The first record store I ever frequented was in Eugene, Oregon— Thompson’s. I wanted to put “Record Mart” behind it but I am not sure how they labeled themselves. A building on the north end of the city, not too far from Skinner’s Butte, it was small, square and as I remember it, white, with large storefront windows behind which racks of records were displayed, mostly 45s, a small wall of listening booths, and stereo equipment— lots of it. I have no idea how I found out about it, being a small town boy who hardly ever visited the big city (and to me Eugene was big and a city), but I found myself one day, after much begging and emotional pyrotechnics, entering this Taj Mahal of vinyl. I remember it like it was yesterday.
Archive for Cargoe
Frank Gutch Jr: I Have Seen the Future and It Wasn’t This…..
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags Aby Wolf, Bridget Kearney, Cargoe, Chrystalship, DBAWIS, Delicate Steve, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Frank Gutch Jr., House of Records, Indie Artists, Indie Music, Jim of Seattle, Kate Grom, licorice pizza, Malvina Reynolds, music, music videos, Nick Holmes, Peaches Records, Pete Seeger, Ratchell, Scratching the Records, segarini, Stephanie Lambring, Sweet Home Oregon, The Bankesters, The Lonely Wild, Tower Records, Wishbone Ash on January 31, 2017 by segariniNot the political future, which has turned out bad enough, but the music future which is floundering. I saw it going awry in 1992 when I left the retail record business as it morphed to a “music industry” I never recognized. I tried to make sense of it then, wondering why the decisions being made by not just major labels but by what then was becoming an entertainment conglomerate were so unerringly ridiculous. I need to watch the documentary on Tower Records, All Things Must Pass, in detail. I need to revisit the individual instances which brought down radio, records and everything else entertainment around our ears. I need to understand who was in power, if indeed anyone was, and who made the monumental mistakes which gave us the chaos we now have.
Frank Gutch Jr: Confessions of a (Reformed) Vinyl Junkie, Plus Notes…..
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags Alquin, bomp, Cargoe, Chloe Albert, cutouts, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, fotheringay, Frank Gutch Jr., Goldmine, Gypsy, Indie Artists, Indie Music, Intergalactic Trading Company, It's a Beautiful Day, Jerry Dennon, John Hammond Jr., Julia Easterlin, Magic Fern, Maxophone, music, Music Millennium, music videos, No Small Children, PFM, PH Phactor, Randy Burns & The Skydog Band, Records, Sandy Denny, Scrubbaloe Caine, segarini, Sweet Home Oregon, Undergrunnen, Vieux Farka Toure on March 29, 2016 by segariniI used to have over 10,000 record albums. That is really not that many when you really look at it. More than you could listen to fairly in a year, I suppose. Deep enough to impress vinyl junkies, too many to impress anyone sane. Way more than enough to make my life desolate when it came to relationships.
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Frank Gutch Jr: Reprise Is Not a Label… Plus Notes
Posted in Opinion, Review with tags Al Kooper, April Wine, besnard lakes, bill carter, Capability Brown, Cargoe, cuff the duke, Daddy Cool, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Evangenitals, Forty Below Records, Frank Gutch Jr., Gypsy, Heartsfield, Indie Artists, Indie Music, Jeff Finlin, Jon Stickley Trio, kyle carey, Mad Anthony, Mike Harrison, Monster Atlantic, music, music videos, Nick Holmes, Perry Jordan, radio, Ralph J. Gleason, Records, robert thomas velline, Runaways, segarini, Space Opera, the throws, Troubadour, Willis Alan Ramsey, Winterpills on March 8, 2016 by segariniBefore we get into the meat of this column, let’s talk Winterpills. I have been a fan since hearing their 2010 EP Tuxedo of Ashes and have followed them since. Their one album of covers, Echolalia, was good enough to make me toss aside my disdain of this current trend, their arrangements making up for the usual lack of creativity on most bands parts. No such problem here. Love Songs is an all-original triumph, Philip Price writing his best songs since Tuxedo, and the band is in A-1 shape.
Frank Gutch Jr: Ardent Studios/Records Founder John Fry Passes – A Look Back
Posted in Opinion with tags ardent records, Big Star, Cargoe, DBAWIS, Don't Believe a Word I Say, Frank Gutch Jr., Green Pajamas, Indie Artists, Indie Music, John Fry, John Fry Passes, music, Records, Stax Records, Terry Manning, The Hot Dogs on December 22, 2014 by segariniTulsa/Memphis radio disc jockey Robert Walker just a few moments ago posted on Facebook that Memphis legend John Fry passed away of a heart attack today (Thursday, Dec. 18). His passing is the proverbial ton of bricks people always say they get hit by only the reality is much worse than the saying. Fry was one of the good guys.
This one is personal. Fry allowed me an interview years ago in which I asked him about the studio, the record label (which had at that time folded) and his thoughts on the business. It was an eye-opening talk and provided the basis for what I wrote years later, The Story of Cargoe, an in-depth look at the band and the label, Ardent Records. (Read the story here) I will forever be grateful for the interview and the insights he provided, but more importantly, the music, for without Fry, both Cargoe and Big Star very well would have taken very different paths.
You will be hearing a lot about Fry and his accomplishments over the next few days, as well you should. I only wish he had been able to grab the brass ring he so richly deserved.
The following is a reposting of a column I wrote about Fry many moons ago. Read and learn.