3 of My Favorite Record Store Finds of 2026 … So Far

We’re almost halfway through the year, and I’ve done a decent amount of digging through used vinyl bins at my favorite record stores.

While there’s always the joy of finding an album I wanted – like coming across Squeeze’s East Side Story sandwiched in-between all the Streisand that seems to be in every used vinyl section – what I enjoy most is the thrill of being intrigued enough by an album I’ve never heard of to pick it up, and have that decision be rewarded by loving what I hear.

I’ve discovered quite a few of my favorite albums that way, and even though there have also been a fair number of duds, for $1 to $5, it’s always worth the risk, because when I find a great one, I feel like a musical archeologist who just made a landmark discovery.

Quick, someone call a museum, Adam wants to talk about a random artist from 40 years ago that almost no one has heard of!

Actually, I want to talk about three artists, two from the ‘80s, and one from the ‘70s, as the following are three of my favorite record store finds of 2026 … so far, and while you aren’t supposed to judge a book by its cover, it was their album covers that initially drew me to them.

King – Bitter Sweet

When I saw Bitter Sweet my initial thought was – that is some impressive hair … they have to be from the ‘80s.

Flipping the album over I saw that I was correct, the album was from 1985.

A quick Google search told me King was a British new wave band, and that was enough for me to put it on my stack to buy.

I had no idea it would become one of my most played albums of the year.

Every song is fantastic.

From the opening salvo, “Alone Without You,” to the Mark Bolan tribute “2 M.B.,” to the “Mind Your Toes” finale, Bitter Sweet is basically a perfect album.

This was the second, and final, album by the Paul King led band, and it’s a complete mystery to me as to why it didn’t connect with American audiences. The music is great, and his vocals sound like a precursor to AFI’s Davey Havok.

I can’t believe took me nearly 40 years to discover this gem! Thank God for used vinyl bins!

Valerie Carter – Just a Stone’s Throw Away

The cover of Just a Stone’s Throw Away immediately grabbed my attention. Not because I’d been looking for it, but because it was so different from all the other album covers I’d been flipping through. There was something incredibly artistic about it – her expression, the coloring, or lack thereof – I found it to be really beautiful.

Flipping it over I saw two of the backup vocalists were Linda Ronstadt, and Deniece Williams, and I was like – say whaaaat? Then I noticed one of the featured players on the album was Jackson Browne.

I needed to know more, and I needed to hear the woman who was so impressive, and respected, she could attract collaborators of that caliber.

It turned out Carter, who sadly is no longer with us, had the voice of an angel. She could sing just about any genre of music, and Just a Stone’s Throw Away showcased her ability to perform pop, country, blues, and soul.

Everything from the achingly beautiful country tune “Heartache,” to the bluesy, jazzy, soulful closer “Back to Blue Some More,” showcased a voice that should be mentioned among the greats.

I’ve been spinning this album a lot since adding it to my collection.

Meri D. Marshall – My Obsession

With an album cover that screams ‘80s pop, My Obsession was an immediate buy for me.

Who is Meri D. Marshall? I didn’t know, but with that look in her eyes, that bite of her jacket, and the title of her album, I wanted to find out.

It turns out My Obsession is pure ‘80s pop goodness, and the only reason I can think of that it didn’t launch Marshall into stardom was that the pop world was really overcrowded when the album was released in 1985.

My Obsession opens with title track, which is a perfect fit for any ‘80s playlist, and doesn’t have a single miss all the way thought the phenomenal finale, “Tears.”

Doing a little more research on Marshall, I discovered she was also in a long-lost semi-raunchy ‘80s comedy film titled Valet Girls, which was about rival valet companies (really, I’m not kidding), and featured Marshall as a valet who was looking for pop stardom. It turned out to not be a star making vehicle (pun intended), but it did have a few funny scenes, and co-starred April Stewart, who has gone on to provide the voices for a bevy of characters on South Park.

My Obsession currently only exists on vinyl and cassette, and I’ve seen a comment on YouTube lamenting it isn’t even available on streaming music services (I can’t confirm that, since I don’t use any streaming music services), so not only was this a great find, musically speaking, it was a great find in general, because this is literally one of the only ways to hear it!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – discoveries like these are why I dig!!!