It was a normal release day Friday and I walked in to my Local Independent Record Store to pick up a couple of eagerly awaited new albums. There were several people, including staff members I recognised, and others that might well be described as ‘influencers’ or ‘content creators’, waving various bits of camera gear about, all wearing matching tracksuits. Clearly there was something going on – it wasn’t quite a normal Friday. Still in want of an explanation, I took my prospective purchases up to the counter and carried on regardless.
“You can have one of these free records that we’re giving away today”
“Oh yeah? What is it?”
“On one side it’s got John Cooper Clarke talking about the Manchester music scene, and on the other it’s got Manchester United crowd noise”
“I can open my back door and get that for free on match days…”
“Well I’ve popped it in the bag for you with the others matey
“Er ok. Thanks”
So what to make of all this? A quick internet search told me it was titled Sounds of Manchester, was part of a launch of some very expensive sportswear and was limited to only 25 copies. And where else to get some sage wisdom and a considered appraisal of my freebie? The Picky Bastards WhatsApp group of course.
“Don’t you live close enough to Old Trafford to hear football fans at home anyway?”
“You’ll be rich when some United fan wants it on Discogs”
The first point I agreed with of course, while the second seemed far fetched.
But I kept an eye on Discogs nonetheless. At first, nothing. Then after a few months, a listing appeared. Sounds of Manchester – For Sale – Mint – £100. Yes you read that right. One. Hundred. Pounds.
I thought to myself, no way. Who would buy that?
And then, it sold. Safe to say I was gobsmacked. But neither did I waste any time. Within minutes I was signed up as a seller with my very first listing, at, more in hope than in expectation, the very same price of £100. And it sold, again.
If you’re interested in a copy of Sounds of Manchester of your own then, as you might have guessed by this point, you’ll need deep pockets. Mint copies are currently listed at £120 on Discogs and an obscene $450 on ebay.
I nearly said “no thanks” at the point where he mentioned “United crowd noise”. Fortunately I did not, but was left, albeit £100 richer, with a puzzle in my mind.
Now, without wanting to get into a discussion about the perceived worth of collectibles of all kinds, there is something bizarre about all this. I’m usually one to balk at any record priced higher than £29.99 so it’s clear I just don’t get why you want to simply own records, to preserve them inside their original wrapping and store them away to accumulate dust and hopefully value. And to pay three figures to do this in the first place is a concept even more alien to me.
It seems, much like anything else, records will always be worth whatever people will pay for them. And you might rightly tell me to shut up moaning and enjoy the money I’ve been lucky enough to gain from this whole situation.
But for me, the value is derived not in perception, or hope, or whatever price a chancer might list on the internet, but instead in the pleasure you get from hearing, enjoying, connecting with the music. Otherwise it’s just a circle of plastic inside a cardboard square, covered in another layer of plastic. You might as well be collecting washers or bottle caps or any other round plastic thing that serves no other purpose. I buy records to listen to them. That’s the whole point.
Words by James Spearing
Picky Bastards 