This week saw the launch of the first ever UK Vinyl Chart as sales are increasingly on the rise, as we keep hearing, currently at a 20 year high !
This is great news for many of our producer friends and those with interests in physical stores selling the good stuff.
It’s been at least 10 years, at a guess, since I bought any vinyl (maybe there is the odd exception but I’m struggling to think of one) and I have no plans or desires to buy any in the future, no matter how good a track or album may be.
I have fond memories of Saturday mornings in Birmingham city centre in the HMV when it used to stock great music, I was buying vinyl when I was 10, as I’m sure many were.
I also used to buy albums and 7″s from the local market on Castle Vale. My dad was the proud owner of every UB40 track ever produced on vinyl up to one point and I’ve had my own record label as well as, of course, releasing scores of my own tracks and remixes on some of the world’s biggest labels. I’m over it though, as I’ve clearly documented in recent times.
I get annoyed when I see audiophiles getting all cocksure with the arguments about WAV vs MP3 then plug their laptop into the mixer and play WAVS all night long. I also get slightly annoyed when I read of “vinyl-only” releases as some badge of honour with the cool brigade. Obviously that’s a very harsh generalisation as I have some very good friends who practise this but I’m sure you know where I’m coming from. Some people are just too anal for their own good.
Anyway.. I lost direction.
The whole point of this post was to congratulate Farley & Heller on being the first ever Vinyl UK Number 1 and what a fitting tribute, a year after his death, that their cover of Frankie Knuckles’ “Baby Wants to Ride” is the track.