CD Junkies: Collector Ken Partridge
When I spoke with music writer Ken Partridge about his excellent new book Hell of a Hat: The Rise of ‘90s Ska and Swing, I learned that he still has his CD collection. So, of course, I asked if he’d be interested in being featured in 360°Sound’s ongoing series CD Junkies. Lucky for us, the 40-year-old Brooklyn resident was game. He talked about great ska CDs not available on streaming, shared his thoughts on the format, and provided photos of his extensive and eclectic collection.
360°Sound: How long have you been collecting CDs?
Ken Partridge: Since roughly 1994. Before that, it was cassettes, the ideal format if you had a Walkman and a paper route.
What was the first CD you ever bought?
I honestly can’t remember. I know the first CD I ever got was Vanilla Ice’s To the Extreme, but I’m pretty sure my parents paid for that one. I remember joining the BMG music club around 1995. I got some great stuff from them, including The Mighty Mighty Bosstones’ Question the Answers, The English Beat’s What Is Beat?, Bad Religion’s Stranger Than Fiction, and The Sex Pistols’ Never Mind the Bollocks.
Approximately how many discs do you have in your collection? About how many are ska or swing?
It’s not a huge collection. Maybe 1,400 total. I’d say ska accounts for about 10%. I own way fewer swing discs—just a handful of favorites.
What do you like about the CD format?
It’s nice to be able to play a full album without having to get up and change the record halfway through. This is key if you’re playing Hot Wheels with your kid or attempting to read the newspaper during a break from playing Hot Wheels with your kid. In terms of sound, they’re arguably not as “warm” as vinyl. But they’re crisp and bright and more dynamic than people give them credit for. Plus—and here’s the important part—they’re dirt cheap nowadays. I often see them for a buck apiece at thrift stores. If I see a CD by a band I was always curious about in the ‘90s, I’ll roll the dice for a dollar.
Who are some of your all-time favorite bands and artists?
The Clash, The Beatles, The Specials, Madness, The English Beat, Prince, Elvis Costello, Elvis Presley, Marvin Gaye, Sam Cooke, Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Petty, Taylor Swift, Neko Case, The Cramps, Depeche Mode, The Rolling Stones, Stray Cats, Gene Vincent, Talking Heads, X, Social Distortion.
What are some of your most prized discs in your collection and what makes them so special?
It’s nice to have stuff that isn’t available on streaming. For instance, Looooking Gooood, the first and only album by Northern California ska-punk weirdos Hoodlum Empire. These guys infused their ska with surf guitars and really twisted lyrics. Also, from Northern California (but way more traditional) was Filibuster, who made one of my favorite ‘90s ska albums with New Ruler & The King. I discovered Filibuster on a compilation called This Is Raj, This Is Ska, another lost gem. Unless I’m mistaken, none of these albums are streamable.
Since I’m from Connecticut, I should also mention Patchwork Girl by Johnny Too Bad and the Strikeouts. I’m not sure how rare this is. And it is available on streaming. But it’s a terrific album that means a lot to me personally.
I also love the three-disc Madness set called The Business. In addition to giving you loads of classic songs, it contains snippets of interviews with band members, roadies, managers, etc. At one point in 1998 I had the whole thing memorized.
Do you collect CD box sets?
I have a handful, most of which I paid full price for back in the day, before CDs were out of fashion. My favorite is Clash on Broadway, a retrospective of Clash’s discography with all sorts of rarities, plus very in-depth liner notes. Rhino’s Left of the Dial and Children of Nuggets are also quite good. They turned me on to loads of great bands. I also love my Roy Orbison and Jesus and Mary Chain boxes.
Do you shop for used CDs at thrift stores and record stores very often? Any recent cool finds?
If I’m in a record store or thrift store, I’ll definitely rummage through the CD pile. But due to limited space in my apartment, I generally don’t buy CDs anymore unless I find something I’m really interested in, like ‘90s ska. A friend of mine is really big on stoop sales (Brooklyn’s equivalent of tag sales), and he recently gave me a pile of Moon Ska Records discs he picked up. Moon Ska was the ska label back in the ‘90s. While I had dubbed cassette copies of most of these CDs back in the day, I was too broke (again, the paper route) to own all of them. I’m very slowly trying to piece together as much of the Moon discography as possible.
Are there any labels that come to mind that are still doing great CD releases and reissues?
I don’t really buy new CDs, so I’m not sure. When I buy new music these days, it’s solely on vinyl. That’s become my preferred format. I just can’t imagine spending more than like $3 for a CD anymore.
What are your thoughts on the future of the CD? Do you think it could see a resurgence like vinyl has?
I don’t think it will ever make a vinyl-like resurgence. They’re flimsy pieces of plastic that have none of the romance of vinyl. They’re probably not great for the environment. I think streaming is here to stay. Vinyl will continue to quench the niche thirst for physical product.
