I’ve made the comparison before of expanding one’s musical horizons by keeping friends who know more about music than you to getting better at tennis by playing with partners who are better than you. However the sport golf is on my mind this morning (maybe because of a Michael Jordan story I heard the other day, of him being not only competitive and wager-prone at basketball, but at golf too). It’s also probably because of the fact that after a bigger group of record-loving homies initially met up at Tent Record earlier this day for “Tokyo Record Style Day”, and after an hour or two had passed and the event came to a somewhere natural conclusion, when some needed to get to other appointments, that a few of us continued to power-on to another shop (Replace Records from the previous post) at which point we became a “foursome” (the typical-sized golf party), strolling down the “fairway” of Nishiogikubo, all with slightly different (musical) “lies” across the course, but all similarly focussed at the flag on the green.
It’s with this golf analogy that I’m suddenly reminded of a quote, perfectly apropos for this memory of this stroll, something my grandfather, with whom I played dozens and dozens of rounds of golf with growing up, would say after a bad shot: “Golf is nothing but a nice walk in the park …ruined” which is to say in other words in case that cryptically doesn’t make much sense (I admit it was a bit lost on me at 11 years old …but I probably got it by 12) that “before you curse your bad shot, have some gratitude that you’re on the course and not in the office, outdoors with sky over your head and surrounded by grass and trees, and always remember that golf is nice stroll in nature before it’s anything else.” It’s a blissful way to enjoy the game that doesn’t exactly depend on one playing well, which is probably why, despite playing it competitively my entire youth, I never really won many trophies. But hey, I got a lot of sunshine, and a lot of unforgettable hours with my grandfather, and other friends and family too.
Is this making sense? Are you getting where I’m going with this? Music is the goal, yes, the hole-in-one, it’s everything, obviously. But musical friendship is the sunshine. Dig? And by that measure, the rest of my foursome pictured here on this day are some of the brightest people I know, and why I keep playing and loving the game, maybe more than the game itself. Thank you Cristopher, Michael, and bemsha for a great day “on the record store course”. While the records I scored were great, (and the ones scored by you that I’ll be adding to my music horizons look well-worth appreciation too) they don’t much compare to the simply great time at the record store that I got to spend with you guys! Looking forward to the next round!
More TRS on the way.
Chilly Gonzales Feat. Kaiser Quartett – Chambers
Label: Gentle Threat – GENTLE018V, Gentle Threat – GENTLE018CD
Format: Vinyl, LP, CD, All Media, Album
Country: Europe
Released: Mar 20, 2015
Genre: Classical
Style: Modern, Baroque
https://www.discogs.com/release/6806782-Chilly-Gonzales-Feat-Kaiser-Quartett-Chambers
The Shangri-Las – All-Time Greatest Hits
Label: P-Vine Records – PLP-303, Red Bird – PLP-303
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation
Country: Japan
Released: 1986
Genre: Rock, Pop
Style: Rock & Roll, Pop Rock
https://www.discogs.com/release/14762927-The-Shangri-Las-All-Time-Greatest-Hits
Karen Dalton – In My Own Time
Label: Light In The Attic – LITA 022
Series: Vinyl Me, Please. Exclusive Pressing
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Club Edition, Limited Edition, Numbered, Reissue, Gold w/ Black Hi-Melt, Gatefold
Country: US
Released: 2022
Genre: Blues, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Country Blues, Folk
https://www.discogs.com/release/22891823-Karen-Dalton-In-My-Own-Time
Elvis Costello And The Imposters – Momofuku
Label: Lost Highway – B0011109-01
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: Apr 22, 2008
Genre: Rock
Style: Rock & Roll
https://www.discogs.com/release/1345128-Elvis-Costello-And-The-Imposters-Momofuku
Mozart, The Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Bruno Walter – Symphony No. 40, Symphony No. 41
Label: CBS/Sony – SOCL 1005
Series: New Best Classics 100, SX-74 Sound
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Stereo
Country: Japan
Released: Apr 21, 1974
Genre: Classical
Style: Classical
https://www.discogs.com/release/8966014-MozartColumbia-Symphony-Orchestra-Bruno-Walter-Symphony-No-40-Symphony-No-41
Beethoven / Schubert – Bruno Walter, The Columbia Symphony Orchestra / New York Philharmonic – Symphony No. 5 / Symphony No. 8 “Unfinished”
Label: CBS/Sony – SOCL 1001
Series: New Best Classics 100
Format: Vinyl, LP, Compilation, Reissue, Stereo
Country: Japan
Released: Apr 21, 1974
Genre: Classical
Style: Classical, Romantic
https://www.discogs.com/release/5798527-Beethoven-Schubert-Bruno-WalterColumbia-Symphony-Orchestra-New-York-Philharmonic-Symphony-No-5-Symph
Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon
Label: Harvest – EOP-80778, Odeon – EOP-80778
Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Stereo, Gatefold Sleeve
Country: Japan
Released: Apr 20, 1973
Genre: Rock
Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock
https://www.discogs.com/release/1900715-Pink-Floyd-The-Dark-Side-Of-The-Moon
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