VT’s Music Chat

[Jonesy7211]

27 minutes ago, bickster said:

@Jonesy7211 I've bought new online at Rough Trade and Norman Records but online I tend to buy from the labels themselves but as I like fairly obscure stuff this tends to be from the likes of Invada, On-U Sound and Castles in Space. To be honest I’ve never had a problem buying online but prefer to use a shop because I like browsing

For more mainstream stuff there’s always HMV but they are often very expensive

But google says there is a place called rebel records in Tamworth, looks very much like a collectors store though, it’s in an industrial unit somewhere

I've been to rebel records in the past for my son's collectable toys. A lot of the records in the store at the time were not to my taste. You might find a lot of them in charity shops after a house clearance. It may have changed since, so I'll give that another look.

I really do appreciate the feedback, especially regarding the labels. I hadn't considered that at all.

[Xann]

@Jonesy7211, what are you and your Missus going to be buying?

New or second hand? Any particular genres?

If you're after an og of Iron Maiden's 'Number Of The Beast' and your other half wants the latest Tech House 12", you'll maybe gravitate to different vendors?

[Jonesy7211]

20 minutes ago, Xann said:

@Jonesy7211, what are you and your Missus going to be buying?

New or second hand? Any particular genres?

If you're after an og of Iron Maiden's 'Number Of The Beast' and your other half wants the latest Tech House 12", you'll maybe gravitate to different vendors?

We've no preference regarding new or secondhand, so long as the quality of the vinyl and the cover is at least good. That's the main reason I asked for recommendations.

Our musical tastes are different, but we view that as a good thing. I'm a fan of John Coltrane for example, whilst when we met she introduced me to Primal Scream and Nina Simone. We've both learnt from each other and continue to share what we like.

[Xann]

Individual artists, bands, labels and distributors sell new stuff from all genres on https://bandcamp.com/

It's not entirely comprehensive though, it's often not the best for choice of back catalogue titles.

 

The public and shops sell new and second hand stuff of all genres on https://www.discogs.com/

Discogs will also allow you to keep track of what you have and what there is out there? It includes the details of the different presses of the same title.

It's useful for reference. If you're even semi serious about collecting tunes you'll likely use Discogs a lot.

If you wander into a record shop, or look at a stall in a market or record fair, here or abroad? They may well sell on Discogs and/or E-Bay, just ask?

Obviously check feedback on a vendor that's new to you, as you would with other internet marketplaces.

 

E-Bay is E-Bay. Use your loaf. If it looks too good to be true? It probably is. 

 

Then there's the shops.

Bicks mentioned https://www.normanrecords.com/

ChrisP likes https://spillersrecords.uk/new-releases-2024/

I quite like https://www.juno.co.uk

New Jazz and Classical https://www.prestomusic.com/

 

A couple of faceless ones that can be useful are Music Magpie and Rarewaves.

You'll find them selling on a couple of the marketplaces or direct. It may not always be better to buy direct? Sometimes there's dynamic pricing?

Rarewaves can be slow, but it's been by far the cheapest on a couple of US titles I was after.

 

Ordering from labels is pretty cool when they're in the UK.

When you see what happens with P&P and tax on imports, you may want to look for a vendor in the UK?

 

Have a look at some of those. Come back with any questions you might have?

[bickster]

Yep, forgot about Juno, I've used them too, never a problem

[villa4europe]

7 hours ago, Xann said:

Ordering from labels is pretty cool when they're in the UK.

When you see what happens with P&P and tax on imports, you may want to look for a vendor in the UK?

i use a site called HHV, they're great. they've currently got the majority of the RSD24 stuff for sale

imports though? forget it, my mates back in the UK have looked and it just doesnt make any kind of sense

I'm in the same boat in the opposite direction, bought an EP direct from bombay bicycle clubs website, like a £25 record, delivery was then £45 and I'd have to pay import duty when it got here which is about another £30, i have to get stuff delivered to my moms house and then just wait to pick it up

but as a side I will say and always say record collecting for me is a hobby and its not necessarily in the listening of the record itself, the joy of it comes from wandering in to a friendly shop with a loose relaxed idea of what it is you're looking for and then just spending an hour (or two...) pouring over what they have in the hope of finding a gem, for me personally its not ordering a back to black re-release of a bowie album, you've got to get yourself out there (as a disclaimer I order a lot of new records online, I just try very hard not to get re-releases) maybe hard to explain and doesn't make sense but its a finding and collecting thing, there's a difference between buying and collecting, you can go anywhere and buy the beatles revolver, there's no fun in it, collecting to me means going out and finding one, a proper one

[blandy]

13 hours ago, Jonesy7211 said:

vinyl snobs get yours from online?

If you're buying online, then there's loads of independent record stores to buy from. I tend to use https://www.piccadillyrecords.com/counter/ or https://www.actionrecords.co.uk/ (use "ACTION" as 10% discount code) as they're relatively close to me, but with the interweb, you can buy from anywhere.

[chrisp65]

If both of you are interested, then build it in to some day trips and weekends.

Have a day in Oxford, but google record shops first. You’ll pretty quickly work out which ones stock what you like, have reasonable prices, and have a decent coffee shop in walking distance.

I was going to suggest using the Dinked website as another gauge of what shops are nearby. Interestingly, the Midlands generally appears to be a bit un represented on their partners shop map.

Whatever your social media thing is, follow a couple of extra accounts of record shops, or online sellers, record labels, bands and venues. Pretty soon from that you’ll work out what’s good for you and what isn’t a great fit. That’s how I use the great satan X. One of the handy things here in the good bit, Spillers issue a weekly new stock sheet. So as well as keeping tabs on Bandcamp for bands I already know I like, I get to look through their listing every week. Anything I’ve never heard of, a quick google and I know if it goes on the list. If you’ve built up a bit of a rapport, you can just get a shop to stockpile or reserve stuff for you, until you get back to that town / shop a few weeks later.

I know Bandcamp is already mentioned, it’s great. Algorithm is a bit glitchy, it insists I’m gonna like screaming doom laden incel death metal.

 

[villa4europe]

2 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

If both of you are interested, then build it in to some day trips and weekends.

I do that

the wife **** hates it 

[blandy]

3 hours ago, chrisp65 said:

Spillers issue a weekly new stock sheet

Good point. The two I mentioned do the same, so if you add in to their e-mither list, they send you, er, that.

[bickster]

Anyway on other matters, I just pulled out a Magazine album (Real Life) to realise that the band before it in my filing system is Luxuria. I wonder if Howard Devoto planned it that way? probably not but it did give me a brief second of an interesting thought

[chrisp65]

Back on the @Jonesy7211 thing and the references to Bandcamp.

Might also be worth mentioning that today is a ‘Bandcamp Friday’ where the revenue from anything bought on the site today all goes to artist and label, Bandcamp don’t take a cut.

£20 spent on apple potentially earns the artist 0.0000000000001 of a cent

£20 spent on Bandcamp today, potentially nets the artist £20

 

Makes you wonder what sort of sub human scum would use streaming services.

 

[bickster]

This could have gone in the unpopular opinions thread I think but….

6Music had a whole day dedicated to a “deep dive” into the the 35 year anniversary of the released of The Cure's seminal album Disintegration and a lot the the music I heard day took me right back,  a lot of it is in my collection from my DJ days and I suddenly thought, I don’t think I’ve ever heard he album, it completely passed me by. Listening to all the people talking about it and how important an album it was to them etc made me go and listen to it, I was prepared to hunt down a vinyl copy if I liked it, after all I'm a big fan of the first 4 albums and do indeed own others besides

Thank the vinyl gods I didn’t bother, what a load of turgid bollocks. That drum sound, it’s like they went into the studio and diligently recorded the drums and then said make them sound like we recorded it at a festival, that intense drumming really worked on Pornography it was the very definition of the album but it still sounded like a studio album, Disintegration sounds like the drums were mixed by someone quite high on either cannabis or LSD, it’s that weird 80s drum production with loads of echo dumped on top. There is a great album in there but chucking all the delicate bits like strings and such in there with booming drums just ruins the whole thing.

Great album trying to escape from a drug haze imo, it’s really not what people say it is.

Anyway, if you like it that’s great but it’s really not for me

[chrisp65]

I don’t think I’ve ever listened to The Cure. I know that awful **** Love Cats thing, and the days of the week one. After that, I’d have just had them labelled as goths and given them all the attention goths deserve.

[Seat68]

1 hour ago, bickster said:

This could have gone in the unpopular opinions thread I think but….

6Music had a whole day dedicated to a “deep dive” into the the 35 year anniversary of the released of The Cure's seminal album Disintegration and a lot the the music I heard day took me right back,  a lot of it is in my collection from my DJ days and I suddenly thought, I don’t think I’ve ever heard he album, it completely passed me by. Listening to all the people talking about it and how important an album it was to them etc made me go and listen to it, I was prepared to hunt down a vinyl copy if I liked it, after all I'm a big fan of the first 4 albums and do indeed own others besides

Thank the vinyl gods I didn’t bother, what a load of turgid bollocks. That drum sound, it’s like they went into the studio and diligently recorded the drums and then said make them sound like we recorded it at a festival, that intense drumming really worked on Pornography it was the very definition of the album but it still sounded like a studio album, Disintegration sounds like the drums were mixed by someone quite high on either cannabis or LSD, it’s that weird 80s drum production with loads of echo dumped on top. There is a great album in there but chucking all the delicate bits like strings and such in there with booming drums just ruins the whole thing.

Great album trying to escape from a drug haze imo, it’s really not what people say it is.

Anyway, if you like it that’s great but it’s really not for me

You are absolutely entitled to that opinion. So many people with pedestrian music taste talk about what is good and what is awful and their opinion means something to their mum. But Disintegration for me is phenomenal. Such a good album. The drums, the strings. Everything is marvellous. But I understand your criticism even if I disagree. 

Edited May 6 by Seat68

[mjmooney]

Can't speak for The Cure (I hate them), but there have been several otherwise good albums ruined by bad drum sounds. 

[Nor-Cal Villan]

On 10/04/2024 at 05:41, chrisp65 said:

It’s 1973 and U.S. music programme Midnight Special does a ‘special’ from the Biba store, in London.

But it’s taken 51 years for it to get to youtube.

 

 

The Midnight Special was a godsend when I was a kid (born in 1966). Parents’ musical tastes are pretty pedestrian, didn’t have a cool older sibling turning me on to great music (have slightly older sister who isn’t cool & whose music taste sucks), & local radio was awful. But the combination of shows like the Midnight Special, early SNL, and The Tomorrow Show with Tom Snyder lit the fire and greatly helped mold the musical me. Can’t overestimate the musical impact those shows had on me, they exposed me to countless legendary, non-mainstream artists at an early age 

The Midnight Special YouTube account is a gold mine 

Thanks for coming to my Ted Talk

Edited May 6 by Nor-Cal Villan

[Nor-Cal Villan]

[Nor-Cal Villan]

I look forward to reading this 

[Xela]

Iconic lyrics

"Meet the new boss, same as the old boss"