Electric Ladyland

Label: Track, cat. 613008/9

Year: 1968, 16 tracks

Highest Discogs sale: £645

Book price: £300

Paid: I will never know!

Notes: second press with white text on the sleeve instead of turquoise. Yes, stupid things like that make a difference. One record contains Sides 1 and 4, the other sides 2 and 3, which isn't standard.

Arguably Hendrix's masterpiece, this album needs little introduction, mixing psychedelia, jazz, R&B and even more into a great cosmic double album. Just listen to '1983 (A Merman I Should Turn To Be') and you'll understand the sheer power and weight of this record. Glorious from start to finish.

Thanks again!