Digital downloads and streaming have devoured the tape and CD, but one silky-sounding music mechanism is still turning with the times.
Jeremy Taylor has made vinyl a way of life. An avid record collector, he has worked at Wellington’s Slow Boat Records for around a decade.
At one stage Jeremy thought he had around 1000 records neatly stacked in three record shelves, but now there’s more than he can count. “They’re sprawling and spreading out and around the house, there are little stashes of records everywhere. It’s embarrassing really, it’s like from one of those hoarding programmes.”
Jeremy’s passion for records started when he was a kid. After saving all his pennies, he bought a hit single from the 70s children’s show The Wombles called ‘Remember You’re a Womble’. This was followed by the soundtrack to the Hollywood hit sensation Grease.
“You hear guys bragging about how they have thousands and thousands of hours of music, and I wonder how much they actually get round to listening to. You certainly value something less if you got it for nothing.”
For Jeremy, the draw is more than the music – it's being able to hold a work of art in his hands. “I think they're a great timeless object, like a classic guitar or a classic automobile.”
