Primitive Sound System, Chuck Day and Justin Frohwirth at D.C.'s Tavern - Thursday, February 5th - 9PM - Close

Hello Y'all,
Happy Valentine's Day Massacre!
This First Thursday (February 5th from 9PM to Closing) we are inspired by the two feelings that are equally as destructive as they are fulfilling - Love & Hate. Chuck Daly and I will be joined by the man known as Collector Scum - Justin Frohwirth. I have seen some amazing record collections over the years but nothing compares to the focus and quality found in every box in his studio. What is even more impressive is the fact that the collection is not overwhelming in number. That is not to say that it is easily gone through or even comprehensible. Every box is filled with favorite Punk “hits,” but what is really impressive are the ones you have never heard of or even knew existed. Do not miss this not. As always Brian Daly will be serving you drinks until you love at least one person and keep drinking until you can't stand the sight of them. As always all Beerdos welcome!

Justin suggested doing this month’s theme so the mini reviews come from his pen and brain.

Continental Co-Ets - I Don't Love You No More (IGL # 105) 1966
Moptop Mike Markesich's amazing TeenBeat Mayhem USA 60s garage discography book lists just over 30 bands of the era that had all girl members, and this understated rebuke to the boys is one of the best of them. It can almost be seen as an answer song to any of hundreds -- possibly thousands -- of other songs listed in the book.

Fear - I Love Livin in the City (Criminal no #) 1978
A love song of a different sort. Although it's really a song of hate. So perfect for the night's theme.

Freestone - Bummer Bitch (Akhashic AK-2001) 1978
There may be a few contenders for the title, but I'd call this the quintessential misogynistic hate anthem of the Killed By Death "genre", certainly helped by being comped on an early volume of the series, and later being covered by artists like Jay Reatard. According to lore, they really were more of a prog band, which can be heard to some degree on "Church", the flipside of this record. "Bummer Bitch" was recorded as a throwaway joke, and the world is a better place for it.

Nerves - Hanging on the Telephone (self-released # N4501) 1976
Perhaps the best powerpop song of all time, and they did it better than Blondie who later made it famous.

Sister Ray - Hate - from the Coming To Terms EP (Sad no #) 1985
One of a number of records I'll be playing which share this simple title, but this is most criminally under-rated of all of them. It certainly didn't help that the band's later material on labels like Sub Pop and Forced Exposure is still littering dollar bins everywhere. But the band's mid-to-late 80s singles on their own Sad label, plus their 1st LP "Random Violence" on the very uneven Dutch imprint Resonance, are all great. Could a band from 1980s Ohio named after a Velvet Underground song really not be good?

Triumphs - Surfside Date (IFF # 151) 1964
This is perhaps the odd man out on Back From the Grave #2, given its early date and obvious surf influences, although Ralph Nielsen & The Chancellors was even 2 years earlier and on a label called Surf Records. I won't try to explain why a band from Wisconsin was doing a surfy record, but how can you top a song with the genius couplet "After the usual razz-a-ma-tazz / I'll take you home and all of that jazz"? They got their point across loud and clear fifty years ago, when no one was allowed to say "fuck" on record.

- pat.

Primitive Sound System
VINYL RULES!
"Audio Visual Triumphs and Disasters"

Thursday, February 5th - 9PM to Closing

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

Dust & Grooves at Lion's Milk WNYU with pat. James Longo - Primitive Sound System

Primitive Sound System on WNYU Radio Show "Lion's Milk," with Eilon Paz of Dust & Grooves:
Archive and set-list from November 6, 2014
www.dustandgrooves.com/mix-lions-milk-wnyu-with-eilon-paz-pat-james-longo

The Three Suns – “The Creep”
Little Joey Vespe – “Caravan”
The Shades – “Skip It”
The Gamblers – Moon Dawg!
Davie Allan and The Arrows – U.F.O
The Ventures – “The Swingin Creeper
Gary and Larry – “Garlic Bread”
Travis Wammack – “Scratchy”
The Nu-Trons – “Beat”
The DeAndre Trio – “Batman Theme”
Leo Valentino Trio – “Behind the Out House”
Jimmy McGriff – “The Worm”
Ross Carnegie – “Cool Dad”
Louis Chachere – “The Hen”
Tommy Wills – “K.C. Drive”
Harold Alexander – “Mama Soul”
Baris Manco – “”W.A. Mozart’ In Yardimlari ile””
Miles Davis – “The Molester”
Herbie Hancock – “Crossing”
Funkadelic – “Vital Juices”
Bad Medicine – “Trespasser Pt. 2″
The BBC – “Upside Down”
Super Circus – “Bubble Gum March”
The Propositions – “Africana”

Music behind the DJ and guests talking:
- Mulatu Astatke & The Heliocentrics – “Dewel”
- George Danquah – “Just For a Moment”
- Los Superiores – “Descarga Superior”
- Toni Tornado – “Eu Tenho Um Som Novo”
- Jean Jacques Perrey – “E.V.A”
- Luis Bacalov – “Take a Chance (Instrumental)”

Small Faces – “Grow Your Own”
The Rolling Stones – “2120 South Michigan Avenue”
The Soft Machine – “Joy of a Toy”

Primitive Sound System on WNYU Radio Show "Lion's Milk," with Eilon Paz of Dust & Grooves

Hello Y’all,

One thing everyone knows is that we do not need words to evoke emotions. Not one word needs to be uttered when in the throws of any of the emotions. Beyond the basic ones we have things like passion that are made up of one or more, or possibly all at once. I do find the basic emotions to be less blissful than they should be but they do cover a lot of human experience. Music is one thing we can all experience and each of us have a completely different, unique and personal emotional reaction. Even the deaf can feel music. As part of my son’s piano lessons his teacher will play notes or chords and he is supposed to identify the emotion being conveyed. I sit in my studio while this is going on and get almost every one wrong. But, am I wrong? Or do I just experience music differently? I hope the answer is obvious and this isn’t some grand psychological experiment resulting in me being flagged as unstable or outside the “acceptable norm.” I must say that I have very little musical talent, which could be responsible for my below average score. I am a drummer. I can play some instruments rhythmically and even make them sound interesting but I am only comfortable providing rhythm.

I decided I could play drums sometime in the mid 80’s. I say decided because I have no formal training. I stumbled through the school required recorder, then saxophone and even a month or two of piano but was never satisfied. I was always rhythmic with very good timing so to me the drums were the only choice. The deeper I got into the sounds of the drums the less interested I became with vocals. By the time you say something, record it, and then release it I hope we are not going to dwell on it. So please, let’s move on. My attention turned toward Jazz and Instrumentals and away from Punk and Hip Hop. I even sold off some really great stuff in pursuit of wordless music. I soon found that every genre had plenty of instrumentals throughout. As some of you know I became obsessed with one instrumental in particular, "The Batman Theme,” and continue to look for versions to this day. In most cases I am looking for songs with a heavy or interesting beat but other sounds that will always catch my attention are, B3 organ, fuzz guitar, flute, vibes and of course a good scream or shout. I don’t know what percentage of my collection is instrumentals but it could be very close to fifty percent if not more.

This Tuesday (November 4) I will be joining Eilon Paz, of Dust & Grooves fame, on the Sercan Sezgin radio show “Lion's Milk" on WNYU 89.1 FM with a box full of instrumentals. The concept of the show has always been about hearing new and original music covering many genres including; afro, oriental, bollywood, early electro, electro cosmic, funk, obscure jazz, library music, pop jerk, world psych, soundtracks and commonly has special guests sitting in. You can checkout the show’s archives here: https://soundcloud.com/balkaymak

- pat.
Primitive Sound System
VINYL RULES!
"Audio Visual Triumphs and Disasters"

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Sercan Sezgin - "Lions Milk" ARCHIVES
Tuesdays 7:30 - 9:00PM
WNYU Radio - 89.1

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Dust & Grooves:
http://www.dustandgrooves.com
BUY A BOOK!
BUY THE POSTCARDS!

Eilon Paz:
http://eilonpaz.com

Primitive Sound System and Chuck Daly First Thursday at D.C.'s Tavern - Hoboken NJ

This First Thursday at D.C.'s Tavern no genre is off limits. Instrumentals, Funk, Raw Soul and R&B, Soul, Blues, Country, Dub, Rock Steady, Ska, Jazz, Lounge, Pop, Garage Rock, Psych, Surf and Drag, Soundtracks, Comedy, 70s ROCK!!!, Prog, Punk, Hardcore, Hip Hop, Indie Rock, Metal and anything else with a groove that Pat. James Longo and Chuck Daly can stick a needle in. See you there! - Thursday, September 4th, 2014 9PM to closing.

Iris Records 45 Day Setlist - Saturday May 10, 2014

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Primitive Sound System at Iris Records for 45 Day - Saturday May 10th

Hello Y'all,
Three minutes.  That is all there should be.  Less is OK too but I can feel it when a 45 is longer than three minutes.  If it goes beyond three and a half it can feel like sitting in a doctor’s office waiting for your turn.  Endless and anxiety filled.  A 7-inch spinning at forty-five can hold up to four minutes of music with little to no sound loss but at three minutes the grooves are comfortably spaced and able to contain and project with the force of fire hose open full throttle.  Whether it is as subtle as a ballad or smashing shit as the grooves leave the speakers of the best Punk can offer a forty-five is the perfect delivery system.  Most forty-fives only contain one amazing song and the “other-side” is not worthy of its better half.  The ones that bring it home on both sides are known as, “two-siders.”  And believe me, there are a lot of them.  Some of my favorites have the vocal on one side and the instrumental version on the other.  Better yet, two different songs and at least one an instrumental.  Sometimes I’ll hear people talk about a song and I have no idea what they are talking about because, despite owning it, I have only listened to the “other” side.  When I get a new 45 I give both sides a proper listen.  I’ll even listen to the “lesser” cut, as many times as I can bear just to make sure I am familiar but unfortunately as the years roll past that inferior cut is lost.  The 7-inch is truly my favorite recorded format. When done properly the sound quality is better and the mix can be hotter and louder.  Many record labels will take advantage of this by doing singles only mixes.

Physically the forty-five is perfect.  There are two basic styles, large hole and small hole. Both styles can be found at 33 1/3 and 45 rpm formats but obviously for it to be a forty-five it must spin at 45 rpms.  The 7-inch forty-five can easily be held in one hand.  You can either grip the edges, if your hands are big enough, like palming a basketball or, in the case of a large-hole-forty-five, you can grip it at the center - through the hole and the outer edge.  This looks cooler and allows for hand gestures while speaking to emphasize how great or how shitty a record is.  LPs seem purpose built for sitting and listening.  That is not to say I don’t bring LPs when I DJ, because I do.  Forty-fives can be cued on the fly and are more forgiving since there usually is not a track preceding or following each cut.  I have chrome forty-five spindles that I like to call, "speed loaders,” since they are pitched at the top and you can practically throw the forty-five at it and it will line itself up as it spins to the slip mat.

I have thousands of forty-fives and I love all of them.  Every time I pull one from a box and play it for someone I usually hear myself say, “Uh, that’s my favorite,” or, “It is impossible for me to pick a top-ten... but if I had to that would be on it… [long pause] …in _ _ _ _ _(insert genre classification here).”  I certainly have no issue with this.  I can care less that I have the longest “Top-Ten List,” ever created.  Ten?  Ten thousand is more like it.

Obviously the music is the most important reason for a record to be my favorite but determining factors can vary greatly following the music.  Sleeve and label design are pretty high on the list of determiners.  Have you ever seen the cover of XTC’s “Senses Working Overtime?”  It is amazing.  This is easily one of my favorite New Wave “Hit Records" but the cover also makes it art.  The front is a simple woodcut of a man’s face with his hands raised in the usual position one takes to play patty-cake.  Normally you would say this position is the universal symbol for, “You got me,” or “I give up,” but his face is not that of a guilty man.  He isn’t smiling in an ear-to-ear fashion but rather looks quite content. The paper stock is a very light gray and all the graphics and lettering are black and white.  The cover is cut and folded in such a way that the record is encased inside forcing you to unfold it to play the record.  From the first panel you open a photo of brightly colored birds with a painfully bright yellow border instantly strikes you.  This is repeated when you fold back the other panel with the hand and ear printed on it.  You can then fold back the mouth and eyes to reveal fish, flowers and fruit as brightly colored as the birds. "SEE - HEAR - SMELL - TOUCH - TASTE”  "1-2-3-4-5, sense working overtime.”  Simple, stunning and brilliant.

Punk Rock and New Wave definitely took the forty-five sleeve from simple images and text to new heights of creativity.  Prior to that many records had sleeves, and some were very creative, but for the most part records either came in a company sleeve or a simple sleeve with no text.  Company sleeves can be beautifully designed.  Some company logos are as impressive as the music contained in the grooves.  The early Epic sleeves combined with the bright yellow paper and black ink used to produce the label is mesmerizing.  In some case the labels had images of the band or even the record company owner.  James Brown included a photo of himself on the label of his Polydor releases.  The image changed as he went through style and fashion changes.  The forty-five format has not changed with styles or trends. It has remained perfect.

Recently Steve at Iris Records in Jersey City told me he was going to add a forty-fives only section.  Let’s just say my senses were working overtime with the thoughts of newly available records to flip through.  To celebrate this new section of his already great store he has asked some local DJs known for their extensive 7-inch collections to spin sets.  I am filling my box with favorites of the format, favorites of different genres and some I just can’t live without.  Come by, enjoy the music and pick up some forty-fives.

- pat.
Primitive Sound System

VINYL RULES!

"Audio Visual Triumphs and Disasters"

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Iris Records
114 Brunswick Street
Between 1st & 2nd Street
Jersey City, NJ 07302

PH: (609) 468-0885

Hours: Thurs-Sun 12-8PM

THE SCHEDULE: Saturday May 10th

12 noon-1:15pm: Todd Abramson (of Maxwell’s fame)

1:15pm-2:30pm: Pat. James Longo (Primitive Sound System)

2:30pm-3:45pm: Joe McGasko (WFMU)

3:45pm-5:00pm: Pat Byrne (famed Lucky Seven DJ)

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Pat. James Longo
http://primitivesoundsystem.blogspot.com
http://www.dustandgrooves.com/pat-james-longo-jersey-city-nj
http://www.gigposters.com/designer/26046_Pat._James_Longo.html

My brother doesn’t like to go to record shows because for the most part record collectors can be rude and, for lack of a better description, just as rude to your olfactory sense.  Being elbowed, pushed and uncomfortably stared at because you are “taking too long,” to look through a box is definitely an issue.  I enjoy confrontation of this type with humans so I am not so put off but I can definitely understand and agree with his reasoning.  Eilon Paz has done a wonderful thing with his new book, "Dust & Grooves: Adventures In Record Collecting,” he has met with his subjects in their natural habitat without the threat of other collectors to disrupt or even injure them.  The photos capture each subject comfortably in their own space doing what they would most likely be doing 24-7-365 if they had no responsibilities.  Collectors and DJ’s live to purchase, trade, play, stare at, discuss and flip through records. Of course there is a significant amount of ego involved, no different than a hunter and his prized kills stuffed and mounted.  It is that aspect of self where the photos truly show the collectors at their proudest.  The point where these vinyl discs go from an object that delivers sound to a prized object.  Collecting is not about numbers.  This was famously demonstrated in Nick Hornby’s novel, “High Fidelity,” when the main character, Rob, goes on a record buy.  He is greeted by a woman who shows him one box of records; but inside are some of the rarest and most important releases in the history of music.  She wants to give the collection away as punishment for her husband’s infidelity but knowing the genuine value and importance of such a collection Rob refuses to take the box.  One box worth more than most people’s entire collections.  So if not numbers, what makes a collection a collection?  A collection should be a biography of the collector and Eilon illustrates this beautifully throughout the book.  Each room is different and so is the means in which the records are stored and displayed.  Each as different as the collectors themselves.  The book doesn’t end with the photos, it is also filled with extensive interviews and tons of information.  If you love music, record collecting or a good documentary make sure you pick up a copy of this book.   

DUST & GROOVES: ADVENTURES IN RECORD COLLECTING