And if it's a little scratched when you get it, well too bad. I know I'm never going to be able to find, like the Incredible Bongo Band's Bongo Rock. If you've got the patience to sift through thrift store bins, they're really your best bet. Hardcore vinyl heads will be out every week, hitting the same stores over and over because there's always fresh shipment coming in. Just Begun is going to turn up.
Thrift stores are good for a number of reasons.
One, the records won't be marked up. You'll pay the same price for a jacked up Elton John record as you will for Martin Denny's Exotica. Two, most people don't listen to records any more. So cool, clean records that have been lounging in someone's attic for the past 15 years will be waiting patiently for you to love them. Lately I've been finding a ton of 80s hip-hop and new wave stuff.