Game Theory

Vinyl Records and Rare LPs:

	2 Steps From The Middle Ages Used - LP - ENVLP 507 1988 UK Original In Glossy, Unplayed Condition. “Many Fans Of 1987's Sprawling And Often Bizarre Masterwork Lolita Nation Felt That 1988's Comparatively Concise And Straightforward Two Steps From The Middle Ages Was A Step Backward For Scott Miller And Company. Listened To On Its Own Merits, However, Two Steps Is Clearly One Of Game Theory's Finest Efforts And An Entirely Worthy Follow-Up To Lolita Nation. Squeezing That Album's Love For Odd Sounds And Unexpected Musical Detours Into A 13-Song Stretch Of Relatively "Normal" Pop Song Structures, This Is A Musically And Lyrically Satisfying Album With None Of The Filler That Marks Earlier Records Like The Big Shot Chronicles. Guitarist Donnette Thayer's Helium-Pitched Harmony Vocals Are Better Integrated Into The Songs Than They Had Been On Lolita Nation, And Her Lead On "Wyoming" Is Her Best Vocal Performance Ever. (It Helps That, Unlike Her Wretched Contributions To Lolita Nation, That Album's Only Flaws, She Didn't Write The Song.) The Songs Are Uniformly Terrific, With At Least Half A Dozen All-Time Game Theory Classics, Including The Opening "Room For One More, Honey"; Led By Gil Ray's Walloping Drums And Featuring Two Intertwining Vocal Lines On The Chorus By Thayer And Keyboardist Shelley Lafreniere, This Song Pulls Off The Difficult Trick Of Being Simultaneously Mid-Tempo And Hyperactive. Other Gems Include The Delightful "Rolling With The Moody Girls," With Its "Baker Street"-Like Sax Interjections, And The Brilliant "Throwing The Election," Chosen As Miller's Best Song Ever In An Online Fan Poll. This Turned Out To Be Game Theory's Final Album, As Thayer Left The Group And Ray Was Seriously Injured In A Mugging Shortly After The Album's Release, Leading To A Period Of Personnel Instability That Eventually Led To The Group's Dissolution In 1990. It's A Shame, As A Similarly Strong Follow-Up To Two Steps From The Middle Ages Could Have Put Game Theory One Step Closer To Escaping The Nearly Total Oblivion They Operated In For Most Of Their Career.“ Stewart Mason, AMG. more
	2 Steps From The Middle Ages New - LP - ENVLP 507 Sealed 1988 Original With Custom Song Hype Sticker On The Shrink Wrap. Crisp Jacket, Small Saw Cut. “Many Fans Of 1987's Sprawling And Often Bizarre Masterwork Lolita Nation Felt That 1988's Comparatively Concise And Straightforward Two Steps From The Middle Ages Was A Step Backward For Scott Miller And Company. Listened To On Its Own Merits, However, Two Steps Is Clearly One Of Game Theory's Finest Efforts And An Entirely Worthy Follow-Up To Lolita Nation. Squeezing That Album's Love For Odd Sounds And Unexpected Musical Detours Into A 13-Song Stretch Of Relatively "Normal" Pop Song Structures, This Is A Musically And Lyrically Satisfying Album With None Of The Filler That Marks Earlier Records Like The Big Shot Chronicles. Guitarist Donnette Thayer's Helium-Pitched Harmony Vocals Are Better Integrated Into The Songs Than They Had Been On Lolita Nation, And Her Lead On "Wyoming" Is Her Best Vocal Performance Ever. (It Helps That, Unlike Her Wretched Contributions To Lolita Nation, That Album's Only Flaws, She Didn't Write The Song.) The Songs Are Uniformly Terrific, With At Least Half A Dozen All-Time Game Theory Classics, Including The Opening "Room For One More, Honey"; Led By Gil Ray's Walloping Drums And Featuring Two Intertwining Vocal Lines On The Chorus By Thayer And Keyboardist Shelley Lafreniere, This Song Pulls Off The Difficult Trick Of Being Simultaneously Mid-Tempo And Hyperactive. Other Gems Include The Delightful "Rolling With The Moody Girls," With Its "Baker Street"-Like Sax Interjections, And The Brilliant "Throwing The Election," Chosen As Miller's Best Song Ever In An Online Fan Poll. This Turned Out To Be Game Theory's Final Album, As Thayer Left The Group And Ray Was Seriously Injured In A Mugging Shortly After The Album's Release, Leading To A Period Of Personnel Instability That Eventually Led To The Group's Dissolution In 1990. It's A Shame, As A Similarly Strong Follow-Up To Two Steps From The Middle Ages Could Have Put Game Theory One Step Closer To Escaping The Nearly Total Oblivion They Operated In For Most Of Their Career. “ All Music Guide - Stewart Mason. more
	Big Shot Chronicles Used - LP - ST 73210 1986 US Original. Clean Vibrant Copy Aside From A Cut Out Hole.. “Scott Miller Broke In A New Game Theory Lineup On The Big Shot Chronicles (A Revolving-Door Cast Of Musicians Was Something He Would Get Used To Over The Next Decade Or So), And If The Album Lacks The Narrative Cohesion Of The Group's First Full-Length Effort, Real Nighttime, It's Obvious From The Album's First Cut That The Addition Of Shelley Lafrenier On Keyboards, Suzi Ziegler On Bass, And Gil Ray On Drums Made Game Theory A Stronger Band In Every Respect. While Game Theory's Attempts To Rock Out On Real Nighttime Sometimes Sounded A Bit Tentative, The Big Shot Chronicles Reveals A Band That's Equally Adept At Flexing Their Muscles ("I've Tried Subtlety" And "Make Any Vows") Or Easing Into A Song's Subtleties ("Regenisraen" And "Like A Girl Jesus"). As A Songwriter, Scott Miller Continued To Grow ("Erica's Word" And "Don't Look Too Closely" Are Both Smart Pop Heaven On Earth), And While He's Fond Of Referring To His Voice As A "Miserable Whine," He Sure Knows How To Make It Communicate. Finally, Mitch Easter's Production Guides The Record Through Moody Neo-Psychedelia And Up-Tempo Hard Pop With An Equally Sure Hand; The Record Sounds Just As Good As The Band Plays. A Superb Set From One Of The Best (And Most Underappreciated) Bands Of The 1980s.” AMG - Mark Deming. more
	Big Shot Chronicles New - LP - ST 73210 Sealed 1986 Original With Gold Promo Stamp On Front Jacket And Generic Xeroxed Radio Play Request Taped To Front Jacket. “Scott Miller Broke In A New Game Theory Lineup On The Big Shot Chronicles (A Revolving-Door Cast Of Musicians Was Something He Would Get Used To Over The Next Decade Or So), And If The Album Lacks The Narrative Cohesion Of The Group's First Full-Length Effort, Real Nighttime, It's Obvious From The Album's First Cut That The Addition Of Shelley Lafrenier On Keyboards, Suzi Ziegler On Bass, And Gil Ray On Drums Made Game Theory A Stronger Band In Every Respect. While Game Theory's Attempts To Rock Out On Real Nighttime Sometimes Sounded A Bit Tentative, The Big Shot Chronicles Reveals A Band That's Equally Adept At Flexing Their Muscles ("I've Tried Subtlety" And "Make Any Vows") Or Easing Into A Song's Subtleties ("Regenisraen" And "Like A Girl Jesus"). As A Songwriter, Scott Miller Continued To Grow ("Erica's Word" And "Don't Look Too Closely" Are Both Smart Pop Heaven On Earth), And While He's Fond Of Referring To His Voice As A "Miserable Whine," He Sure Knows How To Make It Communicate. Finally, Mitch Easter's Production Guides The Record Through Moody Neo-Psychedelia And Up-Tempo Hard Pop With An Equally Sure Hand; The Record Sounds Just As Good As The Band Plays. A Superb Set From One Of The Best (And Most Underappreciated) Bands Of The 1980s.” Mark Deming, All Music Guide more
	Big Shot Chronicles New - LP - ST 73210 Sealed 1986 Original With Gold Promo Stamp And Custom Hype Sticker On Front Jacket. “Scott Miller Broke In A New Game Theory Lineup On The Big Shot Chronicles (A Revolving-Door Cast Of Musicians Was Something He Would Get Used To Over The Next Decade Or So), And If The Album Lacks The Narrative Cohesion Of The Group's First Full-Length Effort, Real Nighttime, It's Obvious From The Album's First Cut That The Addition Of Shelley Lafrenier On Keyboards, Suzi Ziegler On Bass, And Gil Ray On Drums Made Game Theory A Stronger Band In Every Respect. While Game Theory's Attempts To Rock Out On Real Nighttime Sometimes Sounded A Bit Tentative, The Big Shot Chronicles Reveals A Band That's Equally Adept At Flexing Their Muscles ("I've Tried Subtlety" And "Make Any Vows") Or Easing Into A Song's Subtleties ("Regenisraen" And "Like A Girl Jesus"). As A Songwriter, Scott Miller Continued To Grow ("Erica's Word" And "Don't Look Too Closely" Are Both Smart Pop Heaven On Earth), And While He's Fond Of Referring To His Voice As A "Miserable Whine," He Sure Knows How To Make It Communicate. Finally, Mitch Easter's Production Guides The Record Through Moody Neo-Psychedelia And Up-Tempo Hard Pop With An Equally Sure Hand; The Record Sounds Just As Good As The Band Plays. A Superb Set From One Of The Best (And Most Underappreciated) Bands Of The 1980s.” Mark Deming, All Music Guide more
	Pointed Accounts Of People You Know Used - 12 - ONA 004 Beautiful 1983 5 Track EP With Custom Insert. Vinyl Appears Glossy. more
	Real Nighttime Used - LP - 72022 1985 Debut Album Produced By Mitch Easter. Appears Unplayed. more