Record Collectors

Record Collector: Mike Ciero, aka thevinylcommand

Mike Ciero lives in Jacksonville, FL where he's a concert promoter, as well as artist relations/event organizer for The Music Experience, which is a traveling instrument exhibition mostly appearing at metal and hard rock festivals across the US. In addition to that, he's also in artist management, currently working with thrashers Rhythm of Fear. Yep, the dude lives and breathes music.

Please join me in welcoming Mike to the Record Collector club.

How long have you been collecting records? 

I very loosely have been collecting since I got into music about 30 years ago. I would go through phases where I would add to my collection, however, over the past two or three years, I've been pretty insane about it. Probably like a lot of people, Discogs really helped in being able to figure out what exists which not knowing enough about pressings and such had always been a pretty huge hinderance for me in the past, as far as collecting goes. 

 

Sepultura- Bestial Devastation / Overdose - Século X. X. (Split) #novvinylchallenge posted by @vinylxdenim & @jaclyn_oconnell Day 8 - Most Expensive I wasn't exactly sure which album would best fit this category so I went to Discogs for a little help. According to the site this split release edges out selections in my collection including my Judas Priest - Painkiller picture disc as well as albums from Type O Negative, The Cure and Slayer who all seem to have options with pretty good value to them. I obtained this record around 1989/1990 and although not my favorite release certainly was an important addition as it wasn't something I had seen in a record store before or after that point when I first spotted it at Slipped Disc in Valley Stream, NY. It was always exciting back in the day when you would find items from bands that you didn't know existed where as now a days there seems to be less surprises when information is so easily accessible. This album was certainly very primitive for Sepultura as their sound would progress and mature to become one of the most important and influential Metal bands worldwide! Overdose didn't have as much success in the whole scheme of things however they continued to release new music for the next decade. Rumor has it after breaking up for many years they have recently regrouped for some live performances. . . . #sepultura #bestialdevastation #maxpossessed #tormentor #igorskullcrusher #destructor #overdose #seculoxx #brazilianmetal #vinyl #record #records #wax #nowspinning #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #vinylporn #instavinyl #recordcollection #recordcollector #vinylcommunity #vinyligclub #limitededition #vinylnerd #music #vinyladdict #musicnerd #thevinylcommand

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

Where/how do you usually find your records these days? 

I'll check eBay and Discogs now and again, but there's something to be said for going into a record store and finding some cool shit. I get to do some traveling with my job and try to go to record stores in different cities, if time allows. I also like to support underground record labels and buy from them direct when new stuff comes out as well. 

 

Had a pretty kick ass mail day yesterday (well Exodus came a couple of days ago): Exodus - Tempo Of The Damned limited edition (1030) red/orange blend 2 LP set on Nuclear Blast Records. Ruby The Hatchet - Planetary Space Child on clear midnight blue released on Tee Pee Records. This came early ���� Confrontational - Kingdom Of Night on limited edition (500) blue translucent on Bronson Recordings Confrontational - A Dance Of Shadows on limited edition (500) green translucent on Bronson Recordings Turnover - Good Nature on limited edition (500) red/yellow/blue tri- color Turnover - Good Nature on limited edition (1500) pink/green split with black splatter Turnover - Good Nature limited edition (1000) deluxe clear with pink, green & black splatter with 60 page book all on Run For Cover Records and also came earlier than expected! Also received the new Decibel Magazine with a Today Is The Day flexi! . . . #exodus #rubythehatchet #confrontational #turnover #decibel #thrashmetal #doommetal #darkwave #emo #limitededition #coloredvinyl

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

What is the most you paid for a single record, where/how did you obtain it, and what was it? 

Probably spent way too much [laughs]. The Judas Priest Painkiller picture disc got posted on Discogs and I had it on my want list. Once I got the alert that it was available, I instantly purchased it. It was about $150 but after searching for 27 years to obtain it, I couldn't resist. 

 

Judas Priest - Painkiller (picture disc) #augustvinylchallenge posted by @charrecords Day 21) favorite pressing: It took me 27 years to find this! I don't know if it's really that rare or if I just wasn't looking in the right places but it was a historic day when I finally got this Holy Grail into my hands! Arguably one of the most monumental albums ever release in the Metal world and I have always been a sucker for picture discs. Admittedly it probably sounds like shit as does most picture discs pressings but there's something really intriguing about incredible artwork actually combined with the music itself. I feel like that it's the absolute closest it can ever be to truly merging the music and art into one inclusive entity. Oddly enough though I never actually listen to picture discs as they're more for my personal collection pleasure. . . . #judaspriest #painkiller #metal #heavymetal #legends #vinyl #vinylchallenge #record #records #wax #33rpm #nowspinning #vinylrecords #vinylcollection #vinylcollector #vinylporn #recordcollection #recordcollector #vinylcommunity #vinyligclub #picturedisc #limitededition #vinylnerd #music #vinyladdict #musicnerd #thevinylcommand

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

If you had to pick one record label you feel had/has the best track record of quality releases, who would that be and what are some key titles you love? 

Wow, that's a really tough one! First that comes to mind would be Roadrunner/Roadracer/RC, which had some of the all-time greats, including Biohazard, Life of Agony, King Diamond, Gorguts, Suffocation, Immolation, Type O Negative, Sepultura, Fear Factory, Obituary, Vision Of Disorder, Pestilence, etc. Man, so much rad shit. I would be doing an injustice, though, if I didn't mention Earache, with legends like Carcass, Napalm Death, Bolt Thrower, Morbid Angel, Entombe, and Godflesh! Of course, Nuclear Blast, Relapse, Century Media, and Metal Blade have all been powerhouses throughout all these years and I frequently get stuff from them.

 

Life Of Agony - River Runs Red (Blood Red Limited Ed Double LP) 24 years of being one of my favorite albums ever. Easily in my top 5 most listened to albums! Between the amazing production, guitar tone, lyrical content AND delivery, overall attitude and crushing riffs through out this album it has been imbedded in my heart and soul from the very first listen!! So quick story ... I don't talk about booking bands often but working with LOA is def a career highlight. Along with one of my best friends we did a fest a few years back in which we flew LOA in to headline and wasn't sure what to expect. Turns out not only were they super rad to work with but literally one of the best shows I've ever been to/booked. Their energy was second to none and the crowd went ape shit the whole time singing every word, stage diving and interacting like it would be the last show they ever went to! This band and especially this album really hold a special spot in my world. Thanks to @cinnamon_girl95 for posting about this anniversary earlier on today so I can celebrate! This is a Blood Red copy #111 out of 500 and I may just be insane enough that I would get the other 499 copies if I happen to come across them. . . . #lifeofagony #riverrunsred #nyhc #nymetal #metal #thesewordsandmusic #vinyl #vinylrecords #vinyladdict #vinylporn #record #vinylcommunity #recordcollection #recordcollector #wax #lp #33rpm #nowspinning #myvinylcollection #coloredvinyl #limitededition #vinylcollectionpost #livemusic #lovemusic #musicnerd #vinylnerd #thevinylcommand

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

Combat, In Effect, Revelation, Wax Trax were the shit back in the day. Now there are labels like Bridge Nine, Deathwish, Dark Descent, Season of Mist, Flatspot, 20 Buck Spin, and Graven Earth that have all had my attention these days! Sorry, I know you said one but there's too many rad ones to choose from [laughs].

 

Forced Entry - Uncertain Future This album just crushes so hard! These guys added a slow crunchy grove to Thrash Metal before anyone else ever thought of it and they did so with perfect execution. Forced Entry is def on a short list of bands I wish would get back together! I've only been able to see them destroy shit live once when they toured with Atrophy and Coroner back in 1989 or 90. The whole show was one of my favorites to date! This is an OG press released on Combat Records and I was lucky enough to find it in near mint condition! . . . #forcedentry #uncertainfuture #combatrecords #thrashmetal #heavymetal #vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylporn #record #vinylcommunity #recordcollection #recordcollector #wax #lp #33rpm #nowspinning #myvinylcollection #music #lp #vinylcollectionpost #livemusic #lovemusic #musicnerd #vinylnerd #thevinylcommand

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

Of everything in your current collection, what is the most prized record and why? 

This may be a little bit cheating for my answer, but for me, it wouldn't be just one record but more so the collection of one artist, and that would be my Slayer collection. I certainly don't have it all, but I feel I have a pretty impressive stockpile of Slayer vinyl. They have always been one of my all time favorite bands and there is something amazing about owning a wide variety of releases from them. 

 

Slayer - Repentless (multiple versions) #augustvinylchallenge posted by @charrecords Day 15) album released in 2015: I was pretty excited for this album to come out being it was 6 years in between when the previous World Painted Red was released. Slayer had moved to a different label and seemed to have some vigor to them. Here is a collection of different variants Nuclear Blast put out for their debut release for Slayer. I still have a few more left in order to complete the collection (anyone have and want to part ways with the Canadian yellow version?). I def dig this album and although probably a bit over zealous Nuclear Blast really did some cool shit with this release. . . . #slayer #repentless #slaytanic #slayercollection #thrashmetal #heavymetal #vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylporn #record #vinylcommunity #recordcollection #recordcollector #wax #lp #33rpm #nowspinning #myvinylcollection #music #lp #vinylcollectionpost #livemusic #lovemusic #musicnerd #vinylnerd #coloredvinyl #picturedisc #limitededition #thevinylcommand

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

Is there anything that frustrates you about the current collecting scene?

I try to focus on the positive but for sake of the interview I would have to say that a lot of record stores are def trying to cash in as much as possible. For instance, a store in Atlanta I was in recently had a used copy of Peter Gabriel's So for $20, or something like that. I assumed it had to some sort of special copy but it wasn't. They had most of their used titles overly priced like that. Standard selections from artists like the Eagles or Barry White were just priced pretty aggressively. Definitely a trend that a lot of places seem to be following these days. 

 

Turnover - Peripheral Vision (red/pink split) #augustvinylchallenge posted by @charrecords Day 17) split color vinyl: This album quickly became a favorite after working with and seeing these guys a few times. It's simply filled with outstanding songs that are written charismatically complete with haunting and clever lyrics. I just received this version yesterday and it's a third variant I own in my collection thus far. This copy is a third press that was limited to a run of 2000 copies released by Run For Cover Records. . . . #turnover #peripheralvision #runforcoverrecords #vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylporn #record #vinylcommunity #recordcollection #recordcollector #wax #lp #33rpm #nowspinning #myvinylcollection #music #lp #vinylcollectionpost #livemusic #lovemusic #musicnerd #vinylnerd #coloredvinyl #limitededition #thevinylcommand

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

Which records are still on your want list that you've had a hard time tracking down through the years?  

Aside from the obvious answer of anything Slayer-related (minus bootlegs), I've been trying to get an OG press of the first Gorguts album, Considered Dead, that's not going for an insane price! Actually, a lot of the old school death metal albums are tough to find original versions of. Still hoping for that day to come where I wander into a store and the new arrival section is littered in OG death metal albums. A guy can dream! 

 

Rhythm Of Fear - Maze Of Confusion (multiple variants) #augustvinylchallenge posted by @charrecords Day 18) favorite album cover: This is an up and coming Thrash/Crossover Metal band out of Florida. These guys are one of the best to do it and he artwork for their debut album is brilliant. The talented @ryudhasaputra created this masterpiece by cleverly piecing together elements from each track and putting a visual aspect to match. This band comes highly recommended for those into Thrash, Hardcore and/or killer Metal riffage in general! This is the 3 versions they released on green with black and white splatter (limited too 200 copies) , black (200) and translucent neon green (100) . . . #rhythmoffear #mazeofconfusion #thrashmetal #hardcore #crossover #riffage #vinyl #vinylrecords #vinylporn #record #vinylcommunity #recordcollection #recordcollector #wax #lp #33rpm #nowspinning #myvinylcollection #music #lp #vinylcollectionpost #livemusic #lovemusic #musicnerd #vinylnerd #coloredvinyl #limitededition #thevinylcommand

A post shared by The Vinyl Command (@thevinylcommand) on

***

Follow Mike on Instagram.

Tagged: record collector