Tag Archives: Record Collecting

IS YOUR DEODORANT STRONG ENOUGH?

Just recently, while introducing an album with significant input from Steve Winwood, (Stomu Yamashta’s GO), I wrote about Terry Hounsome’s Rock Record 7. To illustrate both the intricacies of the book and the impressive count of Winwood appearances, I cited an example of an album not worth pursuing. With self-assurance and confidence, it was noted that […]

SPIRITS AND GREMLINS

Last summer holidays I made a two hundred and fifty kilometre round trip to visit a Sunday Market. A mate was holidaying nearby –or rather, we were staying near the newly acquired beach house of he and his partner– and I discovered that Geoff (unlike Vinyl Connection readers) had not been to the Kongwak Market. So off we […]

SUNBURY RISES

It was late in 1979, and the shop was closing. Naturally, there was a closing down sale. While un-tempted by appliances or transistor radios, I remember having my eye on one of the albums reclining in the slowly thinning racks of records. Over the course of a few weeks I’d um-ed and ah-ed. Not weeks […]

MULTI-COLOUR OF THE RAINBOLD

An opening electric guitar chord, solo-strummed, then the drums and bass kick in. It is a simple, powerful rhythm that is instantly inviting and enveloping. If it was a concert, you’d be on your feet already. You could sway to this intoxicating rhythm forever, but Steve Marriot’s voice enters,   There’s wheat in the field […]

FIELD TESTING THE THEORY

It is a funny thing, the vinyl hunter-gathering lifestyle. Although I have a number of tasty records in transit from exotic locations world-wide (all right, you got me; from the US and UK), the prospect of a record fair last Sunday was too good to miss. A leave pass negotiated, off I trotted, returning home a […]

YOU SCROOGE, YOU LOSE

Having had a crack at describing categories of record collectors (called Vinyl Hunter-Gatherers around these parts), this post continues looking at further case studies, your correspondent once again being the mandated patient. Sorry, that should read ‘volunteer’. Enthusiast (B): ‘Excellent — a very satisfying find. Wonder if I can swing a discount’. Chicago — Live […]

DIGGING

TOWARDS A TYPOLOGY OF VINYL HUNTER-GATHERERS While admiring the melodic pop savvy of Paul McCartney, I’ve never felt compelled to follow his solo career that closely. I was always a Lennon man. Yet you cannot help picking up info and vibes about an album —a magazine article here, an on-line mention there— which eventually resulted […]

INCOMING! [EARLY EDITION, SPRING 2015]

Here is a selection of the music that has crossed the threshold of the Vinyl Connection den of musiquity this month, with some notes on the why-s and wherefores. ♦ The Nice – Ars Longa Vita Brevis [1968 / Let Them Eat Vinyl, 2014] The second album by the sometimes psychedelic, proto-prog band who were by […]

FAVES AND WAVES

Some time in mid-1999, a music-mate and I decided to compile our one hundred ‘Best Albums Of All Time’ lists to celebrate the end of the millennium. To make things more interesting, a handful of other friends and acquaintances were invited to do the same. As you might imagine, there was considerable discussion (if not […]

12 MORE HANDY ALBUM COVERS

In the grand Vinyl Connection tradition of beating an idea to death, we present part two of the album-covers-adorned-with-hands series (Part One is here). Again, these were chosen for variety but hopefully with a pleasing flow and some sort of unity of vision. Like the seemingly endless ‘Car’ cover posts, this one could also go on […]

10 HANDY ALBUM COVERS

A corny title, certainly. Yet possibly better than the second choice: 10 DIGITALLY ENHANCED LP COVERS. But what variety! New Age electronica, a krautrock classic, fusion, prog, an ex-Beatle, stains, dirt, x-rays and soap. Enjoy the covers, share faves, wonder about the music… * THE ALBUMS Passport – Ataraxia [Atlantic, 1977] Bo Hansson – Lord of the […]

9 VINYL HUNTER GATHERER POSTCARDS FROM ENGLAND

In the midst of a busy schedule of family activities and social re-connections here in merry old England there has been little time for listening or writing, so no words this week. But the committed Vinyl Hunter Gatherer will find ways both direct and devious to slink off to Charity shops or “accidentally” stumble into music shops […]