Vinyl Record Scarcity

[Troodon]

Impressions I got trying to collect Weird Al vinyl myself (I'm only counting LPs here, not singles):

New and still in print: So recent that you can easily find these in record stores and online stores for the original issue price or less. Not rare at all since they're still making them!
Alpocalypse, Mandatory Fun

Fairly common: These you can easily get for $10 or less in decent condition. Even in mint still sealed condition, you're talking less than $50.
"Weird Al" Yankovic, In 3-D, Dare to Be Stupid, Polka Party, Even Worse. Of these Polka Party is probably the rarest.

Semi-rare: Not hugely rare, but these make take more digging to find. You're probably talking $20 to $40 range.
UHF Soundtrack, Greatest Hits

Rare: They're around, technically rare but not hugely expensive, maybe like $50 to $100 at most.
Peter and the Wolf

VERY rare: Very difficult to find, and so rare that it depends what the seller wants to ask for it!
SLO Grown, Off the Deep End(OTDE only got an LP release in Europe and the Philippines).

Limited edition: A limited number were made, and were a tad pricey even at original issue, but the market is also limited, so aren't much more than issue price still.
The Gay 90's: Old Tyme Music (999 made, was $100 at issue and can still find for $100 - $150).

Not counting compilation albums that contain only one or two Al songs unless they contain at least one track you can't get elsewhere. Although rare Dr. Demento LPs are probably out there too; few were made and most who have them don't want to part with them lol... so expect them to be hard to find and expensive if you can find them. Basement Tapes were only made in very limited number; some of these contain Weird Al tracks never officially released on anything else.

[Kevbo1987]

If you want to count an EP, the Placebo EP would definitely fall in the VERY rare category.

[Grom]

All I'm able to find on eBay in Australia are Dare to be Stupid and Even Worse. The others are impossible to find.

[Troodon]

If you want to count an EP, the Placebo EP would definitely fall in the VERY rare category.

I've heard it argued that it was the rarest commercially released Weird Al collectible, but not sure what they're basing that on, because I've heard the same thing claimed about the Capitol Records single of My Bolgona, and the TK Records single of Another One Rides the Bus . However I've seen both of those on eBay before, but have yet to see the Placebo EP. Whether that means it's extremely rare, or that nobody has one they're willing to part with, can't say. (The difficulty in determining scarcity or rarity of records is that nobody really knows how many survive.) I limited my list to LPs because there's a lot of different singles and packaging for such and it would take to long to list lol... I also decided not to list compilations unless they contain at least one Weird Al song you can't find elsewhere (although even then that would apply to some Dr. Demento basement tapes probably). The list I gave is what I came with as a checklist for my goal of collecting all the Weird Al LPs for sake of framing the album art... something I initially thought would be easier than it turned out to be lol... though getting Al's first 6 and last 2 was a fairly easy and inexpensive goal. A single album of the rarities can set you back more than the sum total of the rest.

Depends how much money you are willing and able to spend, and even then takes a lot of patience searching. All my attempts at searching record stores always results in me buying a bunch of other stuff I didn't come for but couldn't pass up lol... a recent attempt to find any Weird Al vinyl resulted in me bringing home an LP of Pete's Dragon (the only Weird Al LP they had I already owned). I almost got some Weird Al CDs, but I couldn't bring myself to spend money on compilations of songs I already had anyway (I have never purchased the Food Album, TV Album, or any of the Greatest Hits albums. I do have Permanent Record, but at the time it did in fact contain songs I didn't already own). I would probably get Greatest Hits on vinyl, if only for the great cover art (Al looks like his contorting himself to fit in the album cover lol).

Honestly my next goal is Peter and the Wolf on CD and/or vinyl. Then, who knows, depends what I can find and what I can afford.

[Kevbo1987]

If you want to count an EP, the Placebo EP would definitely fall in the VERY rare category.

I've heard it argued that it was the rarest commercially released Weird Al collectible, but not sure what they're basing that on, because I've heard the same thing claimed about the Capitol Records single of My Bolgona, and the TK Records single of Another One Rides the Bus . However I've seen both of those on eBay before, but have yet to see the Placebo EP. Whether that means it's extremely rare, or that nobody has one they're willing to part with, can't say. (The difficulty in determining scarcity or rarity of records is that nobody really knows how many survive.)

Al paid for the pressing of the Placebo EP himself, and only 1,000 copies were made, so it's pretty darned rare.

[al 59]

hello guys can anyone tell me how much an off the deep end price for the lp released ?

-shamim

[anthontherun]

Well there's one selling for $273.86 on Discogs right now.

[Big Spoon]

what a deal

[anthontherun]

BUT IT HAS A 27 IN THE PRICE

[algonacchick]