We’ve closed the shop for the Presidents Day holiday. While we’re away, why not fire up our free Record Store Locator app and visit one of your local indie record stores?
Perhaps there’s an interview, review, or feature you might have missed? Catch up and we’ll see you back here on Tuesday, 2/19.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | “We’re all history buffs. We drink coffee. We like tables. Personally, I’m a big fan of the Cherner oval dining table. And the book wasn’t our idea.” —Gibby Haynes
Paul Leary, King Coffey, Jeff Pinkus and Aaron Tanner, author and designer of the 304 page visual history Butthole Surfers: What Does Regret Mean?, will be on hand to sign the book at Waterloo Records in Austin, TX on March 22nd! More info here.
The fully authorized visual history book, Butthole Surfers: What Does Regret Mean? by author Aaron Tanner and published by Melodic Virtue, follows the Butthole Surfers from their early days in San Antonio to their reunion. This limited-run coffee table book tells the story of the Butthole Surfers through never-before-seen photos, artwork, and other memorabilia and from the viewpoint of their contemporaries. Pre-order the book here.
One of the most depraved acts from the American underground, the Butthole Surfers were formed by Gibby Haynes and Paul Leary in San Antonio, TX in 1981. Along with King Coffey, Teresa Nervosa, and Jeff Pinkus, their disturbing albums and chaotic live shows have featured everything from psychedelia and noise rock to country and electronica.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | The debut self-titled album from Young Mister (aka songwriter Steven Fiore) stands as the first record released by North Carolina based Refresh Records and three years later, Fiore is ready for his follow-up. Perhaps even too ready, as the concept for the Young Mister Record Club came about partially when Fiore was unable to narrow down the wealth of material to be recorded for his sophomore release. Along with other familiar perks from a record club membership, folks who hop on board for the Young Mister Record Club will play a role in curating material for the new album!
After racking up millions of downloads and streams, traveling the world to play on stages and at house shows and garnering thousands of new fans over the past three years, Young Mister and Refresh Records are excited to announce that 2019 will bring the release of a new Young Mister album. Fiore will be heading into the studio this spring, but needs help from super fans in deciding what songs will make the final cut! As a Young Mister Record Club member, folks will have exclusive access to stream and vote on their favorite demos of new songs. Check out a preview with two demos here.
Record Club members will also receive early access to a download of the album before its release, a download of a special b-sides LP and many other benefits (even some surprises!). For the vinyl lovers, subscribers will receive the new album on a limited edition color and an exclusive one-time pressing of the b-sides LP on vinyl, limited to 100. See below for full list of tiered perks.
Membership is open now through February 28. Refresh Records is also offering 30% off all Young Mister merch during the sign up period.
Indianapolis, IN | Record Store to Join Bottleworks Plans: Indianapolis-based Hendricks Commercial Properties has announced the record store Square Cat Vinyl is set to open in 2020 as part of phase one of the Bottleworks District. The new shop, which will be in The Garage at Bottleworks, is the latest addition to the project that aims to revamp the Coca-Cola building on Massachusetts Avenue. Square Cat Vinyl established its first location in Fountain Square in 2016 as a record store venue with a bar, stage and vinyls for sale. The shop’s bar services won’t be available at the new Bottleworks location but one of its main goals will be helping to curate live music at The Garage. The company has also hired local craftsman Loran Bohall to build all the shop’s shelving and will have a local music section.
Singapore | The 9 best vinyl record stores in Singapore: Analog music may be a dying industry, but we’ll be damned if we don’t admit that the flicking of fingertips through crates of alphabetically-arranged LPs isn’t an irreplaceable experience. It’s like browsing a jukebox, but the preview echoes in your head in hummed memory, instead of as static blarings through a stereo. The album art too, is a lost artform best appreciated in its full glory on thick paper sleeves. If you’re a vinyl romantic like us, check out these record stores that have managed to withstand the test of time.
Isle of Thanet, UK | New Broadstairs record shop hits the right note: Second-hand records, CDs, musical instruments and even a bit of art are all on offer at the newest shop to open in Broadstairs. Starfish Records in Albion Street has just completed its first week of trading and bosses John Rowden and wife ‘Ferret’ say business has been booming. The pair, from Faversham, found themselves in the vinyl trade seven years ago after taking 2,000 records off a friend’s hands. John said: “We started doing boot fairs and then record fairs but they were only once a month so we decided to do Faversham market every Saturday. “The shop is really a natural progression of that and we hope it is going to evolve as we have new stock coming in all the time. “We wanted to come to Broadstairs as there isn’t another shop like us here so we thought we could add something.”
Houston, TX | Connected record store, coffee shop to open on 19th: Black Dog Records and Maggie May’s Coffee is preparing to open in early March at 726 W. 19th St., across from Tarka Indian Kitchen. And although the coffee element is new, Black Dog already has a following. Owner James Sherwood had Black Dog on Bissonnet for seven years. “We closed the location as the unit size of 1,200 square feet was not adequate enough to support the addition of a coffee shop,” Sherwood said…In addition to selling quality, near-mint-condition first and early pressings of vintage vinyl records including classic rock, 1980s pop, heavy metal, alternative, punk, R&B, soul, jazz, blues, folk and country as well as select remastered albums, the new location also will host weekend entertainment such as live, in-store performances by local Houston artists. It also will be home to karaoke nights, afternoon poetry readings, trivia game nights and amateur stand-up comedy.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Paul McCartney has confirmed the release of the Egypt Station Traveller’s Edition, out May 10 via Capitol Records.
This strictly limited deluxe edition of the #1 album Egypt Station will be a one-time-only pressing limited to 3000 numbered cases. The Traveller’s Edition arrives in a vintage style suitcase and contains exclusive previously unreleased tracks, hidden rarities, and all the essentials needed on your journey to Egypt Station and beyond.
Egypt Station was released September 7, 2018. The album entered the Billboard 200 at #1, making it the third Non-Beatles/Wings McCartney effort to top the U.S. chart and Paul’s first Stateside #1 since 1982’s Tug Of War—and Paul’s first solo album to enter the chart at #1. Egypt Station won unanimous praise from critics the world over: In a four-star lead review, Rolling Stone said, “Macca keeps adding new gems to his songbook, with nothing to prove except he’s the only genius who can do this… (And, oh yeah — in his spare time, he happens to still be the greatest live performer on Earth.)”
London’s Sunday Times, Q magazine and MOJO also awarded the album four stars, while The New York Times’ Jon Pareles observed, “McCartney contemplates mortality and pain while still trying to offer love and strength.” TIME declared Egypt Station “Essential… a document of McCartney’s spirit, which is still irrepressible more than five decades after the Beatles made their debut.” NPR said, “This is his best album in maybe 20 years.” People noted, “Egypt Station is a tour through the imagination of one of our greatest artists — what’s not to love? It’s a celebration of all the things that make McCartney great: hope, exuberance, open-mindedness and sweet melody. These days, we need all of these more than ever.”
All those who sign up HERE by 9 PM ET FEB 14 will be emailed a unique link which allows a first chance at purchasing the strictly limited Traveller’s Edition. Emails with links for first access to pre-order will be sent out at 9AM ET FRIDAY FEBRUARY 15.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | On March 1, 2019, Blixa Sounds will release a career-spanning retrospective of legendary Boston band Robin Lane & the Chartbusters, aptly titled Many Years Ago. The set includes the band’s complete recorded early ’80s output for Warner Bros. Records: Robin Lane & the Chartbusters (1980), which features Robin’s MTV hit “When Things Go Wrong,” Imitation Life (1981), and the live EP “5 Live” (1980).
Robin Lane has a musical resume that spans coast-to-coast, as well as carries the unique distinction of leaping over the bridge of one decade-defining genre directly into another. Establishing herself in the late ’60s as part of her native Los Angeles’s legendary Laurel Canyon scene, Lane launched her career as a folk-rock artist, notably collaborating with Neil Young on the song “Round and Round” from his second album, 1969’s Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere. However, Lane’s direction changed with a cross-country move to the East Coast. She landed in Cambridge, Mass. and into a growing fascination with the burgeoning harder-sounding scenes such as punk and new wave.
By 1978, Lane had formed her group the Chartbusters with Asa Brebner, Leroy Radcliffe, Scott Baerenwald and Tim Jackson; in 1980 the band — already making waves on the Boston circuit —released their self-titled debut for Warner Bros., which featured the wistful, husky single “When Things Go Wrong.” The song became hit, as did its video, which was a fixture during the early days of landmark network MTV.
Two more albums followed with the Chartbusters before Lane made the decision to pursue solo work as well as start a family. Her independent catalog following the disbandment spanned through the mid-’90s, capped by a reunion with the Chartbusters in 2001 that resulted in 2003’s release Piece of Mind. A surge of re-interest in group’s earlier work was ignited with Chartbuster drummer Tim Jackson’s 2014 documentary When Things Go Wrong: Robin Lane’s Story, focusing on Lane’s life and career, a project that won best documentary at the 2015 New Jersey International Film Festival.
Fort Collins, TX | Old Town Fort Collins welcomes new spot for vintage vinyl: Joining Bizarre Bazaar and All Sales Vinyl in the Fort Collins record store fam is the ‘new’ Little Horse Vintage — although, the location is really the only thing new about it. Little Horse originally opened in Downtown Louisville, but expanded with the recently-opened Little Horse North on Pine Street in Old Town. Their new home is the historic Asmus Sign building, where they carry vintage vinyl, stereo equipment, musical instruments and more. And, if they’d let me live in there, I would.
Alexandria, VA | A Look Inside One of the Country’s Biggest Vinyl Record Plants. We went behind the scenes at Alexandria’s Furnace Record Pressing. From the outside, Furnace Record Pressing looks like any other nondescript Alexandria warehouse. But once you get past the glass front doors, a whole music-geek world unfolds before you: thousands of freshly pressed records in all sorts of enticing colors. This 50,000-square-foot facility can right now crank out 11,000 records a day. Some hold tunes from superstars such as Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, while others feature more esoteric fare. Furnace was founded as a much smaller operation in 1996 by Eric Astor, who’s also a musician and label co-owner. But this new plant—which started making disks in November—has recently transformed it into one of the country’s biggest vinyl-manufacturing outfits.
Austin, TX | UT student keeps collection of vinyl records worth $12,600: Over a year’s worth of tuition in the form of records lies in Michael West’s home. For the past 10 years, architecture junior West has collected over 400 vinyl records ranging from Aerosmith to Manchester Orchestra. Now, he catalogs them through an online database. Although the collection currently resides with his family in Plano, Texas, he continues searching for records to fill his collection. West began collecting around sixth grade when his father gave him a broken turntable. After West fixed it, his father gave him his first five records: two KISS records, two Beatles and Elton John. From the beginning, West said he’s always viewed his records as a collection. “(Collecting records) was different, especially in middle school when nobody had money or collecting hobbies,” West said.
Berlin, DE | Berlin club Griessmuehle is opening a record store. The new shop is right next door to the Neukölln club. Berlin club Griessmuehle is opening a record shop called Latitude. It’s located at Sonnenallee 221, next door to the Neukölln club, in the building that the Record Loft briefly occupied before closing last year. The club’s programming includes a range of genres, including house, techno, disco and UK bass, which will likely be reflected in the record shop’s stock. Latitude is hosting an opening party to celebrate the launch this weekend. It goes down Friday, February 15th, from 2 PM to midnight. There’s currently no lineup listed.
David Bowie 7-inch vinyl box set of demos and unreleased songs available in April: With 2019 marking 50 years since David Bowie’s first hit, “Space Oddity,” Parlophone is set to release a 7″ vinyl singles boxed set of nine previously unreleased recordings* from the era during which “Space Oddity” was first conceived. The title SPYING THROUGH A KEYHOLE is a lyric taken from the previously unknown song “Love All Around” and though most of the other titles are known, these versions have never been officially released until late last year (see footnote). Most of the recordings are solo vocal and acoustic home demo performances, unless otherwise stated. The photography that adorns the box front and the print inside is by Ray Stevenson and was taken in Tony Visconti’s flat in the summer of 1968.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Good Records, the Dallas-based indie record label that is home to recording artists such as The Polyphonic Spree, is announcing their first foray into theatrical film with a companion movie to their wildly successful LP Record Store Day release, Live from the Astroturf, Alice Cooper. The documentary will hold its world premiere at the Phoenix Film Festival which runs from April 4-14, 2019. Phoenix is home to the original incarnation of the band Alice Cooper.
The movie is part concert film, part documentary highlighting the near incredulous story of how an Alice Cooper fan who runs a record store was able to coax the original lineup into reuniting at his store forty-one years after they had disbanded. Alice Cooper, the singer, went on as a solo artist in 1974, continuing to use the same name. The reunion marks the longest set the original members had played since that time, and their first appearance together since being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The incredible performance was captured with eight cameras, originally intended to be a personal video for the record store owner, Chris Penn. Luckily, he knew professional camera operators, and at the end of the evening, the film’s director, Steven Gaddis, informed Penn that they had enough material to make a movie. Gaddis and Penn immediately went to work to make that happen.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Renowned dance/funk/Latin/pop/disco group Kid Creole & The Coconuts, fronted by the multi-talented August Darnell, will release their first-ever official live album Live In Paris 1985 March 1 via Los Angeles-based Rainman Records. Captured at the peak of their music prowess, the album celebrates the genre-defying group’s raucous best. Live In Paris 1985’s 14 tracks (recorded 9/15/85 at Le Zenith) covers the gamut of their first five studio albums and features the high-octane performance the band is famous for.
Kid Creole & The Coconuts formed in New York City and made their national television debut on Saturday Night Live in November 1980, just as their first album was getting noticed by critics. Three early ’80s top 10 singles in Europe helped expose them to a world-wide audience. His breakthrough album Tropical Gangsters (issued as Wise Guy in North America) had big hits including “Stool Pigeon,” “I’m A Wonderful Thing, Baby,” and “Annie, I’m Not Your Daddy.” The band developed a devoted live following and released a long string of acclaimed, eclectic music incorporating Latin, funk, disco, pop and more. The Los Angeles Times’ Richard Cromelin noted the band’s eclectic nature: “There’s Cab Calloway, for the overall image. Frank Sinatra for vocal phrasing and romantic attitude. Elvis Presley for dance moves and hero-worship. James Brown for live performance. Calypso singer the Mighty Sparrow for witty lyrics.”
Of Live In Paris, Darnell says he’s really excited about how it turned out. “I am astonished by how CONFIDENT we all were. The musicians were all at the top of their game. I was fortunate to have gathered such an ensemble. When I listen to this concert, I am reminded of how much time we spent rehearsing in Manhattan before each tour. Time well spent. And the humor in the show—that is what really stands out for me. We did not take ourselves seriously, but at the same time we’re laying down some serious grooves and serious lyrics and very serious musical arrangements.”
Record Store Day Announces 2019 Ambassador: Pearl Jam | Record Store Day Is Saturday, April 13, 2019: To say, “we’ve been waiting a long time for this,” would be an understatement, but today, we at Record Store Day are proud announce our Record Store Day 2019 Ambassador: Pearl Jam. We couldn’t be more pleased. Not just because, like easily two generations of fans, we love Pearl Jam. Or because Pearl Jam have ten studio albums, hundreds of unique live performance releases and official live concert bootleg releases under their belts. Or because 2017 saw them inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame. We love Pearl Jam, who continue to be critically acclaimed and commercially successful with over 85 million albums sold worldwide, because they are, at their core, music fans… just like us. And because of this, Record Store Day and Pearl Jam are a match made in music heaven.
Bloomfield, PA | Juke Records in Bloomfield to close: The little vinyl haven at 4526 Liberty Ave. in Bloomfield is going to need another savior. Juke Records posted on its Facebook page Sunday a sign showing that the store will be closing before its lease is up in the summer. It promised a massive liquidation sale. “Fortunately, Pittsburgh has a lot of record stores. Unfortunately, our time is up,” the store posted. The site has been a record store since 1974 when Jim’s Records moved in. When Jim Spitznagel moved on, it became Paul’s CDs, under Paul Olszewski, from 1993 to 2012. Then it was Sound Cat, owned by Karl Hendricks, before the beloved Pittsburgh indie-rock musician died of cancer. Jeff Gallagher, a longtime customer from Butler dating back to Jim’s, opened Juke Records in August 2016, keeping the space stocked with new and used vinyl. “There’s nothing we could do about it,” he said of the closing. “It’s never been a viable entity. My approach was that I wanted it to be the best store for new vinyl, and I think it was, but it was very difficult…”
Bloomfield, PA | One Of Pittsburgh’s Oldest Record Stores To Close. It’s a sad day for vinyl lovers around town. For more than 40 years, the tiny storefront at 4526 Liberty Avenue in Bloomfield has housed a record shop under various names and owners – Jim’s, Paul’s, Sound Cat and Juke. But it looks as though the store that was around long before music streaming and even the compact disc finally will shut its doors. Juke announced via a Facebook post that the store will be permanently closing before its lease is up this summer. While the loss of the store would be a blow to veteran record collectors and the Bloomfield business district, a number of places around Pittsburgh still sell vinyl – among them Jerry’s in Squirrel Hill, Eide’s in the Strip District, the Attic in Millvale, Dave’s Music Mine on the South Side, Get Hip on the North Side and Rather Ripped in Brookline.
UK | HMV Peterborough staff who lost their jobs hopeful store will re-open: Former staff at HMV in Peterborough who lost their jobs after the store suddenly closed are hopeful it will reopen. It was announced last Tuesday that the Queensgate branch was one of 27 to shut despite the well-known chain being rescued from administration by the Canadian company Sunrise Records. Among the 14 people to lose their jobs in Peterborough were staff who had been there for 20 years, some of whom are now struggling financially due to the sudden loss of income. However, there is renewed hope that the store will reopen after an interview in The Guardian with Doug Putman, the boss of Sunrise Records, who said he is in talks with landlords of the 27 outlets which closed down. In addition, the former staff at the Queensgate store have been inspired after a branch of the Fopp record shop chain in Glasgow was saved from closure after an outcry from customers and musicians.
Sunderland, UK | Long live our record shops: In a week of bad news on the job front, here in Sunderland, I was very pleased to hear that the HMV shop in The Bridges Shopping Centre has been saved from closure. It, along with Hot Rats Records, can continue to offer music fans an outlet to buy their vinyl and CDs and in the case of HMV films. In this age of downloads and streaming the joy of owning a solid copy of an album or film still has its appeal. I can still remember buying Tubular Bells and being jokingly told “You can’t listen to it on old tin cans”. Going through the brown boxes of singles on a Friday in my hunt for something special, struggling with two arms full of LPs when HMV on High Street had one of its sales or buying my first Captain Beefheart And His Magic Band LP from that small corner record shop (whose name is now lost in the mists of time) situated at the bottom of Church Street, Seaham. My singles, LPs, cassettes and videos are still playable today and the look and feel of an LP or iconic album sleeve cover or record label design can still excite.
Jersey City, NJ | After 25 years, last day nears for Jersey City record store: 1994 was a bad year for records. With CD sales booming, vinyl sales accounted for less than 1 percent of all music purchases that year. Even cassettes made up nearly a quarter of sales. Still, DJs and hip-hop artists and college students still bought old records, so there was a market when Stephen Gritzan opened Iris Records in a Brunswick Street storefront on March 1, 1994. Flash forward 25 years and vinyl sales now hover around 5 percent of all music sales. But the boost in sales is not enough for Gritzan, 59, who will shut down Iris Records for good on Saturday. “It’s sad, but what are you going to do?” Gritzan told The Jersey Journal. “I think it’s time.” There’s no one reason. The rent has skyrocketed, Gritzan said, to $4,000 monthly, up from $700 when he first opened, making the store the least profitable arm of his record selling business, which includes online sales.
UK | New hope Plymouth and Exeter HMV stores could re-open. Canadian owner enters talks with landlords in bid to reopen the 27 stores that shut when he rescued the chain. There are hopes the closed HMV stores in Plymouth and Exeter can be saved as it emerged the chain’s new Canadian owner is in talks with landlords. Doug Putman, the 34-year-old boss of Canada’s Sunrise Records, rescued HMV from administration in January 2019, seeing off a bid from Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley. But he immediately closed 27 of the 127 branches, including the flagship Oxford Street store in London, and those in Plymouth’s Drake Circus Shopping Centre and Exeter’s Princesshay. Experts said that he had clearly targeted the stores with the highest rents and rates bills for closures. The Plymouth store is shut but after a week all the goods inside had not been touched.
Oceanside, CA | Riley Hawk Opens Record Store Cafe in Oceanside. It’s the latest project from the pro skater, who also fronts a local sludge punk band called Waris. Need an extra buzz? Check out Tony Hawk’s son Riley’s new coffee shop and record store that just opened this week in Oceanside. It’s the latest project from the pro skater, who also fronts a local sludge punk band called Warish that just released their self-titled debut EP. The new shop is called Steel Mill Coffee and features some hand-picked vinyl for sale, ranging from “obscure hard rock to psychedelic,” according to Eater San Diego. To top it all of, they’re currently serving James Coffee Co. beans, the roasting company co-owned by ex-Angels and Airwaves guitarist, David Kennedy. It’s not exactly a new venture for the Hawk family, considering Tony was an investor in Blue Bottle Coffee. That paid off handsomely for him, so hopefully it does for Riley as well.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Kanye West dropped his debut studio album, The College Dropout, on February 10, 2004. Released by Def Jam Records and Roc-A-Fella Records, the 21-track album solidified West as more than just your favorite rapper’s go-to producer, at the time.
After working in the studio with Jay-Z, Talib Kweli, Freeway, Cam’ron, and many more, West signed his own deal with Roc-A-Fella and recorded The College Dropout over the span of four years. While West handled the majority of production, artists including Jay, Mos Def, Jamie Foxx, Ludacris, and John Legend were involved in the making of the album. With singles including “Through The Wire,” “Jesus Walks,” “All Falls Down,” and “Slow Jamz,” The College Dropout debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard 200 but was met with widespread critical acclaim.
West won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Album at the 47th annual Grammy Awards, and The College Dropout is lauded as one of the greatest albums of all time.
This item is expected to ship in 2-3 weeks.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Waxwork Records is thrilled to announce their partnership with Orion Pictures for the release of The Prodigy Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Music By Joseph Bishara. Directed by Nathan McCarthy and starring Taylor Shilling (Orange Is The New Black) and Jackson Robert Scott (2017’s IT: The First Chapter), The Prodigy is a 2019 American horror-thriller film centered around a child whose disturbing behavior signals that an evil, possibly supernatural force has possessed him.
The haunting soundtrack by Joseph Bishara (Insidious, The Conjuring) is an expert composition of dark orchestral scoring focusing on heavy string arrangements, clarinet, and horns reminiscent of classic 1970s horror soundtracks. The orchestration is blended with emotive electronic soundscapes. Bishara’s tense strings, coupled with droning electronic rhythms and piano, sets the dark tone and effectively captures impending doom.
Waxwork Records worked directly with Orion Pictures and Bishara to create a deluxe vinyl release of the soundtrack featuring UV reactive 180 gram “Blue Iris” colored vinyl, new art by Adam Rabalais, a printed insert, old style tip-on gatefold jackets, and high quality LP packaging.
It was Waxwork’s aim to create a vinyl record that could appear “possessed” and by using UV reactive compounds, the record emits an eerie, glowing splatter effect when exposed to a black light. The unique result is a stunning vinyl record, both sonically and visually. Much like the character Miles in The Prodigy, the vinyl soundtrack itself is hiding something sinister in plain sight.
Glasgow, SCT | Glasgow Fopp saved from closure after customer outcry: Fopp on Byres Road will stay open after being marked for closure in a deal to save HMV. A Glasgow branch of the Fopp record stores on has been saved from closure after an outcry from customers and musicians. Fopp on Byres road was to be one of 27 stores closed as part of a deal which saved the collapsed HMV business. Customers and musicians alike hit out at the decision to close the store. However, after negotiations an agreement has been reached to save the popular record store. A spokesman for HMV said: “This is the best outcome for everyone and we are delighted to share the good news with all those who have been so supportive over the past weeks. “There has been a huge amount of goodwill and a tremendous groundswell of support…”
Glasgow, SCT | A double album of memories: looking back at our love affair with record shops: The anguish that greeted the news that the Fopp record store in Glasgow’s Byres Road has been closed was a reminder of the emotional attachment that many of us have to such places. The shop was one of those earmarked for closure after its owner, HMV, was itself rescued from collapse this week by Canadian music entrepreneur Doug Putman. Of the chain’s 127 stores, 100 will continue to operate, safeguarding nearly 1,500 jobs. The shuttering of the other 27, including Fopp Byres Road, and HMVs in Ayr and at Braehead, means the loss of 455 jobs, to be followed by 122 warehouse jobs in the weeks ahead. The hashtag SaveFoppByresRoad quickly flourished on Twitter. “An absolute institution and an cultural and musical oasis in the west end of the city, enriching, edifying and bringing sheer joy to sooooo many people’s lives at affordable prices,” wrote actor Gavin Mitchell.
UK | HMV’s new voice is relishing the fight to save all the stores. ‘Vinyl nut’ Doug Putman takes on the landlords and says he’s hopeful for the Oxford Street flagship. The new owner of HMV is hoping to reopen the chain’s flagship store on Oxford Street, and is in talks with landlords on the rest of the 27 outlets which closed down earlier this week. Doug Putman, the 34-year-old boss of Canada’s Sunrise Records, rescued 100 HMV stores from administration, beating off a bid from Sports Direct’s Mike Ashley. But branches such as Oxford Street, with higher rents, were not included in the deal. Speaking to the Guardian, Putman said he was optimistic that these outlets could be reopened: “Where certain stores have closed, our public have really rallied around and I credit that with some of the landlords coming back to us,” he said. “They can see how much support we are getting.” …“Our goal is to keep all 127,” he said. “I think there’s hope [for Oxford Street]. We would love to keep it open, it is such an iconic store. We would even be willing to keep it open and lose money. Customers love it.”
Cardiff, Wales | The story of the UK’s oldest record shop Spillers and the woman who saved it from extinction. Spillers is thriving and it’s thanks to Ashli Todd. It may have only taken a little over 35 years, but I’m finally about to experience something which was once a source of endless fascination. Then, as an eager young music fan experiencing my own musical rites of passage, I regularly visited Spillers Records to buy the latest eagerly-awaited seven-inch single or album. On every visit, the back room of the shop – famed for being the world’s oldest record store – provided endless fascination. It was where the staff would disappear before re-emerging with your chosen prized item. It was a place that held mystical qualities for this young record purchaser. Although I never saw it, I figured it was some sort of Aladdin’s cave, a glittering treasure trove of vinyl.
VIA PRESS RELEASE | Beechwood’s very first full-length, Trash Glamour, was originally recorded in 2013 when Gordon Lawrence and Isa Tineo were still in their teens. The album was originally a cassette-only release and has been remastered and released on CD and vinyl for the first time via Alive Naturalsound Records. Features photo by legendary rock photographer Brad Elterman.
Gordon shares the origins of this early effort, “Trash Glamour was recorded with a single microphone in my parents’ basement when we were 17 and 18 years old. At the time we were obsessed with two albums in particular, Raw Power and Exile on Main St. I had this documentary on the making of Exile that we all sat down and watched together before starting the record. We were mesmerized. That was what a band making a record was supposed to be like.That, to our teenage minds, was rock & roll.”
“And so, we turned the basement into our version of Nellcôte. We surrounded ourselves with friends, girls, drugs, alcohol, and the ideas flowed. I hardly ever remember leaving the basement, though I assume we must have eaten and slept at some point that summer. Things were still fresh at the time, grudges didn’t exist, and things (and substances) that eventually became problems were just being discovered.
We had the sense that no one else was doing what we were doing at the time, that rock & roll had become soft with bands with names like “The Pains of Being Pure at Heart.” (Gimme a break.) And so, we made a loud, raw rock & roll record with little regard for “production quality.” We pushed our music and our minds into the red, and though it took ourselves almost three years to come down from what began with this record to eventually make Songs From The Land of Nod, none of us regret a thing”.
