"...I am trying to think of the artists that irritate my wife..."

What was the first record you bought? When, where and why? Where was it the last time you saw it?
Well, this is a difficult question to answer. I received a set of Mickey Mouse Club 7-inch records for Christmas in 1957 and I have not looked at them in years, primarily because they are 78 rpm and my turntable only plays 45 rpm and 33 ⅓ rpm.

My first official purchases were 45 rpm singles. I have the Beatles “I Want to Hold Your Hand” from 1964, “The Chipmunk Song” from 1961, The Beach Boys “Good Vibrations” from 1966. I am not sure about my first LP, could be The Beach Boys All Summer Long, Crispian St. Peters Pied Piper, or The Byrds Fifth Dimension. Reflecting back to 50 years ago to what motivated me to purchase is challenging to say the least! I do remember liking the “Pied Piper” and so I sought out the LP. Interestingly, I had never listened to Gene Vincent until recently when I found a huge boxed set in the Austin library. Working my way through the ton of music what struck me was how much Crispian St. Peters stuff sounded like Gene Vincent. I had always thought there was an Elvis Presley influence, but Gene Vincent’s is much stronger. I have not looked at the Crispian St. Peters album in years.

What was the first band/solo artist you obsessed about?
The Byrds. Their singles were on the radio all the time when I was in high school. Then with The Notorious Byrd Brothers, that was my entry into psychedelic music.

Which artists/labels have you collected over the years?
Since my collection represents 60 years of record collecting, I have quite a long list of artists. So I am only going to list, alphabetically, those bands I have obsessed about over the years. And this will give you some idea of my electic collection.
Acid Mothers Temple : Agitation Free : Alamaailman Vasarat : Carlos Alvarado : Amon Düül II : Art Zoyd : Ash Ra Tempel (in all its configurations plus Manuel Gottsching solo stuff) : Attrition : Syd Barrett : The Bevis Frond : The Black Angels : Blackfield : Tim Bowness : Arthur Brown (in all his configurations) : Tim Buckley : The Byrds : Camel : Can : Guy Clark : Cluster (in all its configurations) : Leonard Cohen : Judy Collins : Cosmic Jokers : Cranioclast : Creedence Clearwater Revival : Cybotron : Holger Czukay : Sandy Denny : Der Plan : Klaus Dinger : Donovan : The Doors : Nick Drake : Eloy : Brian Eno : Fairport Convention : Faust : Firesign Theater : Fit & Limo : Focus : Robert Fripp (solo, collaborations, and King Crimson of course) : Edgar Froese : Peter Frohmader : Peter Gabriel : The Galloping Coroners : Genesis : Gentle Giant : Gong : Grails : Guru Guru : Steve Hackett : George Harrison : Hawkwind : Heldon : Hidria Spacefolk : The Honey Pot and Crystal Jacqueline : The Human League : The Incredible String Band : Iron Butterfly : Jefferson Airplane : Jethro Tull : Joy Division : Edward Ka-Spel : Kraftwerk : La Dusseldorf : Le Orme : The Legendary Pink Dots : Love : Magma : Loreena McKennitt : Bill Nelson : Neu! : Neuronium : New Order : The Nice : Nurse With Wound : Mike Oldfield : Ozric Tentacles : Pentangle : Anthony Phillips : Richard Pinhas : Pink Floyd : Popol Vuh : Porcupine Tree and all things Steve Wilson : John Renbourn : Michael Rother : Roxy Music : Doug Sahm and the Texas Tornados : Conrad Schnitzler : Klaus Schulze : The Smell of Incense : Soft Machine : Stone Breath : Strawbs : Tangerine Dream : The Thirteenth Floor Elevators : Asmus Tietchens : Nik Turner : Townes van Zandt : Vangelis : Vibravoid : Wood Shjips : Frank Zappa

...and which label has become your latest obsession?
You must be “fishing” for me to say Fruits de Mer (noooo! Ed) I think that I have three labels right now that attract me, Fruits de Mer of course, Mega Dodo, and Sugarbush.

What is your favourite era/genre of music?
I’m sure that I have a favorite genre per se, I have a quite wide range of musical tastes. I love classical Indian music, not the loud techno stuff they play at Indian weddings. When I was in India this past July I had the opportunity to attend a classical performance that celebrated the monsoon season. The sitar fascinates me, but unfortunately there was not a sitar performance. But there were tamboura and harmonium players. My other passions are space rock/cosmic rock, electronic music by the maestro Klaus Schulze, Krautrock, progressive music, and psychedelic music, folk music, and Texas music.

...and your favourite band/artist/album of the last five years?
Well, I receive so many different albums to review now, that I find that I no longer listen to an album more than once. Now it may take me years before I revisit some music. And that works for me as I tire of music that I hear repeatedly, especially when it is overplayed and I have “memorized” it. Us and Them, The Honey Pot, Sky Picnic, Hanford Reach, The Softhearted Scientists, The Fast Camels, etc. come to mind.

Describe your collection in the way that you think sums it up best (size, genres, whatever)...
My collection consists of 4436 items (LPs, boxed sets, CDs, cassettes, and DVDs).

How is it organised?
Alphabetically by artist and then by year released.

Describe your three favourite records in your collection - with photos if possible - why does each one mean so much to you?
Pink Floyd Ummagumma. This was my first Pink Floyd album, purchased my first year in college. I had some friends in high school that raved about the first two albums, so I jumped at chance to buy Ummagumma. I fell in love with the record and at one time I considered specifying that it be played at my funeral. But my wife disagrees with my choice. The first King Crimson LP when it was first released. I was intrigued by the cover art and then blown away by the music. Body Love by Klaus Schulze ablums. Back in the 70s, you could hear this music played on the FM stations in Houston, TX. Amazing! I loved immersing myself in the journey through the cosmos and witnessing exploding galaxies. I was stunned when I discovered that this music was the soundtrack to a porno movie!

and three that are the most scarce/rare/valuable - again with photos if possible
Difficult to say. Perhaps the Laibach boxed set Rekapitiulacija 1908-84, and bunch of 45 rpms (I know, the total is more than 3): Yello “I Love You” in amazing 3d, Kraftwerk “Pocket Calculator,” Faust “Faust Party 3,” Robert Wyatt “At Last I Am Free / Strange Fruit,” John Foxx “Miles Away,” Anthony Moore “World Service” and “Lucia,” Andreas Martin, William Basinski, and Christoph Heemann “two clear vinyl 7 inches Robot Records 29,” Missus Beastly “Fire Bird,” Ravi Shankar “Joi Bangla,” Michael Rother “Flammend Herzen,” David Bowie “Crystal Japan,” Richard Pinhas “Schizo,” and Andy Goldberg “Stone Free.”

If you were stranded on a desert island with a record-deck, which three albums would you want with you?
Ummagumma, In the Wake of Poseidon, and Body Love.

tell us all about your best-ever car-boot/shop/ebay buys...
I found this LP in a record store in Dayton, Ohio
MIA (Musica Independientes Asociados) Cornonstipicum
...and the one (or ones) that got away - you just missed out on, or didn't buy and wish you had…
There was an Edward Ka-Spel collaboration album I saw in the store one day, but did not purchase, much to my chagrin as I have never seen it again, but I forget the title.

Which record do you most want to add to your collection?
Since I am a reviewer and receive tons of music, I really cannot answer this question. Though I did recently purchase Art Zoyd’s 44 ½ boxed set. I pre-ordered it last January as Wayside music was trying to raise funds to produce the set. There is so much music here that I have not even attempted to digest it yet.

What is the most embarrassing record in your collection? why is it there?
Madonna’s Like a Virgin. I am not really sure why I purchased this album. It was back in 1984. A guilty pleasure, but one that I do not listen to very often. It has been decades.

Is there anyone whose music is seriously 'out there' who you're into?
Asmus Tietchens, Nurse With Wound, Acid Mothers Temple, Magma, etc. I am trying to think of the artists that irritate my wife.

What is your favourite bricks and mortar record shop?
Waterloo Records in Austin, TX. They have always been an amazing store. Now they have greatly expanded their new and used vinyl selections. I have never seen this much new vinyl in decades!
http://www.waterloorecords.com/?gclid=CNvyuYDA0JECFQ2Qggod5gp4Rw

...and your favourite online shop?
Wayside Music http://www.waysidemusic.com

The current 'vinyl revival' - good/bad, real/imaginary, permanent/short-lived?
I think that it is great! But the prices are ridiculously high. I remember purchasing newly released LPs for $3.99 and $6.99 for imports. I can certainly understand the prices on limited edition LPs and singles on Fruits de Mer, but $20 - $30 for regular LPs for current popular artists is out of line. Too much money for me to consider spending my hard earned money. But I think that vinyl is and should be, here to stay. After all, you can always play vinyl with a turntable and a piece of paper if your electronics fail. and your view on CDs and on downloads….`
I like the clean sound of CDs, especially for reissues of my vinyl LPs. Plus CDs are reasonably priced, and since I travel a lot, ripping them to mp3s allows me to take my music with me. Downloads are fine for disposable music. I want to have something physical that I can hold and look at. I did see an interesting BBC interview with Tim Bowness and Burning Shed a couple of years ago and they asked him about downloads. I totally agree with his position. When you purchase vinyl or CD, you have a tangible item that you can resell, but how do you resell an mp3? Plus it is so easy to delete an electronic file by mistake. And then you have lost your purchase.

what is you your current set-up for playing records? I purchased my stereo system about 16 years ago. A Rega P3 turntable with a thick glass platter, Vandersteen speakers, and a NAD amplifier.