A friend and I had been meaning to plan a digging trip to Tacoma, about thirty miles south of Seattle. We finally got around to it on a sunny Saturday afternoon and hit all the stores on the map. We finished at one that ended up being the jackpot and our number one place to dig down there. The store is like walking into an old home. The walls are lined in record cases and shelves with more shelves in the center of the room holding up LP’s and vintage audio gear. There’s dingy thin blue carpet and just enough grime and must that you can tell it’s a bachelor pad. Hitting the jazz section first as always there were choice digs aplenty to be had. When checking out the old man at the counter noticed my fat stack and I noticed this Xtacy record in a crate by the counter. It was too late, he wanted $50 and was already ringing up my entire budget for the day. He said, “Are you guys gonna be in here more than once a month?” Okay, odd question. I said, ” I don’t know, we’re from Seattle so it’s kind of a trip.” He said, “If you come in more than once a month I’ll give you a $50 voucher for every $100 you spend.” We shook hands, “deal.” I’d spent about $150 that day so I asked, “can I use that voucher now?” I did, and walked away with Xtacy, or in ecstasy, probably both. My first time listening to it I knew what to expect. It’s a Donald Byrd hard bop record from the 70’s. What else could you possibly want to know? If you can identify the store by the description know that the voucher deal is no longer in effect. The next time I went back he didn’t remember my name and asked where my latest voucher came from. Senile or business strategy?
• Released 1974 on Trip Jazz
Review by: Def Wax
Def Wax 