Discs & Tapes Unlimited

12/26/2019

My nieces made me this wreath and awesome ornament that I figured I'd share. Proof the spirit lives on! Merry Christmas to all! 🎄 Sean

06/23/2018

I can't think of a band that meant more to the Discs and Tapes family as a whole than Pantera. The Abbott brothers were a monumental part of some of my fondest memories, and many of yours, I'm sure. Hard to believe they're both gone. RIP Big Vin. Play it loud and appreciate those around you while they're still around! Sean

03/05/2017

Hello friends! I hope the new year is treating you well thus far. For many of us it's been a bumpy road, but keep charging forward and we'll get through it, I'm sure.
There's a few things of note in the ever-exciting world of your favorite olde music shoppe... first off, please join me in wishing Gil a happy birthday! He's off galavanting across the globe spreading his message of peace, love and hope... or just on vacation (I'm not sure)... either way, I hope it's a great day, Gil!
On the melt your face, punk n roll front, our good friend Kyle Whitefoot is currently tearing things up across Europe playing guitar for Zeke. I'm super excited for him and hope you all are too!!
Dilloway has been doing gigs with Genesis P-Orridge from Throbbing Gristle, which is about as exciting as things can get in that world! Aaron also has a record shop in Oberlin Ohio where he's putting to use all the great skills (?) he honed working at Discs and Tapes for all those years! Hopefully he learned from some of the bad decisions we made too... but that's topic for another day. :) It's a real treat to see people you love following their dreams, and succeeding in areas where so many others don't. Proof positive hard work and perseverance do pay off!
The rest of us are all doing well... at least as far as I know. On a personal sidenote... I went to Cleveland to see Marillion at the end of October. I saw a girl, who I knew from somewhere, and I couldn't place her for the life of me. I finally figured on the ride home that I knew her from the store. So, if you're out there, please accept my apologies for number one... staring at you like a creeper...and more importantly, for not figuring out who you were immediately. It's sometimes weird seeing someone outside of the parameters that you expect, and i'm usually pretty good at it, but this time I dropped the ball. More importantly, it warms my heart to know someone else from the Discs & Tapes world would travel to Ohio to see one of the best bands ever!
Now for the inevitable "serious" part of the update... As I get older, and more and more friends pass away either from diseases that could have been diagnosed early, or by their own hand... either from the result of drugs or by su***de, I wish to once again implore you to take the needed steps to keeping yourself around. Go to the doctor and get the necessary tests, and if you need help otherwise, please ask someone. There is no shame in asking for help... and better yet... no shame in having a disease. If I can convince one person to seek the help that they need rather than letting the diseases of addiction or mental illness beat them, I'll consider my time on the planet a success. No matter how bleak things seem, there are always others whose worlds would be totally upended if you weren't around.
I wish to thank you all for keeping this "community" alive. It really means a lot to me, and hopefully means something to you all as well. As always, thanks for your kind words when we cross paths. I've come to relish my reputation as the "Discs & Tapes dude". :)
Take care, and I seriously thank you all for everything...
Sean

01/02/2017

Happy New Year, my friends! As I watch the Lions and eat my Black-eyed Peas for good luck, I thought I'd send out a quick beginning of the year message. 2016 was a wild ride, with crazy political stuff, the passing of so many musical greats, and other emotional roller coaster rides. Unfortunately, it ended on a sour note as our good friend, Pat O'Connor from Culture Clash/Boogie Records in Toledo passed away unexpected right after Christmas. Pat was part of the Detroit Music Retailer's Collective and a big supporter of not only Discs and Tapes, but of music in general. He was a great guy who will be sorely missed by many. I don't pretend to understand the reasons why people are taken before their time, but try to look back at the good times we shared, and use their passing as a reminder to appreciate the time we all have with each other.

I miss the store terribly, particularly the interaction with the customers. Listening to and talking about music is such a huge part of my life, and I consider myself blessed to have been able to experience that with all of you for so long. As each year passes and I become further removed from it all I come to appreciate it all even more. I've said it before, but I again Id like to thank you all for the kind words people share with me when I run into them around town. It's nice to know that we managed to have a positive impact on so many people in our little community!

Best of luck to everyone in the upcoming year. Hopefully 2017 will find you all happy and healthy. No matter how bad things can seem, there's always hope for a better future. "Accentuate the positive... Eliminate the negative" and listen to more music!

Be good.

Sean

04/16/2016

Happy Record Store Day! The day all us record nerds can unite, celebrate, and armwrestle each other over a "limited edition" 7" reissue of a Bowie single that nobody liked the first time around! Kidding aside, it's a wonderful concept and a great way to support those still standing. Visit our friends at UHF, Dearborn Music, Stormy Records, Found Sound, Underground Sounds, Encore, FBC, The Record Lounge, and anywhere else that sells the sounds that fuel your soul! Just stay outta Keith's way as he's fighting for the last NOFX 7". :)

12/19/2015

Since I've been asked about 436 times for my thoughts on the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees this year, I feel obliged to opine. :) For the most part, this is the first year I can remember that I have pretty much no complaints with any of the inductees. There are many things I would have done differently, but they always seem to chump up and ignore people that any real follower of the band (or the band themselves) feel should be included...

Steve Miller - Absolutely belongs there. Should have been in years ago. A career spanning over 40 years, millions of albums and concert tickets sold, and when he decides to show it, a great guitar player.

Chicago - Again, a no-brainer. Masters of their instruments... Kath, Seraphine and Cetera in particular. The 80's schlock made a lot of people forget that they were a groundbreaking progressive band. They had "signature" songs sung by multiple lead singers, which is a really rare accomplishment. Those of you snickering, go listen to any of the first 4 records, and then come back with your opinion.

NWA - Maybe surprisingly, but I have no beef with them being there. Yeah, it's Rap, and there are other worthy "rock" bands that have been ignored, but they were truly groundbreaking and influential, and in the spirit of Jerry Lee Lewis and others... more "rock and roll" than many.

Cheap Trick - For my money, one of the finest rock bands ever. Period. 40 years on and still incredible. Fabulous songs, fabulous playing, and a singer whose voice seems to never age. There are not enough superlatives to express my love for Cheap Trick.

Now the big one... DEEP PURPLE !!! FINALLY!!! - the hall finally decides to correct the most glaring omission and induct the greatest band ever to grace God's green earth. But, in typical Hall snobbery they chose to omit some of the members. Those in: Paice, Lord & Blackmore - the band was their vision, and they are pretty much the core components in most versions of the band. Rod Evans - sang their early hits... plus should be there for the first Captain Beyond record anyway. Gillan & Glover - the missing pieces the original 3 needed to complete the best band ever. Coverdale & Hughes - Incredibly after G&G left, they found 2 replacements that were amazing in their own right. Hughes is in a league of his own, and, hair band jokes aside, David Coverdale is one of the finest blues/rock singers to throw his head back and shout! The glaring omissions... Nick Simper was there for the first three lps along with Evans, so I'm not sure how you get one without the other. Joe Lynn Turner, much like Coverdale, is an incredible, yet often unrecognized singer. Don Airey has played with more bands on more records and on more tours than virtually any keyboard player ever, and is certainly HOF worthy. Steve Morse - like him in Purple or not, he's been in the band longer than Blackmore was, and is one of the best guitarists on the planet. He's the main reason the band continues today and should be in also. Now the most egregious of all...TOMMY BOLIN - Again, many didn't like him in Purple, although I wholeheartedly disagree. Come Taste The Band is a great record, and yes, he's horrible on the "Rises Over Japan" video, but get the "On The Wings Of A Russian Foxbat" boot... he absolutely kills! He should get inducted as a solo artist for his 2 great albums, the two James Gang LPs he's on, and of course, Billy Cobham's Spectrum.

So, in conclusion, a pretty good "class" for once. Purple finally in where they belong, and a couple others that were long overdue finally make it. Now on to complaining about why Thin Lizzy, UFO, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, T Rex, Sweet, The NY Dolls, Yes and, of course, THE MC5 ! aren't in.

Hope you all have happy and safe holidays!
Sean.

10/07/2015

Hello friends! It's been a while since the last post. I hope you all had a rockin' summer. I managed to get back into the swing of things and hit quite a few shows, highlights being the Clutch, Whitesnake, Cheap Trick, Elvis C/Steely Dan, Motorhead, and the BOC/Purple gigs. Went to Denver twice to see Anthrax...the last time with Iggy! Coming up this Saturday there is another great record show in Livonia. I'll be there scouring the tables for lps & 7"ers that I most likely had or have in one form or another, but really need another cover/color variant, import pressing, etc... Ah, the sordid life of a record ju**ie! It's strange, but it sure is fun. Hope to see you there! S.

06/27/2015

06/06/2015

Today is the anniversary of the passing of the main songwriter and chief architect of the "Ramones sound"... Douglas Colvin a/k/a/ Dee Dee Ramone. I'd say I'll be listening in tribute, but reality is, The Ramones are always in constant rotation here at Casa de Sean. Listen loud! "Take it Dee Dee..." :)

Ramones - It's Alive (The Rainbow) 1977 A friend of mine offered me this double vinil record in 1980 ! since then i have never been the same guy !! \o/ No Co...

06/04/2015

Dusted off the EP and gave it a spin today... Great stuff! One of the best bands to come out of Detroit. Coulda been huge... shoulda been huge...

Music video for Truly Truly from The F**s self titled debut EP. Get it at iTunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/the-f*gs-ep/id6557559 Get the CD at Idol Re...

05/23/2015

05/10/2015

Happy day to all the mothers!