Oshawa Record Show

In hopes of getting rid of a lot of doubles and booking a few tables for my May 29^th Toronto Show, I dealt at the Oshawa Record Show yesterday. It was a very exciting day and I got the chance to meet plenty of great collectors and dealers from across Ontario. A huge thank you goes out to Quest 4: 500 GAAT who helped out at my table for the day. It was a complete success and the reason is three fold:

1) I rarely buy less LP’s than I sell in any given day. Yesterday brought 4 records to my collection; four extremely diverse cuts.

Horace Silver and the Jazz Messengers, Lexington Ave. Blue Note. Needless to say this early Blue Note mono is hard to find. Though it’s only in VG shape, I would say this is the most startling grab of the day. This album is fantastic. ‘Creeping in’ features wonderful drumming by Art Blakey. I’m almost embarrassed to say this is my first introduction to Horace’s first LP, though I’m more familiar of him as a sideman on other fantastic early Blue Note recordings. Purchased from legendary collector/dealer Don Keele.

Venom: At War with Satan: Banzai. I’m always excited to find an old Metal album on Banzai. Venom are known as the first Black Metal band, ironically due to an album of that name - defining the genre as ‘anything that sounds a bit like Venom’. At War is their third album, and takes a step backwards in polishing its sound- almost going back to a thrash sound. I’m usually first to say Metallica invented thrash, but we can’t dismiss Venom. They didn’t have the chops and speed of Slayer or Metallica, but the energy was there.

Thin Lizzy: Johnny the Fox: Vertigo. Johnny the Fox is another reminder that I need to get a larger Thin Lizzy collection. Known for their harmonies and layered guitar work, Thin Lizzy has an immense catalog that seems generally unaffected by the ‘cheese’ factor that destroyed Kiss, Bowie, and even James Brown. Johnny the Fox is an anthem album, more so than ‘Jailbreak’ in my opinion. I was fortunate to purchase Venom and Thin Lizzy from Larry Guarascia, who has the best classic rock selection in Ontario.

Necrophagist: Onset of Purification: Relapse. One of the heaviest first albums in death metal, Onset of Purification was almost entirely played by guitar virtuoso and singer Muhammed Suiçmezz. This limited edition, European only pressing is on orange and black slattered vinyl. For fans of Obscura, The Faceless, Decapitated, and Decrepit Birth. I was fortunate enough to pick this up from a new shop owner from Bowmanville; Mark Crawford of Alibi Records

2) I sold a lot of records.

I should point out that I’m not a dealer. I am a collector with too many LP’s, so I am ‘trimming the fat’ so to speak. It’s kind of like this weekend has been a healthy diet for my collection. I didn't sell junk, mainly doubles of albums that I have upgraded, or potentially a sound that no longer interests me but still garners interest in the collecting world.

3) I booked a lot of tables for my record show on May 29^th! (Shameless).