PJ@KISSMYDISC.CA

On second thought.... (sound of a helicopter takin' off...) ... (sound of a helicopter landing...) Thanks for the tip Andy. I'm reporting live, on location, from Tulsa, OK as we speak. I'm lookin' around, and... I don't see much here. I see a few cattle ranches around me, and what appears to be a gas station... but nothing that might contain used CDs inside... One of the locals here has just informed me there is a small pawn shop a few miles down south... (sound of helicopter taking off...) ... (sound of helicopter landing...) After landing next to what appears to be the only used CD shop in the state, I'm proud to say I've walked out with the mythical... hair metal indie from Oklahoma, by the band "PANTIES"... CD titled "Around your ankles" (1987 indie release). For nearly two decades a CD that's been found only on the wantlists of countless collectors... it appears KMD has once again proven the skeptics wrong and delivered another monster piece. Back to you Andy. PS... The moral of this story? Don't drink and surf the web... lol. Cheers to all from Japan! (Or, Kanpai, as we say here).

I predict you will be getting a visit from PJ or atleast your state & we 'll see all these so called mega rare gems of yours on ebay LMAO... Andy, great to see you still have your sense of humor, lol. I've been to Tulsa on a few occasions, but... since their strip bars close by midnight, my visits to the state were never long enough to pick up any of these Tulsa "must-have-cassettes". Besides... while there is a ton of great stuff on cassette/vinyl that never made it onto CD, I'm still way in over my head with CDs alone. Still laughin' though... loved that comment Andy- thanks for payin' tribute/reverence to the "legend", lol. Cheers bro! PJ

Im not sure if it was you (the HH alias is different from the eBay name) but I just sold this- I had one in my catalog (eBay seller name: EAROTIC). If it was you who bought it, glad I could help... if it weren't, PM me, and I'll help you out- it's not an expensive disc and not that tough for me to aquire. Cheers, PJ

I hate to play the devil's advocate here, but... does anyone else see the irony in the above post? Lonnie selling cdrs (a bootleg's next of kin), was deemed appropriate (and a practice generally accepted here and on many other similiar online forums), only as long as the cdrs were delivered. They're cdrs... you may have received them, but ultimately the band gets screwed. Sure, this may sound old by now, but... whether it's a bootleg reissue one sells, or a cdr, it's all the same. I really found the above post ironic, and even a bit hypocritical to say the least. Bootleggin'... piracy, is a dirty gig... countless members of this board have been leading the anti-piracy crusade, and sadly- many of them- including myself, have taken heat for our fierce standing against piracy. Although I sympathize 100% with anyone who was taken for a ride on this deal... I do find a deeper, underlying lesson to be learned here about the prevalence of piracy, bootlegging, and all these Mickey Mouse labels springin' up, claiming to be the "saviors" of the scene by bringing you low-cost solutions to high-cost CDs via their home made reissues. If you dabble with this whole reissue scene which more often than not today, appears to have about as much legitimacy as a marriage proposal by Gene Simmons... you're bound to get "burned" (pun intended). How did that old sayin' go...? If you go to bed with dogs, you're bound to wake up with fleas? There's a reason why these guys did not approach me with an offer to preorder their discs, despite the fact I use numerous avenues to move significant amounts of cds daily. They know I'm a hardliner against anything even remotely fishy when it comes to reissues. I have a ton of respect for most of the people who placed these orders, but I cannot help but side with one of Dan's earlier comments here, that at least in some part... "wishful thinking" obscured clear judgments here on the part of these buyers. Most of us are far too easily fooled these days, as a result of this wishful thinking, into believing the claims of these frequent "reissues". Multi-million dollar labels, be it Sony records Japan, or Capitol USA who hold the rights to most of our favorite releases, would not even entertain the efforts of a Joe Blow from Wisconsin to aquire the rights for a few hundred dollars or maybe even a few grand, let alone provide them with the rights. Respectfully, PJ (Wow... 3 hrs viewin' this post, and I've still got about 5 pages left to read, lol... come to think of it, sorry for adding an entire page myself, hehehe).

Koogs... what a class act! Superb idea. Pending a resolution, I too would be more than willing to toss something back for these guys. Cheers, PJ

It's called greed. That transcends all emotions, loyalty, or comradery. In a way, fan sites like this and melodicrock allow predators to prey upon the passion of ardent fans. We, as music fans, *WANT* to believe that music we love is getting officially reissued, rather than the seemingly normal bootleg state of affairs, so we're more willing to believe. What hurts though, is that it's a longtime member of the community, an "insider" so to speak, that did this. Not some nameless entity from the outside. -------- Well stated Dan. It is this very notion... the wishful thinking of many ardent fans, that the music we all love is getting the respectful and legitimate attention we'd like it to- via "official" reissues, that make bootlegging and piracy (regardless of whom we're talking about) such a lucrative prospect. I've yet to read through this entire thread (I'm only on page 7 at this point)... but from what I've read thus far- I sympathize with anyone who may have taken a loss here. I too have been taken for a major ride on two occasions in the past (in both cases havin been taken for a little over $3,000 US), so I know how you feel. PJ

the seller from florida that got everyone mad at him for supposed shady deals was Manny Comres, alot of folks claimed to have been ripped by him, I never was though..... The infamous... Manny Comras, did became a legend of sorts in the mid/late 90s via CD trading. Yeah, he carved out quite the reputation for himself. I've met him (as well as many other traders/collectors in the scene, including many regulars on this site) and... in regards to Manny, it's a safe bet he's out of the scene: he's an attorney in the state of Florida. By no means am I justifying his shady practices of the mid/late 90s in regards to CD trading circuits (I too had a few small trades go awry with him...), but he always cited the heavy workload related to law school as the sole reason for his inability to send things out on time, etc. Regardless... that's a mute point here.

No shit, that's probably a good idea. Fat Freddy.. but at least you'd have a lot of good CDs to listen to... and think about it... what would you rather listen to on a daily basis... CDs, or the wife? It's a no brainer for me... lol. I'll see you on my auctions, hehehehe. Kiddin'. Cheers! PJ

Here's my list.... (In no particular order): RECON - Behind enemy lines (1990) HEATHEN - Victims of deception (the production alone on this makes it an all time classic) (1990) MELIAH RAGE - Solitary Solitude (1989) SACRED REICH - American Way (1990) OBLIVEON - From this day forward (1989) BELIEVER - Sanity Obscure (1990) METAL CHURCH - Blessing in disguise (1989) KAT - Oddech wymarlych swiatow (1987) RAGE - The Missing Link (1994) MARSHALL LAW - Power Game (1993) Cheers! PJ

Research? Aquired rights? How stupid do you suspect the minions you preach to, really are? The rights to Widow's debut belonged (and in all likelyhood still do), to CBS/Sony records Japan. How's your Japanese Sam? Jokes aside... anyone with the IQ of a blank cdr, will have enough reason to figure that no multi-million dollar entity like Sony records (Nippon), would devote resources to entertain offers of a few thousand dollars (the only amount lucrative enough for a potential reissusing agent) to buy the rights to anything they own. The concept of a "label" like Retrospect, approaching Sony records Japan with an "offer" to aquire the rights to the music for a subsequent reissue, is about as legitimate as the concept of democracy and capitalism was to Josef Stalin.

If patience is a commodity you possess... check out ONECENTJAPANESECDS... new shop- just opened up on eBay, auctioning off 100s of Japanese import CDs (mostly AOR/hard rock/metal) every week, at one cent a piece... sure, some will go for more- but dozens, are guaranteed to go for a penny. Pay for shipping, and the CD is essentially yours for free. Here it is: http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZonecentjapanesecdsQQhtZ-1 ...and if the low feedback/new seller status is a concern, ask any veteran on this site to vouch for it... it's an extension of well established eBay stores, Kissmydisc, Earotic, and others. Cheers, PJ

Yeah, that's a good list of elusive originals. I just had the Laurence Archer - LA (with OBI), but, won't get into what it went for- let's just say records were broken, lol. Ironically, being it was only released in Japan in 1986 on the small NEC label, the disc went "back" to a Japanese collector. The KK Wilde, is certainly up there as well. I'd have to add the original 1984 promo-only release by female fronted rockers Widow. The disc was released only in Japan by CBS/Sony records, as a promo-only (without a front insert... only featured the tray card- with band info/tracklisting, etc) and a disc). I've had it on two occasions, last time, about 5 yrs ago or so. From my experience, that's appeared to have been one of the most elusive CDs in the hard rock/AOR/metal genre to obtain over the years. There are countless CDs out there which were pressed in very limited quantities originally (100 copies... 200 copies... or 50 copies, as was the case with the original Harem Scarem demo... a side note about that one, if anyone own the "Early years" import from Japan, there's a story about that one, involving Harry, and Kissmydisc, directly in making that one happen, even though it isn't a very pleasant story for KMD, lol). But, to add to the list, I'd have to say... the toughest, most coveted originals out there would include: Harem Scarem - Original demo CD Widow - Original 1984 promo only debut CD Laurence Archer - LA Klaatu - Strange (1991, indie from Eastern Europe, identical to Syndia I'm told, I've never been able to find one) Original CDs by bands like Hit the ground runnin' (sudden impact), Barely Legal, etc, etc... and many others only continue to become more scarce every year. These lists are good, and fun... but, there's always the risk of lists like this serving as nothing more than a "to-do" list for bootleggers, hence it's better to reserve the most obvious top guns to the collectors who know what they are, and leave the pirates where they belong... in the rear view mirror. Season's Greetings to all! PJ

Hey everyone, I see a lot of familiar names here, I've traded with over the past 7-10 yrs or so... Anyway, I haven't been trading much in the last little while, but I wouldn't mind gettin' back into it, just for fun, and to maybe fill a few holes in my collection. If anyone has a tradelist they'd like to send to me, please do so privately at pj@kissmydisc.ca I'm only interested in original CDs (no DVDs... no cdrs, etc, etc). As I'm situated in Japan, I have a very extensive list of discs available with me, and to me. If you have a "wantlist" please send it as well. Cheers, PJ

>PJ, yeah, now I gotta say, your then girl had a mighty sexy voice. Thought you said you'd send her my way after you've been through her. Hey, I'm waiting , LOL.. ( just kidding bud ) You seem to have a knack on landing yourself those exotic eastern euro babes, always admired you for that. whats she upto these days? Andy, Thanks for the kudos... sure, I've been fortunate enough to be involved with many exotic ladies in my days, but... let's be honest, what merit can one hundred or more dates, with just as many women possibly have, if not one of those dates leads you to the desired goal? That of course being a relationship, one of substance, love, etc. She (the ex...) recently got out of a relationshp, and... we're actually talkin'. It'd be good if her and I could find our way again, if we did- you heard it here first- she'll be the one I'll marry. But, it's yet to be determined if it's in the cards.... How about you? Toss me an email in private, lemme know how things are in your life... seeing anyone? what are you doing these days? Cheers, PJ

I took a moment to decide whether or not I should post here, as... I realize this'll probably lead to people jumpin' all over my ass for it, but the truth is, I for one- have had Dieter/Brigitte bid on my auctions countless times over the years, and I've never had a problem. Always pay, leave feedback, and all's well in the end. I'm sorry to hear about the people above who claim to have had chargebacks/problems with this buyer. But, it's only fair, that, if the negative be brought up, so should the positive. I've had dealings with this entity for years, and never a problem. I do hope any issues you have with this buyer will be resolved, Respectfully, PJ

PJ, I miss those times, free international phone calls, talking stuff!! Hard to believe years have gone by & I still recall our chats as if it it was it happened last week. Andy, that's only because I have such an incredibly sexy voice... it's too bad these message boards are limited to text input only, lol. Kiddin' around man. Yes, I do recall those days fondly. It was always a pleasure gettin' a call from Australia, to catch up on, and learn about all the coolest big gems everyone was after then. Well, cool, at least, until my girlfriend at the time started complaining about some "weird guy with a weird accent" calling when I wasn't home, asking for me, and then wanting to talk to her when he'd learn I wasn't around.... lol. Kiddin' around buddy- she too had an accent (Eastern European). Good times, man, good times. Cheers, PJ

Andy, and you of course, did teach me a lot about many of the top pieces back in the 90s when we'd chat on the phone. Hope you're doing well buddy, good to see ya postin' on here. And, Jake... hope you're almost packed! You're departing for the land of the Rising Obi, in just a few weeks. More on that in private. Cheers man! PJ Del, Just a quick one- sorry I'm a bit late on this one, hope you're reading this while away... the place I mentioned in my email, was located in either Lubbock, or Amarillo. Check the yellowpages if you're in either of those cities, I don't recall the name of the place, but, it was listed under the regular cd/record shops. If you find the place, you'll know it, and that place alone will be worth your trip. Good luck! PJ

...not only raises a few questions, but in parallel implies a few answers. In reference to some of the recent Greek bootlegs, someone above mentioned it's a losing battle. Bootlegs have always been around. It doesn't only refer to the CDs. In every market, in all times, there will always be those who... can't make it, so, they'll fake it. Can't afford a real Lamborghini Diablo for $250,000? Pick up a replica for about $40,000. Your g/f can't afford to spend $2,000 on a Luis Vuitton purse? Get a knockoff on eBay for about $20. Can't find a real woman? Buy a lovedoll for about ten bucks. Lol. Bottom line is, there will always be demand for a certain "real thing", whatever it may be. However, when that which is in demand exceeds the means of most to aquire it, opportunists will come out of the woodworks, knowing that the demand is there, for a near-identical, but, affordable alternative. The criticism and slack thrown their way is a small price to pay for what is often a fairly lucrative operation. Bootlegs have been around for decades, be it vinyl... cassettes (I still remember the cassettes sold all over Eastern Europe as I was growing up, which were on par with many of the CD bootlegs kickin' around today). CDs have been pirated, and will continue to be, whether it's legendary "labels" like Reborn Classics (who's creators by the way, were taken down by German authorities in the mid 90s, and subsequently jailed on numerous obvious counts of piracy). The truth is, as a few accurately pointed out throughout these posts, is that those who consider themselves collectors, won't much be affected by bootlegging and piracy. It's always been part of the scene. Whether you collect baseball cards, or art. The numbers of those who don't have the means to aquire originals and subsequently provide them to willing buyers, but want to be in on the money, so to speak, will always greatly exceed the number of the few who have the means, contacts, to aquire such originals. In suit, the number of people who wish they could have an original but either cannot afford, or, simply justify paying the costs often associated with an original, will too exceed the number of those who can and do aquire these originals regularly. It's a topic that's been beaten to death for years. All in all, this all seems to be a bit redundant. Almost rhetorical (to save you some time Sam, rhetoric is a reference bombast, almost unnecessary in nature...). We're comparing apples to oranges here. Two extraneous markets. One consists of those who wish to hear only the music, and don't care much for the forum, will be content with a cdr, an mp3, a reissue, a bootleg, or a any format legit or otherwise, as long as it contains the music they're after. The other, consists of people who approach this as an almost sacred hobby. Collectors. To whom, collecting this is almost like a homage to the music and band's they love. No different than collectors of sports memorabilia, or anything else. I for one, am one of these collectors. And to be honest, I couldn't care less how many knockoffs of a certain original I own are out there, for it does very little to devalue my original. If one is to argue the originals drop in value on eBay once a "reissue" appears, that is less a reflection of an actual drop in value to collectors, and more a reflection of a drop in faith of the prospect of said item's legitimacy. In private, behind the scenes, originals continue to retain their value, and often continue to grow in value, only because, as time passess, they become harder and harder to locate. If one is content with a disc on a reissue, or pirate label, so be it. They do what they do to earn that money and it is their right to spend it as they wish. On the same token, there are many who are holding out for a collectible, not just the music. If it was ONLY about the music, this site would be called heavymp3s, as none of us would care about CDs, and would settle merely for MP3s as the most inexpensive way to aquire the music. Greetings to all from Japan, PJ

Wow... A topic on Heavy Harmonies dedicated exclusively to Bob... lmao. Countless stories, defining moments, and memories come to mind when I flip through the back pages of Kissmydisc, but... as Koogs mentioned earlier, Bob was a classic. Indeed, his relentless pain-in-the-ass perserverance got me to do a few discs for him, if for no other reason, so he'd leave me alone (I am dead serious- when I say I'd have his number on my cell phone 20-30 times a day). Come to think of it, he never paid for those discs anyway. Serves me right, I shouldn't have sent him any in the first place. PJ

Hey, what's wrong with people who take a while to send things, anyway? lol...

Is it just me, or... do I sense a little sarcasm here? hehehehhee. Cheers man, PJ Damn!! What am I still doin' here... 8:15, and I'm supposed to pick her up at 8:30... heheheh. zoom!

Whiplash... Point respectfully taken. Hey man... I understand economics, and I understand that like in real life... only a few can afford to drive Ferraris, Lambo's, etc... I understand that the $100+ cds cater to a select/elite group of people. However, most in the scene are content with average priced ($5-20) CDs, just as most people will drive your average domestic car. Then there are few who cannot afford even the average, so... they'll opt for the Public Transit, or a bicycle (equivalent of CDrs)... Hey man, I'm NOT mockin' those who only buy cdrs... seriously, I'm not. Everyone is in a different financial situation... and while I am not someone who stands behind bootlegs/cdrs/pirates... never have, never will, I won't altogether decree someone for makin' burns. Afterall, going back to the 80s, how many of you reading this, can state with hand on heart, you never had a friend of yours make a cassette copy for you of a release you didn't own? And... on the topic of wive, children... Dude, you are far wealthier than I am as a result of this. While I'm well off financially for my age (no thanks to school, or handouts... I only finished one year of college before I started my business....), I'll be the first to state that the only wealth worth counting, is the one you possess, in having a wife, kids, etc. I'd trade most of what I have in a heartbeat to have the kind of wealth you do. Cheers, PJ Actually, this the perfect place for CD-R traders....due to little things like husbands, wives, and children, many of us don't have $100 + to blow on a single, overpriced OOP CD, so we opt to trade CD-Rs instead. As for new CDs, I STILL spend way too much each month, but hey a man's gotta have a hobby besides online porn. <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

...wanted to follow up on the "honesty" bit. I understand any apprehension you may have about dealers not being honest, in the interest of sellin' a CD... however, I'm a firm believer that shootin' straight with everyone is KEY to survival in this gig. Havin' been active on the online CD tradin' scene since about '95/'96, there's a reason why I've stuck around with a relatively healthy reputaiton (like anyone else, I've had my run in's with people who didn't like my take on things, how do business, or just didn't like my hair cut, hehehe)... In a business sense, it's only prudent that a "dealer" is honest with his clients. No better way to ensure return business. If I'm dead on with my reviews on our eBay auctions... and, right on the money with cds I recommend to you- odds are, you'll come back to me for more. If I compare a cd which BLOWS on all elements, to some rare indie everyone's after, just to boost sales- odds are, I'll lose the client's faith in me after he gets the CD, and his business will go elsewhere... hence, anyway I look at it- being straight with everyone is what I feel has kept me in the game for as long as it has. Metal 4 Life! PJ

Mertz... I've been a so called "dealer" (hate that term... I prefer being known for who I am- a die hard, 26 year old metalhead.... heheheh)... I've recommended thousands of cds over the years to people who constantly come to me for recommendations. I know metal music better than most people do who lived through the scene in the 80s (I wasn't old enough to buy bubble gum in the 80s, hehehe). Here's how I tackle it... people often come to me and say "PJ... I've got all these cds... but need somethin' new to kick my ass...", I ask them to describe their exact "ideal" sound- I mean, vocals, guitar, name some of their all time fave songs- so I get an idea of the particular sound they're after... and fromthat, my recommendations are on the money 99% of the time. If you like Skid Row's first album, I'll tell you to listen to Dirtyworks debut (songs like Little Sister... should have been on Skid Row's debut...)... or bands like Dirty Rhythm (again, opener is a dead on to Skid Row's debut...). And so on... someone tells me one of their all time faves is GIANT'S Last of the runaway's... I say, go after WALL OF SILENCE - Shock to the system... after hearing 1000s upon 1000s of cds- ranging from AOR, to death metal, and all in between (my passion being hard rock/glam....), I do have a pretty good ear for it... just ask anyone for whom I've made compilation cds for. Not braggin', just makin' a point that... there is a way someone can be pretty accurate with recommendation, IF they're makin' them with a good background on what you really like. Cheers, PJ PS... if you do want a few recommendations, feel free to ask... I'll be happy to help... give me a clear idea of the EXACT sound you're after (bands, songs, etc...) and I'll name a few CDs I'm certain will leave you with an impression.