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JONATHAN WALLACE
@dallasol
I think it’s fair to say his music tastes are some what varied and when I interviewed him, he was quoting records by bands that I’d never even heard of but promised I’d check out (I can’t wait to fall down the “Guided By Voices” hole!) His collection currently stands at around 3,000 records and seems to be growing by the day.
Jonathan has an incredible musical knowledge and I suppose that comes with working in the music business and playing with a number of bands. It was a great experience talking about collecting records and playing music amongst other things.
Why the vinyl format? What is it about it that you like?
Vinyl was the format that was there when I started listening to music and I have tried a number of other formats but there’s no other format that has come along that I have liked more than vinyl. During the period of when CD’s became the big thing I was still always trying to buy vinyl and only bought a CD if it was cheap really or if an album didn’t get a vinyl release. Through that period though, I never gave up on vinyl and that of course means I do have some records, from the ‘90s in particular, where vinyl pressings were scarce and I managed to buy one meaning they are worth a fair bit of money these days. I just never gave up on vinyl and never will do as long as they are still pressing the format.
Record collectors state that sleeve artwork is an important factor to them with a record. Is that a factor for you since you have been collecting vinyl?
You could probably come up with a list of things that record collectors will talk about when discussing vinyl and I’d be on board with a lot of them and yes artwork would be on that list. Record collectors are probably stereotyped a lot when it comes to records about liking things like the smell of vinyl or the crackle of the needle on a record but I wouldn’t say I’m into those things however artwork and the size of the format works well together. I would much rather have a big thing to look at and study rather than something smaller like a CD. Above all though for me it’s more about the music than a record as an item.
How many records do you have in the collection?
It’s around 3,000 currently and the collection is catalogued on Discogs however I don't trust that exact number on there as some will have definitely slipped through the net. I’ve used Discogs for a long time and occasionally I found that a record wasn’t on their database but that’s quite a rare situation as pretty much everything is on there. I also buy and sell on Discogs also and never usually have any issues with records I receive. Sellers tend to know how to pack a record properly than they do from some other sites like eBay for example. However, the way Discogs is set up makes it difficult to find a bargain. You can nearly always find what you are looking for but the prices are going up all the time and there can sometimes be misinterpretation of condition of record or pressing and so on but overall it’s a great tool for a record collector.
Looking at your collection on Instagram, it’s obvious it’s very diverse. What kind of genres do you like to collect?
I would say it’s fair to say it’s very eclectic but if you took a look at the central core of what is there, you would realise it’s built up of Indie and Alternative music primarily. When I was buying more records, or when I was more prepared to go without food so I had more money to buy records, It was the ‘90s so I would say my collection is predominantly the Indie and Alternative genres. I would love for it to be even more eclectic than it is but that’s a work in progress. On my Instagram, I’m trying not to show a record that I’ve not posted before, like a no re-post thing, but I’m sure eventually I will run out or end up posting records that I’m not even that bothered about like a Bananarama record. They are in my collection and will be posted on Instagram eventually!
What was the first record that you ever bought with your own money?
Yes and I remember when it was when I bought it also. I’d been saving up money and also got some money for christmas after christmas went out and bought the record which was “Discovery” by Electric Light Orchestra. Someone who lived near me was the older kid who had a decent record collection and he seemed incredibly cool to my brother and I and he was into ELO so that’s how I came to discover them. I still listen to that genre of music quite often and I’m quite content with that being my first record looking back.
So a lot of collectors have a want list, do you have one and what is on it?
I do but I wouldn’t say what’s on there is written in stone as must have records that I need in my collection. They are in my Discogs want list as reminders if any were to come up for sale at a very good price. I definitely have a more important want list in my brain than what is written down. I think when I get the chance to be back shopping in record shops physically, I want to be able to have the time to look through every section, barring country and classical music as I’ve never got into those, that may interest me and maybe pull things out that I may like rather than be going into a shop with a plan and list of what I’m needing to be looking for. Jazz is a genre that my younger self probably thought I would never listen to but I have finally given in. Because I’m relatively new to it, and because I’ve saturated most other things, I’d guess that Jazz occupies more space in my mental wish list than most other genres. That and new releases of course.
Have you ever taken part in Record Store Day?
I’ve been in a record shop on Record Store Day looking for things that were released on Record Store Day but I’ve never queued up at all. I love the idea of Record Store Day and want to be in a position to support local stores more but current situation doesn’t allow that but again part of me thinks that whole day is borderline swindle a bit. It’s certainly a day that splits opinion for collectors of records. A lot of the deceased artists like David Bowie and Prince are having their records reissued or bonus material being added to existing records and reissued. I think they are doing a great job with the Prince material, but I’m finding the Bowie releases a little haphazard and occasionally excessive. I think Record Store Day also exploits collectors a little bit as well with a set day being invented to release special edition records that are limited releases with prices hiked up. I admit, I have bought some records for the collectibility nature of having that record and that does frustrate me a little that I’ve fallen in the trap of buying a record because I think I need to own it.
Finally, is there a record that you have found for an unbelievable price?
That would be “The Gold Experience” by Prince who was calling himself Symbol at the time. It was released by Warner Brothers in 1995 but I found it a few years later when he’d left that label and gone kind of underground. He’d started his own label and became less mainstream. I found this record in a shop in Aberdeen in Scotland and was in a bargain section in the shop. So much so that the records stored with their spines facing out so you had to really pick through the records. I was into Prince at the time but not hugely and didn’t really know this record. Looking at the same record on Discogs, It usually sells for £200 so that was absolutely the biggest bargain that I’ve ever found.
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