Rome, IT | Pope slips out of Vatican to visit record shop, gets CD: Pope Francis grew up listening to the opera on the radio, is a fan of Argentine tango and thinks Mozart “lifts you to God.” But it still came as a something of a shock to see the 85-year-old pontiff coming out of a downtown Rome record shop late Tuesday with a CD in hand. He had made an unannounced visit that was caught on camera by a Vatican reporter who happened to be nearby. Javier Martinez-Brocal, director of the Rome Reports news agency, said he was in the neighborhood of Rome’s Pantheon when he noticed a white Fiat 500 with Vatican license plates and some police cars parked in front of the Stereosound shop. Francis had slipped inside and stayed for about 12 minutes, chatting with the owners, Martinez-Brocal reported. They then recounted what had transpired: It turns out the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was a customer during his visits to Rome, and had promised them he’d come visit when he met with them at the Vatican.
Wales, UK | The independent record shops in Wales enjoying the biggest vinyl sales in 30 years: Vinyl sales have seen a surge in sales with record shops all across the country booming with success. Vinyl record sales in 2021 leading into the new year have been the highest they’ve been in the past 30 years, with record shops across Wales all enjoying the demand. Despite issues with backlogs and delays, independent vinyl stores across the country have established themselves as ‘musical hubs’, with a resurgence of music enthusiasts opting into a hard copy version of their favourite tracks. According to new figures from the British Phonographic Industry (BPI), over five million LP vinyl records have been purchased in the past 12 months accounting for nearly a quarter of album purchases, its highest level since 1990. But like many other industries it has seen its fair share of challenges in a year plagued by shortages, as one independent record shop explained: “It’s gotten to the point where we’re a victim of our own success, there’s a lot of shortfalls just because pressing companies can’t match the overwhelming demand in the industry.”
Pittsburgh, PA | The Largest Record Store In Pittsburgh Has More Than Half A Million Albums: That old saying “everything old is new again” offers a pretty good reason to hang on to those items – from clothes to decor – that have gone out of style. After all, give it time, and everything pretty much comes back in style again. Like vinyl records. Once playing second fiddle to cassettes, CDS, and streaming, old-school records are making a comeback, and you’ll find no better or bigger selection than at the largest record store in Pittsburgh. Jerry’s Records on Murray Avenue in Squirrel Hill earns props as more than the largest record store in Pittsburgh. It, in fact, is known as the “world’s largest all-vinyl record store,” with an impressive selection of more than a half of a million records. You’ll want to carve out enough time to meander up and down the aisles that are jam-packed with vinyl records.
Ghost, Volbeat commemorate co-headlining tour with limited edition vinyl single: Seven inch will only be available at tour stops. Ghost and Volbeat are commemorating their monumental joint headlining tour to release a limited edition double A-side 7-inch vinyl featuring each of the band’s contributions to The Metallica Blacklist via Blackened Recordings. Ghost’s cover of “Enter Sandman” on Side G and Volbeat’s “Don’t Tread On Me” on Side V will be pressed on crystal clear vinyl and limited to only 3,000 units with 115 copies available at each tour stop on a first come, first served basis. There will be a limit of one per customer. All proceeds from the split 7-inch will be split evenly between The All Within My Hands Foundation and the charities of the artists’ choice: Camp Aranu’tiq (Ghost) and Børne Cancer Fonden (Volbeat).
Citrus City Records Champions a Diverse Cassette Underground: Thanks to a growing interest in physical media and an accompanying supply chain shortage holding up vinyl pressings, the cost-effective cassette is having a moment. But Manny Lemus, co-founder of Citrus City Records, has been a fan of the format for years. “When I was younger, my mom gave me some of her vinyl, but it was hard getting ahold of releases from bands I was actually into,” says Lemus, speaking from his Brooklyn home. “I started going to hardcore and DIY shows in high school, and took the occasional trip to D.C. to catch Wavves or Beach Fossils. The opening bands usually had cassettes for sale, and I was stoked by how they customized every tape differently. The J-cards would come with 6 or 7 folds of art. I’m really into collecting, so that uniqueness triggered my obsession with psychical media.”
Rare cassette tape of Prince’s ‘The Black Album’ goes up for auction: The LP was originally intended to be released in December 1987. A rare promo cassette tape of Prince‘s ‘The Black Album’ has gone up for auction. The LP was originally intended to be released in December 1987 but after the late icon became convinced that the album was “evil”, he ordered it to be withdrawn a week before its release date. All 500,000 copies of the record were recalled and destroyed – although it was eventually released in 1994. According to the listing, the cassette and album sleeve are promo copies which date back to 1987. The item is available for auction up until January 13. The highest current bid is $3,384 (£2,500). You can make a bid here. Five pristine vinyl copies of ‘The Black Album’ from the same era were previously discovered and three sold for up to $20,000 (£15,000) each. A further copy was later discovered in Canada.
Lake of the Ozarks, MO | Vintage Vinyl & Book Sale Coming This Weekend To Camden County Museum: Dust off the albums and head to the Camden County Museum this weekend for a weekend of fun, music, vintage books, movies, and other media. Vintage is key, although all eras will be represented in merchandise available. The Vintage Vinyl and Book Sale will be held at the Camden County Museum on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 14–15, 2022. The museum is located at 206 S. Locust, Linn Creek. The Camden County Museum itself is a treasure trove of a bygone era at Lake of the Ozarks. Many new visitors, often transplants from the city, came to the museum this year to discover the Lake area’s roots. Exhibits display items dating all the way back the Civil War and include some of the most famous events that the Lake area experienced in the 1950s and 60s. Perhaps that’s why the museum is such a fitting place for the display and sale of historical music albums this weekend.
Fife, UK | Man hopes to sell ‘world’s oldest football record’ to Rod Stewart: The recording of a Rangers v Celtic match from 1907 was purchased at an auction in Fife. A man is hoping to flog ‘the world’s oldest football record’ to Celtic-mad Rod Stewart – after picking up the grimy 10″ commentary of an Old Firm game for £6. The unusual vinyl record, ‘The Football Match (Rangers v. Celts)’ dates from 1907 and was bought in a job lot at auction in Auchtermuchty, Fife in December. It was released by the International Zonophone Company on 10″ shellac and features comedian Jock Whiteford, born in 1877, commentating in a deliberately sped up Scottish accent. Radio DJ Shane Quentin, 59, was hoping to pick up some vinyl to play on his radio show when he came across the record. He asked a friend who works for the BBC in London to use specialist equipment to clean it up, using an electron microscope. The recording captures fans cheering in the stands at Hampden, and the comic describing the pre-match atmosphere, as well as the moment before a missed goal.
