“I was very, very late getting into owning vinyl records. I always loved music and had a ton of tapes as a kid (and later on, compact discs), but I moved quite frequently as a teenager and in to my early twenties…so much so that owning any sort of possession (especially something as heavy as vinyl) just wasn’t in the cards.”
“The first piece of vinyl I ever owned was way before I even had a record player to play it on. Even at 16 I was a “collector” of sorts, and owned everything by Babes In Toyland on cassette, CD, and vinyl. I had rare singles, Japanese and European releases with different artwork and multiple copies of the same albums in several formats. They were a big inspiration to me as a female interested in playing music.
In the last few years I have developed a love for scouring local record stores when on the road. One of my favourite finds were two releases on my dad’s record label from back in the ’70s by an artist named “Bim” which he also managed. They’re so rare, he doesn’t even have a copy! Ha! I found them randomly in Richmond, Virginia of all places, even though his label and the artist were both Canadian.
I completed the collection while in Calgary a few years ago, and to this day I have almost everything my dad ever released. That makes me very happy and proud.
My most prized possession, however, is a 10″ copy of “Love Is Hell” by Ryan Adams. I am a massive fan of his and have seen him play all over the world. The 10″ version, to me, sounds so incredible. It is my favourite thing I own. I try to split my time listening to this album between the actual pressing I love and a recent re-release so that it will last longer. I know I am on the verge of killing it within my lifetime—haha!
My second solo album Ours was specifically recorded and pressed for vinyl. I produced it so I made sure everything was done in a way that would work the best once it ended up on vinyl. I will never forget the first time I heard the test pressing. I was yelling “Yes! This is exactly the way drums are supposed to sound!!!” for like…days.
Have I mentioned I’m a huge nerd? Haha!”
—Billy Pettinger
Billy the Kid’s Horseshoes and Hand Grenades—produced by Mr. Frank Turner—lands on store shelves September 8, 2014 via Xtra Mile Recordings. You can preorder the release right here.
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PHOTO: DAVE STEWART
