12” records are just far more interesting to interact with than a CD. I mean a vinyl LP really benefits from having a nice sleeve doesn’t it? And CD’s by their very nature are small in size and so offer small artwork.
VV – Do you think the new resurgence in popularity of vinyl is tasking both and artists and record sleeve designers to produce more than just the music itself, to create this kind of object?ĭ – Yes I hope so.
When CD’s came out they were the expensive format and vinyl was half the price, now it’s gone the other way – you pay £20 for a vinyl album and £8 for a CD. But when you think the tables have turned so much, so drastically in price between CD’s and vinyl. So buying vinyl is something that is generally for people that have money. I suppose because it’s an expensive thing for kids to get into when they can download, or stream. We don’t get an awful lot of customers in that 18-20 age bracket. They’re coming at it from a different point of view to an 18 or 20 year old who can sort it out for themselves. We do get young kids, not very frequently, but ones who are very enthusiastic as a result of their Dad’s record collection. Then the internet arrived in the 1990’s, which obviously had its effect, so by the year 2000 people were downloading so much that the whole market in physical product, vinyl or CD’s was effecting second hand record shops.ĭ – We get all kinds of customers. There weren’t many CD’s going second hand and people were building up their collections. People were looking for CD’s all the time. VV – I’m guessing a lot has changed since you started?ĭ – Yeah, you can imagine with the technological changes, the arrival of CD’s first of all in the mid 80’s hammered a lot of record shops because vinyl went down in value. I’m 64 now so I’ve been at it for a long time, I still enjoy it obviously. He asked me if I wanted to come and help out and I’ve been there ever since. VinylVirus – How long have you been at Reckless?ĭuncan – In 1984 the owner found the current location, and within no time he needed extra staff and I knew him personally. We were lucky enough to talk with the manager Duncan about the history and evolution of Reckless Records and Soho. Always looking to buy records, the staff are more than knowledgeable and will always make sure records are bought and sold at a fair price. Specialising in second hand records, Reckless have an extensively wide range of genres: Jazz, Blues, R&B, Rock, Electronic, House, Funk, Folk, Soul and more. In 1989 they opened Reckless Records in Chicago and by the end of the 80’s they had four shops, two on both sides of the Atlantic.Įvery record shop has it’s own personality, it’s own set of rules and characteristics that separates it from the rest.
As well as having a strong foothold in London they always had the desire to open shops in America. Opening their first shop in Islington in 1983, they soon expanded to their second shop in Soho at 30 Berwick Street, where they still are today. Seeing shops come and go due to rising rents in an area of London that has over 15 million tourists visiting each year, Reckless Records has an interesting past.
Having opened its doors in 1984 Reckless Records is the longest standing record shop on Berwick Street, famously known as ‘The Golden Mile of Record Shops’. As Record Store Day rolls in, VinylVirus take the opportunity to profile Soho mainstay Reckless Records. The historic quarter of Soho has always been London’s central hub for vinyl culture. This feature is taken from VinylVirus, a new printed guide for record shops.
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