Every music critic dreams of seeing a review quoted on a record. For Anthony Fantano, the internet’s busiest music reviewer, that dream came true in the middle of unpacking a big Frank Zappa box set. Tucked inside the book was a line from his own review of the album, printed alongside quotes from Sean Ono Lennon and Mark Mothersbaugh of Devo.

The moment came during one of the vinyl update videos on his theneedledrop channel, where he catches up on new additions to his collection. He admits the pile had gotten out of hand. He usually does not put records away until he has talked about them, and the stack kept growing.

The Quote Inside The Box

The box set in question is for Freak Out, the debut album from Zappa and The Mothers of Invention. Fantano says the set deepened his appreciation of a record he already counted among Zappa’s better ones. The printing inside the box, and the book of photos, background and story, impressed him. Then he turned to a page where his own words appeared. The line began with the words “Seriously unserious” and described the band’s mix of zany theatrics, devilish sarcasm and searing chops. He read it aloud with obvious delight, then laughed that he could hardly believe it.

What you get in the set, as he describes it, is a mono mix of the album that sounds punchy and concentrated, a double LP in a gatefold on crisp black vinyl, and a single LP of extras that includes demos, outtakes and live recordings, among them material from the Fillmore. There is also a disc labeled as a premaster mix, which puzzled him at first. It turned out to be a fully stereo mix with very wide panning, the most panoramic he has heard the album. Together, he says, the mono and the premaster mixes offer two ways of experiencing the same record: one tight and direct, the other big and almost immersive, like seeing the band live. His verdict was that the records alone are worth the price.

More Box Sets On The Pile

The Freak Out set was not alone. A Rubber Soul box set from The Beatles came with a hard cover book that digs into each song’s background, including John’s reservations about one track. Fantano says he is not traditionally a Rubber Soul person, and he prefers records like Abbey Road, the White Album and Revolver, but the set raised his opinion of the album. It includes a double LP of extras, demos and outtakes, which he says vary in interest, along with new stereo and mono mixes.

A third set honored The Ecstatic by Mos Def, which he had bought on CD as soon as it was announced. The vinyl box includes a photo book, a bonus seven-inch and a double LP split into sides, and he called it a big celebratory package for a highly influential record.

Digging Through The Rest

From there the video turned into a fast tour of his recent buys. Nails put out a two-song seven-inch on red vinyl. A compilation of sixties country from a reissue label caught his attention because it was cheap, a couple of dollars as overstock, and he was surprised by how many tracks he liked. At a record show, he went in on one mission, to buy Electric Ladyland by Jimi Hendrix on vinyl. He found a standard vintage pressing, with original Reprise sleeves and promotional material, in great shape.

He also showed new Interpol on red splatter vinyl, an Earth Tongue record signed after a show, a chrome-finish record from Ty Segall, a dub album by Scientist and a live album from SML. His budget find was a John McLaughlin and Santana record that cost him $5 used. He had not known it existed and was impressed by how well the guitars played together. A Minnie Riperton album, a Melvins side project, and a signed copy of an album by Natalia Lafourcade rounded out the pile.

What Record Collectors Can Learn

Fantano’s pile offers a useful picture of how serious collectors buy. It is part new releases, part reissues and part random crate-digging bargains.

• Know what you are buying. A box set is a bundle of mixes, extras and packaging. Check what each disc contains, especially if you already own the album.
• Look at overstock bins. Labels sometimes discount releases that are not selling quickly. His country compilation cost only a couple of dollars and turned out to be a great find.
• Go to a record show with a mission. A single target, like a missing classic, keeps you from overspending and helps you compare condition.
• Check original sleeves and inserts. Promotional material and original labels can add to a vintage pressing’s appeal.
• Do not skip the used bin. A five-dollar curiosity can become a favorite.
• Take care of your collection. Store records upright and keep them out of the sun. Slip them into the sleeve gently, and remember that patience beats frustration.

It all adds up to a joyful reminder that vinyl is about more than sound. It is about packaging, history and the thrill of finding your own name in a book. For one critic, the biggest surprise in a pile of heavy boxes was a short line he wrote long ago.

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