Capitol Records begins 75th anniversary celebration: The event began what is billed as a yearlong celebratory event, which will include vinyl reissues of 75 albums, the release of a photo-and-essay book tracking the history of the record label, and the development of a documentary series featuring episodes directed by past and present Capitol Records artists. The vinyl reissue program will include 75 albums chosen by a panel of music journalists, authors and artists, with the albums representing a variety of eras and musical styles.
Retailers expect busier-than-usual holiday season: “Danbury is a retail hub for western Connecticut and eastern New York and we are thankful for the business we do get,” Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton said. “But don’t forget the small- and medium-sized stores. There are a lot of treasures to be found in those stores. So support those businesses as well as the big ones.” Retailers small and large throughout the region are bracing for the busiest shopping weekend of the year, which for many big-box stores starts on the evening of Thanksgiving. Black Friday is traditionally a big day for sales at the large, national chains. The next day is Small Business Saturday, an initiative started seven years ago by American Express, and that concept has caught on quickly.
Planet Retro re-opens today — here’s why and how the record store left Central Avenue: Planet Retro Records reopens on a new block today, and owner Rob Sexton took a second to reflect on the whirlwind he’s been through since his Central Avenue store was burglarized in August. “When [it] happened, that was pretty much the proverbial ‘nail in the coffin’ for that spot for me,” he told CL in a message. “It never felt right after that.” The new Planet Retro is at 226 Martin Luther King Jr. St. North. It will feature more than 1,500 square feet of retail space and a walls of guitars. And while we’ve all been around the area for Coney Island dogs and burgers, music fans now have a reason to stop into “The 200 Block.”
Small town vinyl record store opens, boasts collection of 100K albums: MONTAGUE, MI — Thousands of vintage records can be found at a new shop downtown Montague, including unique and expensive vinyl priced up to $500. The Groove Record Shop, 8747 Ferry St., boasts a collection of more than 100,000 records – and the owners aren’t sure exactly what’s in it yet. The most expensive album thus far is The Beatles Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club, priced at $500. Annie Mikaelsen, co-owner with her husband Joel Mikaelsen, is working everyday to sift through stacks of vinyl collected over the past two years. “I’m still sorting and cleaning and filing and pricing,” Annie said. “It’s a little wild, but it’s so much fun.”
Main Street Vinyl brings records to downtown Burlington: Josh Garrett was raised on listening to music on vinyl. At home, his father would always have a record on, playing classic rock from the 50s and 60s. “When I got older and settled down and got my own home, he passed me all his old records, and it led me to seek out my own,” Garrett said. Many years later, he decided to open up Main Street Vinyl in downtown Burlington on 321 S. Main St., showcasing his old collections as well as newer albums. Just like his father did, Garrett has a record playing constantly in Main Street Vinyl.
New Aberdeen record shop and cafe bar to open: A unique vinyl-only record shop and cafe bar is set to open in Aberdeen next month. Spin will sell original vinyl spanning every conceivable genre from indie rock to experimental free jazz. The ground floor of the shop, at 10 Littlejohn Street, will be a cafe-bar that will have 25 innovative listening posts for customers. Each post will be a vintage Dansette record player with boxes of seven inch singles available to spin on the turntables. Owner Jim Sandison insists Spin, which opens on Friday, December 1, will be a hub for music lovers.
Mitch Hedberg’s Entire Discography Reissued in Beautiful Vinyl Box Set: Hedberg released two albums during his lifetime, with a third coming out three years after his death. All are mandatory listening for comedy fans—and relistening, and listening again, and then relistening once more after that, in a cycle that you will probably never grow tired of. Hedberg’s jokes are so short, so punchy, so perfectly crafted and delivered that they feel more like favorite songs than stand-up comedy. And now, in a move that perfectly fits Hedberg’s stoner metal vibe (dude loved Monster Magnet), all three albums have been reissued on vinyl in a gorgeous box set from Comedy Central Records.
