Edinburgh, UK | Remembering Edinburgh’s lost record stores that defined the city’s music scene: Edinburgh’s independent record store scene was once buzzing, but has sadly lost its way in recent years. We look back on the lost record stores that once defined the city’s music scene. While certain other Scottish cities have built their reputation on music, Edinburgh has always flown a little bit under the radar. Yes, we might have given the world some classic bangers – and we might give them 500 more – but overall we’re better known for our theatre and literary scenes than music. Which is a shame, because Edinburgh rocks. Not only does Garbage frontwoman Shirley Manson hail from here, but we also gave the world The Young Fathers, punk and post punk legends the Exploited, the Scars and the Fire Engines, as well as the Bay City Rollers and The Proclaimers. …But most of all, we had some truly fantastic, much-missed independent record shops.
Miami, FL | Best Record Store: Technique Records. There are few places on this peninsula where discophiles can uncover a rare reissued vinyl in mint condition and a well-worn copy of the 2 Live Crew’s As Nasty as They Wanna Be under the same roof. Praise Technique Records, which has been providing Miami vinyl aficionados with a trove of more than 20,000 new and used records since 2017. While you can peruse all of Technique’s inventory on its website, it’s worth browsing the aisles of the 79th Street headquarters to take in the giant posters for cult-classic movies, the vast selection of DVDs and VHS and cassette tapes, and a staff eager to help you navigate the row upon row of sonic treasures.
Charlotte, NC | For 35 years, this Charlotte record shop has been the go-to spot for vinyl lovers: For 35 years, Repo Record has been a go-to spot for vinyl lovers in the Queen City. From classical to country, Repo has records for everyone. For 35 years, Repo Record has been the go-to spot in Charlotte for vinyl lovers of all ages. With only a few breaks to reorganize and move the location and reassess the future of his business, Jimmy Parker’s been there for it all. Parker, the creator and music expert behind Repo, has seen vinyl almost completely go away and has experienced the industry’s amazing comeback over the last decade or so. “In 2012 it came back,” Parker said, explaining that vinyl’s resurgence lined up with his shop’s move to Commonwealth Avenue in Plaza Midwood. …There are literally thousands of albums in the store. Some are extremely valuable with prices into the hundreds of dollars, but most of what you’ll find at Repo is affordable. That huge selection and friendly pricing are what keep music lovers coming back for more.
Minneapolis, MN | Taylor Swift tour opener Gracie Abrams playing acoustic show at Electric Fetus on Friday: The show’s 300 passes sold out instantly last week after fans lined up outside the store to buy Abrams’ record. Bob Fuchs watched that TikTok video over and over again on Friday. “It made me smile all day,” said Fuchs, music retail manager at the Electric Fetus record store in Minneapolis. “This is why we show up in the morning, for this kind of stuff.” The video he played on loop and shared Friday showed just a few of the hundreds of giddy fans lined up outside the store on Friday. They were there to buy a deluxe vinyl copy of singer-songwriter Gracie Abrams’ 2023 debut “Good Riddance,” but it wasn’t just about owning the album on wax. With each purchase came a ticket to see Abrams in an intimate acoustic performance at Electric Fetus. …”The fans are just absolutely bursting at the seams,” Fuchs said. “They can’t believe that someone they love so much is going to show up at a record store.”
Previously Unreleased Richard Pryor Records Issued On Vinyl: …Stand Up! Records teamed up with Omnivore Records and Richard Pryor’s production company Indigo to pack this double-deluxe vinyl release, “Richard Pryor,” with delights aplenty: sides one and two are the original, but newly remastered classic album, recorded live at The Troubadour in 1968; sides three and four are bonus material recorded at the same time, originally issued as tracks on Evolution/Revolution: The Early Years (1966-1974), now on vinyl for the very first time. And we’ve wrapped it all up with the original Grammy-nominated cover art (designed by Gary Burden) updated with the addition of the border art by another legend, Bay Area surfer and poster artist Rick Griffin, who also designed the labels. In Pryor’s terms, we’re fully confident: this one’s a real wing-dang-doodle!
Elton John discusses the “romanticism” of collecting vinyl records: Ahead of his headline set at Glastonbury Festival this weekend, Elton John has discussed his love of collecting vinyl and the “romanticism” of the form, which he says it has “never lost.” Sitting down with Clara Amfo on BBC Radio 1’s Future Sounds, the interview was held in Elton John’s record room. At one point in the discussion, the host asked the ‘Rocket Man’ singer how he makes sure he “keeps the things that truly matter” to him in the room full of vinyl albums. Responding, Elton John revealed his long love of collecting vinyl: “Well, you know what, I sold all my vinyl many years ago to a collector in St. Louis because I didn’t have anywhere to put it. And then, since its resurgence, thankfully, I’ve had to collect it – most of it – all again, and with some extra editions. The thing now is because of the resurgence, it’s easier to get a record on vinyl than it is on CD, because most people don’t have CDs anymore. It’s such a romantic way of collecting music; it’s never lost its romanticism for me.”
When Album Cover Art Mattered: ‘Squaring the Circle’ Has Anton Corbijn and Hipgnosis’ Founder Recalling Rock’s Greatest Surrealist Sleeves: In the history of album cover art, only two parties have become arguably almost as famous as some of the bands they shot or designed for: Hipgnosis, in the 1970s, and Anton Corbijn, from the mid-‘80s forward. Those two forces come together with a new documentary, “Squaring the Circle (The Story of Hipgnosis),” directed by Corbijn, about the era of artwork that entranced him, like most music fans, as a youth. Forty years after Hipgnosis ceased to be a going concern as we knew it, the company’s covers for Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and countless others continue to be collected in coffee-table books. And when it comes to the stories behind the sleeves, rock fans still just can’t get enough… to quote a band that Corbijn came to be associated with a little bit later.
Aerosmith to Release 44-Song Greatest Hits Collection Ahead of Farewell Tour: The compilation arrives in multiple configurations including a 4-LP box set. Aerosmith have unveiled the new Greatest Hits collection, due for release on August 18th ahead of the band’s farewell tour. The career-spanning compilation will be available in a plethora of configurations: a Super Deluxe 4-LP colored-vinyl box set; a numbered 2-LP 180-gram black vinyl pressing with alternate cover; a limited CD with featuring Aerosmith’s 2000s image and logo; a deluxe 4-LP box set on 180-gram black vinyl; 2-LP black vinyl; single LP black vinyl; deluxe 3-CD box set with photo booklet; and CD with photo booklet. The Super Deluxe edition sports a whopping 44-song tracklist that chronologically traverses the band’s 50-plus-year career. All of the songs on our recent Aerosmith Top 10 Songs list made the cut, including iconic rockers such as “Dream On,” “Walk This Way,” and “Sweet Emotion.”
