In honor of Record Store Day this Saturday: Ten records we treasure. What's your favorite vinyl?
Desmond Dekker and the Aces - "The Israelites" 7-inch
For a DJ, there's nothing worse than the sin of repetition. Oversaturation is the curse of the radio industry, and any DJ worth his (or her) salt would cringe at his set being compared to mainstream radio. But in one instance, I will happily commit this transgression, damning myself to disc jockey hell in the pursuit of sonic bliss. I have probably played my 7-inch single of Desmond Dekker and the Aces' "The Israelites" more times than I have flossed. Ever since I first heard it in Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy (and then immediately ordered the 45 off eBay), hardly a week has gone by without my needle kissing the black plastic of this reggae masterpiece. When I began deejaying around town, the single hardly left my record case, and soon complaints of "not this one again" began circulating among the staff of wherever I was working. But I would just turn my headphones volume up higher, ignoring their pleas and waiting for the night to be over, so I could go home and play the song again. And again. -- Josiah Hesse
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