In rotation: 1/21/25

Boise, ID | Lifetime of Vinyl: 35-year story of the general manager of The Record Exchange: He tried to stay away from the Boise music scene, but sometimes the best careers aren’t planned. John O’Neil celebrated 35 years at The Record Exchange this week. For some, music is more than a career, it’s a calling. “I lasted 35 years in this business, at this store, by just showing up every day,” John O’Neill said, surrounded by thousands of vinyl records in downtown Boise’s longest-running record store. O’Neil celebrated 35 years at The Record Exchange this week. He’s been in the general manager role for over two decades. …Growing up in a music-filled household, O’Neill found himself drawn to his siblings’ record collections, though he admits with a laugh that he “listened to and ruined them all.” “It’s just been, I hesitate to say, an obsession, but it’s been a focus of me,” he told KTVB.

Sheffield, UK | 5 things you only know if…you’re a record store owner. It’s a Labour of Love: Owning a record shop is a passion. It’s not something where, unless you’re Richard Branson, you’re going to be buying yourself a tropical island anytime soon. You go through ups and downs, but you keep moving forward. For us, it’s not about making millions—it’s about being part of something special and finding the right balance to keep it going. Not All Vinyl is Created Equal: People come in with Elvis records thinking they’re worth a fortune, but most aren’t—unless it’s something really rare, like a first pressing of his debut album. There’s this perception that big names are always valuable, but that’s not how it works. Often, it’s the obscure artists no one has heard of that hold the real gems. I remember once we bought a collection and later discovered a rare 1969 album by a band called July. That was an amazing find. A Life in Vinyl is a Life on Display: When we look at someone’s collection, you can see their whole life in it. It’s fascinating.

El Cerrito, CA | Down Home Music, storied East Bay music store, gets reprieve: Fans of Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, the Beatles, early rock, jazz, gospel and bluegrass can breathe a sigh of relief – a 48-year-old El Cerrito music store now expects to be able to buy the building where it is housed. Down Home Music shares a building with two other nonprofits focused on American roots music, Les Blank Films and The Arhoolie Foundation. The building went up for sale in October and the three nonprofits feared they might lose the space they’ve occupied for so long. Happily, “We’ve got great news,” Harrod Blank, the president of the film company founded by his late father in the 1970s, announced on the group’s GoFundMe page. …While Blank and his fellow nonprofits still have to come up with about $2.4 million, according to Blank, they are optimistic they will be able to do so.

Dallas, TX | Record Store Red Zeppelin’s Grand Reopening Party Will Have Live Music, Discounts, Prizes: Just weeks after being forced to move from its old location, the McKinney record store is reopening this weekend (1/18). From the day Red Zeppelin Records opened its doors on the Downtown McKinney Square, it immediately felt like a town fixture. As the sister store to vintage boutique The Groovy Coop, the offbeat record store fit in perfectly with the affably artsy aesthetic that Downtown McKinney has long offered. This was no surprise to owner Katie Scott, who fulfilled her dream of owning a record store when she opened the shop in August 2020. It’s been a strong four years since then, as the store has cemented its place as an inevitable check on DFW music fans’ to-go list with its premium selection of records and underrated late-night live music scene. In December 2024, it looked like its place in the community might be in jeopardy. In a video posted to Instagram and TikTok, Scott said that the store would be forced to move out of its location at 206 E. Louisiana St. by the end of the month.

Plymouth, MI | Thousands of vinyl records, collectibles available at 88.1 the Park event: Thousands of vinyl records, CD’s, import only releases, t-shirts, posters, and other collectibles will be on display with the return of the 16th annual 88.1 Record Show on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025. The show is sponsored by Red Ryder Lounge in Plymouth. The show will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Salem High School Cafeteria, and proceeds will benefit the nationally-recognized student radio station operated by Plymouth-Canton Community Schools. Attendees will enjoy special giveaways and door prizes in addition to a wide variety of vendors. 88.1 the Park expects to build on the success of last year’s show, which had over 650 people attend. Much of the success of the show can be tied to the resurgence of interest in vinyl records. “We strive to make the record show an experience for music fans of all ages to enjoy.

The Pogues Reissue The Pogues’ The Rest of the Best on Limited Edition Transparent Green Vinyl: Originally released in 1992, The Pogues’ The Rest of the Best was a follow up of their Best Of compilation released just a year prior. Celebrating the band’s iconic legacy, it’s to be reissued on limited edition transparent green vinyl. This comprehensive collection includes fan favorites “If I Should Fall from Grace with God,” “Boys from the County Hell,” “Dark Streets of London” and their cover of “Honky Tonk Women.” Last month, The Pogues headlined 3Arena in Dublin with a special Red Roses for Me anniversary show. Curated by Spider Stacy, the band invited a host of guests to join them on stage to perform their debut album in full. Guests included members from Fontaines DC, Lankum, Nadine Shah and many more.

‘The Great Kai And J.J.’: The Landmark Album That Launched Impulse! Records. The 1961 collaboration by two trombone masters was the iconic jazz label’s maiden release. Names like John Coltrane, Albert Ayler, and Pharoah Sanders usually spring to mind when people think of the iconic jazz label Impulse! Records. Regarded as the label’s saxophone-playing Holy Trinity, those three musical pathfinders embodied Impulse!’s “The New Wave In Jazz” motto. But it wasn’t always like this. Founded by Creed Taylor in 1960 as the jazz imprint of the well-heeled major pop label, ABC/Paramount, Impulse! launched in January 1961 with four album releases. The first was The Great Kai And J.J. by trombonists Kai Winding and J.J. Johnson, a cache of perfectly executed straight-ahead jazz whose polite vibe was closer to easy listening than the avant-garde. Given their backgrounds, Winding and Johnson were unlikely musical bedfellows.

David Bowie’s Young Americans to be reissued on vinyl and picture disc for 50th anniversary: David Bowie’s ninth studio album, Young Americans, is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, and the milestone will be marked with the release of a new reissue. The album will be released as a limited-edition half-speed mastered LP, as well as on picture disc that comes with a poster. Both will be released March 7, which is 50 years to the day of the album’s original 1975 release. Both versions are available for preorder now. Young Americans, the follow-up to 1974’s Diamond Dogs, was considered a departure from Bowie’s glam-rock style, focusing more on soul and R&B influences. The album, which featured backing vocals by a then-unknown singer named Luther Vandross, debuted in the Billboard 200 top 10 in the U.S. and remained on the chart for 51 weeks. It also featured Bowie’s first #1 single, “Fame.”

The Super Mario World Soundtrack Is Being Reissued On Vinyl In Japan: Warner Music Japan has announced that it will be reissuing Super Mario World’s soundtrack on vinyl in Japan later this year, on April 30th, 2025 (as spotted by TheOngaku!) Super Mario World originally came out for the Super Famicom back in November 1990 as a launch title for the console, with the soundtrack landing shortly after, in February 1991, on a 2-disc CD. This contained music and sound effects from Super Mario World as well as compositions from earlier entries in the series too, like Super Mario Bros 1-3. According to Tower Records, the new release will feature 179 tracks in total, with the first disc being dedicated to jazz arrangements of Koji Kondo’s most famous tracks. These were first produced by the Dragon Quest composer Koichi Sugiyama, and Japanese Jazz legend Sadao Watanabe back in the early ’90s, and were performed by the Mario Club Band.

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