Take Control

It comes but once a year and last weekend saw Record Store Day swing by.

To be honest I wasn't that fussed this year. In previous years I've been itching to get say the 'Dracula A.D 72' Blood Red coloured vinyl 7 inch or the R.E.M Unplugged box-set. I'd looked down the list and nothing really leapt out, it seemed that the labels thought that sticking something on 180grm coloured vinyl was enough, and in the past they were probably right, but they needed to make more of an effort this year.

I'd talked it over with my RSD enabler Steve Ford, and after we'd discussed it back and fore we decided that we would go. What actually got me enthusiastic this year was the fact that my other mate Steve (Steve 2) said he wanted to come along, as did my bestest friend Matthew. Matthew was coming along because his son is bonkers balmy about the late great David Bowie and wanted to pick one of the Bowie releases for him. I blithely declared that Cardiff wouldn't get a sniff of the Bowie releases but I was just happy to have the opportunity to geek out with my oldest friend.

Steve 1 picked me and Steve 2 up and drove down to Saint David's 2. For the second - and last - RSD we were going to Head. I don't mind shoping at somewhere else other than Spillers on RSD cause I've said previously, on that day they don't need my business. The reason that this is the last Head RSD is because it's closing down soon, which is a huge same, but the only reason I go in there is because of RSD.  

Steve 1 parked up in the Saint David's 2 car park and we wondered top the store to find that there was no one outside the store. We   each other. "This isn't right." just then the Manager of Head walked past "You're in the right place lads." What had happened was the queue was actually outside the store and we'd basically just walked in. I rang Matthew to ask where he was, and he was queuing up with the rest of the proles, "Just come in!" I said "Uhhh, past all these people. I don't think that's a good idea.". So me and the Steves were at the front of the queue feeling guilty until Security came along and said we'd have to get to the back. The Manager to be fair asked us what we all wanted and there didn't look like there was going to be a problem. When the great unwashed masses were let in there weren't a huge amount of them, so we were about as far back as we were last year. So the Steves, Matthew and I spent the time chatting and discussing what we wanted.

They have a very civilized approach to RSD at Head, they let a staggered amount of people into the store at a time. So they let us four in and we went out separate ways to pick up what we wanted. I picked up the Bowie live album, and the Slaves special edition. I hadn't heard the Slaves album before and this was a good excuse to pick it up. I'd said that I would only get records I had a good chance of listening to more than once. Last year I bought the soundtrack to the 1960s Dalek films. It's a beautifully packaged album, but I've only listened to it once. I picked up a Smith single for Hywel my brother-in-law, the Super Furries single for myself, then I had to decide if I was going to buy the T-Rex album or The Complete Recordings of Robert Johnson. I went for the Robert Johnson album. Along the way I considered the soundtracks for Blacula (which I've never actually seen) and Quatermass and the Pit (which I didn't even know was out) but managed to exercise a slight amount of self control and put them back.

Steve 1 and Matthew had to dash off after comparing purchases. Steve 2 and I walked towards Spillers which had a reassuringly huge and went for breakfast at the nearby Plan cafe. We walked home and - as it was Record Store day - on the way we popped into D'Vinyl Records where I bought Robert Wyatt 12 inch, an Iggy Pop album and a Stooges and Tom Waits album all for what it cost me for the SFA single.

A great morning with great morning, I enjoyed being geeky and spent far more money than I thought I would.