Play it again

The passion for music on vinyl remains strong and as April sees the latest Record Store Day campaign, we caught up with the independent specialists around the county who are helping listeners make the most of their collections and promoting the joy of listening. By Yusef Sayed.

It might have seemed unthinkable ten years ago, that our high streets would now be home to small businesses thriving from the sale of vinyl and a growing interest among young people in records from previous generations.

Just when the rise of digital streaming and the dominance of autotuned hit songs seemed to sound the death knell for physical formats and traditional audio reproduction techniques, new life has been breathed into old collections. What’s more, legendary bands and singers are finding young fans, and today’s trending artists are marking each new album release with special vinyl editions.

Around Lincolnshire and in other nearby towns, independent shops are able to share in this love of music with customers. They are finding that their specialist knowledge, creativity and generosity are being echoed in the enthusiasm and interest of those who walk through the door – or follow online.

Crate digging
The record shop experience will always yield curiosities and happy surprises, where there is an opportunity to flick through the stock in each rack and pull out titles that the algorithm might not have suggested.

At Back to Mono, in Lincoln’s Guildhall Street, you might find a beautifully designed Bobbie Gentry country LP in the same ‘just arrived’ box as an unheralded gem by singer-songwriter David Ackles, or the cult prog album, Fantasia Lindum, by Lincolnshire’s own Amazing Blondel.

Owner Jim Penistan, who is looking forward to another Record Store Day campaign in the store this year, has been in the record selling business for decades. He confirms that the enthusiasm remains high, with long-established acts continuing to draw new fans.

“From a selling point of view, it’s still very busy and we get all ages. A lot of teenagers and students come in – Taylor Swift, Lana Del Ray and Pink Pantheress have been very popular in the past five years. And then there are always people who want Fleetwood Mac, Blondie, The Beatles.

“Even Arctic Monkeys, their first album was 20 years ago now, but they’re still as popular as they’ve always been. Young people are discovering music either through their parents or through the artists they like, they namecheck people.”

Behind the counter during a busy Friday lunchtime, young staff member Chase explains how his own love of music was shaped by his dad’s vinyl collection.

“In a way I’m glad because not a lot of people have had that sort of musical upbringing, it has certainly helped me, being a musician as well. I must have been about 12 when I got my first record here. When I started going to college, being in town a bit more, I came in and asked Jim if there were any job openings and it just so happens there was. I was very lucky.

“There’s nothing I like more than getting a new record, playing it, and looking at the cover. Close to the Edge by Yes has got a green gradient on the cover – if you were just looking at that on streaming, you might say it’s a nice cover, you’d never be able to open up on the gatefold and see that beautiful painting.”

Bands on the wall
These small record shops are also lined with popular band T-shirts, framed prints, and other gifts inspired by music culture. This memorabilia resonates with the wider interest in many iconic musicians.

Film biopics, such as those of Bob Dylan, and Bruce Springsteen have a knock-on effect, generating a buzz among shoppers, as Frazier Lamb, of Elliotts Vinyl Records, explains: “A lot of the university students are coming in, they’ve recently discovered who Bob Dylan is, and they’re coming in to buy. It keeps it alive.”

Frazier took over the shop on Grantham Street in Lincoln, which he shares with a framing business, 16 months ago and says it was something of a dream. His love of music was shaped in large part by the Manchester scene of the 1980s and 1990s, which has also been given a boost by the reunion of Oasis last year.

The rarity of vinyl editions from the height of Britpop, when CDs sold in their millions, means that there is also interest among collectors today. Frazier showed me a prized copy of The Second Coming by The Stone Roses, and a 1994 pressing of the Oasis debut, Definitely Maybe was also in stock when I visited.

“I’ve been collecting records for about 25 years. I always believed vinyl would come back and it has. In the last three years it’s gone up and up – new and secondhand. I don’t really look at it as a job, I love it.

“The biggest thing for me is when a 15 year old comes in and they’re buying music that I like, or that I listened to when I was 15. Social media has a massive effect, or what’s on Netflix, like Stranger Things. I was asked for Tiffany’s ‘I Think We’re Alone Now,’ which I hadn’t sold for years.”

I asked if there were still any items on his own wishlist: “It never ends. I got offered a Smiths record yesterday for £4,500. It was the first single they pressed, Hand in Glove, but the sleeve was made wrong. They made between 50 and 100 but it was too dark so they just threw them.”

While younger listeners might be coming to Bowie, Joni, Jimi or Kurt for the first time, others will be looking to downsize their collection, make room for new discoveries, or else find the right home for an inherited batch of LPs. They will also find help on hand among these independents, most of which are glad to take enquiries about buying vinyl.

Alan Barnsdale runs Uptown Vinyl Records from two premises, one a small shopfront in Stamford Arcade and the other a large area within Baytree Garden Centre, Spalding believed to hold the largest on-site stock of any independent secondhand record shop in the UK, approximately 250,000 vinyl alone.

Much of Alan’s time is spent travelling to pick up collections that are carefully checked and catalogued, with a chance for shoppers to discover something for as little as £1 once added to the shop. There are always real gems to find. Alan says: “We are buying record collections every day.”

For the love of music
There is not only the excitement of finding rarities amongst this huge inventory – covering everything from Northern Soul to classical, country, and film soundtracks – but also in the building of relationships.

Alan says: “We meet such nice people. We’ve got people travelling from all over the country because we’ve got every genre. And it’s all ages. We had a couple this morning who bought two albums, for £12, and that’s their night organised. They’ll build a collection together as a couple.”

Alan has benefitted from passing trade thanks to his location at the garden centre, as well as the growing awareness of Uptown Vinyl Records’s uniquely large stock. “The garden centre attracts the right age of people who then see the sign that we buy records.” He has also been building more of a presence online by marking special music anniversaries in a creative way. The 60th birthday of Please Please Me by The Beatles saw Alan producing an eye-catching display of 60 covers.

Friend and fellow record shop owner Dean Poole of Rocka-Buy Records in Oakham, just over the county border, has built an extraordinary following online through an engaging and entertaining use of social media. The shop even caught the attention of Universal Studios marketing staff, fans of the shop, who invited Dean and his son to attend the premiere of the new Elvis film recently.

“Four years ago I was working for the NHS and now I’m here, we got to meet Brian May and Noel Gallagher, and Baz Luhrmann who produced the film. Social media is a major part of our business. My son came to me one day and said, we need to do a video on socials. I had no idea what it was. He has set the bar for others to follow.

“I looked yesterday and we are 52 followers away from 150k on Facebook. There’s no other record shop in the world that has 150k followers.”

If the many successes that the shop has enjoyed in the past few years all seem to good to be true, Dean also has vinyl ‘horror’ stories to share.

“I bought this collection off a guy, it was a massive Beatles collection. I took the collection home with me and there’s the holy grail: their very first song they recorded, ‘That’ll Be The Day’ and the B-side is ‘In Spite of All the Danger’.

“There was only ever one copy of it, Paul McCartney found it, and he bought it off the original bass player and pressed 25 and gave them to his closest friends. They’re valued at about £50,000. It was there. I went cold. I started having palpitations. Trying to find my 78 player, I brought it down from the loft and put it on. It was Johnny Ray’s ‘Cry’. Somebody had put a sticker over the top. For 20 minutes I thought my mortgage was paid!”

The shop took part in Record Store Day for the first time last year and enjoyed a successful day. They are hoping for another strong turnout and Dean has used his presence online to make sure that customers can share which special editions they are hoping to pick up on the day.

It is heartening to see how much mutual support is provided among independent shops and artists, with Rocka-Buy Records also promoting a unique limited number ‘Scratch Edition’ of the new album by The Hoosiers to tie-in with an intimate in-store performance by the band in May.

The welcoming environment that goes along with this enthusiasm for music is obvious from visiting these shops and speaking with their owners.

High fidelity
The care and passion that goes into choosing the next album to add to the collection is not always matched by a similar consideration for our stereo setup. This is a sentiment shared by two specialists in our county, who welcome clients to discuss an affordable, high-quality setup that will best suit their living space.

John Nelson of Expressive Audio, based on the Revesby Estate, says there has been a noticeable uptake of high-end systems alongside the strong engagement with vinyl collecting:

“The vinyl revival in general has been very good for the industry as a whole. We sell far more turntables than we did at the beginning, and compared to ten years ago tenfold, probably.”

Tailoring his services to each customer means that there is no off-the-shelf go-to: “You design them a system that is appropriate to their budget and needs. It’s entirely dependent upon the size of the room and whether they are looking for bookshelf speakers, or floor-standing speakers. Rega’s entry-level system, the System One, is great for those getting into vinyl for the first time.”

Having worked in the audio industry in the south of England for over 20 years, John relocated to Lincolnshire with his family five years ago and says that the relaxed pace of life and the people have been great. John also hosts a monthly Bring Your Own Music night for people to learn about some of the incredible work that engineers and manufacturers are doing today.

“We probably started off with six people and now we’re at about 15-20 each month. It’s become a proper little club, it’s fantastic.”

John will be on hand at Off the Beaten Tracks in Louth, another popular county independent, once again this Record Store Day to showcase some of the products available for those who are eager to spin their latest purchase. A champion of British brands in particular, John says it is hard to articulate the special quality of manufacturers such as Cyrus and Rega.

“There isn’t a technical reason for it necessarily, it’s down to the people that design the products that go through a listening panel and say how they want their products to sound.

“The key to hi-fi for me is something that draws you into music as you’re reaching for the next bit of vinyl and has you just listening to more music.”

A sound investment
The importance of music to our wellbeing is something that David McCaffrey of Revelation Audio is also keen to share. The showroom in Lincoln backs on to the historical Cardinal’s Hat pub, alongside Elliotts Vinyl Records, and the building’s heritage helps make this an attractive setting for a demonstration of the brands and products.

David showcases ranges from esteemed brands like Ruark and Linn Audio, whose Sondek LP12 launched in the 1970s and is still available today.

“The original one can be upgraded to today’s spec as well, no other brand offers that as a solution,” David explains.

For prospective buyers, David encourages a sit down and discussion in the showroom and once the ideal setup has been decided, he can even visit to install the system in your home.

David says: “I have developed a profound passion for vinyl records over many years, drawn to the unparalleled warmth, depth, and authenticity of analog sound that digital formats rarely capture.

“The ritual of carefully placing the needle on the groove, hearing the gentle surface noise that signals the music’s beginning, and experiencing the full dynamic range of a well-mastered pressing continues to captivate me.

“My collection, built through dedicated visits to record stores, online hunts, and conversations with fellow enthusiasts, spans genres and eras, each record chosen for its sonic quality and emotional resonance.

Beyond mere playback, vinyl offers a multisensory engagement – the artwork, liner notes, and physical presence of the disc itself –that fosters a deeper, more mindful connection to the music and the artists who created it.

“I am eager to share this enthusiasm with younger listeners who may have encountered vinyl primarily through entry-level suitcase-style players. While these devices serve as an accessible introduction, they often compromise on audio fidelity, limiting the listener’s ability to appreciate the format’s true potential.

“I would like to guide them toward higher-quality turntables – such as belt-drive models with precision tonearms, upgraded cartridges, and proper isolation – that reveal richer bass response, clearer highs, and greater detail in every recording.

“Through structured guidance, whether in the form of educational workshops, detailed online resources, or informal listening sessions, I aim to demystify setup and maintenance, highlight cost-effective upgrades, and encourage a new generation to embrace vinyl as a serious, enduring medium for experiencing music with intention and clarity.”

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