Never know what you might find…
I buy most of my music from used cd / dvd stores. Even when I am on trips I will often try to find out if there are stores nearby so I can see what they might have. Over the past few months I have had a few interesting finds. Some of them were even at a nice discount. 
First was a cd called “Beginnings” From “Eileen” Shania Twain. It wasn’t her first disc, but it appears to be an interesting departure from her country roots. Shania is probably best known for her massive cross-over appeal based on the success of “Come On Over” and “The Woman In Me” … both of which are certified diamond (over a million units sold). However, back in 1999 she apparently released a rock album which is more of a Joan Jett / Pat Benetar style than her country / pop style. Interestingly enough, this album doesn’t even show up on her wiki page nor is it listed on her very own site. I picked it up, and I’ve enjoyed it quite a bit.
If you read the reviews on Amazon.com most of them are positive, with a few folks probably surprised by the difference from her normal style. But as the main reviewer said:
it appears as if the making of this CD was an attempt to transform her into the new Pat Benatar, a kind of rock goddess specializing in the power ballad. That she had the voice for it is beyond doubt–her expressive singing is by far the best thing about this album.
Another interesting find was a disc titled “California” by Wilson Phillips. This disc was released in 2004 (the first studio album from Wilson Phillips in over a decade) and contained covers of various California-themed songs. It included works from both sides of the family with Brian Wilson playing keyboards on one song, and a cover of the Mamas and the Papas song “Monday, Monday” as well. I found this in a used cd store in Arizona while on a business trip. To top things off, what I found was the limited edition version with an extra song tacked on at the end. I popped the disc into the rental car and left it there for the rest of the trip.
Don’t worry, I remembered to remove it before heading home.
Finally, just this weekend I found a copy of the initial self-released “Broken Bracelet” from Michelle Branch. It was released before she had landed a major recording studio, and contains early (and sometimes acoustic) releases of some songs that later appeared on her first national release. This was far from a bargain; I paid more for this disc than I do for some new discs if they’re on sale. But as a curiousity I went ahead and picked it up. Part of the reason was I called my wife and asked her to do a search on amazon and ebay to see if she could find anything about it. She could not even find it listed. Much like Shania, Michelle doesn’t see fit to list this on her discography on her web site.
Those are just a few of the more interesting finds from used cd stores. It’s one of the reasons I keep going back.