geb

A clarification on the first comment: I apologize for the curses; if I offended anyone, I'm sorry. Unfortunately, my animalistic and impulsive side comes out a bit too often... Of course, I do not renounce the content and the rest of the insults. You are all motherfuckers, cocksuckers by betrayal... all of you, from the first to the last.

I’m having fun, Bartolino, just like you... the discussion about "you don't know me" that you started a few comments ago applies not only to you and your friends. My original "anger" (the first comment) was meant to provoke, to spark discussions. "The difference is that you have your hair all ruffled up, I'm happy because finally, we're talking about something interesting." But was I not the first to suggest beers and Maiden cassettes? Back to the issue: regarding the cassettes, I was talking about American costs, which are obviously lower than ours: consider that there a vinyl costs 12 dollars, which is about 8.40 euros at the current exchange rate. "If a cassette is sold for 4-5 euros, either it costs less than 1 euro to produce, or it means that "the fair value of the artistic product" hovers around 3 euros per copy. Good luck surviving on 3 euros per copy sold!" I’m not the one who determines the fair value: it’s the circuit (artists/labels/producers) that does. If they believe that is the price to pay, I’m not so foolish as to say, "no, sorry, I want to pay more!" About the coupon: it’s just a way to make the item more accessible while keeping the original purchase. I repeat, I do this (but many others do too) with vinyl: I download the mp3, I make a CD to play in the car. As for vinyl: you speak for your "scene" (by the way, I don’t listen to any particular "scene": I favor garage punk, but I listen to and buy everything) but I can assure you that here in Rome there are at least 4-5 stores that sell vinyl in good quantities, without limited runs and outrageous prices (15-16 euros on average). I believe that, to conclude, even in 2011, it’s possible to enjoy music without resorting to downloads: which have their positive aspects (greater visibility for the bands, etc...) but in my opinion diminish the listening experience.

@NES: it's not on soulseek, I already tried. @KOSMO: I care about you a lot too: there are many ways (and you probably know them) to buy without spending much. That's what I do, even if I spend a bit more than you :) let's say it's the only passion I have, so I spend almost everything on music.

"It seems evident to me that this is a 'choice of side', a positioning 'against' digital support." Wrong: often those who produce vinyl/cassettes include a coupon to download the mp3 files. I repeat, because it seems you’re not hearing that ear: it’s not about being 'antagonistic', but simply about supporting the original format: whether it’s a CD, vinyl, or cassette. If you want, I can even draw you a little picture, bartolino spocchiolino, so you understand better. Come on, it’s not difficult. "Production costs are higher" (talking about cassettes): wrong. Costs are significantly lower, ask anyone who produces them... a cassette in the USA costs an average of 4-5 dollars, which is less than 5 euros. Perhaps that's exactly why they're making a comeback over there. About the support: buying a good used tape deck costs around 30 euros. How much does a good iPod cost? I don’t know, but I think it’s a bit more. It’s not about being alternative, being 'nicchioni', or being anachronistic... it’s simply about supporting the original format, whatever it may be, to give the right value to the artistic product. I believe that younger kids can be educated, if they are obviously already driven by a passion for music, to another type of listening experience (which does not exclude, mind you, listening to mp3s: as I’ve said, I use them too). They held the funeral for vinyl many years ago, but it seems to me that it’s still enjoying good health. Honestly, I don’t understand this obsession of yours: maybe those who say you’re a bit touchy and arrogant just want to be right have a point... anyway, the Maiden cassette and the 2 Ceres are there waiting for you."

the Fresh and Onlys are amazing...the latest album is fantastic.

@FRANKIE89: thanks for the tip...by the way, I found a Taxi record I had on vinyl...thanx! @LARROK: have you heard that stuff? Alex Vargiu is a pioneer of the Roman punk scene. If you get the chance, give Bingo a listen, one of his early projects. And of course, make sure to pick up the vinyls :)

@NES: "On the internet, you can find everything; it’s just a matter of knowing where to look and in some (very rare) cases, knowing how to wait." If, fine. Find me "Minute To Go" by the Dissuaders: if you manage to do it, I'll come up to Milan (you're from there, right?) and I'll buy you 2 rounds of whatever you want.

"Watch out, the cap lock is the refuge of the insecure. Just because you write in uppercase doesn't mean your arguments hold more weight" I used it because you seem a bit dim. Or rather, pretending to be dim: you act like you don't understand, hiding behind your rationality, but you're just a scared little child. Like me, like everyone. Little man, don’t walk away. Anyway: I won't respond to comment 100; I don’t like redundancies. Regarding comment 101: your "sti cazzi" about not finding everything and your wish for the extinction of labels makes me understand, once again, how our views are irreconcilable. "Do you want to be the 'pure and tough' type, only pressing transparent vinyls and cassettes, distributing only in social centers, and not advertising? Fine, but know that only Geb and a few of his friends will buy your records." That's where I wanted to take you: the labels I mention advertise themselves (especially online, can you believe it...those troglodytes, huh?), they sell, and they aren’t any more niche than a netlabel can be. For example, Burger Records sold 350 copies of a cassette by the Oh Sees in 2 days, including online purchases. And I don’t have 350 friends. So it’s not a "deliberate desire to remain niche": it’s simply an alternative. Are things changing? Okay, we acknowledge it. But is there another way to enjoy music without relying on downloads, iPods, or PCs? Yes. Perhaps the compulsive downloading has clouded your already limited views, but there’s a whole world out there just waiting for you, little smug Bartolino. Come back to the fold, brother... you’ve lost your way, I know. You’re alone and feel cold out there. But brother Geb is ready to embrace you again. I have a double Technics deck, let’s have a couple of beers and I’ll let you listen to the Maiden cassette.

this is pure slobbering garage noise blues, brother...5 slaps for the review. In The Red never gets it wrong: for me, the definitive label. At least among those currently existing. But this one was for FILTHY GARAGISTS...you had to write it, you just had to...:)

I throw another stone into the pond, hoping to hit someone: you, Bartolo, eternal optimist, who seem like that Bolognese poet from that ad a few years back, are you really sure that all the music being produced can be found on the internet? I’ll answer you: no, dear. Paradoxically, the downloadable files are the new "mainstream" (I’m exaggerating, don’t take me literally), representing what is visible, which does not at all coincide with what exists. Let me give you a couple of examples: I bought 2 vinyls; "More Than Skin Deep" by the Fleshtones and the LP by the Dissuaders, a punk band led by former Bingo Alex Vargiu (punks will get it right away). To find the first in mp3 (as I said, I download what I buy... it’s a bit hard to listen to a vinyl in the car) I had to curse for a week, and there’s nothing available for the second. Now: besides the laziness, there’s another harmful aspect: only what I download exists. There’s a whole world of bands/labels that only release on vinyl (the hardest and purest even on cassette) and you don’t know them because you’re a bourgeois download enthusiast (ha ha). Now, I’ll tell you for the last time in capital letters: I DON'T GIVE A DAMN ABOUT THE POSITIVE ASPECTS (WHICH I RECOGNIZE, AND I EVEN AGREE WITH YOU ON THIS, HAPPY?) I START FROM A DIFFERENT PREMISE...AND ANYWAY, THE POSITIVE ASPECTS DO NOT OVERSHADOW, NOR DO THEY CANCEL OUT, THE NEGATIVE ELEMENTS I’VE TALKED ABOUT. YOU, AS A GOOD PROGRESSIVE AND OPTIMIST, ARE YOU HAPPY THIS WAY? I’M NOT. WHAT THE HELL DO YOU WANT?