Voyage Around My Record and Book Collection

 

Voyage Around My Record and Book Collection

Why I Collect? by Tosh Berman

 

Why I Collect? by Tosh Berman

Tosh Berman on Manfred Mann

 

Tosh Berman on Manfred Mann

May 17, 2019 (Tokyo)

Deeply jet-lagged, I walk the streets of Tokyo without knowing what direction or desire.  I feel like I have to move or I sleep or experience some version of death.  On the other hand, for the next four days, I'm alone, and therefore I can roam from morning to evening and back to morning again.  I ended up at a chain coffee shop in Shibuya a block away from Tower Records having a cold glass of their tap water and black coffee.  I usually sit by their indoor fountain, which generally I find it meditative.  Unfortunately, they had the water turned off, so the glass fountain, or is it plastic, had old water stains on it which reminded me of the retainer for my teeth.  It's tough to clean the fastener, and I find it disgusting.  Therefore I'm in a bad mood.

To escape my dark thoughts for the day, I went to RecoFan, which is about two blocks away from the coffee shop.   When I look for records, I usually don't have a thought in my head, which, of course, is total bliss. In that state, I found a copy of the Tornados' second album "Away From it All" produced by Joe Meek.   As one knows who reads my blog, I have a thing for Meek's production.  It's interesting to note that Meek arranged to have a photo of Heinz on the back cover of the album, announcing that he is now a solo artist, but did play bass on seven tracks on this album.  It took me about three hours to find this record.  A gentleman from Asia, who speaks perfect English, asked me for advice at the music store.  Both of us had the same problem.   If you buy 5 used albums or singles, you get ¥200  off each title.  He can only find three, and I was struggling with a choice of two and having a difficult time to find other records I wanted.  Which is basically a 'me' problem, because it is one of the great record stores in the world.  It's a smaller version of Amoeba feet wise, but jammed pack with vinyl, CD, and an impressive selection of used 45 rpm singles.  They also have an excellent selection of Japanese pop/rock as well.  I did find a Guernica album there, but I already have it.  Still, the Asian gentleman wanted to know if we could put our purchase together for the discount.  I declined because even though it made perfect sense, I just didn't want to be there for the discount.  As a buyer or collector, it's essential that I purchased records that I need, and not out of a 'deal.'  

Exhausted, I went to a local market near my home here in Meguro and found an overabundance of raw tuna.   I  had rice at home and decided to buy a package of tuna, and at home, I'll make sushi rice, which is a combination of white rice, vinegar, and sesame seeds.   I actually like the sushi rice better than the fish that is either mixed in or lays on top of the tuna.  If one gives me a bowl of rice, I would be happy and content. 

I feel my life must be a great disappointment to my readers and fans.   I made a note to myself to make my self more interesting.  Perhaps even to write more about food.  The truth is, I greatly admire meditating on all sort of things, and then writing about my feelings on that subject matter.  Of course, who cares about how I feel about things!  Still,  on the way home I did go to Tower Music to buy the music magazine "Record Collector," which is cheaper to purchase here than in Los Angeles.  It's essential that I have reading material on long plane flights.  Even although sometimes I just nod in front of the small video screen, I find reading material a safety net for any chances that boredom reveals itself to my world.   Tower Records is 6-floors of music.   Each floor is devoted to a specific region or type of music.  The last time I was here K-pop (Korean) shared space with J-Pop (Japanese), but alas, K-Pop has the whole floor to itself.   Of the boy-band world, it's interesting that Korean pop acts are making a presence in America at the moment. So, the fact that a whole floor is devoted to K-Pop music is an interesting change. Also on this floor were a significant number of young girls screaming because a band or boy band was doing a signing.  Classical music used to have the entire floor by itself but now shares its space with Jazz and World Music. 

March 4, 2018 (Tokyo) by Tosh Berman

Jun Togawa

March 4, 2018 (Tokyo) by Tosh Berman

I spent a great deal of my time today at RECOfan in Shibuya.  Those who know me are quite aware that I’m addicted to vinyl record buying.  It’s an obsession that borders on a sexual disorder.   Before I left for Tokyo, I made a pledge that I wrote in my notebook that I would not purchase one album on this trip.  In fact, I will not even go to a record store.   After making this promise to myself, I felt right about it.   To eliminate an obsession or a passion cleans the soul.  I decided that what’s important to me is to make new friends here and be entirely devoted to listening and understanding my fellow human beings.   Everything went well until I arrived to meet a friend in Shibuya. 

I arranged a meeting at a location that is a distance, or at the very least; I thought it was,  from any record store, and it was at the Shibuya Beam that our get together was arranged.  I was supposed to meet him at the anime shop on the fifth floor, but another person in the elevator was going to the fourth floor.  As he left the elevator, I notice it was RECOfan, one of the more exceptional music stores in Shibuya.   Without thinking or even remembering my pledge, I got out of the lift. 

My friend is ordinarily late, so I thought there is no harm in just to look around.  As I searched in their new arrival section of used records, I found a copy of a Jun Togawa album that I have wanted for years.   The album is called 好き好き大好き, and it has been since the 1980s that I wanted this masterpiece, yet could never find it on vinyl.   I then remembered the pledge, but then thought ‘how can I possibly pass this up, and it’s only 1,900 yen 

As I held it in my hand, I started to feel guilty.  I was thinking of the luggage issue, as well as adding another item in my household, which apparently I have no room for.  Perhaps it’s best that I give the 1,900 yen to charity?  Then again, I thought that I could write a story about this album, and therefore it can be a tax write-off.   At that point, I have decided I was working, and then with my grip on the record, I went onward to my next purpose in life.  To find more albums.  

Around two hours later, I found a rare copy of Japan’s “Quiet Life” album.   What’s unique about this record is that Japan is a British band, and to buy a Japan album in Tokyo struck me as ironic, which will be put to good use in my story.   Overall I spent four hours in RECOfan, and I only purchased two albums, which I was proud of.  It meant that I’m not an addict, but a careful buyer or consumer.  Oddly enough I forgot about the meeting with my friend, and it was important because it was a job.  Nevertheless, life goes on, and as darkness approached the sky, I whistled a tune off 好き好き大好き and went back to my room in Meguro. 

- Tosh Berman

"Property of Ronald Kane" by Tosh Berman

I went to Rockaway Records this week, and I purchased two albums: the late Ronald Kane owned Gavin Bryars' "The Sinking of the Titanic" (Obscure Records) and "The Joe Meek Story" (Decca).  I know this is true because there are stickers on both albums that says “The Property of Ronald Kane.”  One on the back cover, and another on the record label itself.   I may have met Ron Kane when I worked at Licorice Pizza music store chain during the 1980s.  He was the import record buyer for the entire chain, and it’s considerably possible that I met him perhaps at a Christmas party for the store, or when we had to get together for work meetings.   Then again I worked at the West Los Angeles and Reseda stores, so, for instance, I never went to their Glendale headquarters.  At least, I have no memory of going to the main offices.   That would be where Ron Kane worked, and now, I only know of him due that he passed away not that long ago.  

Ron built up his record collection over the years, and like me, it seems he has visited Japan numerous times to buy and searching out recordings.  I have my favorite record stores, but oddly enough, for the past 25 or so years of going back and forth to and from Japan, I always find a new place to shop for vinyl.  A collection is very much an activity that shows one who you are, and what your obsessions are.  It is just as truthful as if finding one’s DNA on a murder weapon - it can’t help itself in not telling some history or narrative through one’s collection of objects or things.  Ron Kane, right before he passed away, sold his entire collection of vinyl to Rockaway Records.  

Going through the new arrival bin at Rockaway, I see that Ron had a thing for European prog rock, or bands/artists that error on the side of experimental made music.  The sense of exploration on his part is awe-inspiring to me.   It would be interesting to know if he kept notes or a journal regarding his record hunts throughout the world.   What I see here is a man of intelligence and curiosity.   There are focuses on countries, such as Italy, as well as France, that put out numerous experimental/prog albums throughout the late 1960s to the mid-1970s.   When you are a fan of a particular artist or group, you become interested in what part of the world that they came from.  Which leads one to study that culture that would produce such an artist.  

I’m not the most excellent collector in the world, but I suspect Ronald Kane was one, in that he spent his life being intensely focused on the issues of records and where they came from.  The vinyl albums here in the store are all new looking.  Nothing tattered or torn, and every piece of vinyl, when I open the package seems in perfect shape.  The only alteration is the sticker with his name and that he owns the object on hand.  I often wonder why people put their names on albums.  For one, you can presume that they loan out to friends or institutions, and they want to make sure that they get their record back. Or, the essence of owning an object, you want to make sure there is some physical sense of ownership of that object.   Signing one’s name to an object or a collection is very much the same as an artist who signs their own artwork. 

So, with my memory, I’m not entirely sure if I met Ron Kane or not.  As an employee at Licorice Pizza during the 1980s, I purchased a lot of vinyl that came through the central office of licorice Pizza from the U.K.  Mostly due to the buying power of Ron through the store.  Although I never met him face-to-face or at the very least, a mere passing perhaps being in the same room together, his work had affected my record buying (with discount) adventure.   I’m a believer in museums to obtain a collection or one’s holdings.   I don’t know the number of albums owned and sold to Rockaway Records by Ron, but I have to imagine it was at the very least a few thousand titles.  As time goes by people will come to the store and more likely purchase a brilliant album with the sticker on it saying “The Property of Ronald Kane.” 

- My homage to Ronald Kane, and collecting - Tosh Berman, January 8, 2017

"Vinyl Junkies: Adventures in Record Collecting" by Brett Milano

Obsessions really tells what a person is, and there is nothing more beautiful than a person who collects books or in this case vinyl.  Not CD's mind you, but the beautifully designed object that is known as a vinyl record.   The anticipation of going to a record store or even a yard sale that has a stack of 12" LP''s or for that matter a pile of 45rpm singles is a series of blissful moments.  Brett Milano's "Vinyl Junkies" covers the actual feeling while profiling the collector and their special needs to locate a certain record, or just to be surrounded by the vinyl scent.

The great thing about this book is not about the objective need to find the perfect recording or issue of an album, but the subjective view point of the collector and what they are looking for.  Money is not an issue here, although one character in the book got burned for $2,000, which sounds like he couldn't afford the price in the first place.  But what got him burned is not really the lost of the funds, but the fact he didn't get the record that he desired.   All the collectors interviewed in this book has a specific aesthetic for a certain type of music.  It could be exotica or bubblegum or sound affects records - but all, pretty much reflects on their personality.   A record collection pretty much defines who and what you are to the world.  And to yourself as well.  Milano is very funny and a witty writer.  But the subject matter is extremely serious, and that's the beauty of collecting vinyl.  The mixture of the high and the low and everything in between.  One can read countless books on the subject, because human nature never gets old, just gets more interesting.