Record Store Day 2014 – across the country!

Despite Paul Weller’s new found contempt for, and sincere vow never to take part in Record Store Day again (in light of his of limited edition single being resold online for a ridiculous cost), some of us here at Gigslutz happily revelled in Saturday’s proceedings in various locations across the country. And, as of last year, I have actually made the opposite vow – to take part in Record Store Day annually, for the rest of my life. Whether a collector of vinyl or not, supporting independent record stores is an incredibly worthy cause and what better excuse to see some live music, drink outside and (in the best record shops) get some free cake?!

Whether setting out to invest, or simply have a good time, check out how we spent Record Store Day 2014…

Katherine Tittley in Manchester

I’ll begin with a few bold statements of fact: the majority of music I own is on CD, tape or vinyl – I absolutely refuse to download anything unless I have a hard copy of it already.  Literally EVERYTHING sounds better on vinyl.  Growing up where I did at the time I did, the cult of the record shop had seemed to fizzle away so I never understood it or was part of it – as far as I was concerned buying music meant hours of making shop assistants nervous in your local Virgin Megastore as you decided carefully what to spend your pocket/saved up dinner money on.  Record shops weren’t about being social, were they?  Are they?

So armed with all this confused knowledge, I met my mate Gaz around lunchtime on Saturday in the musical mecca that is Manchester’s Northern Quarter.  With at least one of us still slightly wobbly from the night before and a Bloody Mary down, we ventured over the road from a high volume sound check in Night & Day Cafe to the rather legendary Piccadilly Records.  To the delicious background of old soul music (which we later realised was being spun on the decks by the lovely Maxine Peake), we perused the many shelves of beautifully decorated covers, every single one with a helpful detailed description of what to expect when listening.

We paused frequently in the bustle over a stack to debate the potential merits of the music held inside, wondering if Josephine Foster really was having her ‘Harvest’ moment as the description suggested, and if the band Happy Thoughts would actually cheer you up.  The many seminal covers sparked debate between us, with me reeling off my spiel as to why I find The Doors wildly overrated (except for People Are Strange, and please direct all hate-mail to GigSlutz Steve), and Gaz on why Bill Withers and George Harrison would be at his ultimate celebrity dinner party.  We also found two of the most disturbing yet wonderful covers ever in the form of Italian dance dude Antoni Maiovvi’s Trauma, and Peter Frampton’s I’m In You.

Having made a purchase (we decided to chance it on Happy Thoughts), off we popped to Vinyl Exchange, and started rooting through the masses of CDs we were met by.  Grabbing a handful from the ‘3 for £1’ section we decided our parameters for selection would be something we’d never ever heard of with a great cover.  We then ventured downstairs and got stuck in digging in the crates.  I hung out in the metal section, wondering if I could justify buying the entire ACDC catalogue, if I really did need all of those Stone Roses singles and if Digital Underground’s Sex Packets would be any good, while Gaz’s inner collector came out when he spotted the limited edition presses of Sgt. Pepper.  Ultimately, we yielded that with it being the end of the month that perhaps spending ones rent money on records would not be so wise, but it would be rock n roll…

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With the worrying feeling that one of us may be sobering up, we headed back to Night & Day for a pint and a debrief as to what had just happened.  Although we’d not quite mastered the art of executive record buying, we’d still done something pretty cool.  Through walking through a myriad of music with open minds and ears we’d sparked debate, been drawn to genres we never thought we would (anyone for some Avant Doom/Drone?), bought music the way we had done as teens just by looking at the cover, and had lists of albums that would be purchased on pay day.  Record Store Day got us talking about music in a tickly-excited way I personally hadn’t felt in a while, reminding me that the mystery of finding new music and buying a proper album is one of life’s great joys that shouldn’t be forgotten.  So I don’t know if I did Record Store Day properly, but I did something I found inspiring, and I can’t wait to go back.

Nicky Lee-Delisle in Kingston,  Surrey

The Record Store Day celebrations in my neck of the woods were kicked off as early as the 20th March, with XFM doing a special live broadcast instore at Banquet Records alongside a special session from Tom Smith from Editors.  Record hunters turned up as early as 10pm on the eve of Record Store Day and those who had enough energy to stick around the next day were treated to live sets from artists such as Koji, Emily Barker and Laura Stevenson to mark the celebrations.

Zoe Black in London

Another Record Store Day has come to pass, and so the beauty of vinyl has been deservedly celebrated once more. Today I attended the festivities at Rough Trade East in Shoreditch, London to see what I could garner at a comparably tardy 11 am. The fun and friendly atmosphere of the day was introduced by a huge colouring-in wall at the front of the store.

Funnily enough, searching through the remnants of limited edition vinyl that remained was perhaps the low point of the day. Last year I arrived at 3 pm and managed to nab singles from The Doors, Paul Weller and a special double 7” from The Strypes. This year, though I did not expect to reap the benefits of a Jake Bugg live EP, or Supersonic, re-issued in time for the 20th anniversary of Oasis’ debut, I was nevertheless surprised at the number of niche names and lack of exciting releases available a mere three hours after the shop’s opening. The only Record Store Day release I bought was Nile Rodgers’ ‘Do What You Wanna Do’ in 7” format, which was also available as a 12”.

After some mild disappointment, things ameliorated rapidly with the purchase of some non-limited edition vinyl. Rough Trade East is one of the most well-stocked record shops in Britain, and a remastered copy of Magical Mystery Tour by The Beatles together with the newly released and arguably best album yet from Mac Demarco – Salad Days – soon lifted my spirits and made me feel that I was supporting the noble cause of the event. Record Store Day is not merely to do with the recorded product but also live performance. Like many venues Rough Trade East (and West) had acts performing throughout the day, and I timed my visit so that I could see TOY play live at 12 pm.

The psychedelic five-piece from Brighton added a pleasant atmosphere to the activities, but not much more. Their second album ‘Join The Dots’ was released in November last year, and though garnering positive reviews it was not as much of a commercial success as their debut. Granted, the crowd half made up of people who were only nodding out of politeness was perhaps not the most encouraging sight from the band’s perspective, but I found that they had little stage presence – even on the smallest of stages! – and as a newcomer to their music I wasn’t left with any riffs or lyrics in my mind, but with aching feet because we’d been stood still the entire time. Last year I remember dancing to The Strypes, who I’d similarly never heard before.

To finish off the day we headed for the Oasis exhibition entitled ‘Chasing the Sun: Oasis 1993 – 1997’ which, like the re-issue of Supersonic and the upcoming Definitely Maybe Super Deluxe Box Set, is in town to commemorate the Mancunians’ debut. It’s a free exhibition which far surpasses expectations, featuring some of Noel’s famous Epiphone guitars, original memorabilia, never-before seen photographs and some fab merch. No doubt, the centre-piece of the show is an exact replica of Bonehead’s living room as seen on the Definitely Maybe cover, for which fans can queue up to have their picture taken in the iconic positions of the band. It’s a must-see for anyone mad fer Oasis.

Mari Lane in Bridport, Dorset

Last year, I faced the crowds of Berwick St in the scorching sunshine; plastic cup in hand, lathered in sun cream, I saw the likes of Steve Mason and Frank Turner outside Sister Ray, and was impressed to see that every shop on the street – regardless of whether or not it sold records – was taking part in the day’s proceedings. For instance, outside ‘Art Klas’, I was able to artistically recreate my favourite record sleeve. This year, therefore, when I discovered I would be spending the Easter bank holiday out in the sticks, I can’t deny that I was a little disappointed. However, although I missed out on an appearance from local folkster, Billy Bragg (he’d gone all the way to the bright lights of Frome), it seems that Bridport Music certainly know how to put on a Record Store Day soiree..

Though I was too lazy to get there in time to get my hands on any of the releases I was particularly keen to get hold of (Nirvana – Pennyroyal Tea, Garbage w/ Brody Dalle- Girls Talk Shit, Richard Hawley… ), I was able to enjoy live music in store every hour, on the hour. (And, I don’t yet own a record player anyway… so was able to spend the money I saved on a celebratory pint or two.)

pickwicks (The Pickwicks – drawing courtesy of Paul Dawes)

With music from alt-pop duo, The Gravity Drive, as well as The Pickwicks and local hero, Mitch Norman, Bridport Music remained buzzing for the entirety of the day with locals and tourists alike. Speaking to one of the owners of the store, I was told that this is the 7th year the shop have been celebrating RSD, and each year it just gets bigger and bigger!

mitch 2(Mitch Norman)   pickwicks2 (The Pickwicks)

With so many releases out, this year staff asked for advice about what to order, so as best to cater for their clientele; and it seems their efforts paid off, as the queue outside the shop apparently started forming at 4.15am! And dedicated music fans were treated to warm coffee to keep them going – another act of thoughtfulness from those kind folk at Bridport Music.

Although I’m not an avid collector of vinyl (yet!), I am an avid follower of all things music and a dedicated believer in the importance of independent record stores. And, having spent many a teenage weekend perusing Bridport Music during weekends away with the ‘rents, and often seeking solace in my purchases, I would like to sincerely thank the shop for all it’s done – and will do – for music lovers in the South West.

So, though I may still alternate my future RSDs between Dorset and London, I can safely say that Bridport Music offered everything you could wish for from Record Store Day… Records, live music, helpful staff and free cake!

(I am now more determined than ever to get my vinyl collection started asap – they’d look so much prettier than my four walls of CDs.)

 

 

 

 

Mari Lane

Mari Lane

Editor, London. Likes: Kathleen Hanna, 6Music, live music in the sunshine. Dislikes: Sexism, pineapples, the misuse of apostrophes.