The Soulful Strings - The Magic Of Christmas
Earlier this year, I took a extended weekend trip to my former hometown of Chicago for the sole purpose of raiding all the Salvation Armies, Goodwills, Amvets, thrift stores, and record shops of their Christmas albums. Much has changed since I left Chicago in 1996 - well, the Cubs are STILL looking to get to the World Series but... - but one thing remains - their vinyl is usually cheap. Many of my old haunts were gone, some moved to bigger places, and new ones have sprung up to take their place. I was travelling to a thrift store that I remembered when I spotted a resale shop in the former warehouse of a lumber company. Its massive salesfloor consisted mainly of clothing, furniture, and knickknacks. I asked a salesgirl about records and she pointed her finger at the corner of a rickety balcony that overlooked part of the salesfloor. The entire corner was FULL of albums and 45s. Needless to say, I spent nearly two hours there searching each and everyone. Towards the middle o...