White whales & holy grails

[never/ever]

I heard from a friend of mine who went to Japan and managed to finally trace down an album he was chasing for decades- the (execrably bad) Terry Funk disco-album!

It brought back memories of me traveling to Germany to trace down and get my hands on the original Natures Mortes -LP on 4AD, at the time one of those collector rarities.

Any of you still have a 'white elephant' to chase? What was the biggest effort you had to make to get the album you always wanted to have?

[GoogaMooga]

I think you mean "holy grail"; a "white elephant" is an unwanted item, something you are stuck with that has no resale value.

white elephants: Sony and Sanyo Betamax vcr's, Pioneer Laserdisc player
holy grails: Japanese Victor CD of Van McCoy's album "Disco Baby" (containing the hit "The Hustle"), also Bonnie St. Claire - any CD with "Waikiki Man".
Zilth Pilchards eventually clued me on to a copy of "Disco Baby" for sale; with Bonnie St. Claire, it was the goup's name, who had recorded "Waikiki Man" which I fondly remembered from chldhood (pre-google search). Eventually, it appeared in a German mail order catalog, forget which. All pre-internet days.

[Snarfyguy]

I think you mean "holy grail"; a "white elephant" is an unwanted item, something you are stuck with that has no resale value.

Maybe he means "white whale," an obsession you pursue until it destroys you.

[never/ever]

I've always heard it called a white elephant- something rare and often obscure.

[ConnyOlivetti]

Well, there is the first Faust album, on Polydor, clear vinyl
not that hard to get, but not sure I'm willing to pay....

[Fonz]

Not a record, but a book: ‘Cyborg’, by Martin Caidin. The book that the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ was based on.

Me and a pal always wondered if it even existed, having seen it in the credits for the TV show.

I found a copy in a charity shop, after years of searching. £1.
Truly satisfying.

[Brickyard Jack]

In the past it was a vinyl copy of Stepping Out, a live album by Joan Armatrading. Now it is a vinyl copy of Original Soundtracks Vol 1 by Passengers - you know, that U2 side project with Miss Sarajevo on it.

[Brickyard Jack]

Not a record, but a book: ‘Cyborg’, by Martin Caidin. The book that the ‘Six Million Dollar Man’ was based on.

Me and a pal always wondered if it even existed, having seen it in the credits for the TV show.

I found a copy in a charity shop, after years of searching. £1.
Truly satisfying.

I used to have a copy - read it in the 70s

[NMB]

I've always heard it called a white elephant- something rare and often obscure.

To me a white elephant means a prolonged but pointless exercise. So spending years searching for an album which turns out to be terrible would be a white elephant, but it’s the search that’s the elephant not the album.

[yomptepi]

White Elephant.

"a possession that is useless or troublesome, especially one that is expensive to maintain or difficult to dispose of."

See also HS2
Sinclair C5
Any Robbie Williams record.

[clive gash]

...and Preludin.

[never/ever]

Thanks everyone, topic title duly changed!

[Walk In My Shadow]

Probably several.

The first Nancy & Lee cd for starters.

[Count Machuki]

Wild Wood on vinyl would be nice, too - even the recent reissue is $100+

There must be loads of others I can't think of right now.

[harvey k-tel]

Wild Wood on vinyl would be nice, too - even the recent reissue is $100+

There must be loads of others I can't think of right now.

I found a record at a yard sale this past summer that I picked up just because the cover was beautiful, all in sanskrit and just blue and white. Cool old design. When I flipped it over and saw there were a handful of tracks by 'Mohd Rafi' I scooped it up, but it's pretty much scratched to shit and unplayable.

[Count Machuki]

Wild Wood on vinyl would be nice, too - even the recent reissue is $100+

There must be loads of others I can't think of right now.

I found a record at a yard sale this past summer that I picked up just because the cover was beautiful, all in sanskrit and just blue and white. Cool old design. When I flipped it over and saw there were a handful of tracks by 'Mohd Rafi' I scooped it up, but it's pretty much scratched to shit and unplayable.

Oh, bummer. I would have done exactly as you did if it makes you feel any better.

I never, ever, ever see Indian stuff at record stores or thrifts or estate sales or anything down here. I think Indian folks must have moved to Georgia well into the CD era.

[GoogaMooga]

I find the occasional Indian CD here in thrift, but it can be months between.

[BARON CORNY DOG]

There are lots of things I’d love to have but they aren’t so elusive nowadays thanks to Discogs. Want an OG Big Star Radio City? No problem. Cough up the dough.

[pcqgod]

There are lots of things I’d love to have but they aren’t so elusive nowadays thanks to Discogs. Want an OG Big Star Radio City? No problem. Cough up the dough.

Yeah, Ebay, Discogs, and other sites always seem the solution to otherwise unfindable music these days. Took me a long time to find the Young Fresh Fellows' "Beans and Tolerance" record, though.