Origami Vinyl opened in L.A.’s Echo Park in 2009. Alongside hip bar El Prado, pizza joint Two Boots and music venue The Echo, Origami has played a huge role in revitalizing the neighborhood.
The store only carries vinyl and tends to get great used collections seemingly weekly. They post their amazing hauls on their blog (origamimusic.blogspot.com), and I’ve personally snagged an original copy of At the Drive-in’s Vaya and Nick Drake’s Pink Moon at the store.
While the shopping’s great there, the regular musical performances in the store’s loft might even be better. Origami’s owner, Neil Schield, spoke with Geek for the first installment of “My Collection,” a new feature in the online music section.
Geek: What is your absolute prized possession in your LP collection?
Neil Schield: My prized possession is either my Stereolab Emperor Tomato Ketchup 2xLP original pressing on yellow glitter vinyl OR My Bloody Valentine’s Sunny Sundae Smile LP.
What album in your collection took you the longest to track down?
Definitely the Stereolab LP. I had been looking for it for so long, then my buddy Jason found it at Amoeba and brought it to Record Club, a night we do every Tuesday at El Prado, the bar across the street from Origami Vinyl. I begged him to let it go, and he obliged.
What album in your collection was an absolute steal?
Well I no longer have it but it had to be the Beatles’ Yesterday and Today “Butcher Cover” 2nd state. I bought it for $10 and ended up selling it for $700.
What’s the best worst album in your collection?
The best of the worst is hard because I trim the fat of my collection pretty frequently. I’d have to say some of the records I acquired from my parents’ collection. So probably some butt rock stuff like Journey, Foreigner, Loverboy, etc.
What’s your personal Holy Grail that you have yet to get your hands on?
I’ve been hunting hard for Catherine Wheel’s Ferment forever. The day I find that, I will be a very happy guy.
Check out British indie rockers Yuck perform at Origami in 2011: