Salt Lake City, UT | Randy Stinson, Owner of Randy’s Record Shop In Salt Lake City, Is Retiring: …In the 1980s, he feared he would have to close the store as CDs started being sold everywhere and interest in records waned. But, the store experienced a revival in the 2000s when vinyl records started making a comeback and has held steady since…He estimates that he has bought and sold about 500,000 records in his 40 years, but he’s held on to the first record he ever bought: Santo and Johnny’s 1959 recording of “Sleepwalk.” Stinson remains a steadfast believer in the beauty of a real vinyl record. He has 10,000 records in his garage and juke box filled with old rock n’ roll songs he grew up with. Jazz music is his current favorite. “The people who hate vinyl don’t understand it at all,” Stinson said. “First, you get to own something…”
Dublin, IE | The world’s best record shops #129: All-City Records, Dublin: Dublin’s All-City Records specialises in two of hip-hop’s five integral elements: DJing and graffiti. Opened in 2001, All-City is one of Dublin’s heritage hubs for underground street culture that resonates beyond club walls and dingy basements. “The shop is a meeting point for record enthusiasts, graffiti and street artists, promoters and DJs,” says Olan, who runs the store alongside Daire. “We try and organise as many events as we can, from in-stores to gigs. We recognise record shops can be intimidating places so we try and make it as open as possible. Mostly we just open the doors.” Boasting their own record label since 2003, All-City have grown into one of the most influential labels on these shores, releasing records from Onra, Folamour, Knxwledge, XXXY and Machinedrum. But given Dublin’s far-reaching underground influences, however, All-City is all things for all people.
Jersey, UK | Islanders hunt for top tunes at Jersey record fair: People in Jersey have the opportunity to hunt for rare and collectible vinyls this weekend at the annual record and CD fair held at St Peter’s Parish Hall. The fair was started in 2015 by vinyl fans Ollie Michael and John Dalton, who felt there was no similar event for people who enjoy record collecting in the island. Since then it has raised more than £3,000 for local charities. There is a £1.50 entrance fee which will go to this year’s chosen charity Jersey Hospice Care.
Janelle Monae on Lauryn Hill, vinyl and ‘Dirty Computer’ Monae spoke to The Associated Press as she was surrounded by music, literally – standing in the middle of Good Records NYC, the small, basement vinyl shop in Manhattan’s East Village. She walked around, looking at the various faces on the wall – some immediately recognizable, others not-so-much. “What I love about record stores is people’s (album) covers used to be so amazing, that you just discover an artist just based off their artwork on their covers and their faces,” she said. “Because a lot of these folks I’m looking at, I’ve never heard of and now I’m so interested to listen to all of their albums because of the incredible cover art they have.” “Dirty Computer,” Monae’s latest album, unfortunately isn’t available at the store: That’s because it sold out. “I can’t believe my vinyl sold out. Man, that’s amazing. I wanted to see it,” she said.
Jim Henson’s Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas Soundtrack Gets First Ever Release: The Paul Williams score comes with an unreleased track. The Jim Henson Company is releasing the soundtrack to the classic Jim Henson-directed 1977 holiday film Emmet Otter’s Jug-Band Christmas. Composed by Paul Williams, the soundtrack is out November 2. On Black Friday (November 23), it’ll be available on vinyl in select independent record stores. All versions of the soundtrack feature 15 tracks from the TV special, a previously unreleased song called “Born in a Trunk” that didn’t make it to air, extended liner notes featuring interviews with the film’s puppet performers, and more. On December 9, Williams will join the Jim Henson Legacy president Craig Shemin at the Museum of the Moving Image in Queens, New York for a discussion of the film called “An Afternoon with Paul Williams.”
