heavyharmonies

FT-001 is actually an EP, entitled "South Melbourne". I think the title cut was an anthem or theme song for an Aussie soccer team (see artwork below). I have it in my CD singles collection: South Melbourne (pop mix) 5:18 South Melbourne (Greek Hellas mix) 5:08 South Melbourne (Power Rock mix) 5:14 Love Can Be Real (unplugged mix) 5:04 Can You Feel the Fire 4:40 South Melbourne (ole mix) 1:10 No clue as to year of issue. I also had the full-length "Silence of the Night" up until earlier this year when I sold off the bulk of my collection. Anecdote: The two Frozen Tears discs, as well as the ultra-rare Safire EP (which I still have) came to me in a trade with the infamous Jymmi Slang back in the early 1990s. I guess I'm one of the few people he didn't rip off... -Dan

One of my favorite alltime lines is from 5th Element: "Look lady, I only speak two languages: English and Bad English!" -Dan

WHUT? WHUT????? I'm tempted to give you a 30-day ban just on principle for this one. All 3 of those movies are amongst my alltime favorites. 5th Element is a great sci-fi flick (also the superbit version is great demo material when shopping RPTVs/projectors). It's campy, but intentionally so. Hudson Hawk. It's one of those "you either get it or you don't" films. People love it or hate it. I love it. Again, intentionally campy. Armageddon. Great special effects flick. File along side Twister, The Day After Tomorrow, and Independence Day. Leave logic at the door, and just sit back and enjoy. Or do you just hate Bruce Willis? And don't even try to dis the Die Hard trilogy.... -Dan

Sheer speculation on my part, but the DVDs (Rox Diamond, etc.) that MM was selling were bootlegs, most likely mastered from Japanese laserdisc. It's possible that one of the rightsholders said "enough!" and got him booted. That's one thing I've never understood - he has a legitimate catalog, yet he sells bootlegs with the same Ebay userID. That's just asking for trouble... -Dan

Being an ardent fan of police dramas, I watch "Cold Case" on CBS on Sunday Nights. For those unfamiliar, it's a police drama about unsolved cases, sometimes from as far back as 30-40 years, that for one reason or another get re-opened. Very Law-and-Order-ish. One of the cool things about the show is that they use music from around the time the crime originally occurred throughout each show, and especially during the wrap-up/conclusion where the action takes place over a song, with no dialogue taking place. Usually very well done. Tonight's episode was about a gay activist murdered in 1983. The wrap-up was set against Sheriff's "When I'm With You", played in its entirety. Way cool, and surprising that they would choose a song as obscure as this. -Dan

Well it looks like he truly does want to alienate everyone on the planet. From the MR Message Board thread: and

Shortly after penning his most recent threatening email to me, where he urges "i suggest we forget about this whole ordeal and never talk about it again", Vegasmetal then decides to start spouting crap over at melodicrock.com's message board: http://forums.melodicrock.com/phpBB/viewforum.php?f=44 Gotta love it... -Dan

Received this afternoon:

In all fairness... 1. "They were obviously wrong." Were they? After all this is said and done, we *still* only have VEGASMETAL's word that these are reissues and not bootlegs, that the band has endorsed these, that he has permission, etc. Be honest: given what has transpired, would you take his claim as fact? I'm not saying he is being dishonest, but by the same token, we cannot assume the original poster was incorrect either... the only "proof" that has been exhibited on either side in any way, shape, or form, has been the images posted by Del (and yes, I suppose a conspiracy theorist could make a case that these may have been doctored in Photoshop, etc.). 2. "I didn't see ONE person ask this person any questions. NONE." I'm probably to blame for this, since I immediately stepped up and posted that what the original poster had stated jived with what I had been told by several parties. I still stand by this. If my credibility is at issue, fine. I have no problem with that. I can only state that I trust and believe the parties that informed me about this; I believe in their expertise. -Dan

I wholeheartedly agree. I have no problem with mp3s or CDRs being used as a medium for sampling new material to determine if you are going to buy it (and more and more online vendors are now providing at least samples to get the feel for a CD), but within a few days, if you have determined that you are NOT going to buy that CD, mp3s should be deleted and CDRs should be thrown away. At least that is the way I do it. I do have some CDRs in my collection, of material that I simply never have been able to locate originals of, or afford. All are out-of-print. I try to replace those with original pressings where possible, but some are just impossible to find. An interesting discussion could be made of CDRs vs. used CDs, since the band/songwriter makes money from neither, yet buying/selling used CDs does not have the stigma of mp3s/CDRs. I remember at one point there was talk of legislation banning the sale of used CDs, but that was almost a decade ago. Something else to bear in mind: it may appear that there's a singleminded agenda against Vegasmetal, but I think that is simply appearance. (1) He happened to be the topic of discussion, so of course it would center on him; if other sellers engaging in similar behavior were brought to bear here, I think the conclusions drawn and opinions espoused would be the same, and (2) his manner of response exacerbated the situation, drawing far more ire than someone who conducted himself in a more professional manner. I think this discussion has shown us the far side of the spectrum rather than the norm... -Dan

Jodi... Obviously you missed the entire crux of my post. I would think that THAT is misguided....and not on my part. I haven't ignored anything. I mentioned.....if not more than once, that he is selling 'reissues'. I did not ignore that. And I wasn't defending his actions....merely putting them into perspective....and making those people realise that if they're going to condemn one seller, then they must comdemn the others. And...the funny thing is that some of the accusers are no 'angels' themselves. Did you miss that point of my post? So, let me ask you this....just like I asked the other accusers. Are you now going to go on a crusade to rid eBay of all sellers who do not present their auctions in a manner in which you feel is 'not ripping someone off'??? Are you? If not....then my question was...then why become so vehement in your disdain for this particular seller? Did you just feel compelled to jump on this wagon??? In my post, I mentioned many scenarios that take place....DAILY....on eBay...and from sellers that I'm sure YOU KNOW, Jodi....but I see no mention of their names in this stand on this issue. Why is that? I know you know of MANY cdr traders......are you going to condemn them as well. You HAVE to be fair in this....wouldn't you say? However twisted you think my logic was....my point was simple. JLPRocks, I dont' know if your comments are directed at me, Del, or someone else in the discussion (or all of us). I think I've been clear in my own regard, that when I sell/trade CDRs, that they are disclosed as such. If you have a problem with the selling/trading of CDRs in general, that's fine. We can agree to disagree, and that can be fodder for a whole different discussion. I just don't want anyone getting the impression, no matter how indirectly, that I engage in the same sort of behavior that Sam does. The issue here is misrepresentation. And to answer one of your earlier questions, yes, I *do* hold the omission/misrepresentation of original/re-issue/bootleg pressings against sellers equally, and have in the past reported those that I have been aware of. The problem is that for the most part Ebay won't do anything about it. Since they themselves are not experts in the field, they cannot verify assertions of illegal recordings, and they will not simply take someone's word for it before shutting down a powerseller. Unless the artist themselves files a complaint through official channels, it's almost impossible to get bootlegs pulled. Thus, the most successful bootleggers have carte blanche to continue. About the only thing that can be done, no matter futile it may seem, is to spread the word and hope to educate consumers. -Dan

All headers included so people can see this guy is for real. I received 2 emails from VEGASMETAL after I pinned the bootlegging topic and banned him from this forum: Email 1: Then 7 minutes later: My response to him that I sent via email: -Dan

JPLRocks, I appreciate your points, although I disagree with one or two of your assertions. I feel I need to re-iterate a clarification I made later in the thread: I'm quite sure of the sources I have on this issue, however I will not "out" them without their approval. I already have assurances from one of them that they will be speaking up on this matter publicly, just not right now. Anyway: If he had come on here and responded in a calm professional manner, something along the lines of "I'm sorry you are mistaken. These are legitimate releases and I have been given the rights to do so by....." rather than "YOU COCKSUCKING MOTHERFUCKERS CAN KISS MY ASS IN HELLLLLLL!!!!!!!" the whole conversation would have been more constructive, and in all likelihood would never have proceeded as far as it did. When tempers get hot, reason goes out the window to a certain extent (I plead guilty there for a stretch). Also his story changed several times throughout the course of the thread; that sets off all sorts of alarm bells to me. Boots, reissues, CDRs, what have you, are all fine, as long as they are not sold, touted, promoted as the real thing. That is the largest issue that was raised, and subsequently *ignored*. An informed buyer purchasing a bootleg/reissue is not a problem and happens every day. Swindling prospective buyers by not disclosing the details about the discs IS the problem. -Dan

Only a month after I sold off 80% of my collection, here I am buying CDs again. The sad/scary/stupid/ridiculous thing is that a couple of them are ones that were in the 4,200 that I sold to PJ. I guess I can't resist picking up OOP stuff when I see it. The CDS I bought this week: Styx - The Serpent Is Rising. WAY OOP. For $6.99 I wasn't about to pass it by. Springfield, Rick - Rock of Life. Less of a find, but probably the "rockiest" of his vintage material. Paid $7.99 Platinum Blonde - Alien Shores. Poppy stuff, but I kinda dig it. $6.99 Nasty Nasty - Get Some!!!. Local glam band. Fairly tough disc to find. $7.99 Marx, Richard - My Own Best Enemy. New release, $12.99. I picked it up based on some positive buzz reported online. Eh. I'm not really a fan of this type of Nu-Pop. Gibb, Barry - Now Voyager. The Bee Gees (and solo efforts) is one of the artists that I kept everything from, so I I'm always looking to fill in holes in the discography. Expensive at $75, but two just sold on Ebay in the $100-115 range, so I don't feel so bad. Fear Factory - Linchpin (Australian Tour EP). One of the discs that I sold to PJ, but since they don't come around all that often I figure I'd snag it at $6.99 Edguy - Hellfire Club. Love all their stuff. $10.99 Angelica - Angelica. Decided to re-own this one for $7.99; I'd forgotten about the Ken Tamplin connection. Royal Hunt - The Best Live (Japan). Another artist that I collect everything from. $18.00 Praying Mantis - Predator in Disguise (Japan). Ditto, although this one was a bit pricier, $29.00 MSG - Nightmare (The Acoustic). I simply cannot resist cool Japan-only releases. This is a great-sounding EP! I've always preferred the MacAuley-era MSG material to the material either before or after. $18.00 and about 25 CDVs for my collection. I'll be rolling out a new web site for cdv information at some point here soon. -Dan

So which of the major indy labels do you think is doing the best job? Which one do you buy the most from? My nod goes towards MTM/MTM CLassix, although every now and then Escape reissues some absolute monsters. At one point I loved the stuff coming out on Frontiers, but I think they've diluted their talent pool too much; they're not as consistent as they used to be. -Dan

Well I got to meet the famous (infamous? nefarious? :D) PJ this weekend. He drove down from Canada to buy my CD collection. A few minor hiccups in obtaining all the cash, and FedEx was a bit unhelpful when it came to arranging the shipping, but all that aside, the transaction went smoother than I anticipated. Arranging the sale of 4,000 CDs in one fell swoop isn't a small task. There's a lot of trust involved on both sides when dealing with a sale this large, and I'm happy to report that he's better than his word. It was a pleasant, easy transaction, and he's a cool guy to boot. My credit cards are no longer groaning from a 5-figure debt, and now I have room to store and sort the CDs I did keep.... Now to start hunting again (hell, that was most of the fun anyway) -Dan

This has all the earmarks of someone whose account has been stolen. The last month: 65 positives 4 neutrals 32 negatives The 5 months prior to that: 384 positives 1 neutral 1 negative Something happened here... -Dan

It's been 2-3 years since I've bought anything from him. I spoke with him on the phone at the time, and he was working out of his garage. He seemed like a nice guy. I think he may simply have outgrown himself: trying to run that much volume out of your home, by yourself, is just asking for trouble unless you're organized. -Dan

My observations/experiences: Impulse Music. Biggest problem is that only 20% or so of what they list on their site is actually in stock. AOR Heaven. Excellent service and response, although the weak dollar makes shipping quite expensive; I usually wait for a bunch of their "Sale Bin" to be stuff I want. Schmankerl Records. EXCELLENT! Great inventory, and some real obscure AOR and hard rock available. Can't recommend them highly enough. The one I order the most from: The End Records. Mostly heavy metal, but they do get some AOR material on occasion. Good service, and all prices include shipping to the U.S. -Dan

Ask him to scan and email you the insurance receipt/coupon that he claims he filed. -Dan

"PJ's House O' Porn" :D Actually, one area where '80s rock is still king is in the... *ahem* "gentlemen's clubs". Great for the ole' Bump 'n Grind... -Dan

Just a quick note to thank PJ for coming by and relating the events surrounding this scamm... err, umm, "seller". While not exactly a close-knit family, the world of melodic/hard rock CD collecting is a small one. We all gots to spread the word on the hosers. Anyone remember Jymmi Slang or Manny Comres? I did business with both back in the day. -Dan

After reading the discussion in this thread, I've just added the S/T to the site, along with samples from all the tracks. In my opinion solid, but nowhere near the gem that "World on Fire" is. WoF is a masterpiece. -Dan

I may get kicked out of the club for this, but actually right now I've got two 10-CD boxed sets in my office, one of Benny Goodman, and one of Glen Miller. What can I say, I like 1930s-40s big band music. More back on topic, the new Sonata Arctica - Winterheart's Guild is a melodic masterpiece. -Dan

Bumped the speed down a notch... -Dan