The RCA Record Club
Welcome back to my loyal reader(s). Today's post covers a deal too good to be true.
Many moons ago, my Mom gave in to temptation. While flipping through the pages of TV Guide, She came across an advertisement. It was for the RCA Record Club. The ad stated that you could order 10 albums (those are the large round black vinyl things that you played on a record player) for only 10 cents! Yes sir, for only one thin dime, you could have hours of music for your listening pleasure.
She talked it over with Dad, and they sent it in. A few weeks later, the mailman dropped off a large package. We all knew what it was. Our records were here.
When we opened the box, we kids discovered that the records that we suggested didn't make the final cut for the 10 cent albums. Everything was Country Western. Since my folks were the ones paying for them, they decided that they would order what they liked. We didn't think that was fair.
I don't remember the exact artist in the initial delivery, but I do remember that eventually Merle Haggard, Jeanie C. Riley, Buck Owens, Porter Waggoner, Conway Twitty, Loretta Lynn and Johny Cash all came to our house. This seemed like a great deal. Then came the small print. By joining and getting a great deal on 10 records, we had agreed to buy an additional amount at regular club price.(aka not what you would pay at K-Mart). We bought the additional amount (again all country) and Mom swore that we would buy no more. I can remember the family sitting around the living room listening to those records.
About a year later, once again while reading through the TV Guide (we had a subscription), Mom spotted another ad for the RCA record club where you could get 10 records for a penny. One red cent is all it cost. Mom wondered if enough time had passed for us to be eligible again. She filled out the form, and sent it in, this time knowing that we would have to buy more. Once again the postman left behind a big box. Once again, all country.
The only time we didn't get a country album was when Mom either copied the number down incorrectly or we were sent it erroneously. In one shipment we got a Joni Mitchell album (containing the song "Big Yellow Taxi"). Mom said it would cost too much to send it back and at least it was mellow enough for her to listen to (not like those crazy rock & roll songs).
It wasn't until a little later that Sir Gattabout decided to spend some of his paycheck for some of those crazy rock & roll records. He was told that he wasn't allowed to play them on the downstairs stereo if my parents were at home. I can still see him using the broom as a guitar while playing along with Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water".
Have you ever joined a record (or video) club?
2 comments:
Ummm, do you remember the Integrity tape club??? And then, there was the recipe club. And I believe a couple of book clubs, too.
Regarding what Theresa posted above, yes - I remember the book club, but not the other two. I do remember the album 10 cent club thing. And yes - I certainly remember some great rock guitar with a broom.... And even more great harmonizing with the hair brush.
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