Vinyl Freak

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.

"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 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 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 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) “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 Peña (ARSC 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 (Amazon Book Review) "Corbett’s words obviously sing to me. . . . Vinyl Freak is a longtime companion; I’d set it askew of the rest of my books, which I then organized without it. I recently came across it again and it’s full of . . . passionate envois to the listening life that somehow manage not to grandstand." - Michaelangelo Matos (Beat Connection)

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