Vinyl Freak

"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 * "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 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 * "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'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 revels in the knowledge he's gained from a life spent rooting round shops and chats with like-minded soul

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.

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 Andre 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-Kuchen, 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 Degrees 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 Regional de Mopti, Orchestre Regional 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