By the very fact that you are reading this post, about music, on a site that talks 90% about music and gigs, you may well have sussed out that I am a full weight music geek. Well, as much as money and time and space allows! I love all genres from afrobeat to pop to hip-hop to tropicalia in an obsession that stems from spent as a pre-teen youf browsing my parents record collection whilst they were at work. Their hoard consists mainly of “The very best ofs” and compilations, including the bewildering Now that’s What I Call Music volumes 2 and 3 to the best of Toots and the Maytals
As I grew older and pocket money came into my life I started frequenting my local music shop and aimlessly browsing music and spending what my allowance would spread to. I used to love picking out a CD, (I had no method, I just chose the ones that I thought had the best cover and CD art) and take it to the man behind the counter “Ken” who would put it on the stereo for the whole shop to hear the dirge that I had chosen. “It wasn’t me” he would shout to everyone “it was that gimp there that wanted to hear this. What a twat!” This was shortly followed by him ejecting the disc and frisbeeing it at my neck at such a velocity that the sole intention must have been to separate my head from the rest of my body, like “Odd Job” off of James Bond. But with CD’s of course. He would then put on a good song, which I would then buy…
Anyways I digress. In the wake of MP3’s, t’internet shopping and illegal downloading (tut-tut) the act of the good old fashion music and record shop browse is sadly becoming a lost art. One site, however Record Store Day have vowed to keep the spirit of the browse alive for at least one day a year. That day is this Saturday 17th April 2010. This event, rather like “comic relief” of music shops everywhere should help to highlight the plight of physical release music by selling ultra limited copies, pre realeases and crazy offers. Artists getting involved include Blur, The Beatles, and Lily Allen. My local participating store is Picadilly Records, in the Northern Quarter in Manchester and I shall be there early (yes I know it’s a Saturday) to fight for the limited 12” releases, (even though I don’t even have a turntable at the moment) to see what the general chat is. Head to the Record Store Day website now to find your local participating shop and get involved. Those of you in Manchester, I’ll see you there!
K*
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