For the records
By Rob Sandall
| Posted in Feature
Do you remember going to your first record shop? I do. It was actually more like High Fidelity than High Fidelity was, and I became immediately embroiled in an argument about whether Adore was better than Mellon Collie. One of the guys even made me a coffee while we bickered, and I ended up buying some music documentaries I never even knew existed and a rare Weezer tribute vinyl. Always a good memory, but I’m specifically reminded of this because it turns out that Record Store Day is on April 17.
More bands than you’d believe – and incredibly high profile ones at that (Blur and Springsteen, anyone?) are releasing indie-distribution-only vinyls and CDs in support of the day, in an attempt to push music fans back into these often malnourished outlets, and I can understand why.
I’ve heard the better shops described as libraries before – centres of learning where you’re just as likely to pick up a hidden gem as an established classic, and where a chance encounter with the crazy guy at the jazz aisle will throw up recommendations you’d otherwise never hope to find. Spot on.
But the thing is, like everyone else, I spend a lot of time in HMV. I don’t earn a fortune, and I know that I can often find stuff I like for cut-price rates, especially the popular albums.
Having said that, I’m even more likely to nip onto iTunes these days to grab individual tracks, getting my facts from Wikipedia when I need them. On the face of it, the record shop simply isn’t necessary anymore at all – nothing more than a scrabble for nostalgia or an extra flag for the dullard indie kids to fly in arguments.
But can you hum an obscure Good Riddance song, as I did, to your average HMV employee and ask them which album it’s on? Can iTunes point out that there was a little known out-of-print cover of a song you love by a band you’d never expected, and that there’s a 7″ of it in a shop over the road? No.
There’s something about the veteran employees at indie shops that defies anything close to logical description. I have often found myself leave shops with b-sides and rarities albums of bands I’ve never heard of, having been mesmerised by a little spiel about the history of the lead singer’s sexual encounters. I’ve found at least a couple of my now favourite records purely through arguments about what I should be buying with people so knowledgeable it’s humbling. Better still, I’ve warmed to artists because these same people have told me not too, and I’ve fancied being a little annoying.
Okay, not all of them are Jack Black, but they know their stuff, they know the craft rather than just the sales stats and related items. That in itself is worth preserving. Like the guitar shop (or the good ones, at least), record stores are a solace for those who want to do more than help, they want to inspire. I have started having the odd drink with one particular bunch from Brighton who have done more to nurture a love of music than a thousand individual bands.
The website is easy to find, so I suggest you do. There are some wonderful quotes from some incredible people on there, along with some videos and a full release list of the aforementioned musical efforts to support the day.
More than anything, I suggest you take the time to visit your local record shop, flip through a million names you’ve never heard of, and pick out the one with a cool-looking cover. It’s how I found Bad Religion, so who knows what you’ll come out with?
Tags: High Fidelity, independent record stores, Record Store Day
Participating UK Record stores are listed here if it helps?
http://www.recordstoreday.com/Venues?country=United%20Kingdom
Stevie