A musical journey in the grooves of a 33rpm...
National Album Day slipped quietly across our radar last week. I no longer own any vinyl or a turntable, but, at one stage, records consumed a huge part of my life. My musical youth could be found in the grooves of 33rpms, and double album with magnificent gatefold sleeves. National Album Day sparked memories of my own journey from Music For Pleasure sound-a-like albums and K-Tel compilations to the era of punk and onwards. Like many kids I started out buying records in Woolies. If I remember correctly the store on Princes Street - now that grim, soulless Apple store - had albums and pick & mix pretty close to each other. It knew its market ... Back in the 70s, all the songs you heard came via Top Of The Pops and the Sunday chart show on Radio1, so my first purchases were those terrible MFP albums where session musicians drained the life out of the latest hits - Bowie's Laughing Gnome and Mungo Jerry’s In The Summertime were probably among the first. I suspect the Music For Pl...