Graham Reid Apr 4, 11 min read. One of the things you learn if you've been around a bit is you are unwise to write anything off as dead. When it comes to technologies however we may be on firmer ground. Not a lot of people these days rely on a Walkman or have a Beta tape player. The wind-up cylinder and turntable gramophones are most certainly moribund if not dead I however have one of the latter and despite some people's best efforts it is hard to see cassette tapes suddenly rising from their marginal position into mainstream acceptance again.
Okay, the percentage increase in LP sales looks impressive but actual sales are modest. But they are growing incrementally and now carrying a record album is an important fashion accessory and signifier, just like when the schoolboy Mick Jagger approached Keith Richards when he saw him carrying a record by Chuck Berry.
And as anyone over the age of hmm-manyyears will tell you, record shops were where you met friends, like-minded music fans, and crashing bores who knew more about the Groundhogs or Dinah Washington than you needed to hear. You don't have to be nostalgic to see the emotional, cultural and musical value in records and record stores.
So here comes Record Store Day again — Saturday April 13 — and while we may be cynical about the major companies repressing something from their vaults on red vinyl, there are still many tasty records released on that day which are enticements to get you back into a record store.
We here at Elsewhere are aware of the some events taking place around the country but we are just going to throw the spotlight on the record store closest to our place, the ever-popular and well-stocked Southbound Records which has everything from world music and jazz to mainstream pop and rock and stuff that exists in the margins and shadows. And as part of creating a good experience they are offering customers some free old-fashioned home baking believe me this is worth dropping by for!
