Tell us a little bit about yourself: Hi, I'm David. I started collecting records in the mid-90s. I started because they were cheaper than CDs at the time. I always had an affinity for vintage things and the whole format just grabbed me. I spent every dime I had including my lunch money on records for years and my first paychecks went almost exclusively to records. A special shout out to all my friends and fam that covered my meals over the years, part of my collection is definitely in honor of your sacrifice! I have been in many local Oregon bands over the years too (The Widgets, The Funhouse Strippers, The Falcon, Monoplane). Music has always been a large part of my life and honestly, it has also saved my life more than once. Music speaks to my soul, thrills me, gives me goosebumps on the regular and can make me cry and yell at the sky, sometimes all in one song. 

I got my dream job working at a record store in 2003 and spent ten years working side by side with the legendary record collector and shop owner, Kit Close at Ranch Records. He and I had a brother-in-arms mentality about records and swapped secrets, information, and music recommendations. This was a heavy phase of record buying and one of the happiest times of my life. Eventually I became a loser and got a job with ‘The Man’ but we still regularly connect and commiserate on the sleeve differences of DEVO import singles and whether or not the vinyl bubble may burst again. 

I have a lot of rock in my collection. I love music form the PNW and 90s Alternative.  I also love the proto punk sound and 60’s/70’s music and… SOUNDTRACKS! The last 5 years or so I have fallen in love with soundtracks. I always had some, but it has become a full-blown obsession.  

My latest foray into the vinyl world was starting The Vinyl Score. A YouTube channel that reviews soundtracks for film and television on vinyl. I compare releases, talk about the power of music in film and how well the soundtrack works as a standalone listen. I also showcase soundtracks I find in the wild and do a series of short soundtrack reviews called 99 Seconds, where I review a soundtrack in just under 100. It has SAVED me in COVID times. Some of my favorite reviews to make have been Twin Peaks, Thief, DUNE and The VVitch. If you like geeking out on soundtracks and vinyl variations, check it out sometime! The Vinyl Score

First album: The first album I ever received as a gift was a tape copy of Kriss Kross – Totally Krossed Out for Christmas which if you weren’t 12 in 1992 was THEE album, so I was feeling pretty pretty pretty cool. The first vinyl record I ever bought was Pearl Jam’s third album Vitalogy. The vinyl happened to come out a week earlier than the CD and that ALSO happened to be my birthday and I convinced my parents to take me to the local record store, Ranch Records, to grab a copy. About ten years later, I got a job at that same record shop.

Favorite album: Pacific Northwest Favorite: Pond – The Practice of Joy Before Death – This is a Sub Pop band from the 90s that were lesser known nationally but had a moment in the NW and in Europe. This is NOT the Tame Impala side project of the same name, these guys came YEAAARS earlier. This album is from a second wave of NW grunge that is definitely precursor to the Indie/Emo/Alt scene, or whatever you want to call it. Back when Sub Pop was signing and releasing music from a ton of PNW artists. It has such a unique sound. A guitar-bass-drum trio. I think I am so in love with the Lo-fi nature of it. It’s also emotionally heavy. Like, they all got dumped before their birthday and then splashed by a car going by. Crushed. There are those in Oregon who know this record and if you know, it’s like a secret handshake. I have five copies of this on vinyl. A signed copy, a sealed copy, an open copy, a test pressing and a rare German version with a bonus 7”. If you think you have a version I am missing, I am your man.

Rock: The Stooges – Funhouse – I don’t know what else to say than if this album doesn’t make you feel like a bad MFer, I don’t know what will. Iggy at his finest with the original band. The absolute blueprint for thousands of other bands. I love the story of this record too. A song a day in LA. Lots to appreciate. I still need an original of this one. Someday!

Soundtrack: Blade Runner – Music by Vangelis – It’s hard to pick just one but Blade Runner is just so amazing. The electronic textures of this are so immersive. I feel lost in this record. It really is one of the most transportive albums out there. I think even if this didn’t have the visual connection of the movie it would still send you to a sci-fi future both wonderous and terrifying. I have the Audio Fidelity 2013 pressing of this on red vinyl. The quietest record I have heard. Not a hint of surface noise. 

Hip Hop: De La Soul – Three Feet High and Rising – I Love De La Soul and this was my first LP from them. I think actually it was a tape in a car for a loooong time until I found one on LP, but this album just makes me feel good! It has great storytelling, and this may be my first album with skits. I have a terrific early (maybe a first?) pressing of this with the hype sticker on it that I cherish.

Favorite Enjoy The Ride or Enjoy The Toons release: I am a huge 80s synth fan and I was so thrilled o see your Harold Faltermeyer’s release of the score to Beverly Hills Cop. I LOVE that cover too Eddie looks like a boss on it and the all black really looks great.

Favorite album artwork: Boy, this is a toughie but right now it is the original artwork for Thief. I love the opaque image of James Caan with the blowtorch sparks popping. 

What are your favorite local record shops to support? – My favorite was and always will be Ranch Records. The owners retired after 37 awesome years in business in Salem, Oregon and leave a huge record void in the Willamette Valley in Oregon. There are some fantastic shops all across the state though. My favorite shop is Time Machine Records in Grants Pass, Oregon. A complete gem in southern Oregon. YOU MUST GO HERE if you are in the area. He runs a great shop and I swear gets some of the craziest and rarest punk stuff around and the rest of the genres are packed too. He is a little far for a day trip for me, so I only get there about twice a year. House of Records in Eugene, Oregon is my closest favorite. They have a great rotating stock of used records, get the fresh shizz for new LPs and are all around people of class. You also cannot go wrong with Patrick at Final Form in Portland, OR. He specializes in Video Game Soundtracks as well as regular OSTs and is a must stop for Emo and used video game gear. Portland has a ton of shops. Some are ok, they are a little overpraised right now and get plenty of press.

What have you been listening to more frequently lately? – SOUNDTRACKS! 

Tenet by Ludwig Goransson – Cool rhythms and intense. 

The Personal History of David Copperfield by Christopher Willis – This one was recommended all over Twitter, so I tried it and it is beautiful!!! A traditional symphonic score and just a classic. Really emotionally vibrant. 

The Kid Detective by Jay McCarrol - This is like a Vince Guaraldi/Dave Brubeck style jazz noir soundtrack and the underrated movie of 2020, a darkly comic noir detective story.

Shirley by Tamar-Kali – Tamar-Kali is a new composer for me and this soundtrack from her is really strong. A spare mix of strings, piano and vocal parts. Also, support female composers and check this out!!

The Deer Hunter and Heaven’s Gate soundtracks, really in love with Michael Cimino’s movies right now

The Knight Rider Theme (Send me recommendations like this pls & thank you)

Any specific albums you wish you had on vinyl? – The wish list is soooooooooooo long, but my number one grail of ALL TIME would be an original German Polydor pressing of the Monks – Black Monk Time. It is incredibly rare and expensive, but it is such an influential record and simply ahead of its time.

What was the best album(s) you've discovered this year (it can be anything, doesn't have to be a new release): Antarctica by Vangelis. I have been picking up random albums of his all year and this soundtrack is the best one I have come across so far in my journey. It’s a soundtrack to a movie about a group of dogs that were abandoned due to a tragic accident by a Japanese expedition in Antarctica and their story of survival. It has amazing visuals and is a really compelling story with very little dialogue following these dogs and their journey, so music is really important. The soundtrack has his heavy synth trademark but there is fragility and beauty from this record that really grabbed me. It happened to snow here a few months back, and it rarely does where I live in Oregon and I had this moment in my apartment watching the snow fall with Antarctica playing and I just got lost for a while. That’s the kind of effect I am looking for from music.

What upcoming releases are you most excited about? St. Vincent! She is always incredible and a real chameleon. I am always into a new release from her and I can’t wait for Daddy’s Home.

Who is a band or artist that you think are underrated that we should give a listen to? Typhoon – A large scale indie band from Portland, OR. HUGE sounds with really poetic lyricism. The dynamics of the band are really tightly orchestrated with strings and horns and guitars.

Scenario time! If you could create a vinyl variant for any album (already pressed or never been pressed before), what would it look like? Feel free to get creative with this one, it’s always awesome to hear what different features everyone likes! As a PNW music fan from the 90s and early 2000s there are releases here and there from beloved bands that never were pressed on vinyl I would love to see BUT for me the ultimate would be an expanded reissue of: The Shining. Release it as a double LP. LP One is a traditional re-release of the original record. The second I would like to see any unreleased tracks AND include some of the discarded tracks created by Wendy Carlos and Rachel Elkind. OR… release it as a double LP with Doctor Sleep as disc two!!