music | Wait until next year

I miss record shops. I remember many happy Saturday afternoons working my way through all the local places, trawling their bargain bins and hoping something wonderful would appear. Now and then I’d make my way up town and work my way along Berwick Street’s record shops before taking on the giant Tower Records and HMV.

Obviously record shops still exist, it’s just there are far fewer of them. So when I have the opportunity to root through some records and CDs, I take it. Ace Records’ pop-up shop at Chalk Farm offered one of those opportunities. As part of their 50th birthday celebrations they have taken over an empty shop for a few days and filled it with much of their extensive back catalogue, predominantly of reissues of rare and previously unheralded tracks, along with some real rarities from their collection, including test pressings, along with some fun merchandise. There was loads of great stuff, and all reasonably priced too.

As much as it would be great to have a permanent physical home for Ace Records, a pop-up is a pretty good second best. I think it is something plenty of other labels could try. Last year Numero Group had a similar pop-up shop in London that was brilliant. There’s something quite special about being able to immerse yourself in a label’s back catalogue for a while.

Ace Records poster on a wall, and beyond it boxes of CDs on a table, with records and a tote bag hung on the wall behind that table

I particularly enjoyed overhearing the conversations between staff and customers. I think I know a fair bit about music, but I was in the presence of people who have forgotten more than I have ever known, who were clearly enjoying finding a venue where they could actually use their esoteric knowledge in a social setting. Funny how in just a few minutes you can hear about obscure old producers, the best record cutting services, upcoming gigs and major beefs amongst record collectors (something I didn’t even realise was a thing!). Record shop spaces can feel intimidating sometimes, but they can also be fascinating and very funny, intentionally or not.

On my way back I thought about what I see as The Collector Impulse – an impression that some people gain more fun in collecting (and hoarding) than in the actual thing itself. The thrill is in the chase beyond anything else. I see it sometimes in those people snapping up rare beer releases, or seeing how many football grounds they can visit, or…collecting rare records.

And then I thought how Ace Records, as a reissue label, is the antithesis of that impulse – they haven’t just collected, they have shared – and there is so much more wonderful music out there and easy to access because of their work. These songs aren’t lost, or lingering in a handful of private collections, but are back out there in the world enjoying a second life. It is a democratisation of music, bringing it to everyone, not just those with the time and budget to uncover lost classics. And that’s a very, very good thing.

The pop-up shop is open until Sunday, at 1 Adelaide Road, NW3 3QE, across the road from Chalk Farm tube station.

Exterior of shop with Ace Records banner hung from top, with Ace 50th Anniversary sign in the window.

June 14, 2013

The Future of Rock and Roll

I’m not entirely sure that I’m best placed to write about the future of rock and roll. I might seem qualified. I’ve listened to a hell of a lot of music in my time. I’ve read a lot about music too. I think I have a pretty good understanding of rock and roll history and what makes a great band. Yet I’m not really the right demographic anymore. Rock and roll is music for the young, right? Read the rest of this entry »

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May 8, 2013

It shouldn’t matter to you

Razzmatazz is the great forgotten Pulp single. I remember picking up the 12″ single in a bargain bin of a local record shop, the kind of record shop that doesn’t exist anymore. It wasn’t particularly fancy, was geared more to mainstream stuff and that appeared to be what it sold. So, if you liked a more obscure song, it paid to wait a few weeks and then sift through the bargain bin. It was a good and cheap way of discovering new bands, or at least hearing bands I’d read about but couldn’t hear on the radio. Read the rest of this entry »

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February 10, 2012

The Jazz Scene

After a bit of a surge in visitors to the site in the past couple of days I figured I’d scare them off with my real speciality, the filler post. Ah, but what filler today. I thought I’d highlight this collection of photos from William P. Gottlieb, taken in the 1930s and 40s, documenting the great and the good of the jazz world. There appears to be approximately one billion photos in the set, and they are all now in the public domain, so lazy bloggers such as me can use them to embellish their sites and write puff pieces like this. Read the rest of this entry »

December 9, 2009

John Lennon’s death, 29 years on

Steven’s post reminded me that today/yesterday is/was the 29^th anniversary of John Lennon’s death.

I was but a baby when Lennon was killed, and so I can’t offer any memories on that day. However, that does mean I was born during a period where the Beatles permeated everything. Parents and teachers were fans, and so the music was there at home (via the records) and at school (where Beatles songs were a handy resource for trendier music teachers). There was no escape, not that I was looking for one.

And as I grew older, the Beatles were a constant reference point, as most bands I cared about would mention them. Without the Beatles, popular music wouldn’t have progressed as it did. That’s not hyperbole, that’s fact. Even if I had doubts over some of their work, I had to respect their influence, and certainly loved many of their songs.

This year, through the remastered versions, I’ve continued my Beatles odyssey and especially loved all the non-hits. Maybe the one problem with the Beatles is their ubiquity. Nothing sounds new if you’ve grown up with the songs. So, to hear the lesser-known album tracks has been wonderful, and the closest I’ll come to experiencing the thrill there must have been in the 60s listening to a new Beatles track for the first time.

Lennon’s death was obviously tragic. One strange side-effect for me is that the complexity of his character has, by many, been glossed over, in favour of some sort of martyrdom, as has happened for many rock/pop stars who died before their time. I think this does the man a disservice.

Someone so caustic and witty shouldn’t be beyond criticism and proper analysis, as some sort of ‘Saint John’. Hopefully I’m not just setting up a straw man argument here, and certainly don’t intend to be inflammatory on this anniversary. But, while he played a part in some of the greatest music of the twentieth century, there is more to him than that. Acknowledging lesser examples of his work and other aspects of his character are just as important to understanding the genius he had.

But, first and foremost, boy, could he write a tune. And listening to ‘Twist and Shout’ he couldn’t half belt out someone else’s tune too.