VINYL MAY BE FINAL NAIL IN CD’S COFFIN ran the headline in a Wired magazine article in October 2007. Ever since the arrival of the long—playing record in 1948, the album has acted as the soundtrack to our lives. Record collections—even on a CD or iPod-are personal treasures, revealing our loves, errors in judgment, and lapses in taste. In The Vinyl Countdown, Travis Elborough explores the way in which particular albums are deeply embedded in cultural history or so ubiquitous as to be almost invisible. While music itself has experienced several different movements over the past sixty years, the album has remained a constant. But the way we listen to music has changed in the last ten years. In the age of the iPod, when we can download an infinite number of single tracks instantaneously, does the concept of the album mean anything? Elborough moves chronologically through relevant periods, letting the story of the LP, certain genres, youth cults, and topics like sleeve designs, shops, drugs, and education unfurl as he goes along. The Vinyl Countdown is a brilliant piece of popular history, an idiosyncratic tribute to a much-loved part of our shared consciousness, and a celebration of the joy of records.

Graham Sharpe's vinyl love affair began in the 1960s and since then he has amassed over 3000 LPs and spent countless hours visiting record shops worldwide along with record fairs, car boot sales, online and real-life auctions. After leaving his job at William Hill, his retirement dream was to visit every surviving second-hand record shop across the world. Vinyl Countdown followed his journey to over a hundred shops across the globe and the adventures he accrued along the way, from Amsterdam and Angus, to Bedfordshire and Budapest, Tennessee and Wellington. Now, ON THE RECORDs: Notes from the Vinyl Revival explores the impact of recent global events on the record industry and considers the reasons why vinyl remains a beloved &– and booming &– format. Far from being yesterday's fading, forgotten format, vinyl records have survived and flourished as the music medium of choice for not only baby-boomers, but all ages. Every record a collector acquires comes with a story of its own, and the recent Covid-19 lockdowns prompted many vinylholics, including Sharpe, to look more closely at their reasons for collecting, take stock of existing collections and rediscover old favourites. ON THE RECORDs: Notes from the Vinyl Revival includes interviews and contributions from voices across the record industry &– shop owners, record company insiders, online/postal sellers, auction organisers, market traders of vinyl, amateur collectors &– who share their stories with candour, warmth and humour. A mesmerising blend of memoir, travel, music and social history that will appeal to anyone who vividly recalls the first LP they bought and any music fan who derives pleasure from the capacity that records have for transporting you back in time.

A photographic look into the world of vinyl record collectors—including Questlove—in the most intimate of environments—their record rooms. Compelling photographic essays from photographer Eilon Paz are paired with in-depth and insightful interviews to illustrate what motivates these collectors to keep digging for more records. The reader gets an up close and personal look at a variety of well-known vinyl champions, including Gilles Peterson and King Britt, as well as a glimpse into the collections of known and unknown DJs, producers, record dealers, and everyday enthusiasts. Driven by his love for vinyl records, Paz takes us on a five-year journey unearthing the very soul of the vinyl community.

"A fun, flashy, and sASSy book for beginner and expert crafters alike--with more than 150 new projects that will add pizzazz to everything from jewelry to tote bags! Now more than ever, most of us are scaling back on shopping sprees and holding on to things longer than usual. But we still need ways to liven up last season's dress or add some sparkle to our everyday shoes. But how? No need for fancy tools or expensive supplies--Mark Montano presents this beautifully illustrated book that's jam-packed with more than 150 easy-to-make projects. Featuring simple, step-by-step instructions for each project, The Big-Ass Book of Bling includes everything from ornate shoe clips to rhinestone-studded cuffs to flashy headbands--anything and everything that needs a little sprucing up. So "bling it on" and see how dazzling you can be!"--

Ever since the arrival of the long-playing record in 1948, the album has acted as the soundtrack to our lives. Record collections-- even they're on CD or an i-Pod--are personal treasures, revealing our loves, errors of judgement and lapses in taste. In the Vinyl Countdown, Travis Elborough explores the way in which particular albums are deeply embedded in cultural history, revered as works of art or so ubiquitous as to be almost invisible. While music itself has experienced several different movements over the past sixty years, the album has remained as a constant. The record survived the invention of the cassette, the walkman, and the CD, only to find itself on shaky ground today. In the age of the i-Pod when we can download an infinite number of single tracks and need never listen to a whole album ever again, does the concept of the album still mean anything? We're in the middle of a vinyl revival but the way we're listening to music has changed beyond recognition in the last ten years. Elborough moves chronologically through relevant periods letting the story of the LP, certain genres, youth cults and topics like sleeve designs, shops, drugs, education, unfurl as he goes along. The Vinyl Countdown is a brilliant piece of popular history, an idiosyncratic tribute to a much-loved part of our shared consciousness and a celebration of the joy of records.