Collecting Vinyl records - A Personal History

This is a very personal look at collecting vinyl records, with references to many artists, but with particular mention of:
The Shadows - Apache
The Everly Brothers - All I Have to Do is Dream
The Boomtown Rats - I Don't Like Mondays
The Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant
Adam and the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier
Dexy's Midnight Runners - Searching for the Young Soul Rebels
Blondie
Squeeze
Toyah
Jimi Hendrix - Smash Hits
The Fall
The Dead Kennedy's
The Buzzcocks
The Birthday Party
The Television Personalities,
The Barracudas
The Smiths
10,000 Maniacs
Family Fodder - My Baby Takes Valium
Animals and men - The Terraplane Fixation
The Wasps - Rubber Cars
The Instant Automatons - Peter Paints His Fence
The Mob - Witch Hunt by The Mob
Oxy and the Morons - Nice to be Back
The Cramps - Garbageman
Kate Bush - The Kick Inside
Television - Marquee Moon
The Gun Club
Bo Diddley
Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark
Kraftwerk
The Cocteau Twins.
Psychic TV - Dreams Less Sweet and Force the Hand of Chance
The Bonzo Dog Do Dah Band - Keynsham
The Doors
The Velvet Undergound
Pulp - Little Girl With Blue Eyes
REM - Fables of the Reconstruction
The Pixies - Come on Pilgrim
Sonic Youth - Sister and Daydream Nation
Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea
The Last Shadow Puppets - The Age of the Understatement
Stars of the Lid - And their Refinement of the Decline
P.J. Harvey - Let England Shake
Fleet Foxes - Helplessness Blues
Farewell Poetry - Hoping for the Invisible to Ignite
Sinead O'Connor - How About I Be Me (and you be you)

[@XX-pv1cy]

I watch this video at least 1-2 times a year since I was 14. I am 20 now and your video was super inspiring to me and helped me look for music I would’ve never thought of. You played a huge part in my musical growth and how I was able to build a career.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

That is wonderful to hear! With all best wishes, Ray

[@KulchurKat]

What a joy! We must be exactly the same age, as your early records mirror mine, even down to the Shadows and the Everly’s in my parents’ collection.

[@ArtsyFartsyTimo]

What a great video. I've only made a handful of videos, but I appreciate well thought out and constructed videos. Nice job.

[@firehehe2]

Fantastic video Sir. Your vinyl collecting journey is not unlike my own and I am sure many others. Great taste!

[@711honved]

I remember buying the first Roxy Music album in 1972 and poring over the album artwork for hours. It was a piece of creative art with stunning photography and packed with information. I've never felt the same attachment to CD's or digital music. They are as disposable as the digital photos we take on our disposable phones.

[@daptobriefcase]

Dear R.B. I am not sure if vinyl always sounds better, but it feels better. My approach to listening to vinyl is different, more reverential. Music is not just sound, a point you have illustrated nicely. Thank you for making this video.

[@merickz78]

I must have watched this video at least 5 or 6 times within the last couple years after I first discovered the video. The absolute best video about vinyl on KZbin! That Witchhunt 7" single by the Mob is fantastic!

[@Mountprospect1]

Great watch! Amazing how our tastes develop over the years isn't it and how we find connections between bands / styles of music and dig deeper to find what influenced them etc. Loved it 👍

[@isaac11o]

Please make more videos like this about records and music.I discovered this video about a year ago and it's introduced me to loads of new artists. I honestly don't know how I've survived so long without knowing who the Cocteau Twins are!

[@jet9385]

This is a fantastic video. I'm just now getting into vinyl after being blown away by Peach's Records in New Orleans. My turntable isn't great, but there's something very satisfying about having physical copies of my favorite albums.

[@HansJazz]

I really like this video. Not one of those " hi there look what a huuuuuge collection I have!!" videos flooding KZbin. This shows your love for music. I eas into many New Wave/Punk bands so I have most of the records shown here. Sold a lot of stuff over the years in order to buy Jazz music. Still own a big R.E.M. collection. Woll never sell it. They were an important part of my musical life. Great video!!

[@CortinasAndClassics]

Great video. Reminds me of my own vinyl journey, mine started in the early 80's with Adam and the Ants 'Kings of the Wild frontier.

[@vinylworldofrecords4763]

Great video, got the same addiction here. don't know when collecting will stop, the more i hear, the more i want to have. My interrest was the 60's at first, but i'm collecting about everything i like now.

[@jetyler3400]

"I don't like Mondays" alone gets you a thumbs up!! We share some very similar tastes. z A wonderful piece. Thanks

[@AbrenuncioProds]

Impeccable taste! Apart from the ones I already have, I don't think there is a single disc on this video that I wouldn't want to own. Well, someday, I guess.

[@TheBloodiac]

Hello :) I thought you might be interested in "To be kind" by Swans. I discovered this band recently and I am completely blown away. This album is a masterpiece in my book. The music is hard to explain. It's a trip and an almost physical experience you just have to dive into for yourself. I also recorded songs from the radio on music cassettes as a kid. Sometimes I stayed up all night and waited for one special song to be played so I could record it :) Thank you for your videos, they are just a pleasure to watch and keep up the great work! Greetings from Germany. Chris

[@RBRussellTartarus]

Many thanks - I'll have to give "To Be Kind" a listen. Up until now, only their "This Burning World" has worked for me. (I made the mistake of giving my first copy of TBW to a friend, many years ago, and regretted it, and despaired of ever finding a good copy at a reasonable price. Ebay came to my aid...)

[@MrColjazz]

A brilliant video,love your narration it reminds me of programmes from the sixty's!!

[@darmuzz]

I appreciate your ongoing respect for women artists. I grew up listening to vinyl at that time and it could be a bit of a boys' club, in that mostly males were record collectors and often only male artists were taken seriously.

[@philburdett]

Tremendous evocation of a dying aesthetic, sir! Your love for it all comes through...& good to see Prag Vec flipping past, I believe, at one point...

[@donhearl]

I dig this personal history through music. Thanks for sharing!

[@user-pk2ph8im6d]

I LOVE COLLECTING VINYL ALSO ... SUPER FUN ...

[@xyanide1986]

I'm pretty much a digital guy, but I don't think I'll ever forget digging through my dad's records wondering what might sound cool just based on the artwork. I can't say I don't miss that and I found a similar playground in the wonderful world of bandcamp.

[@TechnoTempleStudios]

I could really connect with this. So similar in musical tastes, attitudes and age. It all just falls into place.

[@JonPickles]

A fabulous personal history that I'm sure parallels most of us record collectors out there.

[@MrsFish7]

..I enjoyed this immensely.. many thanks for sharing your eclectic taste and style.. much appreciated..

[@gilliflower]

i absolutely loved every second of this. it really resonated with me and, in fact, gave me chills as i recalled my own voyage of musical discovery, which took a similar path on the other side of the atlantic. thank you!

[@5inthehole]

I believe a majority of us vinyl record enthusiast owe a debt to someone else collection that somehow infected us into the vinyl world. Speaking for myself, it was my mothers Columbia record box that held 45's (as a young woman she worked for a company that manufactured them) of early Elvis on "Sun" or Buddy Holly mixed in with some good (and not so good) 50's C$W. But it was my older brother nassive 60's collection of Brittish Invasion and American Rock that made me a fanatic. All that wonderful music just a tone arm away...ah, life is good!

[@finch45lear]

Well, I certainly enjoyed this. Thanks.

[@scoodleboop]

I saw MBV's reunion show in New York in 2009, having only known one song (sometimes) I had no idea what I was going into or what to expect. After the show I realised I had found not only a new favourite band but a whole realm of music. I knew that my music tastes would never be the same. 2009-2010 has been one of my personal most expansive years in music. Yet, we all seem to keep moving not expecting the next big one to happen or discover one that's already past. Your video encapsulates that.

[@hardel2008]

Thanks for taking the time to make that. superb stuff .

[@PAULLONDEN]

You're lucky to have eclectic taste.......There's yet many wonders to be had from exploring obscure psychedelia and 70's roots reggae.....dub etc

[@MrColjazz]

A brilliant video,takes me back,can't beat the vinyl!!!

[@dereckvon]

Great video.

[@carlosalenduran4630]

wow wow wow super great collection of record s.i also have n obsession with music n record. thanks so much .

[@BeatStylist]

Fantastic video! Well done.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

For Euan - for some reason I can't reply direct to your comment - my apologies. Your best bet in obtaining a decent record player is to go to a specialist, as it isn't just about the turntable, but also the amplifier and speakers (and sometimes you might need a pre-amp.) You don't need to go to anywhere expensive and "high-end" (I'm not sure where you are in the world, but in the UK Richer Sounds are resonable, in a lot of cities, and have always been helpful.) Or take a risk on a second-hand all in one system - if it isn't expensive, you have little to lose (just make sure you have a new needle in anything secondhand!)

[@davidmartinez1952]

I REALLY loved 💖 your video! it brought back so many great musical memories for me! while watching it i got my biggest smile on my face when you spoke of 45 singles, the smiths, kate bush, and cocteau twins! but tell me, did you ever get into Siouxsie and the Banshees? with such a great taste in music, i thought for sure you would mention them. like Blondie for you, they were my all time favorite! 😊

[@RBRussellTartarus]

+David Martinez I have most of their early singles (and a few later ones), and I can't quite see why Hong Kong Garden, Spellbound, Arabian Knights or Israel didn't get a mention ... but then again, there wasn't time/space to include a lot of other great bands.

[@carlosalenduran4630]

+R.B. Russell wow Sioux I love her.

[@djtrishm]

oops I mean I grew up on vinyl!Like you I too tapes songs off the radio I think all music lovers in the 70s did!Now Im a mobile DJ but that's were it began!

[@RBRussellTartarus]

Hi Trish - home taping didn't kill off music as predicted, even if illegal downloads are doing their best now... My C-90 cassettes were full of music in addition to all the records I could buy. If something I taped was that good, I had to go out and buy the record. My son has a ton of music on his computer, but the albums he loves he has to have on CD. I'm not sure how youngsters growing up in an almost entirely digital world will asuage the instinct to own copies of music - if, indeed, they have that instinct now...

[@rossor1978]

Well thought out and put together from a true vinyl lover.

[@danielgch2]

you remind me of my how my dad started collecting.First record he bought was anarchy in the uk by the sex pistols in a cheap bin but he also quite liked disco. Now we are both avid collectors of vinyl of all periods and genres.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

My first copy of the Peter Paints His Fence ep was given to me by a friend back in about 1984, along with a lot of other records, and I was silly enough to give them back to him many years later. It was the one that I really regretted letting go and replacing it was well-nigh impossible once the Messthetics compilations were issued. But another good friend happened to have a copy and very generously gave me his :-)

[@rederic2004]

Nice to hear Peter Paints his Fence described as a treasure. I was mad about the IAs when they were around.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

I first came across Sonic Youth in about 1986, and only got to see them for the first time live in 2010. It was worth waiting 24 years :-)

[@wallysmith9162]

Welcome to the club. I've albums everywhere. Boxes and boxes and shelves and shelves.

[@johnfloy]

absolute stellar video, enjoyed it...thanks for posting

[@SQDLVR]

Cool video!!!

[@RBRussellTartarus]

Many thanks! I saw the "Last Shop Standing" film last night and Johnny Marr made the point that a vinyl album is like the special deluxe issue, while the cd is the cheap version. Vinyl doesn't always cost that much more than the cd, but you get a much nicer product :-)

[@andrewdix8038]

Some great records there.

[@thema1998]

Although vinyl will never be as big as it was prior to the 1980s, it's much bigger than it was prior to the late 2000s *and* early 2010s! 🤓

[@RBRussellTartarus]

Agreed. This video was made nine years ago, and vinyl records were only just starting to make a tentative comeback...

[@RobertThomas74]

Loved the video. Thanks for sharing

[@presidentraygunn]

Great video. All these bands I love and cherish. I really admire your taste in music. BTW, what is that Bo Diddley song? I can't figure what it us but I love it.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

+Brian Johnson I couldn't immediately remember which Bo Diddley song it was, which gave me the excuse to revist his music this morning. It is "Dancing Girl" -- kzbin.info/www/bejne/iKbNf6ScaZWfeZY

[@peacetree5000]

Love,just brilliant..

[@southeastarmory3079]

Perhaps this is where the Green Bay Packers got their helmet emblem...and then the Georgia bulldogs...interesting that the emblem is on that record player...lol

[@SavetheDream]

I love his collection and his various music taste.

[@davidmartinez1952]

YES!!!! The Banshees early singles AND b sides are the best! my favorie is Hong Kong Garden, a simply song but such a great impact, cant forget the flip side of it, Voices! Im in love with the idea that Israel was their verison of a Christmas song! How awesome is that!!!!???? What is your favorite Blondie song? Mine would have to be Union City Blue. You mentioned Kate Bush was your first collecting obsession.....you may own this but have you heard or do you own the dance remix (at least i think thats what its called) of Red Shoes? About 14 or 15 years ago an old friend of mine made me a mix CD of Kate Bush remixes and i fell in love 💓 with this remix of Red Shoes! of course i lost the mix CD and ive tried to find a copy of it on vinyl (since im collecting vinyl again) and no luck! Im starting to question if this remix exist! LOL! Can you tell me if it does?....

[@RBRussellTartarus]

+David Martinez Hong Kong Garden was probably the first Banshees single I heard and so has a special place in my heart. I used to have decided opinions on my favourite songs by various artists, but as time goes by different songs seem best suited to differnt times. Any of the singles on Parallel Lines would fit the bill. I'm not sure about the Kate Bush remixes - someone called Alphan did a number of interesting remixes, some of which were available on youtube. I doubt if any remixes are available legitimately on vinyl that don't have the approval of KB herself.

[@davidmartinez1952]

+R.B. Russell I got such a big smile on my face when i read Hong Kong Garden has a special place in your heart 😀 because for me it is the same! the first song i ever heard of the Banshees was Cities In Dust, dancing drunk at a goth club 😏 BUT! the song that sealed the deal for me was Hong Kong Garden! I fell in love 💘 and was never the same. oh, and that Red Shoes remix does exist! it was released in 1994. the vinyl hunt for it is on for me! ive watched your video a couple of more times and there are a few songs you play that ive never heard but would love to buy for myself! for example Television, ive never heard their music. OMD ive only heard If You Leave and Enola Gay, which i love! while you are speaking about OMD and mentioning taking your Sister to a concert, that song playing, is it OMD? Whats the name of that song? And Toyah (i hope i spelled that right) i never heard her music but like the song you play in video! what is it called? what do you recommend by her? I like her voice! 😊 the Cocteau Twins are another one of my favorites! Is it strange that ever time i listen to Sugar Hiccup I want to cry? not a sad sort of cry but a happy one! that song is so beautiful and has a big impact on me! it makes me day dream of being outside in nature. like when i visited the Lake District.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

+David Martinez Sorry - you meant "Shoedance", the Karl Blagan remix of "The Red Shoes" on the CD single. I am sure I have it somewhere, but my CD collection is mainly archived and inaccessable. I really don't think it ever appeared on Vinyl, though. The OMD song playing is "Messages". I can heartily recommend their first, self-titled album (the second, "Organisation", is not so immediate), and, of course, "Architecture and Morality". I've come to like "Dazzle Ships" later in life, because of the sampling and oddness, but they found the "fatal facility" of writing produced pop songs and anything after "A&M" it is too saccharine to my ears. Toyah may be one of those artists where you "had to be there" to appreciate her. The live album, "Toyah Toyah Toyah" is a great record, along with her early singles. From "Anthem" onwards the silliness comes to the fore, sadly. It is interesting what we hear in music - the pictures it can conjure in our heads. I certainly associate "Garlands" with nature and the primeval natural world, despite the heavy electronic sound. Later, though, the music seems to become more rarefied and artificial (and even more lovely, if that is possible.) "Cities in Dust" is great. It is a song that used to get played at the Leadmill in Sheffield, along with "She Sells Sanctuary" by the Cult, "Gone Daddy Gone" by the Violent Femmes, and other classics, in about 1986/1986 :-)

[@rederic2004]

You are lucky to have such friends!

[@djtrishm]

I great up on vinyl.Great video!

[@hexhour]

MBV is releasing an album sometime this year

[@euanmacdonald4737]

That was a great video. I was wondering if you could recommend a specific model of record player for me as I'd like to start collecting? Thanks :)

[@DassHogg]

Bravo! Just when I think I don't need to buy more records...

[@RBRussellTartarus]

Many thanks! I saw the Jesus and Mary Chain a few weeks after they hit the headlines in the music press, and they disappointed everybody by playing a full set of almost twenty minutes, and the songs were all recognisable from Psychocandy! :-) I didn't see the Pixies until the release of Doolitle, but they were excellent. My Bloody Valentine made the most impressive sound I've ever heard, though, before or since....

[@liveforclassicmovies]

Awesome

[@hexhour]

The Gun Club? The Velvet Underground? You have really good taste. I would love to see you post a full list of all of your records one day.

[@davidhatred1583]

the name david lynch was in my head 30 secs before you said it!

[@markgriffiths8786]

Creepy and weird are not words you could associate with sixties music !

[@RBRussellTartarus]

Excellent news!

[@daveduffy2823]

12 inches were mostly extended dance mixes.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

No, and especially not in the early days. Many artists simply offered exactly the same mix, but added extra tracks (if you were lucky.) Dire Straits event wrote something like "Extended dance EP" on the 12" of Twisting by the Pool (an appalling record) but retained the same mix as the 7".

[@daveduffy2823]

R.B. Russell I did say mostly lol

[@jaymusseato]

..."searching for the young soul rebels" is STILL such a classic....("thankfully, not living in Yorkshire, it doesn't apply" = most UNCONVENTIONAL: song title ever.) ..."rubber cars" (b/w "this time") ...iz a total UNDER-APPRECIATED single as well...the singer for the Wasps has some great Wasps PROMO VIDEOS on his Youtoob channel. ...the need for PORTABILITY created conditions that moved MUSIC more into the BACKGROUND. ....Vinyl is the ONLY WAY to keep music CENTER stage.

[@ivanttosuckyourblood]

But are you ready for some Hanatarashi?

[@SuperspecificdevicestDCS]

Let us know if you want a high quality, lathe cut copy of the rarer records as the "play" copy? We offer custom ordered 7" and 12" records with no minimum and no hassle. igg.me/at/vinylondemand/x/11591348

[@pikeywyatt]

it is good to pass on your music tastes.and then have new ones past back.

[@MSBAYARRI]

class!

[@gordonellis529]

There is nothing wrong with Nana Mouskouri and John Denver.

[@Birdlives247]

The juxtaposition between your narration and the disturbing record covers and music was captivating. I don't understand why that music is popular. Is it just the sound or is it a reflection of the listener's make-up or this world's make-up or a purgative from one's living experience? I'm not really sure about what I'm saying but I don't get the attraction. Where's the beauty parts? Anyway, nice production.

[@RBRussellTartarus]

I can only assume that it comes down to taste. Some of the music that moves me has moments of great beauty (I would argue, as in the Cocteau Twins), and that is reflected in the artwork. But there are times when music is meant to be angry, even frightening--attempting to jolt us out of our complacency--and you'll see that reflected on the sleeves. There is a certain amount of the latter in punk and post-punk, but it has always been around, albeit not necessarily in the meanstream.

[@Birdlives247]

@@RBRussellTartarusI did make a mental note to discover the Cocteau Twins.. I saw a "Pet Sounds" cover too. I like the Velvet Underground occasionally but a steady diet of one attitude of music says something about the listeher. I could be wrong, of course.

[@vasileiosfilis9284]

!

[@gpuppy1234]

I love vinyl but am I the only one that doesn't like the whole "ritual" thing?

[@RBRussellTartarus]

+gpuppy1234 I'm sure you are not the only one! However, I find it far too easy to call up a load on songs on my computer and have them playing in the background while I work or do other things and I forget to listen to them properly. But standing at the record player, taking the record out of its sleeve, looking at the artwork, etc, I am more likely to stay there and properly listen and appreciate the music.

[@ianpass2562]

and not a funk soul jazz record,,,,, to be seen anywhere..!!

[@RBRussellTartarus]

I like a little funk, and a lot of soul, but jazz has always left me cold...

[@rigomortisfxstudios]

digital and mp3 are worth nothing and never will be its a joke dont waste your money on them ,