Hobby Hub: Record Collecting

When I was fourteen I decided on an impulse that I wanted a record player for my birthday. To this day I’m not quite sure what prompted this decision, but sure enough on my 14^th birthday there was a Crosley briefcase record player waiting on the kitchen table. I had been excitedly telling everyone at school that I was getting one, and when I went in later that day my friend handed me my first ever vinyl. It was the album Lungs by Florence + the Machine, one of my absolute favourite albums. I slid it out of the sleeve, and from that moment on I was utterly obsessed.

While it is admittedly a very expensive hobby, it does bring me great joy. I am a hoarder to my core, but I truly believe the art of collecting is incredibly important. One gloomy Sunday, I found a 1972 original pressing of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars at Tynemouth Market. It was very battered; the sleeve was falling apart and it had a few scratches. It also had someone’s name written in tiny print across the centre label. Seeing that - realising that this had belonged to many people before me – I felt connected to a past that I had not been present for, but that I could still enjoy the fruits of.

Record collecting has also bonded me to many of the most important people in my life. It’s one of mine and my partner's favourite activities to do together. My parents are also avid record collectors and have amassed quite the catalogue, with some absolutely beautiful special editions. Dad explaining that Revolver didn’t quite sound right without the scratches that were on his record really changed my perspective on the way music is consumed. I definitely owe this hobby to them - and therefore also the gaping black hole in my bank account.