For The Record

The collecting of records is so much more than a hobby for many people. In today's instant access to information, thanks to the web and our flimsy attention spans, the commitment to seeking out and owning a piece of vinyl is a hallowed experience, and it's one that continues to pick up more followers.

For Record Store Day ambassador and Australian music dead set legend Russell Morris, it's an opportunity for him to spruik his rekindled love for the humble record store. After 45 years in the Australian music industry, Morris' latest album, Sharkmouth, is, almost inconceivably, his most successful to date. Sharkmouth sees Morris return to his blues roots – the style of music that he first cut his teeth on long before his psychedelic hit, The Real Thing, established him as one of the most exciting and vital artists of the late '60s and early '70s. It delves into the seedy underworld of Australia in the 1920s and '30s. A history buff, the project started out with much more modest intentions than what it became and Morris says that the larger chains of independent music stores were a vital part of his having any success from the album at all.

“Without the Leading Edge record stores and JB Hi-Fi supporting this record and playing it in-store, it never would have done what it's done,” says Morris bluntly. “We couldn't get major television support and we couldn't get commercial radio support. We only had the support of ABC and community radio. With all the record stores playing the album, that's what actually pushed it into the charts. What they did, there was a Leading Edge conference in Canberra with all the stores, and they said 'If you want to make some money, play this album in store without telling people what it is and they will come up and ask,' – and that's what happened! It started to move like that, and then JB Hi-Fi did the same thing and it started to go from there. I'm very grateful to them for that so I'm really happy to be involved in Record Store Day.”

Morris says that it was such a boost for him that the music itself was pushing the sales and not a massive promotional budget or his reputation, or what he somewhat grimly sees as a lack thereof!

“I think my reputation was shot because I had about five albums before that which sank without a trace!” He laughs. “Not one record company wanted to touch the album so I paid for it myself and was about to release it and sell it at gigs to try and make my money back. At the eleventh hour, Robert Rigby, who runs Ambition Entertainment, said he wanted to release it and he took it and ran with it. The help that we got from those stores made all the difference. They started the fires and without those fires it wouldn't have happened.”

Punters may have thought they they'd seen the last of the famous Record Paradise in St Kilda when they closed their doors at the end of their lease in January. A trip across the river was never complete without a visit to the store to peruse its overwhelming stock of new and old music from almost every genre imaginable. The very happy ending to this story is a new beginning. Record Store Day will mark the first day of trading for the all new Record Paradise at its new location at 15 Union Street, Brunswick, in a former mechanic's garage.

“We decided it was best for relocation as we believe Brunswick is little more our style,” co-owner of the store Paul Allen explains. “We live in Brunswick as well and we found a great location so we decided to go with it. We had to pick a date so we thought that Record Store Day was a perfect opportunity for a double celebration. It's a really good space and we're going to have a party, sell some records and settle into Brunswick.”

Record Paradise had a lot of stock at its former location, but even if you were a big enough freak to go through every single record on the shelf in the old location (no judgements!) there are new surprises. 

“We've got a lot of stock that no one's ever seen that we didn't incorporate into the old shop at St Kilda,” he says tantalisingly. “There was at least six months' worth of stock that I didn't even process so what's been exciting for me has been going through crates that were lost for a year and just finding fantastic gems. Mikey Young has personally delivered us his Lace Curtain record and the new Ooga Boogas as well so we'll have those on the day.”

Not ones to shy away from a good party, Paul and his partner Renae Maxwell have put together one hell of a line-up featuring Deborah Conway & Willy Zygier, Fraser A. Gorman, The Morning After Girls and Courtney Barnett.

Utopia Records in Sydney are this year celebrating 35 years of business, a milestone for any small business let alone one in an industry as fickle as this. Sourcing their collection of over 6,000 records from overseas dealers and by buying entire collections, owner Garry Stapleton says that he sees a growing interest in vinyl happening every day.

“The really good thing is it's not just people who grew up with vinyl,” he explains. “More and more it's the younger kids that have knocked off their parents' vinyl collection to see what it's all about and they then come in looking for stuff that they're more into. It's obviously a trendy thing, but I think it's transcended the fad stage. There's a lot of people who realise it's something they want to get right into. The tactile experience of a record doesn't compare to CDs and it certainly doesn't compare to downloads.”

The record store also provides a place for a community of likeminded individuals to get together and talk about the music they love. Utopia specialise in heavy metal and hard rock, a field of music known for its passionately dedicated fans. Touring bands also make an effort to check out the legendary store, further building the community.

“I also think it's reciprocated by the metal bands that make themselves very accessible. There's no one I can think of who get recognised and run away or tell people to piss off; they always hang around and chat to fans. We had Trivium in the store not so long ago and people from Slash's band The Conspirators drop in every time they are in the country. There's a real buzz about a band called Ghost BC and they all wear masks and things. They were in the story and it was funny to watch customers in the store standing next to these guys and not knowing who they were. It was priceless.”