Interview: Iain Aitchison, Longwell Records

It’s very pleasing to see that record sales are in rude health, more than 3.2 million records were sold in 2016, a rise of 53 per cent on the previous year, according to the BPI. Vinyl is on sale all over the place again and it’s rare not to see records on the merch stands at gigs.

Saturday, April 22 is the tenth anniversary of Record Store Day with the usual array of delights for the connoisseur and fan alike (as well as the sad twats who make their purchase then flog it on the interwebs).

Iain Aitchison chanced his arm in 2016, opening up an independent record shop in leafy Keynsham and he took a break from preparations of RSD to tell us about Longwell Records in general and RSD in particular.

Let’s start at the beginning, what was the first single you bought and what was your first LP?

Madness Grey Day from Plastic Wax on the Gloucester Road, although I had been listening to records from year dot as I had access to three older sisters’ and an older brother’s collections. First LP was also Madness, One Step Beyond.

And as a young ‘un, where was your record shop of choice?

Woolworths, Southmead, until I discovered the Gloucester Road and all the record shops in town.

Longwell Records regular customer Stephen Merchant

How did you get in to the vinyl business?

I took a leap of faith and followed my dreams with the help of a very dear friend.

What’s been you best find when you’ve bought a collection unseen?

A rare private pressed folk record called Wearing Thin by a band from Cambridge called Threadbare Consort, a gorgeous mint signed copy with an even nicer patchwork quilt design cover. The music was pretty good as well. My favourite record so far though is a truly mint first pressing of Headhunters by Herbie Hancock, I need to stop playing that one or it will wear out.

What’s the holy grail for you, what would you really like to find in a collection?

Ummm, got to be an early rocksteady album or singles, my love for that era just keeps growing and I’m influenced by a good mate of mine Steve Rice who runs the Downbeat Melody Sound System.

What’s the rarest item currently in stock?

We just sold a gorgeous solid triangle Dark Side of the Moon first pressing, I wanted to keep it really but Mrs A reminded me of my financial obligations… Oh and all of the gorgeous Record Store Day vinyl we currently have.

How’s the location working out?

Do you know what? Before I opened up in Keynsham I had a lot of negativity about the area, with peeps saying no one would want a record shop out here etc. But hand on heart I would not want to be anywhere else other than Keynsham. The community have supported this shop so much it’s fantastic. We’re the first record shop in the area for over twenty years and the locals just love the fact they can walk down the road and buy a record. We have a lot of involvement with Keynsham Music Festival and we also put on live performances in the newly built Keynsham Space area. Lots of musical acts are playing the venue & getting Keynsham on the map. I was brought up in Bristol on a diet of Soul, blues, dance & reggae with a hint of folk music, Keynsham folk also love that type of tune… I’ve also had Hollywood star and former 6 Music DJ Stephen Merchant visiting the shop and he continues to be a regular supporter.

You also sell online, how does that fit with the shop? Have you had online customers turn in to shop customers?

Yes we do sell online, but I always have the rare pieces of vinyl to offer in store at first and if they fail to find a home they end up online. We have had quite a few local eBay / Discogs customers come to the shop.

What’s the mix in the shop – second hand vs. new releases?

It’s 80 per cent second hand, value is definitely with the used vinyl but the modern record collector also wants the latest releases or a copy of, say,  Nevermind or Rumours that are quite hard to find in mint condition. We stock some lovely new stuff from Invada Records & Soul Jazz Records as well as chart albums and reissues. But second hand is the backbone of Longwell Records and we pride ourselves on that. With used vinyl you can grade accordingly and give the customer a chance to own some gorgeous music at a very reasonable price. Oh we sell Bread Over Bombs an LA band with 100 per cent of the proceeds going to local food banks – they will also headline this year’s Keynsham Music Festival making a special journey from Los Angeles.

Do you find customers are more interested in chasing down original releases or are they more interested in the reissues and / or new releases?

Total mixed bag, lots of customers will not go anywhere near a reissue and some would not care less about pressings or even condition! Although for the record (If you pardon the pun) we have only ever had four records returned for problems and two of those were sorted on the spot with a good old clean on the Okki Nokki pro cleaner.

How easy is it to get hold of new releases for a small independent like Longwell Records?

We can access new releases but most record distributors require you to spend quite a lot before they will do an order. We have recently sold about 20 copies of Rag’n’Bone Man which is an awesome album.

Is there a particular single or LP that you can’t keep on the racks when you get a copy, something that always moves sharpish?

Rumours by Fleetwood Mac and Nevermind by Nirvana and anything two tone / ska.

And how about genres, is there a particular style of music that attracts customers and sells well?

The theme seems to be anything goes in Keynsham from easy listening and country to prog, punk and folk music. It’s brilliant to have such a varied customer as we stock pretty much everything at the shop.

Describe a typical customer?

All types at Longwell Records: young, old, rich and poor.

Describe your ideal customer?

One that obviously purchases vinyl but a customer that has some great stories about concerts and musicians they have meet in the past, we have had some fantastic stories in the last twelve months, some tongue in cheek though…

And what makes for a nightmare customer?

One that begs you to sell them a certain record at a discounted price, then calls you two days later to state they could have got the record cheaper elsewhere. Haha. The relationship deteriorated for a short while but with my years working with people with substance misuse problems gave me a good grounding to deal with the difficult customers.

How has it been setting up for Records Store Day?

To be honest I have found the set up quite stressful, the concept is amazing but I signed up without realising how much hard work and preparation is needed to generate such a fantastic event. Without the support of my friends I would have binned it. The record store day releases are all so very, very tempting to keep but, the customer comes first at Longwell Records. We will have a huge selection of vinyl on the day with live music and lots of tunes, should be a great day.

Has your involvement in Records Store Day generated more interest in the shop?

Yes, lots of phone calls asking for certain records etc. and my regulars giving me wish lists. I love the fact that I can make someone’s vinyl dreams come true, like a gert big record fairy…

And what will be happening on the day?

We will open from 8am to 6pm and will have live music throughout the day with the support of Ric Davidson (Keynsham Music Festival director) and Steve Parkhouse (Jeli Records) The acts confirmed so far are Natalie Holmes, Pixi Encore, Steve Mercy, Maisie Aitchison, Priita and Ramblin Tyme. The team from Richer sounds Bath will also be instore to advice on anything equipment wise. We will also be open on Sunday, April 23 from 10 to 4 with Record Store Day 2017 still going strong. It’s almost out first birthday so we will sneak in a cheeky bit of birthday cake if you are all good.