Tuesday, September 03, 2013

Primitive Sound System & DJ SummerLivesOn! at D.C.'s Tavern - 10PM to Closing

Hello Y'all,
It seems like forever since the last time I DJ'd at D.C.'s.  Since the last time I have embarked on a a project: "The Gap Sealer."

I love buying records.  I love looking through records.  And sometimes I love looking through piles and piles of unsorted records for hours without stopping for something to eat, drink or even a bathroom break.  If you walk away someone may find that one record you were looking for.  It is an obsession and could probably be classified as a disease.  Unfortunately, for whatever reason, I have never made or carried around a real want list.  If it was a record I knew about and really wanted I would simply remember it.  This "system," left several gaps in my collection.  But, since I did buy what I like and only kept what I loved; the collection did have an over-all focus.  Like I have said before, every record collection should be a portrait or biography of the owner; I hope my collection is just that.  Despite that, the gaps exist, and sometimes I would fall deep inside them and wonder why they existed.  Some of the gaps were created at a time when I focused on Funk, Soul, R&B and Jazz purchases.  At that point I needed to free up shelf and 45 box space as well as have cash to buy what I wanted.  Most of the Hip Hop 12-inches went as well as a lot of Punk 45s.  My rationalization for selling the 7-inches was that I had LPs by those bands and I could still enjoy their music.  Same for the Hip-Hop but unfortunately I did not have as many LPs to cover all the music I needed to clear out.  To this day my Hip Hop collection is definitely not what it should be.  I have recently re-purchsed some of them but I don't think I will ever be able to get back or afford what I had.

Ironically the Punk records have not increased in value like other genres.  My brother and I were recently joking that it is more Punk to just get the music that inspires you then own it on an OG 45 or LP.  It isn't very Punk to be buying these up now but maybe this is how old Punk and Hardcore kids go through a mid-life crisis.  Regardless of the reasons, the inspiration came when I had the opportunity to go through the sale boxes of my buddy Justin.  Justin is know to the world as - CollectorScum (http://www.collectorscum.com).  It would appear that Justin has more records to sell, than he does in his personal collection.  So his philosophy is, buy collections and rare records for cheap, sell them quickly so that you have deep pockets to buy the rarest of the rare records.  His collection is fucking beautiful.  I have seen hundreds of collections in person and possibly thousands, if you count books and online, and I must say, none of them can compare to the focus, quality and organization of his.  It is inspirational.  It will also make you feel as if you have never looked through a single bin of records in your life… ever.  You would be lucky to recognize, know or own even an eighth of what he has.

Fully inspired and ready to go, I sat down and wrote my first real want list.  Turns out it was surprisingly easy.  First off, I needed to complete my Buzzcocks and The Fall 7-inches which I sold because, as I rationalized, I had them on LP.  It pained me at the time to do it and it kills me to even think about it now.  Buzzcocks is now complete and I need one more Fall record.  I am not a completist, I usually have a year that I cut bands off and that was true for both bands.  This cut-off goes for all bands.  It is no different from saying I love Star Wars, but in my world the last three don't even count, they don't exist.  It is few and far between that bands can rally years after they were no longer relevant.  One such band was Mission of Burma but that is a whole other story.  Next came, Sham 69, Stiff Little Fingers and The Ruts.  I considered these the low hanging fruit so I wasn't surprised to be able to knock them off easily.  There were also items on the list that someone either stole the insert or the insert had gotten lost over the years.  I still have these LPs and 45s so the priority isn't high, but i am tired of saying, "It used to have the insert."  One of those is my Minor Threat "Out Of Step" with the black back cover.  I bought it for $3 in a garage sale when I was in High School.  The insert was a letter sized sheet, later pressings have a larger one.  If you took mine, fuck you!  This goes for my Adolescents LP as well.  If you took that one as well, I will have to kick your ass but gladly I can say that is not replaced. 

Other records on the list are ones that I never came across a copy or heard it and loved it, but never pursued it for one reason or another.  I was explaining to someone recently that before computers, the internet, eBay or Discogs you were pretty much at the mercy of what was available in the bins of your local stores or any store you were lucky enough to go to.  If you didn't get it locally you could contact the label and see if you could get a copy but sometimes you were just plain SOL.   This would include the e.p.s by The Worst and Urban Waste.  I love these records and saw the bands but never bought the records.  In some cases the records were already long gone by the time I found out they even had a record available.  Years passed, tastes change, and I was searching for different records and sounds.  I recently went through my entire collection, carefully trimming the fat.  I called up my friend Jeff who has a shop in Brooklyn (Black Gold Records - http://blackgoldbrooklyn.com) and brought them to him.  With the money he gave me I immediately bought up more records on the list.  I have been trimming and pruning and have some more to bring him.  This project and concept has added a new dimension to collecting and since it is one I never actively pursued it has made it exciting again.

Come by Thursday night and I will be spinning a lot of these old - new finds.  

The past few months I have manned the play-station all by my lonesome, but this month I will be re-joined with DJ SummerLivesOn! - aka Chuck Daly so stop by, drink some booze, tip Larry and GET HIGH! 

- pat.

Primitive Sound System
VINYL RULES!
"Audio Visual Triumphs and Disasters"
http://primitivesoundsystem.blogspot.com

Thursday, September 5th - 9PM to Closing
Pat. James Longo - Primitive Sound System
Chuck Daly - DJ SummerLivesOn!

D.C.'s Tavern
505 8th Street
Between Jefferson and Madison
BACK IN BACK
Hoboken, New Jersey
PH: 201-792-5550