Gangsta

It comes but once a year, well now it’s twice but there you go. Saturday saw the first ‘drop’ for Record Store Day 2021! It was with a sense of excitement that our usual gang planned for the day. After a successful excursion to ‘Tangled Parrot’ in Carmarathen last year Steve Dixon, Steve Ford and Mike Davies decided we were going to up the ante and travel down the night before stay at Steve D’s chalet and have some food and drinks. Larvely. Of course it didn’t go according plan.

Mike couldn’t get away so had to meet us there, and the traffic was slllllllllloooowww. It took us double the time, which was fine, we weren’t in a rush. We stopped in Carmarathen for a takeaway and popped into a pub for some liquid refreshment. Man, what an odd pub! It seemed like most of the clientele were tripping balls, but it added some more spice to the weekend. Eventually a tired Mike joined us at the chalet for wine, takeaway and music chat.

I’d split my list between ‘The Parrot’ and local Cardiff record shop ‘Flipside’, I had a tip off what I’d got in Cardiff so had my list ready and waiting for the ‘The Parrot’.

I love RSD principally for the anticipation and to meet up with my mates and discuss lists and wants. We had been planning this for a few months, and some tropes have developed over the years.
Me: “List is a bit thin this year, not much I want this year…”
“Jesus! You say that every year!” Steve F.
”Do I?”
While he moans about a spicy Goblin single he bought five years ago which is unlistenable, always with the Goblin.

Despite what I’d said I’d been saving up all year which meant I was a man of muchos resources come Saturday, which is just as well cause ‘The Parrot’ had everything I wanted:

“Elastica singles boxset?”

“Yep!”

“Mush 7 inch?”

“Yep!”

You get the picture. So unusually for RSD it was a clean sweep for me, well almost. Mike and Steve F were pretty happy with their haul but Steve Dixon alas was not so lucky. I think he only got two of his wants. We decamped to a local cafe for breakfast. It was only when I sat down that I realised I’d forgotten to ask for the Billy Nomates picture disc. Steve D sent a text to ‘Flipside’ to ask if they had the records he was looking for, I went back to ‘The Parrot’ but they’d sold out of Billy Nomates. It all came good in the end cause ‘Flipside’ came up trumps for Steve and he sent me a link to order the Billy Nomates album, sorted! After I got back I even popped down to the gloriously recently re-opened D’Vinyl’s to pick up some barging including the Ringo solo album which was the closest we ever came to a Beatles reunion.

I’m seriously thinking of doing the second ‘drop’ next month cause I had such a laff, I’m after a CSNY album and Steve F wants a soundtrack. I’m getting through my record haul now, and ‘Whokill’ by Tuneyards is a lot better than I remembered, tell your friends.