Record Store Day is on 22 April this year – the day when independent record shops in the UK celebrate their unique culture with live music and special vinyl releases available for enthusiasts to buy.
We asked some people to recall the first record they bought, and to tell us of their love of music.
Sir Richard Branson was in town to officially open the first Virgin hotel outside the US in Edinburgh last month. Virgin has a long history with Edinburgh with one of the first Virgin Record Stores opened here in the 1970s and a Megastore on Princes Street.
When asked which was the record he first bought Sir Richard laughed and said: “Oh, it will be terribly embarrassing and unhip. It was Cliff Richard’s Summer Holiday. As the owner of a very credible record company since I will be absolutely castigated by everybody who has anything to do with Virgin Records. Of course Tubular Bells then made us and then Simple Minds.”
Speaking of Simple Minds, Edinburgh resident Bruce Findlay is a well kent face in the music world. Red bags with “I Found It at Bruce’s” were all over the city centre when he had his shop on Rose Street and in Falkirk. He told The Edinburgh Reporter: “My mum managed a record shop when I was a schoolboy in the 1950s and then of course I had my own record shop(s)….so… records were readily available. I have different recollections of the first record I ‘got’, possibly ‘Tom Dooley’ Lonnie Donegan, or when I was 10 Petula Clark’s ‘The Shoemaker’s Shop’….” And then Bruce went on to manage Simple Minds and the rest, as they say, is history. As he himself would say “Smile”.
Angus Robertson, Minister for the Constitution, External Affairs and Culture, told us he bought Ace of Spades by Motörhead in 1980 from Woolworths in Stockbridge.
Woolies was a big outlet for records where you could listen before buying the latest releases, and was formerly in the store that became Scotmid in Raeburn Place but is currently empty.
Vic Galloway, BBC Broadcaster, Author, DJ & musician has a great love of music. He said: “The first record I bought with my own money was ‘Adam & the Ants – Stand & Deliver’ single. I was 9 years old and it was life changing.
“My father had already bought me the previous album ‘Kings of the Wild Frontier’ and that started a life-long passion for music, art, rock’n’roll, fashion and counter-culture. Adam Ant was more than a pop-star for many of us at the time – he was an instigator and a provocateur, and he ignited something in me and many others. After loving his music, I moved onto Madness and 2Tone and then into Punk!
“After that, the doors were blown off and I got into Goth, Indie, Reggae, Hip-Hop, Jazz, Electronica and so on. I still love ‘Stand & Deliver’ – what a mad song to have made it to #1 in the pop charts. 2 drummers, noisy guitars, inventive vocal melodies and lyrics. What’s not to love??! I believe I bought it in John Menzies in St. Andrews and it probably cost 99p (maybe less).
“A specific record shop opened in St.Andrews called ‘Tracks’ and that’s where I then bought all my records for a while. From there, I progressed to shopping in Dundee at ‘Groucho’s’ and ‘Chalmers & Joy’ – all amazing shops at the time. I still have ALL the vinyl and cassettes I bought in these shops and treasure them. Record Shops are hugely important to me – always were and always will be. We should cherish and support them!” –
Kevin Buckle owner of Avalanche Records in Waverley Market was shy of admitting that he bought Chuck Berry’s novelty record, My Ding A Ling, and was quick to point out that he did not necessarily get all the connotations of it.
He said it cost less than £1 and he bought it in a wee record shop in Walton Liverpool where he grew up. He said: “It had a big long high street that had every possible shop you would want including a record shop.” Avalanche do not make a big fuss about Record Store Day. Kevin explained that he does not believe in opening at 8am on the day. (That’s just not a right time for a record shop.”) They will open at a more sedate 9am.
He said: “Most of the things that people want – even Taylor Swift or The Cure – we have plenty of them. We tell people if they turn up at 9am when we’re open they will get the record they want. We don’t want people queuing outside in the early hours. There was a funny story though when we were in the Grassmarket. Two young lads had slept outside to get their Dad a David Bowie record. They had sleeping bags and although they slept in their clothes, someone had stolen their shoes!”
Avalanche is here to stay in Waverley where Kevin has just signed a new lease.
Mark Thorne of Thorne Records on Bruntsfield Place said: “I didn’t really grow up in the record glory days so the first ‘record’ I ever bought was a cassette single reissue of ‘Always Look on the Bright Side of Life’ by Monty Python from John Menzies, Stirling in 1991.
“Once I went to uni in Dundee I started collecting records and bought my first one in the legendary second hand emporium, Grouchos.
“On RSD this year we will be open from 8am – 8pm and will have all the releases folk want along with a huge party atmosphere and… BEER!”
Voxbox on St Stephen Street have hired St Vincent’s Chapel for the day when there will be ten showcase performances all from artists on independent Scottish labels. It will be open from 8am to 6.30 with free entry.
Founding Editor of The Edinburgh Reporter.
Edinburgh-born multimedia journalist and iPhoneographer.
