'On The Records - Notes From The Vinyl Revival'
Graham Sharpe
(Oldcastle Books)
Graham Sharpe is not only a prolific author, but also a record buyer and collector of over 60 years. He's straddled the world of gambling, he was almost half a century as head of PR of bookmaker William Hill, with music and popular culture highlights of his work alongside the more traditional sports betting. People of a certain age will remember the 'Who Shot JR' campaign, yes that was Graham, and betting odds on Screaming Lord Sutch getting a certain number of votes as leader of the Monster Raving Loonies, yes Graham too.
The author has written a large number of books on horseracing and gambling, often focusing on the colourful characters that inhabit or have inhabited that world. Talking of characters, and specifically Sutch, the book 'The Man Who Was Screaming Lord Sutch' was also written by Graham and is a must read for anyone interested in UK Rock N Roll.
Characters fill 'On The Records', sub-headed 'Notes From The Vinyl Revival' too. As with its predecessor 'Vinyl Countdown' the author is the lead protagonist in this pacy tome as he hops off planes, buses and pavements into record and charity shops in search of those elusive vinyl records he's always been looking for. Of course, anyone who collects records will also understand how he ends up buying many more that he didn't know he needed until he found them during that crate digging too.
While Graham's love of horseracing seems partly down to the colourful people involved, there are certainly as many characters in the world of record collecting, many of whom we meet here. Be they record fair vendors that won't budge on a price, know all customers or fellow enthusiasts, they are immortalised in 'On The Records'. In a unique angle, people who aren't described by the author's observations, get the chance to have their own say. This is a punchy, fast paced and very witty book bringing the world of the recording collecting community to life. If you are just curious, you'll find it a page turner, if you are one of the already afflicted, all you need to appease your conscience is here. A must read by a master wordsmith.
Simon Nott
18+ | BeGambleAware.org