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Vinyl collecting: What’s Old is New Again
By Jillianne Hamilton
(11/22/09)

Ken Fall has been collecting vinyl records for 30 years.

When he was in his early teens, Fall acquired his first record. It was New Day from Calgary rock band, The Stampeders. Since then, Fall’s collection has grown exponentially.
“I have about 4000 LPs in my collection,” he said.

Fall, a computer technician for the P.E.I. government, collects a lot of 1960s music and tends to gravitate towards psychedelic and garage rock.
“I’m always looking for originals from groups like Reign Ghost, Christmas, Amon Duul II, Can, Chocolate Watch Band, Marble Phrogg and other hard-to-find original releases,” he said.

Anyone new to record-collecting shouldn’t just buy any old record. Fall recommends looking for records that aren’t warped and don’t have any deep scratches. The jacket cover should also be in reasonable shape with no tearing or splits down the side, he said.
“I will sometimes buy very beat up LPs – if the price is right – as a filler until I hit a better copy.”

Charlottetown musician Pat Deighan said the condition of the sleeve will often reflect the condition of the record inside. But buying a well-used record for cheap is sometimes worth it, he said.
“There's nothing wrong with a two dollar record if you can still get some play out of it.”

Deighan, who works at Back Alley Music, said every new collector should start with five classic records.
“The White Album by The Beatles. Everyone has a favourite Beatles and this is mine,” he said. “If you can find it with the original posters then it's even better.”

Fleetwood Mac's Rumours is a big one, he added, and it’s usually easy to find. “Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon is another classic one to seek out. Any Led Zeppelin one through four or all of them if you happen to come across them used,” he said. “Big-time must haves.”

Rounding out the list is Bob Dylan’s Highway 61 Revisited.
“It’s one of my all-time favourites and a must-have for any collector starting out,” he added.

Some people collect stamps and coins. Deighan considers record-collecting a noble hobby, especially for anyone passionate about music.
“I just find if you are going to collect something and have it in your apartment or house, vinyl is just better to have around. I would rather have a large vinyl collection to flip through then a bunch of CDs any day,” he said. “Also, it comes down to packaging and artwork which always looks and feels better with vinyl.”

Besides Back Alley Music, Deighan recommends local vinyl collectors check out Green Man Vintage and Vinyl (Charlottetown), the North River flea market (Charlottetown), Spin It (Moncton), Backstreet Records (Fredericton and Saint John), Taz Records (Halifax) and Select Sounds (Bedford, N.S.).

(Photo by fensterbme.)

Related links:
+ Pat Deighan & the Orb Weavers (MySpace)
+ Back Alley Music
+ Green Man Vintage and Vinyl
+ Backstreet Records
+ Taz Records

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Jillianne Hamilton is a writer, blogger and a lover of indie music, funny movies, artsy things and the color red. She is studying Journalism at Holland College, had an internship at the Truro Daily News, is currently an intern at the Confederation Centre of the Arts. To contact Jill, visit her website.