RSD: Feel it

Like many, I initially welcomed Record Store Day at its inception as I believed (and still do) that independent record shops are the lifeblood of the industry and should be supported. At the time, I wasn't buying vinyl as my purse strings were too tight. However, the fall out of the event annoyed me. The vulgar display of reselling at inflated prices on eBay by non-music fans riled me so much, I deliberately avoided Record Store Day every year from that point on. Until last year that is, when I so desperately wanted to pick up the beautiful triple-coloured-vinyl reissue of 'Copper Blue' by Sugar. I queued outside Spillers for a couple of hours and chatted with people the whole time. 'Twas a rather enjoyable experience.

This year, there was just one thing I saw that I thought would be nice to have but it wouldn't have broken my heart had I not got it. I didn't queue at all this year - couldn't be arsed. I didn't even go as far as Cardiff. Instead I just strolled into Newport to visit Diverse around lunchtime. By that point, the shop was very quiet, the rush having come and gone. Some muppets had been queuing from 4am in order to grab an overpriced rarity or two!

If I had a far less limited budget, I could go a bit crazier on RSD. Instead, I tend to restrict myself to a couple of items. This year, the only thing that really grabbed my attention was 'Feel', an exclusive EP of new material by Belly on 10" blue-spattered vinyl. Diverse, sadly, had sold out by the time I got there. No matter - I trotted off to Newport Market where Kriminal Records is located. I hadn't realised, but a record fair was being held there too and it was there I managed to grab a copy of 'Feel'.

I hadn't been to a record fair in years. Decades, in fact. Back in the day, I would have spent a fortune, but I'm much more disciplined these days and instead was just content to browse the wares on each stall. I'm still in the process of tracking down vinyl copies of my 50 albums to take to my grave, but the ones I have left to find are proving elusive. I figure if I'm going to find them, then a record fair is a pretty good place to start. Not this time though. I left with just my Belly 10" under my arm and headed for the barbers. Despite not bagging any more goodies, I was happy; that old feeling of flicking through crates of records, never knowing what you might come across, the occasional item bringing a nostalgic smile to my face - ah, you can't beat that.

I haven't checked eBay or anywhere like that to see what the mercenaries are flogging their purchases for - it'll only depress and anger me. At least RSD hasn't proven to be the hysterical free-for-all I imagined it to be.

Here's a track from the Belly EP that won't be on the forthcoming comeback album.