I will admit that I was stupid for starting a record-collecting habit. I knew better and I could see where it was going to lead me. CDs made complete sense but records just didn’t. My very first purchase was in 2012, when I grabbed Big Boi’s “Sir Lucious Left Foot” on vinyl, because it looked so damn fly.
After that I kept picking up Grime releases, since quite a few instrumentals releases were getting pressed up those days. Then I started to actively hunt for gems at boot sales – coming across the odd bit of Reggae and ‘80s R&B here and there.
What changed was when I started Freecycling. As with my books, this game me the chance to get my hands on all sorts of music that I wouldn’t ordinarily choose to buy, but would look nice in a collection.
I can store them fine, but I haven’t got anywhere to show them off at the moment, and that’s the only reason why I should have them in the first place. It’s not as if I’m going to play them. As things stand, the collection is too random to be proud of. There are a few great things, but nothing cohesive.
I’ve got lots of welcome singles/EPs:
- Shabba Ranks – “Slow & Sexy”
- The Cool Kids – “Black Mags”
- Darq E Freaker – “Cherryade”
- R. Kelly & Public Announcement – “She’s Got That Vibe” (signed!)
- Tyrese – “Nobody Else”
- Scare Dem Crew – “Dis Scare Dem”
- T.I. – “Hurt”
And albums:
- Buju Banton – “Mr Mention”
- Dr Dre – “The Chronic”
- Bobby Brown – “Don’t Be Cruel”
- Wiley – “Playtime is Over”
But then I’ve somehow got things like:
- Bill Hailey & His Comets – “Rock Around the Clock”
- Lil’ Ru – “Don’t I Look Good”
- Jackie Wilson – “Reet Petite”
- Simon & Garfunkel – “Bridge Over Troubled Water”
I haven’t added to my vinyl collection since 2015, because I know that I either need to go hard or just not go there at all.
So these are the options:
- Save the collection I have, and add to it when I’m rich
- Choose 20 I need, get them and call it quits
- Get rid of the lot and invest in CDs
I’ve got a feeling it’s going to end up being a combination of the lot of them.