Everybody needs... a record player

   Theres nothing like the crappy sound quality and constant crackle that you get with a record player. Well that really doesn't sell the product, but once you get one, you realise that this is the way the album you're listening to is meant to be heard.

   For my 15th birthday, I invested a measly 70 pounds on buying myself a record player. At first I had to wonder why I did it, but I placed that first Jimi Hendrix album, given as a present, onto the deck, put the pin on and listened. I didn't move all night and since that moment i've been hooked. After that I started to venture into town to look around vinyl shops and the odd charity shop, finding vinyls for as cheap as I could get them. I even found an old Johnny Cash record for 50p. Bargain. Then I even found an original Quadrophenia print, with the book and lyrics included, all for a quid. So I guess its not a bad thing to root.
   Piccadilly records is probably the best place in Manchester for records, which me and my friend Eryn often pop into to have a look around. They also do the odd special event, band signings and Record Store day that often brings in massive crowds at 6 o'clock in the morning to get limited edition records. Back in April, on a cold and wet morning, me and Eryn braved the weather at 5am to get out hands on the limited edition Arctic Monkeys 'R U Mine?' record. Even though we were queuing for around 6 hours, it was every bit worth it.

   Luckily my auntie and uncle kept their collections and passed them down to me. Old tattered copies of The Jam's 'All Mod Cons' and a various amount of Fleetwood Mac records were just something to get me started. Listening to The Beatles' 'Live From Abbey Road' is nothing short of perfect when played on a vinyl.
So go out and get yourselves a record player, there not much, and worth every penny.