“I can’t remember life without vinyl. It never happened, from the early days of playing Robin Hood on an HMV multicoloured 45, to digging out Spike Jones and Tennessee Ernie Ford 78s in my parents’ record collection, to having some of the Thunderbirds’ EPs on the Century 21 label.”
“My first foray into owning a record must have been when I was about 4 years old and a trip to the record store next to Burnt Oak station was in order. I remember there was a section of EPs in the shop, probably around 1966—I wanted to get ‘Tie Me Kangaroo Down Sport’ by Rolf Harris, a favourite of mine at that time. I had no idea how old the record was and it was deleted by then, so I had to plum for something else. Having seen The Monkees TV show, I chose ‘I’m A Believer’ backed with ‘I’m Not Your Stepping Stone,’ a fantastic twin spin.
There was no going back. Jumble sales were a great source of 45s: I remember finding ‘Rock A Hula Baby’ by Elvis, ‘Pink Shoelaces’ by Dodie Stevens, ‘Ruby Ann’ by Marty Robbins. Around this time I took a string of 45s from the jumble sale down to the record stall in Burnt Oak Market. The bloke was very generous and gave me a small fortune for the 30 or so 45s; there must have been something good in there. I didn’t quite understand at the time that some were rarer and more desirable than others.
The album was still some time away, and after being bitten by the bug that was T.Rex, I needed to own ‘Ride A White Swan.’ This time the shopping trip was to the Co-Op in Burnt Oak; the basement had a good record selection. Again of course, the record was deleted. Armed with the pound note that my lovely Uncle Joe Barnes had given me, the knowledgable assistant offered me the ‘Music For Pleasure’ album by T.Rex. Not only was I the owner of the illusive track, but for 99p there was a host of songs I had never heard, with titles like ‘Cat Black’ and ‘Elemental Child,’ and the bizarre sounding ‘Strange Orchestras.’
Of course I was smitten, and then became the quest for the long player, usually purchased around my birthday in May and Christmas time. I ordered Electric Warrior from W.H.Smiths in Edgware; they had a fine record selection in the back of the store. It took what seemed like weeks until it arrived. I would go in every Saturday with no joy until one day the assistant saw me enter the shop and held the record aloft. I think he was as relieved as me.
Those magical albums I collected back then still have a special place in my heart. Electric Warrior by T.Rex, School’s Out by Alice Cooper (with a free pair of paper panties), Ooh La La by the Faces, Sticky Fingers by the Rolling Stones. Then on through my discovery of Chuck Berry’s 20 Greatest Hits, onto punk rock with The Scream by Siouxsie and the Banshees and the Sex Pistols’ Nevermind The Bollocks. Up through to Rockabilly, with the countless and seemingly never-ending series of fantastic Rockabilly compilations (MCA Rare Rockabilly and Mercury Rockabillies deserving special mentions). I couldn’t wait to have my own 45 of me playing, and this happened eventually in 1979 with the release of ‘Rockabilly Guy’ / ‘Chicken Shack’ on Nervous Records. I was still at school at the time and used to sell them to my mates in the common room. You’re never alone with a piece of vinyl!
Today I travel the world using The Vinyl District’s app. I buy interesting records from all over for my own vinyl shop in Camden (London), Vinyl Boutique Record Store in the basement of 88 Parkway.
(It’s in the TVD app!)”
—Boz Boorer
Boz Boorer’s Age of Boom arrives in stores on September 23, 2016 via Fabrique Records—on vinyl.
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PHOTO: GERHARD KREJCI
