The 12 inch Vinyl Revival and introducing CAPTAIN STOMP RECORDS.

The 12-inch Vinyl Revival and introducing CAPTAIN STOMP RECORDS.

We all have fond memories of vinyl records, most of us over 50 grew up with them playing a major part in our young adult lives. Then, with the advent of the Compact Disc, vinyl died a quick death with little or no fanfare. The presses shut down and suddenly there was more room in the record shops. Maybe it was the convenience, the mobility or the fact that some vinyl records near the end were pressed so low grade that they scratched on the first play. Either way, it can’t be denied it was a technological advancement in both application and hardware that killed off vinyl records late in the early 1990s.

Move on a few more years and the CD was under threat from the MP3 player, a more compressed file that meant new devices like iPods could hold thousands of hours of music on something you could hide in your pocket. The whole face of music changed. People stopped buying CD’s and started downloading music. Radio stations had less and less influence on what people listened to and the once popular record shops started disappearing from the local shopping centres and strip shops.

But never underestimate nostalgia.

A few years back vinyl started to make a comeback. There were the justified reasons that compressed files didn’t give a true fidelity, which was true in the case of MP3’s. Articles started to appear about how vinyl had a warmer, fuller sound and that was how music was meant to be listened to. Soon vinyl was back to matching CD’s in sales, with downloads still miles in front.

Myself, I still think CD's give great sound if they are WAV. or FLAC. files (sorry for the audiophile gibberish) but my biggest bugbear was that I couldn’t hold those twelve-inch covers with all that marvelous artwork and readable text. (But I’m old, young people see better than me).

These days many artists, especially independent ones are releasing vinyl again as part of their recorded product ranges, with many older bands rereleasing their back catalogues. Even the young music fans are buying vinyl again, thanks to initiatives like Record Store Day and because vinyl hasn’t stayed the same, it learned from its mistakes. Where old pressings prior to the 1990s where thin and cheap, today’s are a whopping 180 gram * (think the same as your grandma’s old 78 records) and the printing quality has improved substantially. 

 Vinyl records are trendy again.

So when I discovered the opening of an independent record shop specializing in new vinyl in Knox, I was straight down there to check it out.

David Thompson Owner of Captain Stomp

Captain Stomp Records is the longtime dream and passion of owner David Thompson. Having worked in Financial Services for over 30 years David laid down the plans for his own record shop in 2015, but it took until  2018 to open a physical shop exactly where and how he wanted. In the process starting up a web-based store as he searched for the right location and researched suppliers and getting the shop design perfect.

Opening in July 2018 Captain Stomp Records is located at 46 Forest Road Ferntree Gully just down from the cemetery. Unlike record shops of old that were cave-like, dark cramp places with walls covered in posters of latest releases and pop stars. Captain Stomp is a bright airy store with rows of neatly placed bins full of new vinyl records covering all genres and artists. The white walls are covered in music related paintings and prints as well as a fireplace and comfy chairs.

The rather forceful name Captain Stomp belies the peaceful atmosphere the shop conveys and is the result of David not being able to secure his first preference Captain Fantastic an album by one of his favourite artists Elton John.

David’s passion for music has been carried on from his childhood where his local record store Stylus in Heathmont fed a desire that led to opening his own shop in retirement. He believes that in time, the shop can even become a hub for all music aficionados to meet and find enjoyment in a common love. I honestly believe this having gone back several times and seeing David give a lot of his time talking with customers about all genres of music with enthusiasm and patience.

The store, besides carrying a massive range for all musical tastes also has available mid price record players, protective sleeves and frames to surround your favourite album cover art.

It's great to see stores like Captain Stomp appear locally and offer an alternative to JB HiFi, I like to compare Captain Stomp Records to a good bookstore, where you can browse the aisles and wonder if I can judge this book (album) by its cover?

A great place to rediscover some old memories or start some brand new ones.

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*180 gram vinyl records are stronger and more durable, so they tend to last longer and resist breakage. ... Heavier vinyl provides a more stable platform for both stylus and cantilever suspension providing extra protection from unwanted vibration that can cause sound degradation at the micro-level.
Related article:
1 -Fist2Face Record Store Day Memories.
2 -RECORD COVERS AND FAILING EYESIGHT
3 -VINYL

This article originally published in the BBCN Issue 171 Feb 2019

Saturday Morning Cartoon's Greatest Hits.

The Saturday Morning Cartoon Show Tunes Cover Collection.
Drew Barrymore hosts this quickly put together nostalgia show featuring the music from an album full of early 90s s Indy bands, with exception of the Ramones.
Most are faithful to the originals, which would be wise because the originals were basically hook filled addiction pills of songs.
While it's just clips of the bands performing clips with Drew and her cronies saying and doing stupid stuff, the unnecessary talking over the clips (only occasionally) does get annoying.

  

The song list:

Mathew Sweet- Scooby Doo (where are you)

Sublime- Hong Kong Fooey

Butthole Surfers- Under Dog

Ramones- Spiderman

Wax- Happy Happy Joy Joy -The Ren and Stimpy Show

Frente- Let The Sun Shine In - The Flinstones

The Murmurs- H.R Pufnstuf

Face to Face- Popeye The sailor Man

Collective Soul- The Bugaloos

Toadies- Goolies Get Together -The Groovy Goolies Show

Mary Lou Lord and SemiSonic- Sugar Sugar- The Archies

Tripping Daisy- Friends- Sigmund and The Sea Monsters

Sponge- Go Speed Racer- Speed Racer

Helmut- Gigantor

Liz Phair with Material Issues- Tra LaLa Song- The Banana Splits Adventure Hour

Juliana hatfield and Tanya Donelly- Josie and the Pussycats

Reverend Horton Heat- Johnny Quest/Stop That Pigeon- Johny Quest Show

Violent Femmes- Eep Oop Ork Ah-Ah- The Jetsons

Vinyl

FOR THE RECORD

It always seems to happen, just when you clean out something you‘ve held onto for ages it comes back into fashion. You may not believe it but vinyl records are making a big comeback.
It seems a bit odd, I remember when Compact Discs (CD) first came on the market, people fell over themselves to replace their old record collections because they didn’t have to worry about scratches, hisses, pops and needles jumping every time someone entered the room. Most of all people remarked about the clarity.
CD’s have taken a battering lately with sales plummeting due to digital downloads and the ease of file sharing thanks to MP3 players and the mega popular iPod.

No doubt if you are over 40 you no longer have your old record player in your house or maybe it’s in the garage under piles of wood or used furniture.
Lets face it CDs had appeal.
CD players were, well… compact… Compared to the cabinets and massive speakers we had as teenagers that could fill half a room. A disc player could sit on a shelf and meant you had more space to throw your clothes and bags on the floor. But no doubt some of you held onto some precious album that you couldn’t part with or held a great deal of memories.

Well it seems there is a lot more of you than you think.


You see record players never really went out of fashion in the same way vinyl did.
In the late 1990s and early part of the last decade due to the popularity of “DJ”ing and “scratching” turntables out sold acoustic guitars in Australia.
Mind you most of the players never got to play a full record all the way through and most of them never even made a full rotation due the method in which they were used. But it seems the record player (yes not just the turntable) is making a come back to play … records.
It seems the digital generation are looking back in the past and their parent’s record collection and discovering vinyl.
The reasons are many and varied.
My son, who is a musician, likes to listen to vinyl. After walking around for months on end with those little ear plug head phones jammed in his ears he says that the sound of vinyl records is warmer and the soundscape is wider, basically meaning the frequencies are not as limited as on a CD.
This is actually quite correct as digital music is compressed for the sake of volume without distortion.
So for the sound purists vinyl is the music source of choice.
Another reasons is not so much the sound but collectability of the vinyl.
Record collecting is a big business these days and a quick peek on the internet will find many sites dedicated to old records.
Why buy a digital copy when you can have the real thing, including original artworks and merchandising.
In America and the UK Collector magazines have been popular for years, usually filled with specific bands releases and price lists of various genres and decades.
Certain special releases or limited presses of some 1960s and 70s band can command up to $10,000. There are some serious collectors out there.
Even though the CD revolutionized the music industry vinyl records never really disappeared as a saleable item.
Those who wished to purchase their favourite bands latest release as a 12 or 7 inch (the standard sizes pre CD for the youngun’s) could do so but at quite a cost.
However these days many bands including popular ones such as Radiohead, The White Stripes and Gorillaz release special vinyl versions as part of the general release along side CD and downloadable versions.
In the last year record sales in the United States for new releases were 2.8 million a jump of 33% on 2009. This of course pales in comparison to the heady sales figures of pre CD days but it shows people still hanker for the older format still these figures go against the trend of album sales actually falling in other formats.
Of course this doesn’t even remotely mean that digital music is nearing its grand finale.
Even though I am a big fan of CD’s mainly for the portability (I still can’t stand mp3 players and would rather burn songs to disc) I have a record player.

My friend Ed Redman is an executive member of the internet art site Red Bubble based in Melbourne. Red Bubble is an award winning high tech, high end print on demand art and photography site that is reliant on the latest technology to service customers all over the world, but when Ed goes home he likes nothing more than to relax with a platter on the player.

Some of Ed's record collection

As well as being a recognised sculpture filmmaker and clothes designer Ed has a passion for vinyl that exceeds 3000 albums.
At only 30 years of age it is has become a consuming passion.
I asked Him why this love affair with vinyl?
Though he loves vinyl he did hasten to say that his first love is the music, he considers himself a music nut first a vinyl nut second. You can read the passion in Ed’s words:
“Personally I love the design elements, I love the sound, I love the attention to detail. I love that the format is continuing to cling on. But I really love the way it makes you concentrate on the music and the artist. Hitting shuffle on 45,000 songs on your iPod is useful, I can’t deny it, just as purchasing an album from iTunes, downloading and starting to listen to 8 seconds later is obviously handy. But for me it’s the complete package experience, from the design of the sleeves and labels, liner notes and matrix etching, the choice of pressing plant to the hidden quirks specific to the greater artistic possibilities available with a 12-inch cover. And finally to cracking the cellophane seal for the first time, placing it on the platen and dropping the diamond tipped needle in the opening groove”

I also like to listen to the albums but I get a massive amount of joy out of looking at the old gate fold sleeves and reading the linear notes. Something that CD’s just can’t match.
Plus my old eyes respond better to writing on a 12 inch piece of card than a 5 and a half inch piece of paper.
So if you find your kids rummaging around in the spare room and going through your box or milk crate of old albums just make sure they weren’t on the internet first and are pinching some of your retirement fund.
By the way if you want to recommission your old record player and are worried about worn needles. Sight N Sound in the Boronia Mall have a great selection that should have that old turntable spinning discs in no time.



(c)2011 Shidot Prod,/Danny Nolan, (who just can’t stop a rockin’) originally published BBCN August 2011