I’ve always loved vinyl. As young children me and my brothers would spend the summer holidays listening to Mum’s record player in the front room.
I’ve thought a long time about why I think this is. There’s a theory that some addicts are addicted to something as more of the ritual that the addiction itself. I can appreciate this. For example, some people find it very hard to quit smoking because they like to be busy with their hands. I enjoy pulling a record from its sleeve. I like clicking the arm of the player once until the turntable starts to spin. I love lowering the record on to the stem and the hiss and crackle before and after the music has played.
I never really buy CD’s unless it’s an album I desperately want to own or it’s cheaper as a CD than a download. I have an MP3 player made by a company named after a fruit and I download music directly on to it, meaning that as long as there is Wi-fi I’m never far away from a song I like.
I get back onto the vinyl thing when my Mother in Law kindly gave me a load of hers for no apparent reason. She kept them under a table lying on their side and doesn’t own a record player (I know, I’m hyperventilating too.) She has very cool taste in music- a genuine love of punk and ska. My Mother in Law, in case I haven’t already said this elsewhere, moved to Manchester as a young woman and immersed herself in skinhead culture. She had a female skin hair cut (kind of like a mullet) and had three lions and a bulldog tattooed on her biceps by a friend with ink and a needle. I therefore own a lot of vinyl’s made by angry men in 14 hole boots with shaved heads. I also own a lot of Madness, The Specials, The Clash and so forth. Thank you, Mother in Law.
The obsession grew from there. My Mum gave me some of hers, and I get them as presents from my lovely friends. My boyfriend buys me them for anniversaries and birthdays. I spend an unholy amount of time trawling through auction sites.
I like to own a record. I like the fact that it’s mine. There is nothing wrong at all with how we listen to music now but I miss owing something as a palpable thing. I like to have them on display.
Modern vinyl is something I only came to recently, and from my handbag I heard the faint sobbing of my bank card. Friendly Fires released both their albums on vinyl, as I own one and will buy the second as soon as funds allow. Pulp released their singles in the 90’s on coloured vinyl, and you can be damn sure I’ll be buying them. I’ve paid £15 for one seven inch single, and £1.25 for one. I’ve bought rare remixes of Hacienda House tunes for £25 from a record shop in Manchester, and £1.99 for an Adam and the Ants album from, bizarrely, a book shop in Wales.
I take care of my vinyl. I store them standing up (they can warp if you don’t) and keep them aware from direct sunlight. I keep them clean and handle them with care. I’ve got a lot of 90’s vinyl, but the oldest record I own is a 1960 pressing of The Shirelles “Will you still love me tomorrow?” Some of mine are damaged, or only one side will play due to someone spilling a drink all over the other side. The internet has a huge range of cleaning products, spare needles, sleeves and adapters you can buy for next to nothing. My stereo was £10 from a house clearance, is in phenomenal condition and plays like a dream.
As a little show off and because it makes me feel good, here are the favourites from what I own:-
- The Smiths “Rank” album. This is a live album of their songs. It’s amazing, and was a present from a very dear friend.
- Wilson Picket “In The Midnight Hour”. Obviously because it’s an amazing song but also because I thought it was too poorly to ever plan, until the man fixed it.
- The Smiths “The World Won’t Listen” album. A Christmas present from the fella, it’s such a great mix of their songs. You shall never hear such love until you hear “There is a light” with crackle and hiss
- ABC “The Look of Love and Poison Arrow” US only remixes. This was bought from a friend whose DJ friend had very unfortunately died and she was selling all his vinyl for charity. I got 40 vinyls for £40. Woo.
- Gerry and the Pacemakers “Don’t let the sun catch you crying”. I adore this song; it’s in incredible condition and still has the price label on it, which is in shillings.
- The Smiths “This Charming Man” remixed by Francois Kevorkian. I was astonished when I bought this as I’ll be a tin of peas if you can remix this song and make it better. Turns out I’m best served with fish and chips as you totally can.
- Adam and the Ants “Kings of the Wild Frontier”. This still has the little booklet listing their tour dates, interviews with the band and so forth. It’s printed in black and white and I’m so very glad I own it.
- The Simpsons “The Bart Man”. No, you shut up.
- Suede “The Drowners” 12 inch single. Amazing!
- Duran Duran “Rio” album. Signed by all members of the group. I know, I know. Yes it is hard being this cool.
There’s a huge amount of vinyl out there for anyone to buy. I don’t want these records to be forgotten about in a dusty old attic- get them out on display where they belong. Take them down, dust them off, and pop them on.
What’s that I hear you ask? Do you own the Ghostbusters theme tune on a coloured and shaped picture disc? Yes. Yes I do.
