by BRIAN NADIG

Jefferson Park resident Tony Assimos is hoping to bring his passion for vinyl records to the community when he opens Tone Deaf Records at 4356 N. Milwaukee Ave. in a few months.

"Hendrix, CCR, Beatles, Doors, Zeppelin. I grew up listening to that stuff … in the 1980s when record stores were still around," Assimos said.

Assimos recalled that much of the music that he listened to came from his father’s collection and that when he was 10-years-old his dad bought him his first album – the live "Kiss Alive II," whose picture of bassist Gene Simmons’ bloody mouth he said was not considered appropriate by his mom. His dad thought otherwise.

His personal collection now numbers around 6,000 records and he has accumulated another 20,000 albums that he plans to sell at his shop. Many of the albums have been purchased at record swaps in the last few years in anticipation of opening the store, Assimos said.









Between 10,000 and 15,000 records will be on display inside the store, featuring classic rock, alternative, jazz, country, punk and "hard-to-find underground" music, according to Assimos.

While the store will consist mostly of used vinyl albums and some 45-rpm records, a selection of new albums also will be available, he said.

The increasing popularity of records is due to vinyl sounding better than compact discs and having a "retro feel" compared to the "disposable feeling" from the small plastic case that CDs come in, Assimos said.

He added that albums with their full-size covers are much more interesting to look at than the CD packaging and make for better conversation at parties.

"People like to show off their record collections," Assimos said.