We’re No Heroes, The TVD First Date

“Growing up in a house where music was playing loudly from the time I’d wake to the evening where I’d be falling asleep to the sounds of my Dad’s records blaring and the constant voices of he and his friends pointing out their favorite parts to each song, threw me into an automatic love for music with no choices.”

“I never really paid attention to where the sounds were coming from—it all looked too complicated for me and I was never allowed to touch my Dad’s prized treasure trove of albums pressed from Trojan to Atlantic. It wasn’t until I was older that I began to appreciate the magnificence of how the full gatefold LP artwork folded out, in turn giving the tunes themselves color and life. You’d lie there listening while staring at the artwork, immersing yourself into the world from where the band rose out of the speakers.

The two albums I remember vividly were Hawkwind’s Space Ritual whose psychedelic sounds were something more than just music. It was a complete visual and sonic experience—each track sounding like another spaceship penetrating our atmosphere and taking off into the cosmic unknown…dark, cold, and harsh. The next was Led Zeppelin 4. Little needs to be said about this record for obvious reasons. Mystical and otherworldly, the word masterpiece actually applies to this album undisputed.

It wasn’t until years later I would encounter vinyl records again for—yes, I grew up in the digital age where CDs and MP3s ruled the way. I became slightly obsessed in fact. Inspired by my friend Ray and his deep love for wax, I compiled a wanted list of around 100 records on Discogs and set out on a pilgrimage to claim them all. Most being old ’70s funk LPs, it’s been a challenge but I stand about half way through to this day.

I even managed to find an original Hawkwind Space Ritual album that has its pricing sticker from the original release still attached. It was £3.10 back then.

Slightly cheaper than what I paid for it.”
—Luke Llewellyn, drums, vocals