National Record Day April 19, 2016

Vinyl record that is.  Last Saturday was National Record Day – I duly visited my local vinyl record store – Bop Street Records.  I went early – on the way I saw that the record store across the street had an amazing queue stretching round the corner.  Wow I thought better   hurry.  But when I got to Bop Street there was hardly anyone there.  What was going on?  I subsequently learned that the record store across the street sold NEW records and this was the day for some new releases.  Bop Street sells USED records – and what a collection it has.  HUGE.  I was told that only the Library of Congress and the Smithsonian have larger collections.

I was so dazzled and swamped by the range of choices at Bop Street I had no idea what I wanted.  But I wanted to honor the day and I finally settled on a record by Merle Haggard who I knew had died recently.  And I also bought a CD  of Richard and Mimi Farina.  So some new choices to add to my eclectic collection.  Pleasant listening.

Vinyl Records April 20, 2015

Did you know that last Saturday, April 18, was Record Store Day?  Seattle’s 10 best could hardly wait.  In the afternoon I managed to get to the best of the best – Bop Street Records on Market Street in Ballard.  There was a steady stream of customers and a vast array of records from which to choose.  I came away with two very different gems.    a jazz album, Stan Getz and J. J. Johnson  at the Opera House            sacred music, the Choir of St. John’s College, Cambridge  singing compositions by Poulenc and Peeters.

A few years ago when Bop Street Records was in its old location on Ballard Way and I was exploring Ballard on my own, I used to go in there quite often.  Then the store moved up to Market Street and I faded away, not going in to browse so often.  But on Saturday I went in for  “old times sake”.  It was so nice to go there again – it was like a homecoming.  I’ll go again soon!