My interview with Robert Croydon of EIL-Esprit, a well-known UK record dealer inspired me to create a set of tips for buying used records. Some of this is common sense, basic knowledge to anybody who collects, so please accept this as nothing more than “blithering insights into the obvious” if you are already an experienced buyer of used vinyl. Consider The Source: Are you buying from a dealer or an individual? The level of knowledge among record sellers varies widely, regardless of whether they are established dealers, individuals trying to unload vinyl that they accumulated or... Read More
The True Adventures of Stanley Booth: Dancing with the Devil
Rock music has always been dangerous; its precursors, from secular black music and the blues in the decades before WWII, to rockabilly and rock and roll of the 1950’s- music that spoke to the travails of the world, of carnality, crime and pain, and all those indecent thoughts and pleasures of life- posed an obvious threat to social conventions. It wasn’t just a battle between the sacred and profane; it was the fear that the sex, drugs, politics and other uncomfortable subjects would influence and seduce the young. That fear is certainly nothing new- it can be traced to the dawn... Read More
From the Vault-a Chat with EIL, a Top Rare Record Dealer in the UK
I recently got the chance to talk with Robert Croydon, one of the founders of EIL-Esprit, a well known UK-based purveyor of rare records, memorabilia and older vinyl pressings that, while not necessarily “rare,” are often hard to come by in pristine condition. I thought readers might appreciate the insights of a long-established dealer: Q: You’ve been in business since 1987- that seems to coincide with the death of vinyl as a mainstream audio medium. Can you tell us a little about how the business started? And what was the core inventory at the outset? I... Read More
A Conversation with Olav Wyper – Creator of the Vertigo Swirl Records
Vertigo Records, in the era of the ‘Vertigo Swirl,’ is legendary- from its unique ‘swirl’ label, to its eclectic mix of artists, strong musical talent and extremely high production values, to the ‘art’ of the album jackets and the clever album packaging. My introduction to the label came late-this UK label carried the work of some famed artists, like Black Sabbath, but so many of its records- and some of the most desirable ones in my estimation, musically, were recorded by bands like Cressida, May Blitz, Patto, Affinity and Gracious, which are hardly household names. Even fewer... Read More
A Visit to the Library of Congress Audiovisual Preservation Facility
I’m listening to Les Paul in 1948. His tone is big, rich, and woody- with added percussive accents when he slaps the body of the guitar. What I’m hearing is vivid, real and alive- in a room thousands of miles and more than half a century away from the garage where these recordings were made. We sit in a studio that looks like a cross between an old time record mastering suite and something from the bridge of the Starship Enterprise. There is nobody else in the room but the preservation engineer. Nearby stands a library cart full of old discs, each one holding a single track, or... Read More
Entering the World of the Vertigo Swirl
I will be devoting some attention to the records released on this label during its heyday- starting in late 1969 and ending in 1973. Some are extremely expensive now owing to their rarity, but others can be had for a reasonable price if you are willing to do a little digging. Rather than start in sequence, with the first release, or pick a well-known record, it makes sense to take advantage of the Vertigo sampler that was released in 1970 as an introduction to the label. It contains a number of noteworthy tracks, including some that appear on the extremely collectible records; as this two... Read More
- « Previous Page
- 1
- …
- 5
- 6
- 7