Plastic Fantastic
What was the first record you ever went out and bought for yourself? It’s a question that always bounces around after a few beers when the tunes are on, and one I suspect doesn’t always get an honest answer.
I would love to tell you that the first time I raided the piggy bank I went out and came back with a copy of God Save The Queen by the Pistols or The Passenger by Iggy Pop, but my early foray into a world that would one day be a major piece of my life was a copy of Part Time Love by Elton John. Not that there is anything wrong with our Elton, although he’s not my taste as I’ve got older you can’t knock him or his career - but it possibly wasn’t, well, the coolest record I could have come home with.
You see, not for the first time, I had let my family down. A brother nearly 20 years older had left me a great aural education in the shape of all his singles when he finally moved out. Sadly, bar a couple, all the decent albums went along with him, the tight swine!
As a result of that, and also an old school radiogram- you may remember they had the multi single automatic changer that played seven singles one after the other, I could also tell you the B side of every Beatles, Who, Kinks and Small Faces single, and much to the amazement of fellow drinkers, I still can. You watch me clear a bar- I'm in a different class! I should have been out buying The Jam or The Vapours, but for my maiden voyage it was Sir Elton.
My first credible purchase helped shape my life in more ways than one. Paul Weller seemed to say in a song what a generation was thinking, and the release of the seminal All Mod Cons albums had me finally sold and moved away from a world of diamante and sequins forever. Although as I have got older, I must confess some of my glasses do have a gentle hint of rocket man about them.
To obtain my copy, I ventured to Virgin Records at the bottom of the Moor in sunny Sheffield. You see, it was where the cool kids hung out. Bradleys and Cann the Music Man were for the squares baby, and I wanted to join the counterculture in a Millets parka with a pair of jeans you could paraglide in with shirt collars to match. As you did back then, I selected the relevant sleeve and took it to the counter, where the assistant (or at least that’s what I thought the man with a badge that said Weasel - Here to Help was).
I am still out and about when time allows looking for the missing piece of every musical jigsaw I ever started, and, as with most collections, the quest is never quite over. Tastes have changed over the years, and although I still class myself as the original Indie boy, I have always loved 60’s psychedelia, blues and, to my surprise, a bit of folk. You can’t whack a bit of Fairport Convention. In the forthcoming sale we have been fortunate to curate part of the collection from noted journalist Rick Sanders. The Manchester University graduate worked back in the day on some of the most influential music magazines such as Rolling Stone and Beat whilst finding time to be a pretty sought after 12 string bottle neck and slide guitarist that also was part of a band by the name of The Ordinary Word, who recorded on lifelong friend John Peel’s Dandelion records. He also reviewed releases and as a result amassed a huge number of rare, advanced copy singles from the late 1960’s, many played just the once. We have turned up some truly wonderful and extremely rare pieces from The Beatles, Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Pink Floyd and also artists that achieved cult status but not necessarily chart success, such as the Marc Bolan lead John’s Children, Smoke and many others. There are also rare gig programmes such as one from the immortal Led Zeppelin’s first UK tour in 1969 and original concert posters which feature his own band alongside such names as John Martin. They would look an absolute treat framed up nicely, as would an original unused “banner” poster for the Pink Floyd single See Emily Play.
Occasionally, whether you are consigning sporting or vinyl, you really get a feel for the collection from whom it is coming. You talk to the family and learn about the person themselves- you can see their passion and interests and whether it be a box of records or a bag of football shirts, you kind of learn about what made them tick. In this case, Rick is someone I would have loved to have met and talked about music and all else with.
There is some awesome stuff in the March sale with more to come, so make sure that you have a look at the catalogue which is now online in all its glory. Along with some of Rick’s treasures there are other wonderful things, such as first pressing Oasis albums, generation-defining landmarks that are signed by all five original band members, a rare promo copy of a record that shook the world in the shape of Anarchy in the UK and a host of other items.
You can also buy or bid from the safety and comfort of your own home without running the risk of a visit to Virgin records in your parka. Now, do we have any Elton John in the next sale……
