“I got into records when I was tiny. As kids, we were taught to revere the records and treat them delicately. I’d dig into my dad’s macho collection and roll around on the rug to “Suite Judy Blue Eyes” by Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, or “25 or 6 2 4″ by Chicago. I’d try to follow the vocal melodies on the piano, and strum along on the badminton racquet.”
“But the one platter I kept coming back to was my Mom’s prized double album, The Best of The Carpenters. That thick-textured matte paper with the embossed logo in gold, that deep brown, gross ’70s dentist’s office palate. Funny… looking back, I firmly believe The Carpenters are darker than any self-proclaimed metal or goth bands today… so, unknowingly, my mom was fitting my brain with training wheels for teenage Joy Division and Cure fanaticism.
My collection has grown through the years… live albums, picture discs, bootlegs, imports, etc. I’d buy anything by U2, The Cure, Love and Rockets, The Smiths, Stone Roses, Catherine Wheel, Bauhaus, Pixies, The Cult. EVERYTHING on Factory Records… EVERYTHING on 4AD Records and Creation Records.
My most coveted are my blue RIDE/Slowdive split 7”, or the 1989 UK limited edition 2-track 7″ of The Cure “Lovesong” with linen painting, or the A-ha “Take On Me” single with full comic book. (The most embarrassing record I own is probably the Fat Boys or Twisted Sister Stay Hungry.)
THREE THINGS I LOVE ABOUT VINYL
THE RITUAL | The smell of the record store. The dickhead owner and the dreamy, over-pierced shop girl. The thrill in finding an import you’ve never seen before with an unknown b-side. Overpaying for it. Opening it… feeling the weight… dorking out. Listening to it while pouring over the artwork… reading every single line of lyrics and credits and Thank You’s and legal info printed on the sleeves… finding the perfect spot for it on your shelf.
THE HIDDEN SHIT | Some people don’t realize that certain bands and labels sometimes carve little messages into the matrix (or run off groove) close to the center label. They’re words or phrases or whatever, etched into the mold by hand… only visible when you look super close and angle it toward the light. The Smiths were the kings of this! Funny things like “Kiss my shades” on the “Hand In Glove” single, or “We hates bad grammar” on the “William, It Was Really Nothing” single.
WHAT IT SAYS ABOUT YOU | Fuck what kind of car you have, how much you have in the bank, your nationality, or what cult your parents escaped from. There is no greater indication of someone’s true personality than what books they read and what albums they listen to.
You can save a lot of time and money by just making a dating website that ONLY lists people’s favorite music. It conveys your taste, intelligence, personal evolution, humor, depth, and all the things that really matter when you judge whether or not to befriend and/or sleep with someone.
The eyes are not the window to the soul. Your vinyl collection is.”
—Mat Devine
Wrongchilde’s full length release, Gold Blooded arrives in stores August 19.
