Bakersfield, CA | World Records: Where all sales are vinyl. It’s the jars of almond butter behind the counter. It’s the cardboard boxes, some opened, stacked into little towers between the aisles. It’s the Onkyo TX-903 Stereo Receiver, original to their first location in 1982, playing Rhonda Vincent in the background. And it’s Pat Evans, at the center sitting serene, latching onto his left shin when he talks, that gives his longtime shop World Records a bespoke quality rare among even the most intimate music outlets in California. His life’s work sits around him in sorted stacks: rows and rows of vinyl, from every genre — jazz, bluegrass, classical and alternative, to name a few. In total, Evans holds a cache of 85,000 records there, most of which are stored away in the basement. “My wife says we’re in the music peace corps,” Evans said. World Records’ story of origin is not a difficult one to find. It was founded by Evans and his friend turned business partner Scott Schwebel in June 1982, after a trip to the city’s five record stores proved lackluster.
Shepherds Bush, UK | Legendary Shepherds Bush reggae record shop and label gets new blue plaque: Iconic Shepherds Bush reggae label Greensleeves Records is set to be honoured with a blue plaque at the site of its former shop. Hammersmith & Fulham Council in conjunction with the Nubian Jak Community Trust (NJCT) will unveil the new blue plaque inside Shepherds Bush tube station on Saturday 1 July at 11am. Everyone is invited – the event is free. Live music and guest speakers will also perform, with former Greensleeves artist General Saint expected to attend. Cllr Sharon Holder, H&F Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said: “Greensleeves is one of those labels that define a genre – like Blue Note, Motown or Chess. It was an important part of Shepherds Bush’s musical history and contributed a huge amount to the popular culture of west London during reggae’s brightest period. “We’re blessed that so many labels and shops called H&F home – such as Peckings, Island and Trojan records—while helping to advance the music of Black artists from both Jamaica and wider afield.”
Wrexham, UK | Phase One Records team enjoy ‘amazing day’ at fair: The team behind a once hugely popular vinyl record store in Wrexham enjoyed an ‘amazing day’ as they brought it back to life over the weekend. Phase One Records was based on King Street in Wrexham for over 20 years before closing in 2005. Established in 1982, the business was run by a group of friends and passionate music fans; Mike Scott, Alan Hughes, Dave Cole and the late Colin Huxley. Over the weekend, Mike, Alan and Dave teamed up to bring the business ‘full circle’ as they hosted a vinyl record fair. Dubbed ‘The Last Phase’, the event was held at the Bridge End Pub in Ruabon on Saturday (June 24) and was a celebration of the vinyl record industry. Mike hailed the event as an ‘amazing day’, adding that there was a ‘lot of love’ shown for the Phase One Records business.
Lancaster, PA | Local vinyl record and memorabilia expert to appear on MeTV’s ‘Collector’s Call’ this week: Thomas Grosh has spent a lifetime building his reputation as an authority on vinyl records from his Lancaster County base. Now, with his appearance on this Sunday’s edition of MeTV’s “Collector’s Call,” he’ll get a nationwide audience. Grosh got the call from his friend and fellow collector, Larry Leibowitz, whom the show picked to highlight his vast collection of Rolling Stones memorabilia. Since 2019, “Collector’s Call” has showcased a variety of pop culture collectors with “The Facts of Life” star Lisa Whelchel serving as host. At show’s end, the collector and expert attempt to make a trade, with it being the “collector’s call” if the trade goes through or not. When the details of the taping were confirmed by show producers last year, Leibowitz made the call to Grosh, who has been in the business of buying, selling and collecting records and related memorabilia from around the world for over 50 years.
IN | When India made vinyl – the pressing plants of HMV and Polydor: By the beginning of the 1930s, there had been great development in recording technology. Crude mechanical processes gave way to new high-fidelity electrical recordings facilitated by vacuum tubes and magnetic tape. The 78 rpm shellac record however, had serious limitations both in terms of the fidelity and length of recordings. Less than 5 minutes playtime per side of a 78 proved to be problematic both for Indian and Western classical music, and the record companies found themselves under pressure for longer uninterrupted playback. By the mid ‘30s, the American record bigwigs RCA Victor and Columbia Records were both independently developing an upgraded record format. However, the coming of World War II put work on hold. Ultimately, it was Columbia (By now a part of the EMI group which included the Gramophone Company and HMV) who launched the first modern vinyl records in 1948 with the 12” “micro-groove” LP format.
Polyend Records to release vinyl records of music made with Polyend gear: The new record label hopes to showcase the capabilities of Polyend gear. Polyend Records has announced that it will be releasing vinyl records of music made with Polyend gear. In a post to Instagram, the electronic instrument and controller manufacturer reveals its plans to branch out into the world of record labels. “We are excited to announce the launch of Polyend Records,” the company says. “Our own music label, where you can now get your hands on vinyl albums made on Polyend gear! “At our core, we are music lovers first and foremost,” it continued. “We want to share and support the musicians that inspire us. With Polyend Records, our mission is to take you on a journey discovering and exploring vinyl records from artists we wholeheartedly support.” “Currently, we have a small collection of albums that were offered with the limited Tracker Artist Editions as well as new releases from Qebo and Isobutane.”
More Mondo Departures as Vinyl Leadership Exits: Austin-based soundtrack label sees more changes under Funko. Three months ago, there was uproar in the collectible print scene when Funko announced it was firing the poster division leadership of Austin-based Mondo. Now the axe has reached the vinyl records team. This morning, Creative Director Spencer Hickman, Record Label Manager Mo Shafeek, and Music Label Manager Shannon Smith announced that they were leaving the company they turned into a powerhouse boutique label and a champion of high-quality soundtrack releases. The joint statement was Tweeted on their own private accounts as well as the official Mondo account: “July marks our final run at Mondo & Death Waltz Records. We’ve made the difficult decision to say goodbye to this thing we created and try something new…”
ABC’s The Lexicon of Love on SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio: No. 12 in the SDE Surround Series. ABC‘s 1982 album The Lexicon of Love is to be reissued (belatedly) for its 40th anniversary and fans will be able to buy special vinyl editions and an SDE-exclusive blu-ray audio, No. 12 in the ongoing SDE Surround Series. The band’s timeless debut is, undeniably, their defining album; it reached number one in the UK album charts and delivered three UK top 10 hit singles: ‘Poison Arrow’, ‘The Look of Love” and ‘All of My Heart’ with first single – the original version of ‘Tears Are Not Enough’ – breaching the top 20 in late 1981. …The Lexicon of Love sounds fantastic, thanks to the impeccable credentials of the ‘backroom’ team; it was produced by Trevor Horn, engineered by Gary Langan, with keyboards and orchestration by Anne Dudley. J.J. Jeczalik contributed some programming and Fairlight and Luis Jardim offered additional percussion. These names would go on to shape some of the best-sounding albums of the 1980s.
