People who collect vinyl records are generally very passionate about the process.
“Sometimes people will take years looking for that elusive album and they go to something like the Vinyl Flip and there it is,” said Roxy Records owner Mark Lemna, who, along with co-organizer Bob Davey, is preparing for the second Vinyl Flip.
Lemna said he expects thousands of records to be available at the vinyl bazaar where 11 collectors, three from out of town and eight from Powell River, will bring bins full of albums for sale, from LPs for a dime to rare finds.
Ringo Starr’s copy of the Beatles’ White Album is the rarest of vinyl albums while the most expensive ever sold is Wu-Tang Clan’s Once Upon a Time in Shaolin for $2 million.
According to Lemna, three people are coming from Nanaimo with their collections, “and they have some pretty awesome stuff,” he said.
Lemna started collecting vinyl about 45 years ago and has about 2,000 records at home plus more at his store. Some collections contain as many as 100,000 to 150,000 records, all separated in genres, in alphabetical order and kept with tender, loving care.
According to Davey, the listening experience with vinyl is more visceral than with digital.
“You put it on the turntable, the record starts spinning, you put the needle down on it and you have something tangible that’s playing the music,” said Davey. “There’s the artwork of an album cover that is fantastic and it’s 12 inches by 12 inches instead of a tiny little thumbnail on your mobile phone.”
Lemna said collectors are more connected to the music and think vinyl simply sounds better.
“There’s the nostalgic part of it, and there’s even the ritual of playing a record,” he said. “You’re involved with it.”
Vinyl Flip takes place from 12-4 pm on Saturday, November 5, at Cranberry Community Hall. Admission is $2 with 50 per cent of the proceeds going to a local non-profit society.
