Buy Music by the Chicks (and friends)
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Where did they go?
In 1997, you could have walked into Bill's Records and Tapes
(billsrecords.com) in Dallas, strolled over to the
Local Music aisle, and bought all the copies you'd like of the
Dixie Chicks' indie albums.
But those albums, issued by local imprint Crystal Clear,
were on a five-year contract. By November 1998, the publishing rights for all the indie releases had reverted
back to the Dixie Chicks -- just as their management was getting worried about a certain web site that was
hosting a few sound samples (see the Cease And Desist section).
Needless to say, these gems of the Chicks' unique fusion of Bluegrass, Western, and Country are out of print.
For a while, they would appear in Dallas-area used CD stores, only to be snatched up as quickly as they arrived.
One CD Warehouse franchisee (who has since gone out of business) managed to get the
last remaining stock from the Crystal Clear
warehouse, and by mid-1999, all three were officially unavailable as "New".
But you can still find them... for a price.
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You can still find them -- if you have a fat wallet. Failing that, though, there are plenty of resources on the 'net to help you discover other artists who could be the next overnight sensation (ten years in the making). Jump to the Next Big Thing section for some suggestions.
The Fat Wallet section: eBay listings
Your best bet for finding your own copy of the pre-Sony Chicks releases is eBay (or one of their dozens of competitors). For reference, here are some prices that have actually been paid for the Chicks' back catalog. Click on the album or single name for more information about the release, and click on the eBay item number to view the auction, when available.Last update: 8/30/2000. Note that eBay auction results can only be viewed for 30 days after they close, and they are only searchable for two weeks.
| 1990: Thank Heavens for Dale Evans | |
|---|---|
| Recent Winning Bids |
CD format:
$122.50 13 bids 08/11 $100.00 17 bids 08/15 $100.00 13 bids 08/20 $52.50 12 bids 08/28 $61.00 9 bids 08/29 $57.00 11 bids 08/29
Cassette format:
Search completed auctions for: +Chicks +Thank |
| Highs & Lows |
From $52.50 (8/28/2000) to around $200.00 (7/2000) |
| Current Auctions |
Search current auctions for: +Chicks +Thank |
| 1991: Home On The Radar Range (Single) | |
|---|---|
| Recent Winning Bids |
None recently available
Search completed auctions for: +Chicks +Radar |
| Highs & Lows |
$80+ (for vinyl in 1999) |
| Current Auctions |
Search current auctions for: +Chicks +Radar |
| 1992: Little Ol' Cowgirl | |
|---|---|
| Recent Winning Bids |
CD format:
$185.00 39 bids 07/29 $91.00 14 bids 08/16 $81.00 12 bids 08/20 $60.00 10 bids 08/27 $75.00 10 bids 08/28 Search completed auctions for: +Chicks +Cowgirl |
| Highs & Lows |
From $60.00 (8/27/2000) to $185.00 (7/29/2000) |
| Current Auctions |
Search current auctions for: +Chicks +Cowgirl |
| 1993: Shouldn't A Told You That | |
|---|---|
| Recent Winning Bids |
CD format:
$57.50 13 bids 07/29 $61.00 14 bids 08/11 $51.00 16 bids 08/15 $66.00 10 bids 08/24 $48.00 23 bids 08/25 $100.00 17 bids 08/26 Search completed auctions for: +Chicks (Shouldnt,Shouldn't) |
| Highs & Lows |
From $48.00 (8/25/2000) to $100.00 (8/26/2000) |
| Current Auctions |
Search current auctions for: +Chicks (Shouldnt,Shouldn't) |
| 1993: Domestic Science Club (10-track version)
Note: the 8-track version is often available for under 10 bucks | |
|---|---|
| Recent Winning Bids |
$86.00 18 bids 08/26
Search completed auctions for: "Domestic Science" |
| Highs & Lows |
See above |
| Current Auctions |
Search current auctions for: "Domestic Science" |
Dedicated Dixie Chicks fans probably recognized
Charlie Robison
as being married to Chick Emily. He and the rest of these artists are paying
their dues on the Texas honky tonk and high school circuit where the Chicks
got their start.
You can check out the Chicks' memories of the road in the Chick Chat Archive.
To learn about the rest of their musical generation, check out these resources:
And they offer the best periodic discounts in the biz! If there's a special in effect now,
you'll see it reflected in the banner below.
[Banner? What banner? CDNow died with the dot-com boom.]
For more info about CDnow (including a disclaimer), see the bottom of this page.
They feature an extensive catalog of all types of Alternative Country, including "No
Depression, Americana, Folk, Rockabilly, Bluegrass, and Pop." Good Music,
they call it. They're one of the only online sources for releases by
The Groobees,
the group that first cut Wide Open Spaces before giving it to the Dixie Chicks.
Two words: Customer Service. I've tried some of the other online music services, but nobody beats
CDnow for making sure you know the status of your order at all times.
No other major online retailer that I've found lets you calculate all shipping costs,
taxes, and discounts without even logging in! Most won't do this until you've given your credit card
number or other personal information, or at least until you've said you're finished shopping.
Only CDnow lets you shop on a budget in this way!
And CDnow is honest. They don't have the old Dixie Chicks CDs, and they say so
up front. I recently ordered two Chicks discs from ktel.com, and wasn't told that the discs weren't available
until after the rest of the order had shipped. Worse yet, the CDs are
still listed on the ktel.com site!
I may go to an independent vendor from time to time, but I will never order from any
major retailer but CDnow
The Next Big Thing section: The Alt.Country revolution
Here are some names you should know... but probably don't:
The Internet has proven to be the antidote to the consolidation in the music industry. CDnow's
encyclopedic collection of music includes everything from the hot-selling
Dixie Chicks
to Charlie Robison's
indie debut Bandera,
and even releases by startup groups like the
Trailer Park Troubadours
and the recently disbanded
Meat Purveyors.
When Sony signed the Dixie Chicks to their new (or newly revived)
Monument Records label, they were expecting the Chicks to join the growing
but underappreciated ranks of Alt.Country artists like
the Bottle Rockets
and Bad Livers.
To their surprise, the new-look Dixie Chicks featuring spunky Natalie Maines in place
of the more reserved Laura Lynch caught the passion of pop's favorite demographic groups.
But Miles Of Music knew the Chicks before they hit the big time, and have the albums...
"Several copies of all three," according to their reply to my query. Unfortunately, I think even they have
run out of Dale Evans on CD, but may have a few copies left on tape.
Also worth a visit is Village Records in Shawnee Mission, Kansas. Very fast
email replies, and an extremely eclectic collection of "Folk Music, Americana, Country, Roots Rock, and Reissues."
Former Dixie Chicks lead singer Robin Lynn Macy lives in Kansas now, you know...
And for something truly unique, visit
Yesterday And Today Records in Maryland
to order rare 45 rpm versions of Wide Open Spaces (b/w There's Your Trouble)
and Tonight, The Heartache's On Me (b/w Give It Up Or Let Me Go). Dust off that old
turntable and listen to the music the way your ears hear it -- analog style.
Why CDnow?
I'll update this section with the sad story of the death of CDNow when I have a chance.
What about that 7%?
I'm proud to be a member of CDnow's Cosmic Credit
program, which gives me a 7% commission on any purchases made through my links. But I would
still fully endorse CDnow, even if I didn't get a dime, for all the reasons noted above. If you feel that
my recommendation is tainted by a conflict of interest, I invite you to visit CDnow through this link, which
will not give me the 7% credit: http://cdnow.com/
![[CDnow]](./images/cdnow.gif)
Last update: 08/31/2000
![[Original Chick Logo]](circlogo.gif)
![[CD Baby]](./images/cdbaby.gif)