Black & White & Mono

I need space and money so I have made a start by going through our record collection. Listening to some of this old music I find that my top musical era is about 1964 – 65. The Animals, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces: good old R & B before the druggy stuff started and all that dreary underground music. No wonder I got so excited about Punk when it came along. Luckily for moi, the current market seems to favour all the progressive bands whose records I never want to hear again, so no regrets.

When it comes to Should It Stay or Should It Go I’m finding that the records I really can’t bear to part with are the ones from my pre-teen years: Adam Faith of course, and Helen Shapiro, even Cliff, although I never liked him at the time because you were either for Cliff or for Adam and many hot arguments raged on the subject over the school dinner table.

I’m also concluding that for this old music you absolutely can’t beat vinyl. I’ve been testing out the records which are worth selling on an Achiphon record player. I remember cybersofa staggering up the hill from the market with this one day. He paid £25.00 for it: bargain! Playing old records on this is like having a first edition book in a dustwrapper rather than a later paperback reprint: you get the period feel and are closer to the performer/author.