“I grew up in the noughties when everything was on CD. I had a Walkman and a ghetto blaster for playing my Pop Party compilations, but I’d also listen to classic vinyl albums on the family record player. They may have been alphabetical once, but years of browsing and shuffling through the LP boxes leaves a mash-up of punk, rock, reggae, and unapologetic pop. My parents’ 45s collection is like a walk through their youth with coloured vinyl—Echo and The Bunnymen, The Clash, Bob Marley, and Kate Bush.”
“My first memories of listening to vinyl are from when I was a kid—I loved The Supremes and I’d always ask my parents to put on their album so I could dance around the living room to it with my sister. I gained more interest in vinyl as a tween when I came across Queen’s album Jazz, which my mum had bought in her teenage years. I knew “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the time but that was about it. I put the album on and loved the anthemic and catchy sound of the songs.
I discovered David Bowie around the same time. My Dad has a massive collection of his albums—I’d listen to Scary Monsters, Ziggy Stardust, and The Man Who Sold the World. My favourite song was “Space Oddity” though. I enjoyed the storytelling aspect of it and the atmospheric sound. I also loved the record player itself and the ritual of opening it up, putting the record in, and getting the needle in the right place. I enjoyed the interactive experience of it—it made me feel more involved and made me listen to the music more closely.
A record that is really special to me is one I inherited from my Gran. She was a big Frank Sinatra fan and when Sid Vicious came out with his cover of “My Way,” my Dad had played it to her, expecting her to hate it, but she actually loved it and asked him to buy her a copy. It was the song that got played at her funeral and I listened to the record a lot for a while after. I then started listening to some of my Dad’s other punk albums, including the Buzzcocks’ Love Bites and of course Never Mind the Bollocks.
My parents also own all of The Smiths’ albums, which I started listening to a few years back. I first heard “Asleep” when I saw the film The Perks of Being a Wallflower and it quickly became my favourite song. This led me to start listening to their records, particularly Hatful of Hollow. I really like the juxtaposition of the melancholy lyrics and the catchy music. Another band I’ve been listening to more recently on vinyl is The Smashing Pumpkins. I love their album Siamese Dream with the heavy guitar backing emotional songs with memorable melodies.
Finally, after twenty years of listening to records, I have bought my first vinyl—the limited edition copy of My Chemical Romance’s first album I Brought You My Bullets, You Brought Me Your Love. It’s an album that I’ve owned for years on CD but since buying the vinyl I’ve been paying more attention to the music and rediscovering just how much I love the songs. I think it’s great that vinyl is becoming popular again and I look forward to buying more records in the future.”
—Freja
Freja’s “Ghosts” EP is out now via ShimmerSun Music.
Freja Facebook | Twitter
