Another Great Record Store Gone After 30 Years

Another Great Record Store Gone After 30 Years: "

From TBO

When University of Florida student Victoria Joyal heard Vinyl Fever was closing down this weekend, she drove down from Gainesville for a last visit.

'This is a sad day; I hate to see this place go,' she said.

'I've bought a lot of records here,' said Joyal, 20, who grew up in the Tampa area and has more than 700 vinyl records.

She was among a steady stream of longtime customers and bargain hunters who came to the store at 4110 Henderson Blvd. today.

Owner Lee Wolfson played vintage songs from his personal collection of vinyl albums and 45 rpms. He handed out cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon and negotiated prices on some of the remaining artifacts.

The independent record store sold new and used CDs as well as DVDs, vintage vinyl albums and even used audio cassettes. Its demise was brought on by declining sales as the sluggish economy and new technology such as iTunes took their toll.

Mike and Carleene Sessa, of Valrico, also pored through the remaining bins of records.

'We have never been here before,' said Carleene Sessa, who had gathered a stack of 45s. Her husband said he has more than 4,000 records but always has room for more.

Everything was up for sale, including the plastic and wooden crates that once held albums, the posters on the wall and a few souvenirs.

Another UF student, Brian Nez, bought a blue and white pennant with 'Juvenile Delinquent' printed on it.

Wolfson said the store will open Sunday even though 'we've just about sold it all.'

'I couldn't have asked for a better 30 years or a better final month,' he said. 'I don't know what I'll do next. I'm just going to take a break for now.'

 "

Vinyl Helping Dementia Patients In The UK

Vinyl Helping Dementia Patients In The UK: "

A new facility in the United Kingdom called Priory Grange is opening with a 1970s-inspired ward for residents in their 50s. The idea behind the concept is to create an environment that takes these early Dementia patients back to a time that they hold dear, and the sound of vinyl records play an integral part. The BBC spoke to Linda Hallett a representative for the facility who said, "We're looking at a time in their lives when they were in their early 20s," she continued. "And music. of course. We tend to stay quite focused on the music of our early 20s."

The Rooms are fitted with Retro wallpaper, posters, artwork, and even lava lamps. Of course there will also be vinyl record players with a selection of music from back in the day. It's cool to see such an innovative care home, and really interesting to see the integral part music and vinyl are playing in these patients recovery. You can check out the full story from the BBC here. 

"

Portion of Distortion: Yeah, Trent!

Portion of Distortion: Yeah, Trent!: "

Old news at this point, but Michael 'Trent' Reznor and Atticus Ross have officially won the Golden Globe for Best Original Score - Motion Picture for their work on The Social Network. I'm sure a lot of creepy, old goths who never got over the fact that the video for 'Closer' was in heavy rotation on MTV way back when will be pissed that one of their idols' lives is improving exponentially whilst they sit and watch reruns of Single Ladies, drowning their sorrows in a bowl of Frosted Flakes, listening to their mother ask, "When are you going to meet a nice girl?", but this isn't about them. It's about justice. And justice was served on a hot plate on Sunday night in Hollywood. 

I equally loved Inception and The Social Network, in my opinion, the two best pictures of the year. Vastly different films with individual merits that can't be denied by any intelligent movie watcher. But did The Social Network mean more to the state of movies this year than Inception. Is it judged by what this movie says about 'right now,' rather than the feats accomplished? Does seniority (in the case of Fincher V Nolan) automatically guarantee, and justify, the win? I've been having this argument with myself ever since The Hurt Locker (a film more about 'right now') beat out Avatar (a film more about the bewonderment of cinema than anything else) last year at the Oscars. Hmm...who cares? 

Read my review of The Social Network (Original Score) here, and buy it on vinyl in our shop!

"

Portion of Distortion: 'The F*ck?

Portion of Distortion: 'The F*ck?: "

Happy New Year, fellow vinyl lovers. I've sincerely missed posting articles that only me, my girlfriend, Nicky and Dan read. Anyway, this has nothing to do with vinyl. But rather a dance craze based upon a movie I've hosannaed since I was a wee chap: Weekend at Bernie's. If you don't like Sarah Silverman's vastly more talented older brother, Jonathan, then just...go.

If there was ever a reason for me to visit the South again, it's to be amongst people who get where I'm coming from:

"

Vinyl Sales Slowing Down? Not Yet Says Billboard

Vinyl Sales Slowing Down? Not Yet Says Billboard: "

Billboard reported last week on the year-end record sales numbers, and vinyl is once again is showing an upswing. Pretty much every other aspect of the report was showing minus signs, all except vinyl sales. While the numbers aren't as big as they were in previous years, sales still rose 14% from 2009 to 2010, this all according to the Nielsen Company and Billboard's 2010 Music Industry Report. In 2009, 2.5 million vinyl albums were sold; in 2010, that number rose to 2.8 million and cracked the Nielsen SoundScan sales record.

We previously reported on the top-selling vinyl artists of 2010 which was a fair split between new indie artists and established artists like Pink Floyd and The Beatles. Peeling back the numbers on the top three selling vinyl albums, we can see that the numbers are not record breaking, but are solid considering todays standards in record sales. The top selling record Abbey Road sold 35,000 units, Arcade Fire's Suburbs sold 18,800 units, and Black Keys' Brothers sold 18,400 units. The top three selling vinyl artists were the Beatles (36,700 units), Black Keys (36,000 units), and Radiohead (30,500 units).



Vinyl sales are still niche though, the fact of the matter is vinyl only accounts for about 4% of total sales for both Arcade Fire and Black Keys. Nonetheless, the numbers are up, which gives us hope to refute the case that vinyl is slowing down. 

"

Top Selling Vinyl Releases of 2010

Top Selling Vinyl Releases of 2010: "

Via CoS

For all the great new vinyl that came out in 2010 it is The Beatles Abbey Road that takes the cake as top selling record for the second year in a row. The Beatles last studio album had some pretty rough competition from new records by Arcade Fire and Black Keys, but it managed to hold on to that top spot. 

Not only did The Beatles have the top record, but they also became the top-selling artist on vinyl in 2010, edging out the likes of Radiohead, Jimi Hendrix, Pavement, Metalica and Bob Dylan. Only vinyl sales would bring together such an eclectic group of artists! 

The top 10 list for best selling records is bellow.

Top 10 Vinyl Records of 2010:

01. The Beatles – Abbey Road

02. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs

03. Black Keys – Brothers

04. Vampire Weekend – Contra

05. Michael Jackson – Thriller

06. National – High Violet

07. Beach House – Teen Dream

08. Jimi Hendrix Experience – Valleys of Neptune

09. Pink Floyd – Dark Side Of The Moon

10. The XX – XX

"

Portion of Distortion - Top Five Vinyls of 2010

Portion of Distortion - Top Five Vinyls of 2010: "

Man, oh man, I bought a lot of records this year. Overall,
it was a pretty solid 365 days for loud music releases: new albums from the likes of Torche,
Melvins, Enslaved, Bison B.C. and Deftones were all rather sick, arguably some
of their best work in recent years, but the following five records have gotten
the most love on my turntable, and probably will continue to well into 2011.
So, without further adieu, my favorite heavy records of 2010. Double bass roll
please…

  

Kylesa – Spiral Shadow 

If you read my review, you know how ga-ga I am about this
record and the anomaly known as Kylesa. Over their past three releases (Spiral
Shadow was preceded by 2006’s Time
Will Fuse Its Worth and 2009’s Static
Tensions), these Georgia natives have
carved themselves a nice little nook inside the bitter hearts of hipsters and
metalheads alike, blurring the lines between progressive rock, metal and
pyschedelia. The dual drumming assault, something I normally “pssht” at unless
it’s the Melvins, truly adds to the music, giving it subtle boosts of
polyrhythmic intelligence. Check out the new old Kylesa-sounding “Tired Climb,”
the introspective “Don’t Look Back” and the surprisingly catchy, Foo
Fighters-esque “Back and Forth.”

 

Dillinger Escape Plan – Option Paralysis 

DEP is an acquired taste, like raw oysters: they gross the
shit out of most people, but once you’ve had a chance to try an Olympia, you’ll
never go back. Despite the super thick layer of cheese they tend to lay on in
the choruses and more intimate moments of their last three records (what do you
really expect from Mike Patton nuts?), they’re still one of the hardest-working
hardcore band in the business, maintaining their reputation as road dogs while
consistently putting out great records that further expand on their love for
NIN, blast beats and jazz noodling. Get up on “Good Neighbor,” “Room Full of
Eyes” and “Chinese Whispers.”

 

Refused – The Shape of Punk to Come (Deluxe Edition) 

A superb remaster and deluxe packaging of one of my favorite
records of all time (read my review here), so yeah, why wouldn’t I pick it? The
guitars are crunchier, the already perfect-sounding drums have a little more
pop and weight, the vocals have more snarl, the bonus live cuts shine a light
on just how chaotic their shows must have been right before their implosion,
and, most importantly, the deluxe revisitation hammers home just how
influential this record has been over the past 12 years, and how it tastes
good, every single time, year after year. My money is always on “Worms of the
Senses/Faculties of the Skull,” “Refused Are Fucking Dead” and “The Shape of
Punk to Come.”

 

The Sword – Warp Riders 

The Sword had me at “Slayer of the spider priests,” one of
the more provocative lines from 2006’s Age of Winters. Much like Age and 2008’s Gods of the Earth, Warp Riders exists in
the realm of conceptual mythology and Sabbath-infused stoner rock dalliance.
More polished than their previous works? Certainly. Catchier? You betcha. But
I’ll never fault a band for expanding their sound, especially when the songs
are there to back up the evolutionary steps. Not much needs to be said about
this record, it’s just a good time. Rip a B, check out “Three Wtches,” “Lawless
Lands” and “Night City,” and take a ride into space.

High on Fire – Snakes for the Divine 

In terms of artist appreciation, seldom a trait is as
endearing as self-awareness, and it’s evident that Matt Pike and Company are
very aware of their place in the metal community. I think I speak for most
High on Fire fans when I say that 2008’s Death is This Communion left a lot to be desired of the power trio, and luckily,
they delivered some real axe-grinding shit to make up for it. The whole record
is nasty, obviously, but the first three tracks, “Snakes for the Divine,” “Frost
Hammer” and “Bastard Samurai” get played way more often than all the others on
my stereo. If you’re looking to climb into a fiery maze of hell, wield a spiked
shield and hunt minotaurs, turn off all the lights and crank “How Dark We Pray”
(other materials besides the record are required).

"