Overview

From scouring flea markets and eBay to maxing out their credit cards, record collectors will do just about anything to score a long-sought-after album. In Vinyl Freak, music writer, curator, and collector John Corbett burrows deep inside the record fiend's mind, documenting and reflecting on his decades-long love affair with vinyl. Discussing more than 200 rare and out-of-print LPs, Vinyl Freak is composed in part of Corbett's long-running DownBeat magazine column of the same name, which was devoted to records that had not appeared on CD. In other essays where he combines memoir and criticism, Corbett considers the current vinyl boom, explains why vinyl is his preferred medium, profiles collector subcultures, and recounts his adventures assembling the Alton Abraham Sun Ra Archive, an event so all-consuming that he claims it cured his record-collecting addiction. Perfect for vinyl newbies and veteran crate diggers alike, Vinyl Freak plumbs the motivations that drive Corbett and collectors everywhere.

Full Product Details

Author:   John Corbett
Publisher:   Duke University Press
Imprint:   Duke University Press
Weight:   0.590kg
ISBN:  

9780822363507

ISBN 10:   082236350
Pages:   264
Publication Date:   20 June 2017
Audience:   General/trade ,  Professional and scholarly ,  General ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Track One / Formation of a Freak  1 Track Two / ""News of My Death, Greatly Exaggerated,"" Quoth the Record  5 Column One / 2000–2003 Philly Joe Jones, Philly Joe Jones  15 Paul Gonsalves, Cookin'  16 Takashi Furuya with the Freshmen, Fanky Drivin'  18 Carsten Meinert Kvartet, To You  20 Melvin Jackson, Funky Skull  21 Gloria Coleman Quartet featuring Pola Roberts, Soul Sisters  23 Elmo Hope Ensemble, Sounds from Rikers Island  24 Chris McGregor's Brotherhood of Breath, Brotherhood  26 Morris Grants Presents J.U.N.K.  28 Tom Stewart, Sexette / Quintette  30 Kenny Graham and His Satellites, Moondog and Suncat Suites  31 John Coltrane, Cosmic Music  33 André Hodeir, Jazz et Jazz: Jazz Experiments; Triple Play Stereo, Pop+Jazz=Swing; Bill Russo Orchestra, Stereophony  35 George Davis Sextet, various acetates  37 Staffan Harde, Staffan Harde  39 Art Pepper, Chile Pepper  42 Jack Wilson, The Jazz Organs  43 Craig Harris, Tributes  45 Quintet Moderne, The Strange and the Commonplace  46 A. K. Salim, Afro-Soul / Drum Orgy  48 Tristan Meinecke, home recordings, 1939–43  50 Chico Hamilton Quintet, Sweet Smell of Success  52 Lehn-Strid, Here There; Klapper-Küchen, Irregular  54 Bill Leslie, Diggin' the Chicks; Thornel Schwartz with Bill Leslie, Soul Cookin'  55 Tony Scott and His Buddies, Gypsy  57 Herbie Mann, Great Ideas of Western Mann  58 Track Three / Freek, Not Snob  61 Column Two . 2004–2006 Afreaka!, Demon Fuzz  69 Contemporary Sound Series  70 Beaver Harris / Don Pullen 360-Degree Experience, A Well-Kept Secret  72 Mike Osborne Trio, Border Crossing  73 The Three Souls, Dangerous Dan Express  75 Steve Lacy, Raps  77 Halki Collective, Halki Collective  79 The Amran-Barrow Quartet, The Eastern Scene  80 Charlie Parke acetates  82 Tommy ""Madman"" Jones, A Different Sound and Just Friends  84 New York Art Quartet, Mohawk  86 Paul Gonsalves / Tubby Hayes, Just Friends; Paul Gonsalves All Stars Featuring Tubby Hayes, Change of Setting  88 Anthony Braxton, New York, Fall 1974  90 Herbie Fields Sextet, A Night at Kitty's  91 Air, 80° Below '82  93 Guy Warren with Red Saunders Orchestra, Africa Speaks—American Answers!  94 Barry Altschul, Another Time, Another Place  96 The Korean Black Eyes, ""Higher""  97 Rufus Jones, Five on Eight  99 Johnny Shacklett Trio, At the Hoffman House  100 The Mad-Hatters, The Mad-Hatters at Midnight  102 Klaus Doldinger, Doldinger Goes On  103 Max Roach, Solos  105 Dick Johnson, Most Likely . . .  106 Phil Seaman, The Phil Seamen Story  108 Paul Smoker Trio, QB  109 Khan Jamal, Drumdance to the Motherland; Franz Koglmann, For Franz / Opium  111 Track Four / Brand New Secondhand: Record Collector Subcultures  113 Column Three / 2006–2012 Walt Dunn, seven-inch singles  123 Leonard Feather, The Night Blooming Jazzmen  125 Eddie ""Lockjaw"" Davis, Modern Jazz Expressions  126 Archie Shepp, Plays the Music of James Brown; Cozy Eggleston, Grand Slam  128 Black Grass, Black Grass  129 Yoke & Yohs seven-inch  45 The Bill Dixon Orchestra, Intents and Purposes  132 Orchestre Régional de Mopti, Orchestre Régional de Mopti  134 The Jihad, Black & Beautiful . . . Soul & Madness  136 Milford Graves / Don Pullen, Milford Graves & Don Pullen at Yale University  137 Heikki Sarmanto Sextet, Flowers in the Water; G.L. Unit, Orangutang!  139 Ernie and Emilio Caceres, Ernie & Emilio Caceres  141 Maarten Altena, Papa Oewa  142 London Experimental Jazz Quartet, Invisible Roots  144 Sunny Murray, Big Chief; Solidarity Unit, Inc., Red, Black, and Green  146 Dick Wetmore, Dick Wetmore  147 United Front, Path with a Heart  149 Joseph Scianni, Man Running  150 The Residents, The Beatles Play the Residents and the Residents Play the Beatles  152 John Carter / Bobby Bradford Quartet, Flight for Four and Self Determination Music  153 Johnny Lytle Trio, Blue Vibes  155 Orchid Spangiafora, Flee Pasts Ape Elf  156 Noah Howard, Space Dimension  158 Baikida Carroll, The Spoken Word  159 Randy Weston, Blues  161 Charles Bobo Shaw Human Arts Ensemble Çonceré Ntasiah  163 Lee ""Scratch"" Perry, Double-7  164 Eddie Shu / Joe Roland / Wild Bill Davis, New Stars—New Sounds  166 Cecil Taylor / Tony Oxley, Ailanthus / Altissima  167 Unidentified Kenyan Highlife Band, seven-inch test pressing  169 Track Five / Specialty of the House  173 Track Six / Anything Can Happen Day: Sun Ra, Alton Abraham, and the Taming of the Freak  221 Column Four / 2016 Le Sun-Ra and his Arkistra, ""Saturn"" seven-inch single; Tom Prehn Quartet, Axiom  243 Track Seven / Run-Off Groove  247 Acknowledgements  249"

Reviews

People who are just getting into vinyl or who are returning to it after a long time away will value John Corbett's enthusiasm, personal approach, and vast knowledge. Even the most diehard jazz enthusiasts, collectors, and crate diggers can learn from Corbett's insights. --Mac McCaughan, member of Superchunk and cofounder of Merge Records

John Corbett has the too-rare ability to combine academic rigor with very readable prose, and he tells good stories. As an avid record collector and close listener to a broad array of music, Corbett really knows his subject. You can practically smell the musty cardboard. -- Kevin Whitehead, jazz critic for NPR's Fresh Air People who are just getting into vinyl-or who are returning to it after a long time away-will value John Corbett's enthusiasm, personal approach, and vast knowledge. Even the most diehard jazz enthusiasts, collectors, and crate diggers can learn from Corbett's insights. -- Mac McCaughan, member of Superchunk and cofounder of Merge Records Vinyl Freak could have easily been a stale trip down memory lane by a record collector. Yet Corbett takes an almost philosophical look at how music passes through listening mediums and what that means for listeners. As a result, the text will appeal to both vinyl freaks and non-freaks as it speaks to the transience of pop culture and its intersection with everyday lives. -- Amanda McCorquodale ForeWord Reviews

Corbett's deep knowledge in his chosen fields yields many valuable insights about records you may never have even heard of, let alone heard. Sure, he appreciates the classics, but he favours outliers. Admirably, he wants to broaden the canon (it would behoove readers to keep a notebook handy to tabulate all the records for which they should search).... And that is the motor of Vinyl Freak: an insatiable desire for the next revelatory recording, offering a thrilling portal to discover a hidden facet of your identity through a work of art. And if it impresses your mates or seduces a potential lover, so much the better. -- Dave Segal * The Wire * John Corbett is one of my favourite music writers. This book gathers up his elegaic and highly informative columns for Vinyl Freak magazine along with a series of mediations or essays on his love of music, an engaging mix of autobiography, reflection and storytelling. There are lots of colour pictures of record sleeves too. -- Rupert Loydell * International Times * Corbett still has an obscene record collection, but he's realized that his greatest mission is to share and educate-to arrange things so that others can experience the joy that he does. As much as anything I've read by him, Vinyl Freak does precisely that. -- Peter Margasak * Chicago Reader * Corbett really is an 'equal opportunity ear filler' and is willing to acquire the music he really enjoys in any format. With Vinyl Freak John Corbett invites us to join him in the pleasure of discovering new sounds to indulge our ears. So what are you waiting for? You've been invited. Highly Recommended! -- Chris De Chiara * Avant Music News * [Corbett's] new book digs deep into the culture of the vinyl lover and digs even deeper into his personal record collection. In the process, he exposes a beautiful and dusty world largely forgotten but kept alive by that dead medium known as the vinyl record. -- Christopher Laird * PopMatters * As a person who is not quite an over-the-top Sun Ra aficionado but is certainly more than a casual fan, I am forever grateful for Corbett's obsession. As a person who is always interested in discovering new and obscure music, I am also forever grateful for Corbett and his publisher compiling this collection of reviews. Although I read several of them in their original incarnation in Downbeat, this little book is now my reference guide for music I need to check out. Thanks again, John Corbett. -- Ron Jacobs * Counterpunch * ... one of the most readable books about the arcane magic of hunting down and listening to rare and unusual albums, or even rediscovering them from your own collection. -- Jon Newey * Jazzwise * [A] fascinating look at a subculture og hard-core collectors and a gold mine of information about various kinds of music and recording esoterica.... The illustrations of the record covers under review are fascinating and the author's musical savvy is daunting. This lively book could appeal to a wide range of readers. -- David Keymer * Library Journal * ... since the discussion is at least as much about the music being collected as the vinyl package, there is also a lot of intriguing music in the book. Much (but not all) of it jazz, and all of it worth seeking out: it comes with Corbett's highest recommendation. -- Mark Sullivan * All About Jazz * Vinyl Freak could have easily been a stale trip down memory lane by a record collector. Yet Corbett takes an almost philosophical look at how music passes through listening mediums and what that means for listeners. As a result, the text will appeal to both vinyl freaks and non-freaks as it speaks to the transience of pop culture and its intersection with everyday lives. -- Amanda McCorquodale * ForeWord Reviews *

John Corbett has the too-rare ability to combine academic rigor with very readable prose, and he tells good stories. As an avid record collector and close listener to a broad array of music, Corbett really knows his subject. You can practically smell the musty cardboard. -- Kevin Whitehead, jazz critic for NPR's Fresh Air People who are just getting into vinyl-or who are returning to it after a long time away-will value John Corbett's enthusiasm, personal approach, and vast knowledge. Even the most diehard jazz enthusiasts, collectors, and crate diggers can learn from Corbett's insights. -- Mac McCaughan, member of Superchunk and cofounder of Merge Records

John Corbett has the too-rare ability to combine academic rigor with very readable prose, and he tells good stories. As an avid record collector and close listener to a broad array of music, Corbett really knows his subject. You can practically smell the musty cardboard. -- Kevin Whitehead, jazz critic for NPR's Fresh Air People who are just getting into vinyl-or who are returning to it after a long time away-will value John Corbett's enthusiasm, personal approach, and vast knowledge. Even the most diehard jazz enthusiasts, collectors, and crate diggers can learn from Corbett's insights. -- Mac McCaughan, member of Superchunk and cofounder of Merge Records Vinyl Freak could have easily been a stale trip down memory lane by a record collector. Yet Corbett takes an almost philosophical look at how music passes through listening mediums and what that means for listeners. As a result, the text will appeal to both vinyl freaks and non-freaks as it speaks to the transience of pop culture and its intersection with everyday lives. -- Amanda McCorquodale ForeWord Reviews ... since the discussion is at least as much about the music being collected as the vinyl package, there is also a lot of intriguing music in the book. Much (but not all) of it jazz, and all of it worth seeking out: it comes with Corbett's highest recommendation. -- Mark Sullivan All About Jazz [A] fascinating look at a subculture og hard-core collectors and a gold mine of information about various kinds of music and recording esoterica... The illustrations of the record covers under review are fascinating and the author's musical savvy is daunting. This lively book could appeal to a wide range of readers. -- David Keymer Library Journal ... one of the most readable books about the arcane magic of hunting down and listening to rare and unusual albums, or even rediscovering them from your own collection. -- Jon Newey Jazzwise As a person who is not quite an over-the-top Sun Ra aficionado but is certainly more than a casual fan, I am forever grateful for Corbett's obsession. As a person who is always interested in discovering new and obscure music, I am also forever grateful for Corbett and his publisher compiling this collection of reviews. Although I read several of them in their original incarnation in Downbeat, this little book is now my reference guide for music I need to check out. Thanks again, John Corbett. -- Ron Jacobs Counterpunch [Corbett's] new book digs deep into the culture of the vinyl lover and digs even deeper into his personal record collection. In the process, he exposes a beautiful and dusty world largely forgotten but kept alive by that dead medium known as the vinyl record. -- Christopher Laird PopMatters

John Corbett has the too-rare ability to combine academic rigor with very readable prose, and he tells good stories. As an avid record collector and close listener to a broad array of music, Corbett really knows his subject. You can practically smell the musty cardboard. -- Kevin Whitehead, jazz critic for NPR's Fresh Air People who are just getting into vinyl-or who are returning to it after a long time away-will value John Corbett's enthusiasm, personal approach, and vast knowledge. Even the most diehard jazz enthusiasts, collectors, and crate diggers can learn from Corbett's insights. -- Mac McCaughan, member of Superchunk and cofounder of Merge Records Vinyl Freak could have easily been a stale trip down memory lane by a record collector. Yet Corbett takes an almost philosophical look at how music passes through listening mediums and what that means for listeners. As a result, the text will appeal to both vinyl freaks and non-freaks as it speaks to the transience of pop culture and its intersection with everyday lives. -- Amanda McCorquodale ForeWord Reviews ... since the discussion is at least as much about the music being collected as the vinyl package, there is also a lot of intriguing music in the book. Much (but not all) of it jazz, and all of it worth seeking out: it comes with Corbett's highest recommendation. -- Mark Sullivan All About Jazz [A] fascinating look at a subculture og hard-core collectors and a gold mine of information about various kinds of music and recording esoterica... The illustrations of the record covers under review are fascinating and the author's musical savvy is daunting. This lively book could appeal to a wide range of readers. -- David Keymer Library Journal

The spirit of this book, it's generosity and enthusiasm all work to support John's preferred status as a 'Freak' not a 'Snob.' I love records. I love books. A beautiful book about crazy rare and out-of-print records?! Heaven. -- Jeff Tweedy * The Amazon Book Review * Vinyl Freak is a good read, a well-written collection that helps with the fun and overwhelming project of trying to come to grips with the huge amount of music preserved in the LP era. I cannot imagine even casual collectors making it through Vinyl Freak without adding several items to their wants lists. -- Carlos Pena * Association for Recorded Sound Collections Journal * John Corbett shows how vinyl collecting serves archival and perhaps even societal purposes. By actively reanimating obscure and hard to find vinyl, he demonstrates that 'vinyl freaks' make worlds available that otherwise might be lost. Vinyl Freak opens up a world of vinyl, revealing recordings, musicians, as well as cultural history, that remain written in the grooves of decades-old records. -- Janet Borgerson & Jonathan Schroeder * Popular Music and Society * Corbett writes with both enthusiasm and a keen ear, the upshot of which is that high-dollar rarities and cheapies that shred get near-equal attention. -- Clifford Allen * New York City Jazz Record * John Corbett revels in the knowledge he's gained from a life spent rooting round shops and chats with like-minded souls. It's the final section that will resonate with most, detailing his experience unearthing an entire house-worth of Sun Ra memorabilia, it is so vividly written that you can almost sense his pulse racing as he ecstatically rifles through priceless artefacts. * Record Collector * Corbett's deep knowledge in his chosen fields yields many valuable insights about records you may never have even heard of, let alone heard. Sure, he appreciates the classics, but he favours outliers. Admirably, he wants to broaden the canon (it would behoove readers to keep a notebook handy to tabulate all the records for which they should search).... And that is the motor of Vinyl Freak: an insatiable desire for the next revelatory recording, offering a thrilling portal to discover a hidden facet of your identity through a work of art. And if it impresses your mates or seduces a potential lover, so much the better. -- Dave Segal * The Wire * John Corbett is one of my favourite music writers. This book gathers up his elegaic and highly informative columns for Vinyl Freak magazine along with a series of mediations or essays on his love of music, an engaging mix of autobiography, reflection and storytelling. There are lots of colour pictures of record sleeves too. -- Rupert Loydell * International Times * Corbett still has an obscene record collection, but he's realized that his greatest mission is to share and educate-to arrange things so that others can experience the joy that he does. As much as anything I've read by him, Vinyl Freak does precisely that. -- Peter Margasak * Chicago Reader * Corbett really is an 'equal opportunity ear filler' and is willing to acquire the music he really enjoys in any format. With Vinyl Freak John Corbett invites us to join him in the pleasure of discovering new sounds to indulge our ears. So what are you waiting for? You've been invited. Highly Recommended! -- Chris De Chiara * Avant Music News * [Corbett's] new book digs deep into the culture of the vinyl lover and digs even deeper into his personal record collection. In the process, he exposes a beautiful and dusty world largely forgotten but kept alive by that dead medium known as the vinyl record. -- Christopher Laird * PopMatters * As a person who is not quite an over-the-top Sun Ra aficionado but is certainly more than a casual fan, I am forever grateful for Corbett's obsession. As a person who is always interested in discovering new and obscure music, I am also forever grateful for Corbett and his publisher compiling this collection of reviews. Although I read several of them in their original incarnation in Downbeat, this little book is now my reference guide for music I need to check out. Thanks again, John Corbett. -- Ron Jacobs * Counterpunch * ... one of the most readable books about the arcane magic of hunting down and listening to rare and unusual albums, or even rediscovering them from your own collection. -- Jon Newey * Jazzwise * [A] fascinating look at a subculture og hard-core collectors and a gold mine of information about various kinds of music and recording esoterica.... The illustrations of the record covers under review are fascinating and the author's musical savvy is daunting. This lively book could appeal to a wide range of readers. -- David Keymer * Library Journal * ... since the discussion is at least as much about the music being collected as the vinyl package, there is also a lot of intriguing music in the book. Much (but not all) of it jazz, and all of it worth seeking out: it comes with Corbett's highest recommendation. -- Mark Sullivan * All About Jazz * Vinyl Freak could have easily been a stale trip down memory lane by a record collector. Yet Corbett takes an almost philosophical look at how music passes through listening mediums and what that means for listeners. As a result, the text will appeal to both vinyl freaks and non-freaks as it speaks to the transience of pop culture and its intersection with everyday lives. -- Amanda McCorquodale * ForeWord Reviews *

[Corbett's] new book digs deep into the culture of the vinyl lover and digs even deeper into his personal record collection. In the process, he exposes a beautiful and dusty world largely forgotten but kept alive by that dead medium known as the vinyl record. -- Christopher Laird * PopMatters * As a person who is not quite an over-the-top Sun Ra aficionado but is certainly more than a casual fan, I am forever grateful for Corbett's obsession. As a person who is always interested in discovering new and obscure music, I am also forever grateful for Corbett and his publisher compiling this collection of reviews. Although I read several of them in their original incarnation in Downbeat, this little book is now my reference guide for music I need to check out. Thanks again, John Corbett. -- Ron Jacobs * Counterpunch * ... one of the most readable books about the arcane magic of hunting down and listening to rare and unusual albums, or even rediscovering them from your own collection. -- Jon Newey * Jazzwise * [A] fascinating look at a subculture og hard-core collectors and a gold mine of information about various kinds of music and recording esoterica.... The illustrations of the record covers under review are fascinating and the author's musical savvy is daunting. This lively book could appeal to a wide range of readers. -- David Keymer * Library Journal * ... since the discussion is at least as much about the music being collected as the vinyl package, there is also a lot of intriguing music in the book. Much (but not all) of it jazz, and all of it worth seeking out: it comes with Corbett's highest recommendation. -- Mark Sullivan * All About Jazz * Vinyl Freak could have easily been a stale trip down memory lane by a record collector. Yet Corbett takes an almost philosophical look at how music passes through listening mediums and what that means for listeners. As a result, the text will appeal to both vinyl freaks and non-freaks as it speaks to the transience of pop culture and its intersection with everyday lives. -- Amanda McCorquodale * ForeWord Reviews * People who are just getting into vinyl-or who are returning to it after a long time away-will value John Corbett's enthusiasm, personal approach, and vast knowledge. Even the most diehard jazz enthusiasts, collectors, and crate diggers can learn from Corbett's insights. -- Mac McCaughan, member of Superchunk and cofounder of Merge Records John Corbett has the too-rare ability to combine academic rigor with very readable prose, and he tells good stories. As an avid record collector and close listener to a broad array of music, Corbett really knows his subject. You can practically smell the musty cardboard. -- Kevin Whitehead, jazz critic for NPR's * Fresh Air *

Author Information

John Corbett is a music critic, record producer, and curator. He is the author of Microgroove: Forays into Other Music and Extended Play: Sounding Off from John Cage to Dr. Funkenstein, both also published by Duke University Press, and A Listener’s Guide to Free Improvisation. His writing has appeared in DownBeat, Bomb, Nka, and numerous other publications. He is the co-owner of Corbett vs. Dempsey, an art gallery in Chicago.

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