Has it really been a year since Record Store Day last took place? Well, I think it is, though looking back I have no recollection of it ever taking place. I recall it being postponed when it should have taken place and then it DID take place but in a socially distanced manner, I also recall there being 3 ‘drops’ throughout the year which to me seemed like overkill, I am referring to having to get up early for one day of the year, waiting in line for a few hours talking to other fellow addicts and then haemorrhaging half of your wages on lovely shiny wax to take home and play before falling into a wax-addled coma on the couch at 4pm. Oh yes, in 2020, folk had to do this on three separate occasions, THREE! what a bind! Anyway, it is now 2021 and we were going to be covering Record Store Day at Newton Abbot’s one and only independent record store Phoenix Sound, so let’s take a look how the morning panned out…..

It was 6:15am and whilst I was pouring a glass of water to kickstart my system, the alarm rang on my phone, Ha, beat you to it, one nil to me! It was Saturday June 12th and in less than 30 minutes, I would be in Newton Abbot, parking up and getting ready for RSD21, I couldn’t wait.

As I parked up a few shops back from the record shop, I was amazed to see a very healthy queue that had already formed, I did a quick count and reckoned that it was at least 50 strong. As I walked towards the front, I saw a few familiar faces who had been there from 4am onwards but the best was yet to come, the two chaps at the front had been standing outside the shop, shooting the breeze since 3am, talk about dedication!

I was let into the shop and wasted no time at all getting some photographs of the ample stock that was on display, ready to be picked and packed and stored for later pick up by the excited crowd outside. 

What surprised me was the amount of stock that Will and his team had managed to acquire, so if it was Uriah Heep, Status Quo, Noel Gallagher or The Jaded Hearts Club that floated your boat, these, amongst loads more, were available in plentiful supply so I hoped that there wouldn’t be too many disappointed faces come opening time.

The system worked flawlessly, Will greeted the punters at the door one by one, took their orders which were passed on to the team of vinyl fairies who ran around gathering the spoils and bagging them up ready to be collected at the allotted time given to them when they ordered. 

After taking as many photographs as I could manage, I decided to pitch in and help out, managing to get around 25 orders together in 30 mins which I think must be a record! 

Once the queue had cleared, it was time to allow the buyers in to pay for and collect their orders, again, executed with military precision, they were invited in one at a time to complete their transactions, the till bells ringing as they did so. 

I called it a day at 9:45am as I had to get back home to edit the photos before sending them over to Will to review ahead of putting them on the shop’s various social media accounts.

So, was 2021 a year to remember? I think it was, 99% of people that I chatted to as they were collecting their orders said that they had managed to get hold of everything on their ‘wants’ lists, meaning that there wouldn’t be too many people visiting eBay to get hold of anything that wasn’t available on the day!

Oh, I forgot to mention, there was beer available too……mmmmm BEER!

I was thinking of a witty way of singing off RSD for 2021 until I realised that there is another drop due to land on Saturday 17th July, meaning another early morning, more photos and of course, more fun!

We look forward to seeing you then!

Words and Photos by Steve Muscutt