Record Sleeves Preserved In Memory

I feel sorry for the younger generation with regards to music. They have missed so much. Let's be honest, the record shop is no more. Whilst there may be a few independent outlets, there is nowhere near the number that there used to be. I used to spend hours every Saturday pouring over the vinyl racks hoping to find some hidden gem. A rare test pressing or a bootleg copy of a favourite artist. You had specialist shops like Don Christies near the outdoor markets in Birmingham which played some amazing reggae tunes and for some reason you came out a little light headed! Then there was Reddingtons Rare Records which used to keep a few selections for me every weekend as soon as I walked in the door. Also, the Diskery was another favourite haunt.

The problem today is that buying music is a soulless affair. You can't really get excited about clicking a button and within seconds you have an album. I just feel cheated somehow and long for the days of not being able to wait to get that new record home, the sound of the faint clicks of the stylus hitting the vinyl and then devouring the sleeve notes. I used to collect ridiculous amounts of vinyl which mysteriously started to dwindle a few years after I got married, strange that!

Anyway, enough digressing. Why I am reminiscing is that in this months Creative Review, I was reading about a new release by Orlando Weeks who is the lead singer with The Maccabees. You can't really call it a record sleeve but its one of the first new releases that has caught my eye for the great artwork. It comes with a 24 page illustrated book by Robert Hunter which is fantastic. It tells the story of a girl and her relationship with a giant monster and also with her own shadow.

I used to love albums like this. Limited editions with amazing designs and insights into the mind of the artists. Plus the fact that they became collectible and something to treasure. By the way I will not even go into detail about Record Fairs as it gets very geeky. Needless to say that the records that I still own are either limited editions or have another value in some way.

So enjoy the great illustrations and go and buy a copy as there is only going to be a limited run of 1500. I am now one of them.