Here's a treat for our vinyl collectors and record-curious: 'The Unique History of the Vinyl Record.
The Invention of Vinyl
Emile Berliner, a German inventor, produced the flat disc record which could be used in conjunction with Edison's Phonograph to play music off the record. He later developed a phonograph used exclusively for these flat disc records which became know as the Gramophone. He would later go on to found the iconic Deutsche Gramophone Record Label, which is still putting out albums to this day including Moby's Reprise
Size Matters
The first 10" record was produced in 1901, followed by the now industry standard 12" in 1903. The flat discs could play around for around 3 or 4 minutes compared to the 2 minutes the cylinders used in the Phonograph.
The Need For Speed
Many tried to crack the code of producing a disc that could be played for longer and longer until Columbia Records unveiled the 33 1/3 RPM disc in 1948. The first commercial release on this format is believed to be a Mendelssohn Concerto.
Back In Black
With the advent of cassettes followed by compact discs and finally digital music, Vinyl sales dwindled from the late 70s before the current Vinyl Revolution sparked.
Over 27 million albums were sold in the United States alone last year.
We've been slinging wax in Galway since the mid 80s.
Our biggest sellers in 2020 were:
3. Amy Winehouse - Back To Black
4. John Coltrane - Giant Steps
The Best Selling Album of All Time
In 2018, The Eagles Greatest Hits 71 - 75 surpassed Michael Jackson's Thriller as the biggest selling album of all time.
Q: What's the first Vinyl album you ever bought?
We received a lot of great answers on this one over on Facebook & Instagram - A few commenters even said they bought their first record from us down the years!
Some of the response we received include:
Beastie Boys - Licensed To Ill (in Zhivago over the old Card Boutique!!)