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Considering vinyl records of the USSR, the price of which today is very different, it is worth noting some Interesting Facts and the numbers associated with them. Thus, the world's first gramophone discs made of plastic material containing a sound recording for playback were made of celluloid. In 1897, they were replaced by products made from shellac, soot and spar, and they were very expensive due to the use of shellac, an organic substance produced by the lac bug called Tachardia lacca. So for one disk it was necessary to use the labor of 4 thousand worms.
According to experts, the most expensive vinyl in the world is valued at 100 thousand pounds. This is a single by the Quarrymen, which dates back to 1958. The owner of the only edition known to collectors was Sir Paul McCartney. Expensive vinyl records from the USSR are, of course, highly valued, but do not reach such fabulous heights.
The best vinyl is made in Japan. Experts have begun to add a special component, vinylite, to the plastic mass, which reduces the noise from the needle sliding, which is noticeably audible during pauses between compositions. In addition, thanks to this substance, the appearance of electrostatic charges was minimized, and the service life of the disk was generally increased.
Vinyl record collecting
One of the interesting types of collecting is collecting sound recordings of different content, which is called philophony. The most common direction in philophony is collecting recordings of music on all kinds of media (from laser CDs to gramophone products). Particularly noteworthy are the records released in the USSR. Of course, collecting is associated with certain difficulties - you have to tirelessly search for them, find out how much old USSR vinyl records cost, invest money, and then ensure careful and careful storage.
Often, the basis of many philophonic collections, as a rule, is a home music library, for example, children's records of the USSR. When philophony becomes a serious hobby, the circle of collecting is narrowed. The personal taste of the collector prevails here. The collection of certain records of a particular direction or a specific artist begins. Fans of documentary recordings are interested in collecting speeches by public and government figures. The cost of USSR vinyl records varies greatly.
What do vinyl collectors pay attention to?
For collectors who once decided to buy vinyl records of the USSR and began to pay due attention to the emerging collection, a number of factors related to the copies themselves are important. As a rule, they form the price of a particular product. So, the meaning is:
- year of issue ( great value have vintage wheels)
- circulation (luck is to get a limited edition disc, for example, one in a thousand, these are rare records of the USSR)
- performer (there is a popular category)
- condition (is the disc sealed, has it been played and how many times, are there any chips, abrasions and scratches)
- manufacturer's label
- image on the disk (a unique illustration of a famous artist, master or rare photograph).
For those who were born and raised in the Soviet Union, his vinyl is a special world. Unfortunately, the domestic assortment of gramophone records is very small and mainly consisted of the work of, of course, Soviet performers. Basically, foreign records were imported into the country - semi-legally from different countries of the world. Advertisements like Buy/sell old USSR vinyl records were relevant, but acquiring such discs was not easy. They were considered fashionable and had an aura of something forbidden. And today, collecting them has become a way of self-expression, a special subculture for several generations of Soviet citizens. Therefore, advertisements like Buy/Sell USSR records are relevant.
It is known that for the first time, vinyl records of the USSR, which are easy to sell today and have very different prices, were produced at a factory in Aprelevka near Moscow. Over time, this factory became largest producer disks in the Land of Soviets. The first products released featured the gypsy song “Tramp”, and they weighed 400 grams. Now these are rare vinyl records from the USSR, their price is very high.
During the war years, the production of discs decreased significantly. But after the war, the factory even mastered the production of long-playing vinyl. The first stereo discs appeared in 1961, but regular 78 rpm discs were also produced until 1971.
Despite the speed of technology development and qualitative changes in modern world, many interesting things remain unchanged today. Despite the rapid passage of time, they retain their value and remain equally popular, fashionable and in demand. These include vinyl records of the USSR, especially rare ones. More than one catalog offers them, and the price increases every year.
And the popularity of such products is not even due to the sound quality. As you know, the sound is simply incomparable with the sound of various digital media. Music connoisseurs and experienced collectors know that the sound of CDs is characterized by coldness and neutrality of sound, but the same cannot be said about vinyl. Therefore, prices for USSR records are usually higher compared to other media.
Our catalog of USSR vinyl records is always at your service!
The digital era in which we live takes us further and further from the time when the music, photography and film industries were based on analog equipment with its toggle switches, levers, magnetic tapes and light bulbs. Most of the “junk”, which previously took up a lot of space, has now become unnecessary - its task is successfully performed by programs.
Of course, there are still fans of the old school who reject the gifts of modernity and take photos or shoot the same films not digitally. IN music industry The picture is similar - most professionals use analog synthesizers, amplifiers, gadgets, etc. because they produce a more spacious and warm sound.
Regarding audio formats, CD has sunk into the abyss, having flaunted its glory for several decades. It became obvious that vinyl was and remains the real king of all sound. Its advantages lie in ease of replication, better recording quality (some consider this fact controversial) and in the very mystery of the listening ritual. Currently, sales of vinyl records are growing in the West, and experts predict that this trend will soon reach Moscow.
the site talked to Russian record collectors, DJs and musicians who talked about their vinyl passion, “the loss of musical virginity”, latest acquisitions, and also gave advice to beginning collectors.
RZhB
“Roma Khleb, better known as RZhB. Record collector, music lover and percussionist. Born in Taiga into a family of bears. That’s all,” he writes about himself.
In fact, RZHB is a strange record detective and musician who creates new "collages" from old records. Roma is one of the few collectors of unusual music in Russia, not limited by genres. He finds very interesting records everywhere - from children's music to Pakistani soundtracks from the 70s. RZHB wrote about the latest ones.
Past
At home there was and is always a meticulously arranged dump of sci-fi and horror toys, percussion, some souvenirs from travel and books. But this is normal, without pathologies...as it seems to me. After all, we are all a little crazy here. And me, and even you. The main thing is not to start accumulating dirty panties and cats in old age, giving them a separate room, as happens, right?
I didn’t have such a direct “realization” that I was a collector, as if some kind of spring had loosened inside me - no. It just happened that way. Got a lot from someone Soviet music, which I listened to and sampled on a Soviet player, but that doesn’t count. In the early 2000s, my friend Former Slim donated several Polish jazz records from his father’s collection, which had been gathering dust in the basement for a long time - that’s where it all began, one might say. And when I bought my first, truly expensive in every sense, record, I had already “lost my virginity” and went crazy.
The first vinyl was some benefit performance by Petrosyan or 2 Unlimited, to which we danced before classes in primary school, enjoying the first Mars, Stimorol and Chinese noodles. I don’t remember exactly. The first record I bought was 2H Company, they also sent us LSD wafers in it, so the purchase has a history. Unfortunately, the “bonus” was not from the publishers, so love didn’t work out for us. And the most expensive one cost me 200 euros, but it was a conscious step. This record, no less, changed musical preferences and the perception of music in general, becoming a trigger. And I have this album in all existing editions, except for the disc - my individual fetish. I won't say the name. Since then I haven’t made expensive purchases, but periodically I pay +/- a hundred for rare records that I especially like. The longer you collect, the cheaper it is to find. But it's a secret.
And my first player was a Soviet one. I don’t remember the name anymore. Right now I have the simplest Numark, but I don't like it at all. The key to the problem here is that I am not rich and the mere idea of spending even 15-20 thousand rubles on one vertak makes me feel small slippery green paws on my neck. With this money you can travel or buy a lot of good records. Until I get rich or lose my mind, I won’t become an audiophile, unfortunately.
Roma Bread. Photo: Courtesy of the musician
At one time I had wonderful experience working as a sound designer in a horror theater. The guys narrated the script, described the general atmosphere, shamelessly pointing their fingers at the places where specific sounds were supposed to come from, and I then designed it all. There were recordings of the “house choir” as part of this project, and recordings of the sounds of creaks, grinding sounds and similar eerie audio images. It was a great time, but alas. Nowadays I sample less and less, preferring to work with musicians, and I am returning more and more deeply to the roots - cinematic and library music of the 70s. But the lack of instruments and experience in playing them forces me to search and sample what sounds in my head.
My specific selection of music is lame, because the main criterion, besides “like or dislike,” is unusualness. The kaleidoscope of genres immediately crumbles into hundreds of fragments. It was almost always like this - I like to be surprised. And it doesn’t matter what. Music in this sense has a special charm - there is almost no “black” and “white” here, in the sense of a clear division by genre. No, of course, if you are Mr. Zanudov, then your criteria are different.
But I see everything as a kind of stylistic mixture, and this is always more interesting. That's why I hunt for everything - from krautrock to soundtracks from Indian films horror. I'm not much of a salesman, I don't have any business sense. Although I could earn some interest by helping to look for rare items for those who do not have the time or desire for this, but who needs it?
Roma Bread. Photo: Courtesy of the musician
Secrets
The layers have single rule– most often the price only grows over the years, and in what progression is another question. Everything here is individual, and many factors need to be taken into account: rarity, unusualness, design, history of reissues.
Andrey Chagin. Photo: Yulia Chernova
“There are about 6 thousand records in my collection, plus 2-3 thousand “forty-fives”. I became interested in it when I first put the needle on a record. I was captivated by the sound of vinyl and its aesthetics. The collection contains mainly funk, soul, house, techno, afro, reggae, dub, hip hop, new wave, progressive rock, ambient, classical music and so on. No hardcore or metal, I don't listen to these genres. With all the vinyl out there, I don't consider myself a collector. I don't have any rare or expensive records. I don’t chase the price, I only buy what I like and within my capabilities.
My wife and I have a store where we sell exclusive material from three American labels Stones Throw, PPU and iL. I am expanding my personal collection through auctions. The price, as a rule, depends on the circulation and the artist himself. But, even if the performer is mediocre, the price may rise due to the small circulation. Previously, there were few vinyl record stores, and there was no Internet at all. On Novy Arbat (then Kalininsky Prospekt - this is 1994) there was a store that is now located opposite my house - “Sound Barrier”. But in any case, I often buy records on the Internet - Discogs, Ebay, Groove collector, Music stack.
Latest vinyls: Chute Libre, The Atomic Crocus - Ombilic Contact, Love Root - Funky Emotion."
Igor DJ ELN, founder and drummer of Soul Surfers
“I’ve never counted how many records I have. Happy people don’t count layers! Strength lies not in quantity, but in the quality of the selection. I started collecting vinyl since childhood. Once at a summer camp at a disco I heard a song with scratches and began to find out what it was sounds - I realized that they were made by DJs on records. I went to a neighbor, got a player, tried it - it seemed that I realized that I wanted to become a DJ, and DJing and collecting records are inseparable from each other - so it seemed to me then.
From my grandfather's collection I got cool records, both from "democrats" and Soviet musicians. But I bought the first vinyl myself, on sale. The very first record was “Ensemble “Melody” - “Popular Mosaic”, bought for 100 rubles. At that time I had not yet “cut” the prices, but now I understand that it was possible to get it for 50 rubles. During this time I managed to chase for many rarities, but I have never bought records that cost more than $200, although in my collection there are copies much more expensive. The market for Soviet records has changed a lot now - many people are looking for records “with a groove” and all sorts of oddities, which is why Soviet records have increased in price, especially. in the capitals. And on the world market, funk and soul are becoming cheaper (but there are exceptions), and psychedelic rock is becoming more expensive.
I have bought and continue to buy vinyl at dealerships, in second-hand stores, and from men who sell it professionally. On the Internet too, back then it already existed, and there were a lot of interesting things on sale. low prices. Now it’s the Internet and stores.”
Photo: Courtesy of Eduard Sharov
Eduard DJ ED, recording artist
I don’t know the exact number of my records and haven’t thought of counting them...about 3 thousand. I bought my first record in the early 80s. I was interested in vinyl for its form, content and original design. This is the only medium that combines everything conceived by the musicians - from the original cover and photographs of the performers to the smallest details of the recording. In my youth, I collected coins, stamps, photographs and magazines of foreign musicians. And, of course, recordings on magnetic tapes.
I had several players: the first was Vega, then Estonia and JVC. In the nineties he acquired Technics. When purchasing an old or new player, you should pay attention to its serviceability, appearance, type of drive, condition of the tonearm and the connecting connector for the stylus cartridge. Also check the availability of wires and their quality, the condition of the pitch and other details. If an old needle is included, it is better to replace it.
My collection includes Funk, Soul, Jazz, R"n"B (50"s - 60"s), Latin Boogaloo, Popcorn and other genres, mainly on 45"s. In the 90s and early 2000s I purchased records from specialized thrift stores. I still go to such places today, but less often - the Internet is a priority. I often go to flea markets and see young people digging through old records. Personally, I rarely managed to find anything useful in these places; for the most part it was books and photo albums. I chased a lot of records, and not necessarily expensive ones. I’m still chasing one, but its cost is getting higher and higher every time.
In order to discover a new track and artist, you need to spend an insanely long time and research a large amount of material. All this applies only to Internet digging. I rarely sell records, but I'm seriously considering doing it now. By the way, statistics on the rise and fall of record prices can be viewed on popsike.com.
In my opinion, the vinyl market has changed better side. New stores with a good assortment are appearing. Modern labels take a responsible approach to the design of their publications, adhering to and focusing on how it was done in the heyday of vinyl. When you hold in your hands a double album with a folding sleeve, mesmerizing in its beauty and released in a limited edition, you understand that vinyl is a work of art.
Latest records: Cymande - Promised Heights (LP), King Curtis - Sweet Soul (LP), Larry Hall - Rebel Heart (45).
Dmitry Kokoulin
People don't like to part with old things. We have been storing items for years that have not been used in everyday life for a long time. They gather dust in the farthest corner of the closet and are only taken out when renovating or moving. But some of these things can be sold to someone who will truly appreciate them. For example, old vinyl records.
Previously, every home had a whole stack of them: songs by Alla Pugacheva, Valery Leontyev, as well as rarer copies with foreign music- The Beatles, Queen, ABBA and many other performers. But the time has come for electronic media. And only a decrepit, usually no longer working record player, and a collection of old vinyl remind of bygone times.
But those who carefully preserved the records can now make money by selling them. A lot of people are ready to buy them. Among them there are both collectors and lovers of real sound.
The struggle between analogue and digital sound
But we’ll start, perhaps, with why exactly people hunt for vinyl. With such a category as collectors, everything is clear: someone collects stamps, others badges and medals, and there are those who acquire rare copies of records. Very often they are not even unpacked, and they are simply part of the exhibition.
But there are also people who prefer to listen to music on this medium. Compared to a compressed digital format, the sound on vinyl is richer, brighter, and has more depth. Cassettes also lose in this competition, since their frequency range is significantly reduced.
Digital formats are more convenient in many ways: by compressing files on one medium, you can store a large amount of music. They are compact, convenient and do not get damaged when played. That is why they are leading the market today.
But a minority of the population - connoisseurs of rich and deep sound - remained faithful to vinyl. Their army is replenished by individual representatives younger generation. Today we can safely say that digital media has not completely won, just as the film industry has not been able to completely replace the theater.
Now let's return to the question of where and how to sell records profitably. Moreover, there are quite a few places of sale, and they all deserve attention.
Commission shop
In every, even the smallest city, there is a consignment store that accepts various goods for sale - books, equipment, interior items, dishes, things, etc. They also accept old vinyl records of the USSR and foreign performers.
This sales method is attractive due to its quick implementation: if there are connoisseurs of this product in your locality, they will buy it very quickly. The downside is the price. Here they offer 10-15 rubles. per copy, rarely where the cost reaches 50 rubles.
However, if you don’t want to delve into the topic and need to quickly sell all your existing records, this is the best option. Fast, cheap, no hassle.
Swap meet
IN major cities There are various flea markets and stalls. And if you make an effort, the product can be sold there. They usually work on weekends, so even a working person has the opportunity to start selling himself.
Here the price is much higher - 60-200 rubles. But there are also disadvantages. Firstly, you need at least minimal knowledge about prices and the potential value of each record. Secondly, there is no guarantee that a buyer will be found, while you will definitely waste your own time. Thirdly, the market is a very special place where sellers coexist with the homeless, marginalized, asocial individuals, plus they put up with all the vagaries of the weather.
The advantages include higher profits and, at a minimum, interesting experience.
A music shop
Since many music lovers are interested in buying vinyl records, there are, accordingly, retail outlets where these products are available in a huge assortment. These are various music stores, for example in Moscow - “Sound Barrier”, “Vinyl-Time”, “Phonograph”, in St. Petersburg - “Vinyl”, “Plastinka”, “Recordmed” and many others, both in these cities and across all over the country.
In a vinyl record store they often take goods for sale - especially rare and valuable things. They will offer a good price for them here. But it will not be possible to sell copies of large quantities profitably here - the cost will not be higher than in a banal purchase.
However, it is very a good option for those who have absolutely no idea about the prices of old vinyl. Here the entire collection will be examined, rare ones will be identified and the approximate market value will be announced. After visiting a vinyl record store, you can independently display your product on online platforms or leave it for sale.
The main disadvantage of this method is the loss of time when traveling, long term sales, as well as the low probability of having a valuable rarity.
Internet platforms
Today you can buy and sell absolutely everything on the Internet. And if you are looking for where to sell used vinyl records, then you can turn to the help of such trading platforms, like “Yula”, “Avito” or “Ozone”. They have specialized sections with this information. You can also try to put the product up for sale in thematic sections on social networks.
In order to submit an ad, you need to take a couple of photos and set a price, and, therefore, understand what you can sell and for how much. Then you just need to wait, as the implementation period may take a long time.
The disadvantages of this method include: high risk encounters with scammers: they monitor all advertisements in order to find a gullible simpleton.
Specialized sites for buying/selling vinyl
There are also little-known specialized sites where you can buy or sell rare items - 33ob.ru and similar resources. Here live those who are well versed in the matter and have the most extensive knowledge on the topic.
On such a site they offer the highest prices, but only for a worthwhile item. The disadvantage of such resources is mandatory registration; a commission from the sale is also taken, or the advertisement itself will be paid.
In general, in order to sell records here, you need to have something truly rare and interesting in your collection.
The price of vinyl records depends on several important factors. These include:
- Date of issue. The older, the more expensive. But sometimes the old artist was later released in additional editions - this reduces the cost.
- A rare specimen. The record was released in a small edition, which makes it exclusive. Collectors hunt for such things, and they are always expensive.
- Country where the recording was made. Domestic media from the Soviet period do not have much value, while among vinyl with foreign performers you can find an interesting specimen. Especially valuable are those recordings that came into the country bypassing the Iron Curtain.
- State. It is almost impossible to sell records with a serious defect, but if there are abrasions and scratches on it that have little effect on the sound frequency, then the buyer can still demand a discount even for a rare item.
- Playback speed. All other things being equal, a record with a high turnover rate costs more.
Price for vinyl records in retail sales can range from 500 to several thousand rubles. If we talk about highly valuable and rare collectibles, they cost tens of thousands of dollars.
How to find out the condition of an item
For the convenience of buyers, special symbols have been invented that will help understand the condition of the media without visual inspection:
- Mint - new vinyl, never played. The designation “SS” may also be present here - the packaging has not been opened.
- NM is an almost new record, listened to it several times. The packaging is without damage or scuffs, the vinyl surface is in perfect condition.
- Ex - excellent condition. Small defects are allowed on the surface of the media that do not affect the sound quality (rustles and light crackling are not considered sound errors). The packaging is in good condition, slight creases in the corners are acceptable, but all seams are intact.
- G - good condition. The packaging looks bad - scuffs, tears, dirty/greasy stains, etc. The vinyl has a lot of scratches but is playable.
- F/P - poor condition. The only reason to buy this item is its collectible value. Not suitable for listening.
Pre-sale preparation
Before you decide where to sell used vinyl records, you need to get them in decent shape. In other words, pre-sale preparation is needed. All of them need to be sorted out to make sure that the packaging matches the contents. Then you need to wipe the envelopes from dust and glue them - this will give them a more presentable look.
It is better not to touch the surface of the vinyl - dust leaves traces when wiped, and this delicate procedure should be left to those who understand this topic.
Special attention should be paid to compiling a list of the collection - record name, manufacturer, year of publication, circulation. This will help facilitate the dialogue with the seller during the purchase or save time when submitting an ad.
So, now you know how and where to sell used vinyl records. And how much you will earn from this depends only on whether there are items of value in your collection.
A musical number is partly a number about what is not there. In the world of mp3s, blogs and collections measured in hundreds of gigabytes, few people care about the actual music. New albums do not evoke trepidation; you want to get rid of the newly downloaded album as soon as possible. The only object that still evokes tenderness, envy and simple human interest in people is a long-forgotten vinyl record. Alexey Munipov found out how the Moscow vinyl world works and met with the main collectors.
“I tried never to change with anyone. And he didn’t let me listen to his records. If you have money, buy it, if you don’t, go to hell...” It’s hot in the basement of Transylvania, and overhead is a sales area with tons of CDs: there are no vinyl records there, but this is the main music lovers’ point in Moscow, and where to start asking questions about collectors if not here?
The owner of Transylvania, Boris Nikolaevich Simonov, was once the president of the Moscow Society of Philophonists and, in theory, should know everyone. His own collection is legendary. They say that everything there is only on vinyl. That it is not inferior in size, or even surpasses the Transylvania collection. That a separate apartment has been allocated for her. And that, of course, no one has access to it.
All this turns out to be true.
“I started collecting records in the mid-60s,” says Simonov. “I knew for sure that no one would give me the records, and I didn’t want to beg to listen to them either.” I didn’t run through the forests or through the crowds - I only bought and sold, and only from trusted people. There were several serious black marketeers in Moscow. They made money on other things - on mohair, bologna raincoats, scarves, watches, jeans. They unloaded sailors, artists, journalists, athletes, and various diplomats. They also brought vinyl, but no one really knew what to do with it. On the one hand, it seemed like a fashionable thing, on the other hand, no one understood music. Well, they knew Tom Jones, the Paul Mauriat orchestra, The Beatles... Our people, out of greed, bought vinyl at sales, and there, oddly enough, they came across interesting things. So I selected them. He kept the best and sold the rest for the same money. It wasn't a business - I could just listen a lot and keep a lot for myself. Well, some things have accumulated.”
Other collectors speak with a mixture of envy and admiration about what exactly has accumulated there. “I wouldn’t mention any forty-five, Boris is right there - but I have seven of them! — said DJ Misha Kovalev. “Well, seven times, sell one,” I say. And he - no, how can I sell it? She's good! Boris has this logic: if he lets a good record slip out of his hands, then all sorts of fools will ruin it! It’s better to let it lie down.”
Simonov does not say out loud that compacts are for suckers, but in general the approach is clear. There is basically no vinyl in Transylvania. “How to trade the most expensive? These little people will come, start looking, touching, wanting to listen, God forbid, scratching them... Well, shouldn’t we kill them for this? Dangerous!"
In the Soviet Union, the life of a record was bizarre and often fleeting. “A fresh long-play cost 50-55 rubles. But in the early days it could cost 100. Some Creedence “Cosmo’s Factory” comes along and the “writers” who record music for money immediately grab it, transfer it to film from morning to night and justify their money many times over. After that, the record turns into mush.” There was no idea about rarities, curiosities, collector's editions - in short, about what is now called collectables and described in thick catalogs - there was no idea. “Even then I didn’t understand that the first printing is more valuable because it sounds better. What people are now paying a lot of money for - some original King Crimson, The Beatles on a yellow Parlophone - used to be something you could just kick with your foot.”
It was a world of complex schemes, endless chains, dotted lines “from the Bolshoi soloist to the composer Artemyev,” calls and resales, honest store managers, quiet swindlers and serious collectors - Dosi Shenderovich, Rudik the red and Rudik the black, Vasily Lvovich and Vasily Dmitrich. According to Simonov, there were at least several collections in Moscow that were an order of magnitude larger than his own. But this world seems to have ended long ago and irrevocably. It’s hard to imagine a young man who now goes to other people’s apartments to buy vinyl. Why and who might need this?
***
Vova Terekh, guitarist of the band “Roaring Strings”, is quite a young man, and has hardly heard of the two Rudiks. Terekh stands in shorts in the middle of his two-room apartment, hanging in the air cigarette smoke, around the records, records, just records. The only furniture is a bed, a table and a barbell. Terekh pours tea, puts a 1969 Edgar Broughton Band record on the player and, after waiting for the first chords, says what every collector says first: “Well, listen for yourself - it sounds completely different!”
Sound is what people are supposed to buy vinyl for. Vinyl has an analog sound, a compact has a digital sound: collectors call it flat, squeezed, unnatural - whatever, the main thing is that there is no life in it. “I wasn’t a maniac,” says Tereh. — I listened to compacts and collected a decent amount. And one day, for nostalgic reasons, I decided to listen to Deep Purple’s album “In Rock” - I loved it as a child. I bought a branded compact - everything seems to be in place, but the music is somehow not the same. I got another edition, then a remastered one, then an expensive Japanese one—it’s not the same. Well, one day while visiting I came across an old record, put it on the player - and realized that we were being deceived.”
“Back then there were no CDs, no DVDs, no cassettes - vinyl was the only medium,” says Tereh, rummaging through the boxes. “All the best engineering minds in the world were focused on achieving perfect sound. Some records sound like that - you can’t believe they were recorded in ’68.” Collectors hate the word “remastering” especially fiercely: “Some guy sits and decides how to improve the old album. How does he know?! Well, yes, you can hear details there that were not heard before - so maybe you don’t need to hear them!”
Terekh collects garage, psychedelic, punk and krautrock; It’s clear that for him even holding the original edition of the legendary “Nuggets” record in his hands is already an adventure. Or find it on a junk compilation of Lou Reed - under a pseudonym, even before The Velvet Underground. All this is addictive: the same albums have different circulations, different versions, English, American and other editions. The most unpleasant thing is that their sound is also different. “American oak has such a mass, a deep path, and the sound really crushes. I like this one. The English ones sound completely different - no better, no worse, just different.” That’s why Terekh has seven of The Velvet Underground’s first albums, and all of them are different.
***
And, of course, design. To amaze the neophyte, he is always shown miracles and beauty. All this goes under the slogan “This doesn’t happen on CD.” The Faces' record makes the eyes roll. Sergeant Pepper includes a sergeant's mustache and epaulettes. The Jesus Loves the Stooges EP comes with special glasses that reveal a 3D dead donkey on one side of the sleeve and a 3D big-lipped Iggy on the other. The Jethro Tull "Stand Up" sleeve has paper cutouts of the members inside. Leather envelopes, gold embossing, colored vinyl, plastic windows, posters and inserts - quite a lot of things.
Dmitry Kazantsev, a designer and part-time blues musician, has about 5 thousand records - mostly old, American. Contrary to expectations, they do not take up much space - two large shelves, that is, half a room. The owner takes out a CD without looking: “What is there to compare? It is almost 9 times smaller than the plate. If you reduce the image by 9 times, all the details will be lost. The compact cannot be a collector's item at all. His price is ugh, nothing. It costs pennies to produce. And the record—that’s how much paper it took.”
There are unsorted stacks on the floor, on the chair, on the closet. Dmitry picks up the top plate and shows: “Well, here it is. Album The Beach Boys "Love You". You first take it, look at it - what a brilliant design, how everything is thought out and drawn down to the smallest detail. Then you turn it over, and there in the middle of this brilliant design is some idiotic amateur photograph. And so you think, what kind of idiocy, you look at the name of the photographer, you think: how is this possible, is the photographer an asshole or what? That is... Do you understand? You haven’t even started listening to the record yet, and you’re already having so much fun!”
Kazantsev demonstrates rare common sense: he doesn’t chase different versions of one album, he’s seen collectables in his grave, he pays attention only to the music and the quality of the recording. “On the first albums of The Velvet Underground, it’s terrible what’s going on! And they play somehow, and the recording is monstrous. Or the first editions of The Beatles: they now cost crazy amounts of money, they are very difficult to get, and they are almost always killed, and most are generally monophonic. I’m also happy with later reissues.” But in the end he suddenly admits: “Here, of course, you need to understand... There are fewer and fewer records, and there are more and more of us. Almost all the vinyl in the world has already been collected, described, and prices are rising. And so you sit and think: maybe I should buy it for future use? Then it won’t happen.”
***
From this “for future use”, from thinking about the difference in sound, from the phrases “I’ll take two, one just in case,” a crazy collecting streak begins to beat in people’s heads. There are vinyl stores in Moscow, but real collectors don't go to them. At least not the ones that are visible. There are two or three points on Gorbushka, there is a strange store at Melodiya - with unopened Pugacheva from the warehouse, and of course, there is the Sound Barrier on Leninsky and its owner Pasha. Everyone has a lot of complaints about Pasha, but no one can compete with the “Sound Barrier”: there are more than a hundred thousand records here - and there is no such collection of Soviet vinyl anywhere else.
The quiet collector loves secret places - like the point in 1st Smolensky Lane, which is run by Andrei Mikhailov, also known as Andrei Daltonik. This is a room filled from floor to ceiling with records - not a sign, not a bell, not a hint. Here, as if by themselves, heartbreaking stories are born - about drunken collectors, perished collectors, about people who ate only canned food and corn without butter. One artist walked around and got drunk. There was one chemist who drank himself and drowned. There was a couple, mother and son, nicknamed the Doodle Sharks - tenacious as hell. We collected only classics, and only old 78 rpm records. Once they showed a record of Bella Vrubel - this is the wife of the artist Vrubel, she sang a little, recorded 3 or 4 records. The price is 1500 dollars, at least. And they bought it from an old woman for 50 rubles.
“The jazz that they collect or rock is nothing,” says a local consultant, thin, toothless, wearing a sweater that remembers Andropov. — But if you start collecting classics, that’s all. With ends. Take Mozart’s clarinet concerto: it’s in minor, then in major, and then suddenly it throws you into the abyss. Hellish. The beginning is in the middle, the middle is at the end, the end is at the beginning - nothing is clear. Like Blavatsky. If you start collecting this stuff, it’s a lost cause. Classics—they stifle people.”
And then there are stamp makers or catalog makers - they collect entire catalogues: say, all the records released on the Vertigo label. It was said about Andrey Daltonik, who really loves Italo-disco, that he has 5,000 records from the German label ZYX Music in his collection. Andrey rejected the figure: “Yes, it turned out to be only three thousand. And yet I still don’t have enough positions. Five thousand is if you count all my Eurodisco.” In total, his collection contains 12 and a half thousand records. “They are in a separate room, no problem. The family doesn't mind. But no one goes there without me.”
By all indications, vinyl is on the rise right now. The market is growing, sales are increasing, people are willing to pay big money. Sellers should be happy about this - but it seems to only irritate them. “I don’t like working with the same oligarchs. — The store owner frowns. “They are all in vain, they don’t know what they want.” Tiring people."
Those who don't know what they want buy their Deep Purple "In Rock" and walk away. There are some of our own left, and you can deal with them. This is a thin but strong network - a kind of collector's Web 2.0, a system of people who know each other, which no eBay auction can compare with. In addition, Mikhailov says that prices on eBay are often higher than his. “Since it became possible to buy from Russia, everything has skyrocketed incredibly. The hungry came. I just see it." It’s more difficult, but also more reliable, to use personal connections: somewhere in Sussex a box of unopened vinyl was found, and in Krasnoyarsk there is a buyer for it. And it will not end up on any eBay. An auction means anonymity, but collecting always means communication. On eBay, God forbid, they will deceive you, but even if a person deceives you, then here he is, right next to you. It is better to find your seller somewhere in America or people who travel to England, Japan, Finland and Holland for records. The main thing is to establish contact."
***
The dating network is also the network of contempt. Here everyone knows everyone and everyone can’t stand each other. Collectors of orchestras and music of the 50s - collectors of punk and psychedelia. Jazzmen - collectors of "Melody". Fans of prog rock from 1968-1971 - those who also love 1972-1973. Music lovers are hucksters. Hucksters - students. The students are Nazareth fans. Krautrock connoisseurs are Italo disco connoisseurs. Buyers of old vinyl are buyers of modern vinyl. Narrow specialists - broad ones. Connoisseurs of the classics - everyone else.
The lowest on the ladder of hatred are those who collect exotic music - Japanese pop, Dutch rock, African twists. In a small apartment where there is no space, but only paths to the bed, record player and electric organ, Misha Kovalev plays me a seven-inch record from some idiotic Dutch: bought at a flea market for one euro. Kovalev is a GITIS teacher and DJ. Collects all sorts of fun. I am very pleased that no one here is chasing this kind of thing: once in the “Sound Barrier” they managed to snatch part of the collection of Tsvetov, the main Soviet international Japanese specialist, - no one else needed the Japanese stage. Another time, a cabinet with Cuban music appeared there: the main Latin specialist in Moscow died, the widow brought everything “to Pasha.” Each record had a hand-painted bookplate, and in some places even homemade covers. The cabinet stood for a couple of days, we managed to dig up a few things, then the collection went to England - in the West, Cuban vinyls are terribly expensive. Collections of the dead are generally a rich topic. Relatives used to throw them away, sometimes taking them by truck to Gorbushka and selling them by weight. “We got a lot of good things like that,” said Simonov. “But I recently had a flood—it was only the records that were flooded from the dead.” I won’t take from the dead anymore, to hell with them.”
Kovalev says all the right words about sound, about the sense of time, about the fact that this music is simply not on CD - no one remembers groups that released three singles and fell apart, and there is nothing about them on the Internet. The main thing says in the end: in these records the music itself was somehow preserved. Life, warmth, breath - God knows what. And he listens to his seven-inch records, but he cannot listen to them, rewritten on CD. No cover, no envelope - he can’t even remember what it is. “I once walked into a DJ store in Amsterdam: thousands of records, all in white envelopes and with the names blurred out. I almost died there.”
And then, you can’t buy too much on vinyl: it’s expensive, it’s tedious, and you get tired of carrying it. Vinyl is selection, and selection is exactly what is needed now. Without search, without effort, without these seemingly absurd barriers, music withers, shrinks, and disappears. It seems like there are gigabytes of everything - but there’s nothing to listen to. Do not want.
“Go,” Kovalev advised at parting, “to Gorbushka. There people have been reselling the same records to each other for years. That's what they are - collectors."
***
The red tent in the courtyard of the Rubin plant is a strong place. People who collect only The Beatles or only “Canterburys” from the list and from the catalog, change Sweet to Slade and Slade to Boney M - they are all here. This is the Moscow Society of Philophonists in the form in which it is still alive. Saturday and Sunday - collection in the morning. Simonov, having heard about him, only said: “Well, they’re finished.”
Here is a man who has 4000 records, and everything is only Deep Purple: all editions, and all solo albums, and solo albums of everyone who played on solo albums. There’s a Beatles specialist walking around: there are collections of eight thousand, young man, and only the Beatles. In the middle there is a specimen with glasses: he can’t say much, he can barely stand, and the neighbors are chasing him away because he seems to have shit himself - but he’s holding the string bag with the records tightly. “The oldest client,” says the current president of the society, half apologetically.
It smells of decay, greed and pepper. And also lack of will: it is not people who gather under this red awning, but the collections that have taken possession of them. Any collecting is, in essence, an absurd desire for order; to the opportunity to arrange, collect, preserve and describe at least a tiny piece of life. In the end, Deep Purple is not infinite, and nothing is infinite - sooner or later all the rarest positions will be closed, and the collection will become complete, perfect, perfect.
But there are no complete collections. You can collect “Melody” all your life, find rare Soviet jazz, recordings of drunken pianists - and completely accidentally find out that at the Tbilisi branch of “Melody” at night, on the third shift, for money they wrote and published fashionable music like cover versions of Nino Ferrera . These records are not in the official Melodiya catalogue, which means they do not exist - but they do exist. Or hear about the record library of a modest KGB officer from the 5th department, where they sent 20 copies of each (every!) Melodiev record - including prohibited ones. Where she is and what is there is unknown.
“Nobody really knows anything,” says Kazantsev. — There may be an envelope from one country, but the record was made in another. Released in Holland, written “Made in Sweden”, and made in England. Or they started printing on one label and finished printing on another. They sound different, but they differ only in that there is some tiny R there. Or it's not even worth it. No Internet will help you, this is not described in any catalogues. I have a Donovan record – no one can even figure out where it was made.”
Somewhere in the depths of Gorbushka, a fat man, surrounded by records, almost shouts: “You don’t know what collections are! You don't know what rarities are! These are not collectors, but wow! Real rarities are not sold, exchanged, shown, or talked about. Real collections do not fit in apartments! They are stored - in hangars! They are transported - by trucks! Obviously, I will never see them - while talking about labels, reprints, rarities and Evstigneev’s jazz record library, imaginary trucks slowly go into the distance. Like dreams of peace, like the ghost of a world where there is nothing but music. Like Moby Dick, who is completely impossible to catch up with.
Vinyl records were once a great, high-quality way to listen to your favorite tunes. The rush to find this or that record reached all imaginable limits; people were willing to stand in lines overnight or wash floors just to get the vinyl.
True, cassettes soon replaced vinyl, and then they filled the whole world and the popularity of “layers” subsided. However, the passion for vinyl records
remained and grew into something more, turning into collecting unique works. The most interesting personalities Internet sites for collecting vinyl records are presented below:
largest collection of vinyl records in the world
№ 1
It took Paul Moonheney more than 50 years to assemble the most large collection vinyl records in the world. The collection contains about 3 million vinyl records (EP, LP, 45-rev and 78-rpm) and the value of this collection is approximately estimated at $50 million. The extensive vinyl that Paul Mountheini has collected contains over 5 generations of music. 17% of his collection can be found in electronic format, and the other 83 can only be purchased from him. However, the dominance of the digital format forced the collector to sell his “life’s work” on the online auction site eBay.
writer Haruki Murakami and his famous jazz listening room
№ 2
The famous Japanese writer Haruki Murakami often describes jazz compositions in his novels, and all for good reason, because he also
is the owner of a delightful collection of 40 thousand
records
.
Grigory Kachurin
Grigory Kachurin collected in his three-room apartment huge collection records, gramophones and gramophones. It all started with his father, who after 1945 began collecting specimens that interested him. Basically, the collection consists of very valuable items from the post-war period, but Grigory continued his father’s work and regularly adds to his collection. Particularly noteworthy are records with Stalin’s voice, as well as Khrushchev’s personal collection of Ukrainian songs, which Grigory inherited from Nikita Sergeevich’s relatives. Collector Kachurin has more than 25 thousand records, 80 gramophones and gramophones.
№ 4
The next contender for a large vinyl record collection is
owner of the recording studio Evgeny Nemtsov. Personal
It is replenished mainly with classical works, but you can also find pop and jazz music. Evgeniy Nemtsov is the owner near
20 thousand copies of vinyl records.
№5
Famous Moscow collector of sound recordings Valery Dmitrievich Safoshkin,
During his short life, he collected a unique collection of gramophone records, which belongs to various musical genres world, Soviet and Russian stage. The collection of gramophone records alone contains more than 17 thousand pieces, among them there are rare, the only copies in. Valery Dmitrievich's collection is registered with the International Association of Musical Collections. Safoshkin keeps valuable antique sound-reproducing mechanisms, for example, the disk of the inventor Edison, gramophones, phonograph rollers, gramophones (there is a gramophone that belonged to F.I. Chaliapin).
№ 6
Yuri Borisovich Perepelkin from the city of St. Petersburg collected a collection of gramophone records with the voices of famous opera singers peace. In the Perepelkin collection 16 thousand recordings of opera singers, as well as unique photographic materials from the lives of artists, their personal diaries and memoirs that were specially written at the request of the collector. Yuri Borisovich has many unique works, for example, a rare recording of the soprano voice of the artist Vrubel’s wife, who was believed to have never recorded her voice.
№ 7
Alessandro Benedetti began collecting his collection of colored and unusual discs in 1981. At the moment full meeting vinyl records totals about 8 thousand discs, among which only about 1.2 thousand are color ones. In 2003, Alessandro's collection was listed in the Guinness Book of Records, and in 2009, he, together with Italian producer Giorgio Morodera and collector Peter Bastain, with the help of the Tashen publishing house and Colors magazine, released the book Extraordinary Records, which is dedicated to the strangest and most unusual vinyl records in the world.
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