SAY what you like about the sound quality of downloads or CDs, but vinyl will always sound better to some.
For enthusiasts there’s just something inexplicably satisfying about the crackle of a needle on an LP. With sales of CDs dwindling and records slowly creeping back into favour, a number of bands are now offering their new releases in vinyl, CD and digital format.
"People just find it sexy. They find the format, the artwork, and everything that goes with it sexy. It appeals to the collector in people."
Record Store Day was founded in America in 2007 to promote independent traders, with just a handful of stores initially taking part. It made the move across the pond a year later, with the number of independent retailers now participating in the UK up to 200. Now in its sixth year, the event has grown staggeringly in popularity, with Grammy award winner and one man music machine Jack White on board as this year’s ambassador.
Manchester will be joining in this celebration on Saturday 20 April in a number of shops around the city centre and beyond.
Kingbee on Wilbraham Rd in Chorlton, and Eastern Bloc on Stevenson Square in the Northern Quarter will both be offering discounts and promotions for customers on the day and stocking special releases.
The biggest planned event comes courtesy of Common Bar and Piccadilly Records, with a day of live music and DJ sets in store. Common is kicking off the celebrations with the introduction of the Morrissey inspired ‘Quiff Ale’, brewed by Stockport’s Quantum Brewery, and special ‘Piccalilli Burgers’ as well as offering ten per cent off for those who make purchases at Piccadilly Records.
Common’s motivation for supporting Record Store Day is a simple one: “The people who work here buy records, the people who play here buy records. It’s supporting independence because we’re an independent bar, even though records still don’t sell as well as they used to we are trying to do as much as we can to help”.
They will also have a number of bands and DJs playing throughout the day and into the evening including Jonnie Common along with local bands Bernard + Edith, Emperor Zero and Horsebeach. Both venues are at the forefront of promoting local music, with Piccadilly records stocking a number of smaller band releases alongside its bigger names.
A recent revival in vinyl sales means Record Store Day has become the busiest period for record retailers, with Piccadilly Records explaining: “On the day itself it’s absolutely crazy; it’s easily our biggest day of the year. It’s been very successful in raising the profile of independent record store shops”.
It is not just reissues which people will be snapping up on the day, but a number of bands will be releasing new and never before heard songs such as a split seven inch single featuring The Black Lips cover of Willie Nelson’s ‘Mama, don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys’ and Icky Blossom’s reworking of Siouxsie Sioux and the Banshees ‘Arabian Night’. Other new releases to coincide with the day are to come from Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, David Bowie, Frank Turner and Bat for Lashes.
Vinyl is no longer all about the re-releases of classic albums and discovering rare tracks, instead it is appealing to a larger audience, with Piccadilly Records explaining its appeal: “People just find it sexy. They find the format, the artwork, and everything that goes with it sexy. It appeals to the collector in people”.
Alongside in-store activities, Piccadilly Records will also be offering discounts to customers on any purchases made on the day.
Events will be taking place all day, with free entry to Common before 9pm and £2 afterwards.
