Just for the record ..

I suppose I should be really pleased that today is 'Record Store Day' but I can't help feeling that a title like that is hung around the neck of 'things that need a bit of a boost.' You know the kind of thing - National Verruca Day, Support your local Catholic Priest, Let's hear it for Herpes ..  that kind of thing! So I should be really happy that 'they' are plugging local record shops today..

I guess they mean vinyl when they talk about records. Well, of course they do Martin, that's what records are! Well, yip yip, let's hear it for vinyl but, holy moley, have you seen the price of vinyl these days? Jeez! Download me a file, any day! Mind you, that's easy for me to say that as I sit on my pile of lovely, sexy, shiny, dusty, scratchy, sleeves-bent-at-the-edgy, memories-by-the-million, so-much-part-of-me-you-can't-believe-it .. records and, if you follow me on Facebook you'll know I'm partial to taking the odd snap as I spin my discs - as Tony Blackburn might say - on my ageing Technics turntable. Just for the record, you understand!..

Click out the screen grabs above! Happy plastic ..

Music to my ears..

Hey, Happy Record Store Day, everybody! I'd be buzzing down to buy some vinyl too if I wasn't shooting a Wedding today. Or would I? I seem to have enough records already! In fact, I was quite amused by the fact that I liked this 1980 album so much I bought it twice! (Fear of wearing it out, I would say.) Bet you don't even remember The Photos - the most appropriately named band ever .. for me! I was smitten with lead singer Wendy Wu and if I can ever find it I'll show you the picture I had taken with her backstage at some gig or other. Discount Records in Sale was my 'place to go' .. and every lunchtime a hairy hippy dude called Nick would convince me that I just had to have such and such a record. He was mostly right, of course, and I'll never forget his advice to me to leave the needle on the Spizz Energi 'Where's Captain Kirk' 45. There's a really funny mickey-take of Spock, just before the run off, that I've never heard on any CD version of the song. Hurrah for real music! Go and buy a single .. now!