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BOBBY MCDOWELL
@mulholland_drivethru
Like most record collectors, Bobby feels most at home in a bricks and mortar record shop digging through the crates looking for the next gem to add to his collection or spending late nights sorting though his vast array of shelves of wax in his home. When I asked him about records he was still looking for, he told me that the majority of records he was still chasing were astronomical in price and was awaiting the inevitable reissues that would be forthcoming due to the vinyl revival we find ourselves living through these days.
Bobby has a fantastic collection of records and a must follow Instagram account, especially if you like good music, great photography and lots and lots of lists!
How long have you been collecting records?
I was a CD collector in my teens but I started collecting wax properly in my early twenties in the glory days of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s when you could pick up classic albums from the dollar bins at markets. Vinyl was apparently dead. God, if only we’d known!
Were there records in your family growing up?
Yeah, there was a record pile. Not hundreds by any means, but enough to make me consciously wonder what they were, what they sounded like, and (most importantly) want to play them. My parents’ taste was pretty conservative though. It was artists like Anne Murray, John Farnham and Boney M’s Christmas album featuring heavily. I had a few Disney soundtracks that I could call my own. By the time I was four or five (in 1982/83), I was listening to cassettes in my bedroom though.
What was the first album you owned then?
That would have been “Thriller” by Michael Jackson on cassette in 1982.
Where do you listen and store your collection?
Much to my family’s chagrin, it’s all in the living room. Every time I bring home another bunch of records, my four year old is very quick to respond “Not more records! Daddy, you’re running out of space” I mean, that’s why you buy a bigger house, isn’t it?
How do you organise the collection?
A-Z within genres is working for me right now. I do use Discogs to keep a catalogue of where I’m at too. I sometimes wonder whether or not just a massive A-Z of everything might just be easier as so many albums are genre fuzzy and when you have a somewhat extensive Brian Eno collection, for example, you don’t want to be skipping around everywhere trying to find the one you want. First world problems, right?
What does your partner think of the record obsession?
I think ‘endures’ would be the word. She doesn’t feel the need to own any records that aren’t made by Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits, Bob Dylan, Bill Callahan or Gillian Welch. Whoops!
Do you have a favourite record?
I don’t even know where to start so I’m just going to give you the answer I gave everybody when I was around twenty two years old and that’s David Bowie’s “Station to Station”. These days, I guess it works as well as any answer in that the answer would change just about every minute.
Where do you buy records usually?
Record shops mainly! Obviously online too, but I try to support local shops here in Melbourne as much as I can. Some of my favourite purchases were not premeditated and you’re far more likely to have those experiences in a shop rather than on a website. I love it when something excellent is playing in the shop that you’ve never heard but know you need. Again, you don’t get that on a website. Discogs has been great for records that are just impossible to come by in shops though. I just try to use it as sparingly as possible as the postage is usually a killer.
How big is your want list right now?
Oh man, that’s a loaded question! So, I’ve been gradually whittling down my Discogs want list very effectively over the last few years. I think it’s on 93 right now. I’m cheating as I’ve got at least another two lists on my phone that I haven’t put up on Discogs yet. I’ve also got another list of at least a couple of hundred albums that I’ll wait for reissues before committing. Some of the hens’ teeth ones are just too damned expensive!
Finally, What's your current audio set-up?
At the moment I’m using a Pro-Ject Classic turntable going into a Rotel amplifier with Dali Zensor speakers. Not top end for sure, but it sounds great to my ears. I don’t consider myself an audiophile though!
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