The Re-Birth of the Independent Music Shops

Every now and again a little off-the-radar story pops up that makes you do one of the rather embarrassing actions involving a clenched fist with a scrunched up face followed by a “YES” – this is one of them stories

Independent Record Stores have sadly been on the decline over the last decade. This is mainly due to the rise of the rather ridiculously named Music Mega Store. The like of HMV and Virgin have basically monopolised high street music sales since the birth of (what I call) Uber Commerce. The Independent Record Shop hasn’t had a look in and many shops were forced to close … until now

I remember a few years ago many of you avid readers may remember a Blog I did about the smelly record stores of old in Liverpool from the likes of Probe to Hairy Records and my personal favourite The Vynal Frontier.

The good news is now they are back on the rise!

I loved these shops and most of all I loved the casual approach from the ‘staff’ who worked there. But most of all I loved their knowledge of music. You really could ask them anything and without searching the mega computer that many staff at Virgin or HMV had to rely on to see if a certain record was in stock they’d know off the top of their head!

I always thought how amazing it was to have such memory about music as it was clearly obvious they had been smoking copious amounts of weed whilst reading a copy of The Socialist Worker behind the counter for a good eight hours!

The article I was reading also had a superb quote from Spencer Hickman, founder of Rough Trade Records and the person behind UK Independent Record Store Day:

"People are waking up to the fact that all towns across the country are becoming identikit, and the small indie retailers are disappearing. They don't want this anymore and are finally saying 'No, enough is enough'."

Mr Hickman also came out with a quote that, again, made me feel very proud to be a listener or good music:

"People across the board are now fed up with the music coming from television shows

How ‘on the money’ he was with that quote! (After reading this it was when I did the clenched fist!)

I know there is still a hell of a long way to go for Independent Record Store as the industry (if you can call it that) has been badly damaged by the recession and of course the ever changing way people now ‘buy’ their music, but the (very) early signs really are good.

Green shoots are appearing and the possible re-birth of the small record shop is on the rise, but (and it’s a big but) they must also slightly change their ways if they are to remain in competition with ‘the big boys’ and get people back in through the door.

Another thing that also brought a smile to my face was the consumer research carried out by people who actually bought CD’s compared to the buying of random ‘hit’ songs. Again, as I previously Blogged about, this will once again promote the fruits of listening to a whole album instead of the ones that had a hit video to it!

Now I’m not saying the small Indie Music Shops should suddenly have to sell their souls to Lucifer and turn into corporate slags and greet customers with a cheesy smile followed by “how can I help you today?” and finish with “would you like one of our store cards? Ok, you have a nice day now”, but they will certainly have to innovate and re-engage with the public who will obviously be used to dealing with above plastic clones who know more about fake tans and thongs than Led Zep III and Creedence Clearwater Revival.

So, next time your out and about in town and your missus is in Primark buying a multi-pack of budgie smugglers for your uncle knobhead’s birthday, try your best to slope off for half an hour to your local Independent Music Shop, chat to the hippy shop assistant about the best of Sly Stone, have a friendly chat and a laugh …

… And skin up!

Mol

The Misguided Strokes of Genius

Pardon the pun, but whatever happened to The Strokes?

Cast your mind back ten years to 2001 when an album was released by an unknown New York band called The Strokes. The album was called ‘Is This It’ and it has to be said – was one of the finest debuts I’ve ever heard. I still listen to it today as it’s still that good

The Strokes had it all, good looks, celebrity girlfriends, style and most of all – they could play! They could really play! The chord structure alone on their songs were superb (I should know as we cover a version of ‘Last Nite’)

Is This It created a new wave of cool across the music world and everyone wanted a piece of The Strokes. Sad thing, they did! Implosion (probably caused by drugs, alcohol and other excesses that go with the rock star life style that they became so fond of) happened and the sad, predictable spiral out of control came like a bolt!

Now, take the clock forward from 2001 ten years and another three albums later to 2011 and The Strokes have released ‘Angels’, and it has to be said here, it’s a pretty tame effort

But, The Strokes have done what they have done with all three albums that have followed ‘Is This It’ with ‘Room on Fire’, ‘First Impressions of Earth’ and ‘Angels’ – they have released a killer single before releasing a pretty drab album.

Take Whatever Happened off Room on Fire, You Only Live Once off First Impressions of Earth and, the latest song Under cover of Darkness off Angels -= they are all very very impressive songs!

Maybe it’s a marketing ploy (as I have previously Blogged about) by were their management have pushed them for one superb single, release that, wet the appetites of their adoring public, guarantee pre-orders into the millions and release a shit album.

All of this equals one thing of course = money in the bank followed by a tour that contains a selection of their earlier (better) hits to appease their fans at their gigs.

To be honest, this really does (if it’s true or course) disappoint me as, without making them appear like Nobel Peace Prize nominees here, I thought The Strokes possess integrity and intellect and most of all – they cared about what they released

Seems I’m wrong as the evidence is in the selection of album fillers the band have released since Is This It

A quite appropriately named album if there ever was such a thing

Mol

Birds Might Fly but the Cameras Never Lie

Been listening to a lot of Jefferson Airplane this week just for a bit of a change and one thing really struck me about them – the female singer in the band Grace Slick has got one of the most outstanding voices I’ve ever had the pleasure to hear!

So, in comparison to a lot of today’s female offerings, it got me thinking: what makes a decent female vocalist?

Much has been documented lately with regards to the female vocalist from this country and beyond. To be perfectly honest, if you put them all together in a room and got them to sing the same song, I really don’t think you could tell the difference between them! That also goes for the subject of most their songs as well (it’s usually about some sort of marriage break up or broken heart), and if you think about it, it’s pretty fucking pathetic!

Take my mate the lovely Cheryl “Ah luv ye” Cole for example. England’s New Queen of Hearts (replacing Diana) has made a career out of being seen as ‘the victim’ after her rather pathetic and damn right embarrassing marriage to a certain footballer (who earns way in excess of one hundred grand a week might i add)

Now a days female vocalists have several pampered fingers in several pies including TV work, fashion advertising and of course reality TV programmes! Add to that their ability to play on the heart strings of the nation by ‘exposing’ their insecurities and vulnerabilities equals, in my opinion, a pretty sad and pathetic money making machine that sadly a lot of people believe! You only have to watch an episode of Piers Morgan’s (fake) Life Stories for example!

Other things that really gets my back up (and I’m gonna be pretty controversial here) are female vocalists who ‘play’ on their illness. Cheryl Cole’s Malaria aside here take Kylie Minogue’s Cancer scare for example. Now, don’t get me wrong here as I’m not being horrible, but the amount of sympathy that flooded in for the Little Aussie was pretty un-needed in my opinion as I’m sure she has the rather perfect amount of money to obtain the best cancer treatment money can buy! Compare that to the thousands of people living in a working class city in the north of England who can’t afford the same health care Ms Minogue had and the difference is amazing! The level of sympathy is also amazing if you think about it!

And, seeing as I’m in full moaning mode here, why do so many female vocalists these days insist on marrying or going out with someone who is also famous?

Why can’t the likes of Katy Perry or Beyoncè Knowles seek the affections of a normal run of the mill chap of working class creed? Be great wouldn’t it? Imagine turning up for a bevy in The Crofters on Saturday night with say Katy Perry or Pixie Lott and bragging that your gonna be ‘hangin’ out of their arse’ when you get home? A visit to The Gold Star would be swiftly jibbed off for the quickest taxi in Huyton!

Now, if you compare most of the above to the likes of Grace Slick from Jefferson Airplane, Janis Joplin and, to a certain extent, Tina Turner. These were strong women who would command their audience and make them sit up, take note, and listen to what they had to sing about instead of people reading about it in OK or Hello magazine!

In other words – they concentrated and focused on one thing and one thing only = being a singer! Not being famous or selling their story to some Red Top or celebrity gossip magazine just so they could squeeze and extra million into their already over-stuffed bank account!

Now I’m not saying all female vocalists should suddenly turn into alcoholic drug addicts with a tendency for under arm hair that would put a Russian Javelin thrower to shame, but I think a small slice of in-decency and a small dose of ‘the street’ is actually quite attractive in a woman and shows they actually care more about what music they release instead of how they look!

As for that rather important point of most of them to actually possess the ability to sing – that’s a totally different matter as it’s certainly not gonna happen in my lifetime anyway!

Prepare the world for a lifetime of Female Vocal Monotony!

Mol