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

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 

Primitive Sound System at D.C.'s Tavern - Thursday, February 7th - 9PM to Closing

Hello Y'all,

Sometime around 1988 - 1989 I began working at Finyl Vinyl in NYC Saturdays, Sundays and Mondays.  Saturdays I worked with the owner Robert who was a character to say the least.  Sundays and Mondays were pretty much my days.  After a while I looked forward to Sundays like a kid looks forward to Christmas morning. Friends, DJs, collectors and customers would come in with their coffee, breakfast and a record or two (some even a box) to sample in the early hours.  I got to listen to music I had never heard before and some records I have never heard since.  One of the regulars was a guy named Mike Gitelson, a.k.a. Blue Note Mike.  Mike's nickname is obvious and pretty much says it all.  He was a huge Jazz head, especially Blue Note titles.  For the most part he listened to Jazz, Dub, Soul, Funk and Hip Hop.  Mike created an imaginary company called Rock Box Productions, with an obvious tip of the hat to RUN DMC.  He would tell record companies, bands, clubs, etc that he was a promoter or writer or whatever and they would send him promo copies of music or put him on the list.  A friend of his even made him a jacket that said Rock Box Productions on the back; more than once I witnessed people come up to him in the store and either inquire about his company or tell him that they were familiar with Rock Box.  Don't you just love humans?

Mike was easily as sarcastic and annoying as I could be and he could certainly give as good as he could take.  Mike came in every Sunday without fail.  He would bring his parents sometimes, his sister and eventually his girlfriend who later became his wife.  Mike and I talked about anything and many times we also fought about everything.  No subject was off limits and his health came up quite often.  He worked as a social worker and some people will remember him because he was the guy who organized the rally at the Nike store with Chuck D after some kids were shot and killed for their Dunks.  The story was published in every local paper and even some magazines.  To most people he probably came across as soft spoken, gentle and maybe even a bit reserved.  But, I could tell if it was business and not the friendly discussions we were having I don't think I'd have faired so well.  He was exactly the kind of person that you'd want as your advocate.

Mike's Dad would come in the store on a regular basis.  His Dad was a huge Jazz fan and was a DJ who also promoted the shows at NYU while he was a student there.  He would tell us stories about how many of the musicians would include some very unsavory demands on their riders and sometimes these things were exchanged in lieu of monetary payment.  He told us that he once contacted Herbie Mann about playing at the school.  He asked him what he needed and waited for a list, coke, alcohol, pills, girls, etc… but…NOPE.  All Mr. Mann asked for was a private phone in a quiet room.  The night of the performance he showed Herbie to the room and asked if he needed anything else.  He later discovered that the phone was so that he could call his home and say goodnight to his kids and tell them that he would see them soon.  Little did he know that Mike and I knew Herbie's son Geoff who was a regular at the store.  Nothing could have been cooler than when we got to tell Geoff the story.  Those kinds of connections were exactly what the store was all about.

Mike's wife told me he didn't have a will.  The only thing he ever mentioned to her was that if anything ever happened to him that she should contact me and I'd know what to do.  It took some time before I was able to get to their apartment but emotionally that may have been for the best for her and us.  Going through his collection spun me back to each of the fifteen years I was at Finyl Vinyl.  There were records I knew he would have, ones I sold him, others I was surprised to see.  There were even records that were once mine.  We found plastic bags with my name on them and even mixed CD's that I made for him.  Believe me, I have cases of audio tapes and CD's that he made me as well, Rock Box Productions of course.  Nothing makes me happier than going through records and as you can imagine this was not easy.  The collection will be sold through Iris Records in Jersey City.  I took a few records for myself and will definitely think of him every time I play them.  I'll be playing some of them this Thursday ay D.C.'s.            

Larry the Hunter will be pouring what you need.

See you there.

- pat.

Primitive Sound System

VINYL RULES!

"Audio Visual Triumphs and Disasters" - http://primitivesoundsystem.blogspot.com

Thursday, February 7th - 9PM to Closing

Pat. James Longo - Primitive Sound System

D.C.'s Tavern

505 8th Street

Between Jefferson and Madison

BACK IN BACK

Hoboken, New Jersey

PH: 201-792-5550

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I'll also have many Sire Record releases for 1976 - 1978 with me.

Some of Mik's records I'll have with me:

We Got Latin Soul Vol. 2 (Caliente / FANIA cat. HOT 111)

Jackie Mittoo - Now  (Studio One cat. SOL 9016)

James Brown - …Presents His Show of Tomorrow  (King Records cat. 1024)

Melvin Sparks - Spark Plug  (Prestige cat. 10016 (Not For Sale))

Boogaloo Joe Jones - What It Is  (Prestige cat. PR 10035)

Tina Brooks - Minor Move  (Blue Note Records cat. BRP 8043 (Not For Sale))

Harold Vick - Steppin' Out!  (Blue Note Records cat. ST 84138 (Toshiba / Japan))

The Soul Society - Satisfaction from…  (Dot Records cat. DLP - 25842)

The Afro-Latin Soultet - Wild!  (Tower cat. T 5051)

45's:

Fela Ransome Kuti & The Africa '70 - "Alagbon Close" Part 1 & 2  (Editions Makossa cat. EM - 2719)

Willie Mitchell - "The Crawl" Part 1 & 2  (Hi Records cat. 45 - 2044)

Kastle - "Getting' Down (With Hoss)" b/w "Why Don't You (Do It)"  (King cat. 45 - 6418)

Mongo Santamaria - Mongomania (ep)  (Columbia cat. Stereo Little LP 7 - 9412)

Lavell Kamma and his Afro Soul Review - "I Know Where It's At" b/w "Soft Soul"  (Tupelo Sound Records Inc. cat. 1444 - TS - 001)

Charles Spurling - "Popcorn Charlie"  (King Records cat. 45 - 6267 (Promotional))

Dance The Latin Funk  (Jazzman Records cat.JMAN 064)

Bumps Jackson - "Funky In Jamaica"  (Alatac cat. ALA 102)

The 13th Amendment - "The Stretch" b/w Eugene Blacknell - "Getting' Down"  (Soulstream / Soul Patrol Records cat. SPR 05)

PSS spinning a Boogaloo set Tuesday Oct 9th, 9AM - Noon on WFMU with Trouble plus Harvey Averne and Jonathan Goodman

Hello Y'all,

Boogaloo - Bugalu - Boo-Ga-Loo - Bugaloo

I have seen it spelled all of these ways but no matter how you spell it, it is one of the most exciting and Soulful sounds ever.  It's also a lot of names for a short lived period in the history the Nuyorican music scene.  Boogaloo lasted from 1966 - 1969 but it really broke out in 1967.  The streets of New York City have always been where cultures mix and luckily the results are usually great music.  Bugalu was the perfect pairing of Soul and Latin music.  Boo-ga-loo was short lived but produced some amazing music though I can't recall any one LP that has Bugaloo tracks from start to finish.  There are also very subtle differences between Boogaloo, and the other genres of Latin Soul like Shing-a-ling which make it an even smaller niche and sometimes difficult to discern from each.  This despite the fact that many people criticize Bugalu songs for all sounding the same.  The same could be said of the Ramones but they are still one of the greatest Punk bands of all time.  Regardless of its short life and similar sounds Boo-ga-loo is one of my favorite genres and one I can never get enough of it.

Recently Trouble mentioned she had been listening to a lot of Bugaloo and asked if I would do a guest spot on her show and spin her a set.  Of course I jumped at the opportunity. It is also WFMU's "31 Days of October" mini-marathon, so once again I get to spin music I love for a good cause.  Check out the long list of guests scheduled for the month on FMU's site.  That brings me to a very interesting chain of events.  Turns out Jonathan Goldman from the amazing Latin Soul band, Spanglish Fly, will be coming up as well… oh… AND HE IS BRINGING HARVEY AVERNE!  Harvey Averne produced the upcoming Spanglish Fly release which I can only imagine is a dream come true for the band and another credit in a very long and impressive career for Mr. Averne.  If you even mildly like Latin music you must listen to this show, not for my records but to hear a legend speak about what it was like to be there while it was happening.

Tune in Tuesday from 9AM - Noon or listen online (all the shows are available after the air in the FMU archives). 

Just listen.

Here is the archive of the program: "Beans and Rice Boogaloo School"

- pat.

Primitive Sound System

VINYL RULES!

"Audio Visual Triumphs and Disasters"

Tuesday, October 9th - 9AM to Noon

91.1 Fm or on the internet at http://www.wfmu.org

Playlist Archives For "This is the Modern World with Trouble"

http://www.wfmu.org/playlists/LM

"31 Days of October" Mini Marathon

http://www.wfmu.org/marathon