RECORDS COLLECTORS

7 Records I’d save in a fire

Todd Norem on how he was almost stopped from buying the album which kicked off his obsession, the ultimate Valentine's Day album-buying coincidence and why the Replacements’ Let It Be has new meaning in the era of Trump.

7 March 2026

Photo: Todd Norem’s YouTube channel: Lost Mixtapes

Started collecting: 1994

Number of records: 3,000

Estimated value: $87,000

Escape

1.

Journey

I never listen to this record. I don't particularly like this band, but it's the very first LP I bought with my own money. I didn't fall in love with it all the way through, as I would later on with other albums. It's also the album that introduced me to the idea of filler, because there's so much filler on this record! But it was the first one, and so, yeah, it's got sentimental value for sure. My grandparents gave me the money. I was either eight or nine years old.

1984

2.

Van Halen

I fought tooth and nail to get this one. I was like 12 years old. 'Jump' was on the radio, and I wanted it so, so bad. My parents were like, 'You're not buying that record; there's an angel smoking a cigarette on the cover!' For some reason, that was the most offensive thing in the world! It seems so ridiculous now. My mom laughs at it, but she was kinda nuts back then!

And when 'Panama' got released as a single, I lost my shit. I just had to have it! And I remember seeing it in the record store all the time. And then finally my mom relented, and I bought it and I still have that same copy.

This is the first band for me that I was truly obsessed with. Oh my God, that's all I talked about. It just rocked! There was something about it, the chemistry of those four. After that, I bought their other albums pretty quickly.

The first time I played the record, I was the only person home. And the first side was great. It's got 'Jump' and 'Panama' and all that stuff. But when I played the second side, I thought I'd broken my parents' turntable. If you remember the drum pattern on there, I was like, 'Something is wrong! What is this?'

I'd say this kicked off my obsession with music. After this, there was no turning back.

Being There

3.

Wilco

Okay, so I'm jumping forward in time quite a bit with this next one: 1996. My friend, Dawn, was working at this great record store in Minneapolis, and she gave me an advance promo copy on vinyl. Now, this was a period when there weren't too many things on vinyl, right? Especially new records.

I have so many memories of playing this on the turntable. My roommate and I would have morning coffee and listen to this, and our jaws would just drop! We were just like, 'This is really something special'. And then they played Minneapolis when they came through.

I remember Jeff Tweedy coming out on stage in his pyjamas. It was so cold outside that it felt so cozy and warm inside. And it felt immediately like you were in a community of people that really, really liked this band and thought this was something incredibly special.

On the Beach

4.

Neil Young

This record was just so mysterious. I'd heard of it. People talked about it. But you couldn't get it. This was around 1996, 1997 maybe. And it was out of print. The only two songs that you could find were on Decade, and that was 'Walk On' and 'For the Turnstiles'. And it was this mythical record. I didn't even know what the album cover looked like, because this was before the internet as we know it. And I was always like, 'God, I'd love to find a copy of On the Beach'. And it was always in the back of my mind when I was going through used records.

Anyway, I went to some thrift store, and I was flipping through and I was like, 'Wait a minute, holy shit, is that it?' I mean, it doesn't even say Neil Young on the front cover. But it was, and I was so thrilled. It's the pressing people want. It's supposedly the best one. And it's super clean.

Did the thrift store know what they had?

No, it was priced just like any other record.

The Boatman's Call

5.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds

This has always been one of my favourites, if not my favourite, by Nick Cave. But it became even more special when I met my now-fiancée, Amanda. I think it was our first Valentine's Day, and we bought it for each other. The same record.

So you knew you were destined to be together at that point?

It was a pretty good indication, for sure!

One Flight Up

6.

Dexter Gordon

Before I met Amanda, I had a basic understanding of jazz, you know, stuff like Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Billie Holiday. When I met her, I really got into it a lot more because it's one of her favourite genres. And we've sort of found middle ground over a few jazz records. This one sounds phenomenal! I love the mood, which this album sustains very, very nicely. It's one of the best-sounding records I have: it sounds like they're playing in your room. It's been the soundtrack to our Saturday and Sunday mornings so many times.

Let It Be

7.

The Replacements

This is one of my favourite records of all time. It's definitely on the list, anyway. It's my favourite album by this band, and I love this pressing. I love having an original copy of this.

It's where they left behind their punk roots a little bit. I mean, it's definitely on here in some songs, but there's emotional maturity. Paul Westerberg breaking out of some of the traps of hardcore and writing these really tender songs, these really emotional songs. Yeah, it's a killer album.

I live not too far from the house on the cover. Current events are taking place very close to that house, in fact. [This interview took place on the same day as the fatal shooting of Alex Pretti in Minneapolis.] It's completely insane!

That album cover's iconic. They're these punks hanging out on the roof, presumably in the process of making this beautiful album. You can't imagine a sharper contrast than what happened today with ICE.

No, exactly!

So if your house was on fire, and you only had time to grab one album, which would it be?

I think for sentimental value I'd probably choose the first one, Escape by Journey, even though I don't think it's a good album and I don't even like the band. Or the Van Halen one. They just kicked everything off.