I caught up with Miles and Cameron in the alley outside of Josey’s Records after they had just scored rapper Freddie Gibbs and producer Madlib’s 2014 collaboration, “Piñata”. Something about them reminded me of myself when I started collecting records in my early 20s and I asked them if they were new to vinyl. Miles responded a resounding no, in that he had grown up with a house full of records, and that his mother, if I remember correctly, recently had given him her Prince collection, including Purple Rain and 1999. That must be something! That jogged my memory that while here in Tulsa, I scored both Prince’s first single “I Wanna Be Your Lover” off his second album “Prince” as well as “Around the World in a Day” which includes the tracks “Pop Life” and “Raspberry Beret.” When I explained to Miles I was from coming from Tokyo, he mentioned a Japanese Jazz record from 2005 that he was keen to get his hands on, “Scenery” by Ryo Fukui, which I had never heard of, but now I’m quite curious to search out and sent to Miles if I can find it. Miles also mentioned that “Dying Wish” which his jumper bore was a killer band worth checking out. I asked them both why, when so many people just conveniently stream music, do they buy and listen to vinyl records, and their answers echoed what I keep hearing over and over, which is just that it’s more real, and that if offers a deeper listening experience, it’s not just a thing to have, but a thing to do, and that it serves essentially as a conduit for deeper musical appreciation. I totally concur.
After a nice chat and these lovely photos, and before saying goodbye to Miles and Cameron, Miles asked me what my favorite record was. It took no time to rattle off Velvet Underground’s fourth tna final album, “Loaded” which I have autographed by Lou Reed himself, on the crazy occasion I met him and got to thank him for all his amazing music, a story that includes Lou giving an unexpected double encore, and also him signing a bare-breasted wild-child friend of mine in a posh hotel lobby, but that’s another story…
Thanks, Miles and Cameron, Happy New Year, and stay tuned for just a bit more “Tulsa Record Style”.
Freddie Gibbs & Madlib – Piñata
Label: Madlib Invazion – MMS-022
Format: 2 x Vinyl, LP, Album
Country: US
Released: Mar 18, 2014
Genre: Hip Hop
Style: Gangsta
https://www.discogs.com/release/5528785-Freddie-Gibbs-Madlib-Pi%C3%B1ata]
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