Vinyl Countdown

'You hold in your hand a miracle. A book about a passion, and the hipsters, oddballs and old heads who share it, written by one of their number, albeit a ludicrously erudite one’ - Danny Kelly A revival of interest in vinyl music has taken place in recent years – but for many of those from the ‘baby boomer’ generation, it never went away. Graham Sharpe’s vinyl love affair began in the 1960s and since then he has amassed over 3000 LPs and spent countless hours visiting record shops worldwide along with record fairs, car boot sales, online and real life auctions. Vinyl Countdown follows his journey to over a hundred shops across the globe - from New York to New Zealand, Walsall to Warsaw, Oslo to Ozstralia, (old) Jersey to New Jersey - and describes the many characters he has encountered and the adventures he accrued along the way. Vinyl Countdown seeks to reawaken the often dormant desire which first promoted the gathering of records, and to confirm the belief of those who still indulge in it, that they happily belong to, and should celebrate the undervalued, misunderstood significant group of music-obsessed vinylholics, who always want – need – to buy… just one more record. A mesmerising blend of memoir, travel, music and social history, Vinyl Countdown will appeal to anyone who vividly recalls the first LP they bought and any music fan who derives pleasure from the capacity that records have for transporting you back in time.

Graham Sharpe has been involved in the betting industry for over 30 years and has written over 20 books with a gambling theme. He's collected vinyl for over 50 years. Danny Kelly is a music journalist and former editor of NME.

IN WHICH…
Foreword 11
Introduction 15
1. I Count My Blessings 17
2. I Reveal How This Book Was Born 25
3. Jack White Denied Vinyl Was Dead 29
4. Vinyl Escapes from the Grave 37
5. I Fear a Nightmare Dream 41
6. I’m Shaky All Over 46
7. I’m a Record Lover 48
8. I Ask How Much Mint Matters 53
9. I’m Out of Condition 59
10. I Tull You About Jethro 63
11. I’m Stoned 67
12. I Discover Psychedelia & Acid Rock… Man! 73
13. I Celebrate My Anniversary Alone 80
14. I Regret Selling My Vinyl Soul for Filthy Lucre 83
15. I Feel Sutch Melancholy 89
16. I Take on a Haunted Look 93
17. I Express My Disdain for Record Store Day 104
18. We Go Kiwi 111
19. Oz Is Wizard 118
20. I’m Hungary for Vinyl 120
21. I Recall Concrete Memories of Local Gigs 126
22. I Act Post Haste 131
23. I Decide Fairs Are Fair 139
24. I Punctuate Hendrix with Grammatical Grumbling 144
25. Addicts, Compulsives and Hoarders Appear 150
26. Mark My Words, I Consider Pathological Collecting 158
27. I Try to Come Clean 164
28. I Sniff Out Julian’s Problem 170
29. I Fail to Score 174
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10 CONTENTS
30. I Doubt a Bowie Blotch 181
31. The Show Mustn’t Go On 185
32. I Wonder What Comes First – Disc or Gig? 189
33. I Back a Real Winner 192
34. I Bet on My Future Career 196
35. Music Is My First Love 204
36. I Snap – Amen to That! 208
37. I Reveal Vinyl Suicide Techniques 215
38. I Enjoy a Pierless Experience 219
39. I’m Love-Ing It! 222
40. I Stand Julian Up 227
41. I Ask: Could CDs Become the ‘New’ Vinyl? 234
42. I Pose a Question of Moral Judgement 240
43. I Compliment Compilations 244
44. I Channel the Hunt for Record Shops 249
45. I’m Listing to One Side 259
46. I Wonder How to Make Money by Selling Vinyl 263
47. I Contemplate Devastating Loss 275
48. A Loss Is Dealt With, By George! 280
49. I’m Floating an Idea… 283
50. I Come Across Fake News 287
51. I Get Bladdered 290
52. I’m Beatling Along 297
53. An Anorexic Mannequin Is Proudly Regarded 301
54. I Date Julian 303
55. A Friend’s Pleas Don’t Please Me 307
56. I Realise – I’m ‘Record Guy’ 312
57. Vinyl Peeves Appear 315
58. ‘Mountain Boy’ Is Reborn 318
59. I Remember Bruce Langsman 322
60. There Are Deaths in the Vinyl Family 331
61. I Fear Record Shop Rage 335
62. I Wonder Wat’s Going On 340
63. I Sign Off 343
64. … And Vinyly 347
Epilogue 350
Bibliography 351