16 Apr, 2012 Record Store Day
Both Charlie Burchill and myself will attend a record signing on 21st April at Sister Ray Records in Soho London as part of the ‘Record Store Day’ event.
To coincide with this year’s ‘Record Store Day’, Simple Minds will also release a very special Limited Edition 12″ Vinyl with 2 completely new remixes on it – ‘Theme for Great Cities’ remixed by MOBY and the John Leckie 2012 mix of ‘I Travel’.
More info on the record signing
Of course the very nature of the event has me in advance reminiscing over what was my very own favourite record store, particularly in those teenage years when I was discovering not only music, but what it meant to me, and furthermore; why it was so vitally important.
For the record then, (pun obviously intended) the former Listen Records in Cambridge Street in Glasgow will always be my favourite record shop and nothing will erase the memories and sensations experienced as I frequently skipped school to spend hour upon hour going through racks of records; back in the day when vinyl indeed was king. And what sound judgement that was on my part, after all what good would learning Latin do; when just like Ian Hunter of Mott The Hoople, I also knew that I wanted to try living my life not as a lawyer, but as a ‘Rock n’ Roll Star.’ (Sic!)
Alladin Sane, Transformer, Foxtrot, Human Menagerie, Pawn Hearts, White Light/White Heat, Born To Run, For Your Pleasure, Here Come The Warm Jets, are just some of the many purchases I made in that paradise of music; where the staff was anything but warm and friendly. Try otherwordly and deadly cool; just like much of the music they sold in fact.
Of course if there was anything more exciting to me than coming across great record shops, it was probably the first few times I saw Simple Minds records in the windows of those very same shops. I cannot put into words how that felt. Or I could actually, but that is a whole other story.
Jim Kerr