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IAN MOORHOUSE
@ians_vinyl_life
Ian told me that their collection started out before the vinyl revival really took off which meant they were able to pick up a lot of their early additions for a fraction of what collectors pay now for records.
He likes to play his collection on older type record consoles that he enjoys either refurbishing or modernising slightly to ensure the record sounds as perfect as it can.
Looking through Ian and Megan’s collection on Instagram is a lovely experience and you can really feel the warmth and love of their collection from the photos they post, usually including both of the dogs.
Were there records in your family house growing up at all?
Not particularly in my family however in my wife’s family there was. We inherited her parents collection a few years ago which might have been around a hundred records or so. It was great to hear them talk about where they purchased each one and what the stories behind each album was. In their collection were some real standard rock classics like “White Album” by The Beatles and “Strange Days” by The Doors. Every single record they gifted to us will always hold a special place in our record collection and we spin them all regularly on rotation.
Why vinyl and how did you get into the format?
I wouldn’t consider myself an audiophile, however I do appreciate the warm sound that only vinyl gives you. I also have a fondness for the tangibility of an album along with the artwork that an MP3 or streaming service doesn’t really give you. My in - laws gave us their old turntable ten years ago or so. We set it up however didn’t have any records of our own. I went out and purchased a couple used albums and the rest is history.
How long have you been collecting and how many records do you have in the collection?
I would say it’s been about eight or nine years of serious collecting. My wife and I have around 1,900 records in our collection. We seemed to have started collecting just before it started exploding in popularity in Canada and lucky for us, we were able to buy up collections of 300 - 400 records for around fifty cents a piece. We were really able to build up our collection quickly and relatively inexpensively which was great. Now its next to impossible to find anything decent for less than $5 a piece due to the popularity of vinyl these days and the vinyl revival that’s currently going on right now. We keep on going out and digging for records though as I’m sure there are still some bargains out there to be found.
Can you remember what the first record you bought was?
When we inherited the used turntable the two albums I picked up first were Pink Floyd’s “The Wall” and Electric Light Orchestra’s “Greatest Hits”. We only owned those two albums for a while before we really got into expanding our collection.
Do you have a favourite genre you like to collect?
The collection really spans all genres of music and I suppose my favourite genre changes on any given day. If you forced me to pick one specific genre, I would say it would have to be ‘70s Funk and Soul. I love artists like Funkadelic, Stevie Wonder and Prince.
Where do you listen to your records? Do you have a certain room that you listen in?
Most of the time we listen to our records in the living room. I love the weekend routine of putting on a pot of coffee, and sitting back on the couch and absorbing the sound. Usually I listen to four or five records before I do anything on a weekend morning.
Do you participate in Record Store Day?
We have in the past but only if there is a release I’m really interested in. There have been a few years that nothing really peaked my interest.
Do you have a favourite record shop that you like to visit?
Locally in London, Ontario my favourite record shop is Speed City Records (@speedcityrecords). Mike’s pricing is extremely fair and he has an awesome inventory that is constantly changing. My favourite record shop globally is Hello Records (@hellorecordsdetroit) in Detroit, Michigan. I always find some great obscure Soul and Motown records there that I never see in Canada.
How do you organise your collection?
We organise it alphabetically including soundtracks. I know some people like a separate various section for compilations and soundtracks but we just lump it all together alphabetically. We have a Discogs account which is a great tool for cataloguing our collection. We sometimes use the shuffle feature when we don’t know what to listen too and it just randomly picks a record.
Do you have a favourite record in your collection?
Wow that’s an incredibly difficult question to answer. Its so hard to pick one and I’m very proud of my Pink Floyd collection. I suppose “The Wall” would be my favourite if I had to pick one. Not that its an original pressing or anything it’s mostly that it’s the first album I ever bought. It was what instigated my passion for record collecting.
Finally, what are your thoughts on the Instagram Vinyl Community?
I love it! I’ve met some cool people from all over the world that I wouldn’t otherwise. Its fun to see what people post as well as give their opinions on certain releases. I’ve also discovered new artists through the Vinyl Community.
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