Music fans line the street outside Aberdeen record store – some for nine hours for coveted vinyl records

See the full Press & Journal article here.

 

A huge queue of music lovers formed on Holburn Street on Saturday eagerly waiting to bag themselves vinyl records as part of Record Store Day.

Chameleon Records, based at Holburn HiFi, has been taking part in the UK-wide event for 12 years.

It is touted as the best day of the year for independent music shops.

This year certainly didn’t disappoint as by 8am on April 18, a long queue had formed down Holburn Street.

One very eager collector starting queueing at 11pm the night before to be the first in line.

He wanted to remain anonymous but was studying at Aberdeen University and had his mind set on the limited edition vinyl of Paramore’s debut album All We Know is Falling.

With a collection of more than 200 vinyl, he says they just “sound better than streaming”.

Stewart Ord was one of the first in the queue and had been there since before midnight.

He travelled all the way from Elgin as he has done for more than 12 years.

Vinyl records are a ‘passion’ for avid collectors

He said: “It’s a passion for me, I have whole rooms filled with records.

“This day is about supporting independent record shops and I think that’s fantastic.

“Some people will want to sell what they get on, but the majority of people in the queue want the records for their own collection and their own enjoyment.”

Stewart had a big list of records he was hoping to get and in the end he walked away with 12 vinyl records including from 80s icon Brian Eno.

Claire Wilson, made the journey from Inverness to be there at opening time.

She was dropped off by her partner at 2.30am.

She said it was either Aberdeen or Orkney, so she chose Aberdeen.

As a huge Muse fan, she was interested in the two of the band’s albums.

She said: “I used to watch my mum and dad collect records and vinyl for years as a child, so I just naturally got into it myself.

“My collection is now a mix of my parents old records and ones I’ve collected over the years.”

Claire had five records on her list and she got everything she wanted and was very pleased.

Hugh Fraser was hoping his unique taste in music would stand him in good stead as he thought no one else would want the same records.

He was aiming to snap up records from Alison Goldfrapp, Carly Rae Jepsen and HAIM, as well as the one-night-only live performance of Wicked on vinyl.

Huge queue forms outside Holburn HiFi on Record Store Day

Hugh said he loves the “community aspect” of Record Store Day and had made some friends while in the queue for five hours.

He has an extensive collection of vinyl and this year managed to get all the records he wanted, further adding to his collection, saying “it was absolutely worth standing out in the cold”.

Susan McCrum, from Pitmedden, has been taking part in Record Store Day for seven years and has built up a collection of 360 vinyl.

She came equipped with a hot water bottle, which was essential, she said, as well as a blanket and folding chair.

She said: “If I don’t do it then I’ll be annoyed at myself and it’s that fear of missing out as a collector.

“It’s the warmth that comes from a vinyl, hearing it for the first time. I love to hear it loud. I’m in heaven when I can blast it loud.”

This year was the closest Susan had been to the front of the queue and got everything on her list including the likes of Laura Marling and Paramore.

She said it was “her most successful” year for getting what she wanted.